March 7, 2010

Men's basketball heads back to Ogden in search of two more wins

RELATED CLICKS:
Northern Colorado notes | Big Sky Conference notes

OGDEN, Utah -- Northern Colorado (No. 11 Mid-Major Top 25), just two victories from its first NCAA Tournament, will face Montana for the third time this season (1-1) Tuesday in a Big Sky Championship semifinal Tuesday at Dee Events Center.

The Bears are 4-9 all-time against the Grizzlies and have won two of the last three games in the series. In the teams’ two games this season, neither team has won a home game.

Tad Boyle (55-64) is in his fourth year at NC and is 2-6 against the Griz and 0-1 overall in the postseason. Wayne Tinkle (68-52) is in his fourth season at Montana, 6-2 against NC and 2-3 overall in postseason games.

GAME DETAILS
 Date: Tuesday, March 9
Tip: 4:30 p.m. (MT)
Location: Ogden, Utah
Venue: Dee Events Ctr. (12,000)
Radio: 1310 KFKA (Greeley)
Play-by-play: Troy Coverdale
Web stream: 1310kfka.com
Television: Altitude
Play-by-play: Bill Riley
Analyst: Jay McMillan
Sideline: Jeff Friedman
Live stats: weberstatesports.com

WITH A WIN TUESDAY NIGHT ...

  • The Bears would improve to 25-6 this season and set the school record for wins, surpassing the 1988-89 Bears, which finished 24-6. These Bears would also stake claim as arguably the best team to ever play at Northern Colorado.
  • Northern Colorado would win its first postseason game since 1994 and advance to its first Big Sky Conference Championship final in just its third year of postseason eligibility.
  • The Bears would match their total wins accumulated between Dec. 7, 2002, and Nov. 11, 2006, when Tad Boyle coached his first game at Northern Colorado.
  • Northern Colorado would win its 13th road or neutral game this season, tying it for the third most such wins in the country this season (out of 347 programs).
  • Northern Colorado ended the regular season as the first team in school history (since 1965, when NC records began tracking home, away or neutral) to win 12 road or neutral games, and it would continue that record run of winning games outside of Greeley.
  • The Bears would win their third game in four tries against Montana and improve to 5-9 all-time against the Grizzlies.
  • Northern Colorado would improve to 7-25 all-time in televised contests and win its fifth game out of its last six games on TV.