University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, December 31
Greeley, CO
5:00 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Eastern Washington University
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
@unco_mbb Gears Up For Big Sky Opener Against Eastern Washington
12/29/2015 4:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears and the Eagles meet on New Year's Eve at 5:00 p.m.
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado (3-9) will be ringing in the New Year on the court as the Bears' Road To Reno begins at home with reigning Big Sky champs Eastern Washington (6-6) coming to Greeley for a 5:00 p.m. tip this Thursday, Dec. 31.
For all information regarding the game, please visit our GAMEDAY CENTRAL.
Scouting The Bears (Game Notes) (Big Sky Notes)
- Northern Colorado is currently on a three-game losing streak after defeated Colorado State on Dec. 13.
- UNC currently sits 3-4 this season in games played at Bank of Colorado Arena, but is 0-8 this year in all games when trailing at the half.
- The Bears have lost the last three meetings against EWU with their last win over the Eagles coming in the 2012-13 season.
- UNC has had seven different starting lineups in 12 games thus far this season as Coach Hill is still trying to find the right rotations.
- Northern Colorado is 6-3 all-time against Eastern Washington at home and 3-6 against them on the road.
- The Bears will face the Eagles twice this season after seeing them just one time last year on the road.
Scouting The Eagles (Game Notes)
- The Eagles are 6-6 heading into league action after recently picking up a win at Denver, 74-58 on Dec. 20. EWU is currently 2-5 this year in road games.
- The Eags boast four players averaging double digits and are led by senior guard, Austin McBroom, who's averaging 18.6 ppg.
- EWU's Lone returning starter, Venky Jois is putting up near double-double numbers on the year, scoring 14.8 ppg and bringing in 8.1 rebounds.
- The Eagles enter league play 5-1 when they've held opponents to 71 points or less. Twice EWU has held opponents to a season-low 58 points, including a 58-52 loss at Seattle and a 74-58 road win at Denver
- Eastern's average of 10.8 3-pointers per game is eighth in NCAA Division I and leads the Big Sky.
Blank Slate
- With the start of league play comes the opportunity for a fresh start as every team in the conference sits with a 0-0 record.
- Head Coach B.J. Hill sits with a 49-43 career record in Big Sky play and only had one season throughout his tenure where his team did not reach the postseason conference tournament.
- This year's Big Sky Conference Tournament will include all 12 teams at a neutral site, the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. The first round takes place on March 8, followed by quarterfinals (March 10), semifinals (March 11) and the championship game (March 12).
- Last year UNC finished with a 10-8 overall record in the Big Sky, earning them the 5th seed in the postseason tournament.
Home Court Advantage
- The Bear have been consistently good at home during league play under Coach Hill, sitting with a 33-13 overall record in the last 5 seasons inside Bank of Colorado Arena.
- Last year UNC ended with a 7-2 overall record at home in Big Sky games, with its losses coming from Montana and Montana State.
- During the 2010-11 season the Bears were a perfect 9-0 in conference games in Greeley.
- Since 2007, UNC is 85-32 in all games played at "The Bank".
- This will be the first time Eastern Washington has played in Greeley since February 27, 2014 where they handed UNC an 80-66 loss.
Beyond The Arc
- The Bears currently have the best three-point shooting percentage in all of the Big Sky, averaging 39.2% a game on 83-of-212 shooting from beyond the arc. Not only do they rank first in the league in 3FG%, but that percentage puts them 37th in the NCAA in that category.
- Out of the 894 points the team has scored through 12 games, 249 of those points have come by the way of the three.
- Junior guards, Anthony Johnson and Jordan Wilson currently lead the team in three points makes. Johnson has cashed in 26 shots from three-point land, while Wilson is just one behind with 25.
Tickets
Single game EWU tickets and the rest of the Big Sky home games are on sale now. To purchase single game tickets head over to our Ticket Central.
Bears On The T.V.
- The television agreement between the University of Northern Colorado and Comcast continues this winter with the broadcast of a combined 10 men's and women's games and began on December 8 with the women's team taking on Colorado State. The men's New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) game against Eastern Washington can be found Comcast (CET) channel 900.
Social Media Hub
UNC Basketball Twitter: @unco_mbb
Hashtags: #BearWitness, #GoUNCBears
UNC Basketball Instagram: unco_mbb
UNC Basketball Vine: UNC Men's Basketball
YouTube: YouTube.com/uncbearsathletics
UNC Athletics Twitter: @unc_bears
UNC Athletics Facebook: Facebook.com/UNCBears
Hoops Staff On Twitter
Head Coach B.J. Hill : @CoachBJHill
Asst. Coach Joel Davidson : @Coach_Davidson
Asst. Coach Will Hensley : @CoachHensley
Asst. Coach Eric Murphy : @EMurph123
Dir. of Ops Taylor Green : @Coach_TGreen
For all information regarding the game, please visit our GAMEDAY CENTRAL.
Scouting The Bears (Game Notes) (Big Sky Notes)
- Northern Colorado is currently on a three-game losing streak after defeated Colorado State on Dec. 13.
- UNC currently sits 3-4 this season in games played at Bank of Colorado Arena, but is 0-8 this year in all games when trailing at the half.
- The Bears have lost the last three meetings against EWU with their last win over the Eagles coming in the 2012-13 season.
- UNC has had seven different starting lineups in 12 games thus far this season as Coach Hill is still trying to find the right rotations.
- Northern Colorado is 6-3 all-time against Eastern Washington at home and 3-6 against them on the road.
- The Bears will face the Eagles twice this season after seeing them just one time last year on the road.
Scouting The Eagles (Game Notes)
- The Eagles are 6-6 heading into league action after recently picking up a win at Denver, 74-58 on Dec. 20. EWU is currently 2-5 this year in road games.
- The Eags boast four players averaging double digits and are led by senior guard, Austin McBroom, who's averaging 18.6 ppg.
- EWU's Lone returning starter, Venky Jois is putting up near double-double numbers on the year, scoring 14.8 ppg and bringing in 8.1 rebounds.
- The Eagles enter league play 5-1 when they've held opponents to 71 points or less. Twice EWU has held opponents to a season-low 58 points, including a 58-52 loss at Seattle and a 74-58 road win at Denver
- Eastern's average of 10.8 3-pointers per game is eighth in NCAA Division I and leads the Big Sky.
Blank Slate
- With the start of league play comes the opportunity for a fresh start as every team in the conference sits with a 0-0 record.
- Head Coach B.J. Hill sits with a 49-43 career record in Big Sky play and only had one season throughout his tenure where his team did not reach the postseason conference tournament.
- This year's Big Sky Conference Tournament will include all 12 teams at a neutral site, the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. The first round takes place on March 8, followed by quarterfinals (March 10), semifinals (March 11) and the championship game (March 12).
- Last year UNC finished with a 10-8 overall record in the Big Sky, earning them the 5th seed in the postseason tournament.
Home Court Advantage
- The Bear have been consistently good at home during league play under Coach Hill, sitting with a 33-13 overall record in the last 5 seasons inside Bank of Colorado Arena.
- Last year UNC ended with a 7-2 overall record at home in Big Sky games, with its losses coming from Montana and Montana State.
- During the 2010-11 season the Bears were a perfect 9-0 in conference games in Greeley.
- Since 2007, UNC is 85-32 in all games played at "The Bank".
- This will be the first time Eastern Washington has played in Greeley since February 27, 2014 where they handed UNC an 80-66 loss.
Beyond The Arc
- The Bears currently have the best three-point shooting percentage in all of the Big Sky, averaging 39.2% a game on 83-of-212 shooting from beyond the arc. Not only do they rank first in the league in 3FG%, but that percentage puts them 37th in the NCAA in that category.
- Out of the 894 points the team has scored through 12 games, 249 of those points have come by the way of the three.
- Junior guards, Anthony Johnson and Jordan Wilson currently lead the team in three points makes. Johnson has cashed in 26 shots from three-point land, while Wilson is just one behind with 25.
Tickets
Single game EWU tickets and the rest of the Big Sky home games are on sale now. To purchase single game tickets head over to our Ticket Central.
Bears On The T.V.
- The television agreement between the University of Northern Colorado and Comcast continues this winter with the broadcast of a combined 10 men's and women's games and began on December 8 with the women's team taking on Colorado State. The men's New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) game against Eastern Washington can be found Comcast (CET) channel 900.
Social Media Hub
UNC Basketball Twitter: @unco_mbb
Hashtags: #BearWitness, #GoUNCBears
UNC Basketball Instagram: unco_mbb
UNC Basketball Vine: UNC Men's Basketball
YouTube: YouTube.com/uncbearsathletics
UNC Athletics Twitter: @unc_bears
UNC Athletics Facebook: Facebook.com/UNCBears
Hoops Staff On Twitter
Head Coach B.J. Hill : @CoachBJHill
Asst. Coach Joel Davidson : @Coach_Davidson
Asst. Coach Will Hensley : @CoachHensley
Asst. Coach Eric Murphy : @EMurph123
Dir. of Ops Taylor Green : @Coach_TGreen
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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