Bears Will Ring In New Year In Pocatello

GAME DAY NOTES: at Idaho State

GAME DETAILS
Date: Thursday, Jan.1, 2009
Tip: 2:05 p.m. (MT)
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
    Venue: Holt Arena
    Capacity: 8,000
Promotions: none
Television: BigSkyTV.org
Radio: 1310 KFKA (Greeley)
   Talent: Troy Coverdale
Web stream: 1310KFKA.com
Live stats: none
Series: ISU, 28-12
   Last: NC, 76-66 (2-7-2008)

SOME STORY LINES

• Sophomore Devon Beitzel has been on fire for the Bears the last four games, and he will look to keep that stretch going tonight against ISU after scoring 20 or more points in four straight, including a D-I school record 32 agaisnt NAU.

• This game figures to be a high-scoring affair. Both teams enter this afternoon’s game at the bottom of the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense. The Bears are last (76.4) and the Bengals are second to last (72.5).

• Northern Colorado won the last time these two teams met, but the Bears haven’t had much back-to-back success against the Bengals in their history. Northern Colorado hasn’t won two in a row against ISU since the 1960-61 season.

• These teams used to both be members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and of their 40 previous meetings, eight games (20 percent) have been decided by 11 points. It’s happened twice since the Bears joined the Big Sky.

SERIES HISTORY (ISU leads 28-12)
2007-08: NC, 76-66 (A)
2007-08: ISU, 76-65 (H)
2006-07: ISU, 70-60 (A)
2006-07: ISU, 66-65 (H)
1962-63: ISU, 90-84 (H)
1962-63: NC, 79-89 (H)
1961-62: ISU, 77-64 (A)
1961-62: ISU, 92-59 (A)
1960-61: ISU, 88-77 (H)
1960-61: ISU, 72-65 (H)
1960-61: NC, 70-47 (H)
1960-61: NC, 71-63 (H)
1959-60: ISU, 80-57 (A)
1959-60: ISU, 77-66 (A)
1959-60: ISU, 58-51 (A)
1958-59: ISU, 73-61 (H)
1958-59: NC, 84-81 (H)
1957-58: ISU, 72-40 (A)
1957-58: ISU, 74-43 (A)
1956-57: ISU, 82-77 (H)
1956-57: ISU, 83-67 (H)
1955-56: ISU, 63-54 (H)
1955-56: NC, 86-66 (H)
1955-56: ISU, 59-58 (A)
1955-56: ISU, 65-54 (A)
1954-55: ISU, 82-70 (A)
1954-55: ISU, 80-65 (A)
1953-54: ISU, 62-57 (N)
1954-54: ISU, 71-54 (H)
1953-54: ISU, 66-60 (H)
1952-53: ISU, 70-61 (A)
1952-53: ISU, 75-52 (A)
1951-52: ISU, 48-47 (H)
1951-52: ISU, 55-47 (H)
1950-51: NC, 61-49 (N)
1950-51: NC, 70-63 (N)
1949-50: NC, 53-49 (A)
1949-50: NC, 54-51 (N)
1948-49: NC, 63-42 (H)
1948-49: NC, 55-44 (H)

ABOUT THE BENGALS

• Idaho State was picked third by media and coaches in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls, and the Bengals have yet to play in the league this season.

• The Bengals so far have played against a schedule that was rated at the beginning of the week as the seventh most difficult in the country (realtimerpi.com). ISU has lost to Hawaii, Boise State, BYU, Wisconsin, Arizona State and K-State.

• Guard Amorrow Morgan leads the Bengals in scoring (13.5 - third in the Big Sky), and defensively, Idaho State is first in the league in blocks per game (3.69).