University of Northern Colorado Athletics

Photo by: Dean Popejoy
@unco_mbb Finish Five-Game Road Trek at Oklahoma
11/28/2016 12:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado (2-4, 0-0 Big Sky) will end its five-game road swing on Tuesday, Nov. 29 with a visit to Norman, Oklahoma to square off against the Oklahoma Sooners (4-1, 0-0 Big 12). OU will be the third 2015-16 NCAA Tournament team the Bears have faced in the month of November. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m. (MT).
Oklahoma Links: GameDay Central | Listen | Live Stats | @unco_mbb | TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Scouting Northern Colorado (Game Notes)
- UNC is currently 1-3 on this tough five-game road trip. The Bears picked up a win over Sacred Heart (81-59) in at the Las Vegas Invitational, but dropped games to Santa Clara (88-72), No. 8 Arizona (71-55) and Bucknell (75-63).
- The Bears have yet to pick up a true road win (0-3), but it isn't from a lack of trying. So far UNC's true road opponents have been Butler, Santa Clara and Arizona. Two of those three teams made the 2015-16 NCAA tournament last season.
- The last time Northern Colorado traveled to Oklahoma they nearly upset the Sooners, falling by just one point, 80-79 in the 2009-10 season. The Bears nearly erased a 10-point deficit and had the ball with 5.6 seconds left in the game before a turnover ended UNC's chance at an upset. OU holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series
- UNC has risen to the level of play of its opponents and that can be proven in the 71-55 loss at No.8 Arizona. The final score wasn't true to how the game went as UNC held a one-point lead at the half over the Wildcats and only trailed by eight points with 6:44 to play, before Arizona opened the lead and kept it for the remaining six minutes.
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis remains the invaluable piece of this 2016-17 team. Davis has scored 20+ points in all six games this season and is currently averaging 24.0 ppg, ranking him first in the Big Sky and 7th in the NCAA (Division I).
Scouting Oklahoma
- Oklahoma, a 2015-16 NCAA Final Four team, has started the season off with a 4-1 record after besting Abilene Christian 72-54 last Friday.
- The Sooners have three players averaging double figures on the season, led by Jordan Woodward. Woodward is putting up 17.6 points per game and also leads the team in assists, averaging 4.2. Khadeem Lattin (11.8 ppg) and Christian James (10.8 ppg) are the other two OU players in double figures for the year.
- Oklahoma has won 124 of its last 129 non-conference games at home, including 58 of its last 60. The Sooners are 59-14 against non-conference opponents under Lon Kruger, including 32-2 at home
- The Sooners welcome in seven newcomers to the program this season, including junior college transfer Darrion Strong from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. He'll be joined by the incoming class of freshmen Kristian Doolittle, Kameron McGusty and Jordan Shepherd. Freshman Matt Freeman joined the Sooners midway through the 2015-16 season as a redshirt after finishing high school in his home country of New Zealand, and will be eligible to play in 2016-17. Walk-on freshmen Richard Anderson, Grant Quinn and Marshall Thorpe round out the group of newcomers. Media outlets such as ESPN, USA Today and 247 Sports have regarded OU's incoming freshman class as a top-30 recruiting class nationally
- For the first time since 2013, the Sooners opened the season unranked in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls. Oklahoma was also voted sixth in the Big 12 Conference's preseason poll – it's lowest preseason projection since 2012.
Bears' Last Time Out
- Northern Colorado held a lead midway through the second half, but a late surge by Bucknell sent the Bears home from the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with a 75-63 loss.
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis etched a new career-high in the loss, finishing with 28 points on 12-of-20 (60.0%) shooting. He also hauled in a team-best six rebounds.
- Bucknell only hit two three-pointers in the second half, but they game at key times in the game. The first three pushed the Bison lead to 68-62, while the second one all but sealed the win, making it a 71-63 game with 2:11 to play
- After shooting 62.5% from the floor in the first half, UNC shot just 37.0% in the second half, including going 2-of-13 (15.4%) from three-point range.
Davis Delight
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis is putting up Russell Westbrook type numbers to begin the season.
- Davis is currently averaging 24.0 ppg, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists. His points per game rank him first in the Big Sky and 7th in all of the NCAA. His 5.3 assists per game also is a conference best.
- The sophomore is coming off a career-high 28 points in the loss to Bucknell in the championship round of the Mid-Major bracket at the Las Vegas Invitational. The game prior against Sacred Heart, Davis produced his first career double-double with 25 points and 12 boards.
- Davis currently is riding a six-game streak of scoring 20+ points.
Miles For Three
- After missing a month due to a concussion, junior transfer, DJ Miles is back in full form and it showed over Thanksgiving Weekend.
- Miles, a JUCO All-American from Otero JC, posted back-to-back double-digit games against Sacred Heart and Bucknell.
- The junior lit it up from beyond the arc against Sacred Heart, scoring a career-high 17 points, while shooting 5-of-7 on 3FGs. He followed that up with a 16-point performance in the loss to Bucknell, going 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-8 from downtown.
- He earned his first-career start against Bucknell, in place of an injured Chaz Glotta, who suffered an ankle injury in the Sacred Heart game.
He'll Be Back
- Junior college transfer, Gerad Davis will miss some playing time in the month of November with a leg injury.
- Davis is expected to return in 3-4 weeks, and could return as early Nov. 29 when the team heads to Oklahoma to play the Sooners.
Windex Bears
- Jeff Linder has his team hitting the boards in the early goings of the season. The Bears are currently averaging 36.0 rebounds a game, with a +2.3 rebounding margin. UNC has limited its opponents to 33.7 rebounds a game, ranking the team second in the Big Sky in defensive rebounding.
- The Bears are 3-3 thus far on the year in winning the rebound battle, including out boarding No. 8 Arizona.
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UNC Basketball Twitter: @unco_mbb
Hashtags: #BearWitness, #GoUNCBears
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YouTube: YouTube.com/uncbearsathletics
UNC Athletics Twitter: @unc_bears
UNC Athletics Facebook: Facebook.com/UNCBears
Oklahoma Links: GameDay Central | Listen | Live Stats | @unco_mbb | TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Scouting Northern Colorado (Game Notes)
- UNC is currently 1-3 on this tough five-game road trip. The Bears picked up a win over Sacred Heart (81-59) in at the Las Vegas Invitational, but dropped games to Santa Clara (88-72), No. 8 Arizona (71-55) and Bucknell (75-63).
- The Bears have yet to pick up a true road win (0-3), but it isn't from a lack of trying. So far UNC's true road opponents have been Butler, Santa Clara and Arizona. Two of those three teams made the 2015-16 NCAA tournament last season.
- The last time Northern Colorado traveled to Oklahoma they nearly upset the Sooners, falling by just one point, 80-79 in the 2009-10 season. The Bears nearly erased a 10-point deficit and had the ball with 5.6 seconds left in the game before a turnover ended UNC's chance at an upset. OU holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series
- UNC has risen to the level of play of its opponents and that can be proven in the 71-55 loss at No.8 Arizona. The final score wasn't true to how the game went as UNC held a one-point lead at the half over the Wildcats and only trailed by eight points with 6:44 to play, before Arizona opened the lead and kept it for the remaining six minutes.
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis remains the invaluable piece of this 2016-17 team. Davis has scored 20+ points in all six games this season and is currently averaging 24.0 ppg, ranking him first in the Big Sky and 7th in the NCAA (Division I).
Scouting Oklahoma
- Oklahoma, a 2015-16 NCAA Final Four team, has started the season off with a 4-1 record after besting Abilene Christian 72-54 last Friday.
- The Sooners have three players averaging double figures on the season, led by Jordan Woodward. Woodward is putting up 17.6 points per game and also leads the team in assists, averaging 4.2. Khadeem Lattin (11.8 ppg) and Christian James (10.8 ppg) are the other two OU players in double figures for the year.
- Oklahoma has won 124 of its last 129 non-conference games at home, including 58 of its last 60. The Sooners are 59-14 against non-conference opponents under Lon Kruger, including 32-2 at home
- The Sooners welcome in seven newcomers to the program this season, including junior college transfer Darrion Strong from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. He'll be joined by the incoming class of freshmen Kristian Doolittle, Kameron McGusty and Jordan Shepherd. Freshman Matt Freeman joined the Sooners midway through the 2015-16 season as a redshirt after finishing high school in his home country of New Zealand, and will be eligible to play in 2016-17. Walk-on freshmen Richard Anderson, Grant Quinn and Marshall Thorpe round out the group of newcomers. Media outlets such as ESPN, USA Today and 247 Sports have regarded OU's incoming freshman class as a top-30 recruiting class nationally
- For the first time since 2013, the Sooners opened the season unranked in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls. Oklahoma was also voted sixth in the Big 12 Conference's preseason poll – it's lowest preseason projection since 2012.
Bears' Last Time Out
- Northern Colorado held a lead midway through the second half, but a late surge by Bucknell sent the Bears home from the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with a 75-63 loss.
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis etched a new career-high in the loss, finishing with 28 points on 12-of-20 (60.0%) shooting. He also hauled in a team-best six rebounds.
- Bucknell only hit two three-pointers in the second half, but they game at key times in the game. The first three pushed the Bison lead to 68-62, while the second one all but sealed the win, making it a 71-63 game with 2:11 to play
- After shooting 62.5% from the floor in the first half, UNC shot just 37.0% in the second half, including going 2-of-13 (15.4%) from three-point range.
Davis Delight
- Sophomore guard, Jordan Davis is putting up Russell Westbrook type numbers to begin the season.
- Davis is currently averaging 24.0 ppg, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists. His points per game rank him first in the Big Sky and 7th in all of the NCAA. His 5.3 assists per game also is a conference best.
- The sophomore is coming off a career-high 28 points in the loss to Bucknell in the championship round of the Mid-Major bracket at the Las Vegas Invitational. The game prior against Sacred Heart, Davis produced his first career double-double with 25 points and 12 boards.
- Davis currently is riding a six-game streak of scoring 20+ points.
Miles For Three
- After missing a month due to a concussion, junior transfer, DJ Miles is back in full form and it showed over Thanksgiving Weekend.
- Miles, a JUCO All-American from Otero JC, posted back-to-back double-digit games against Sacred Heart and Bucknell.
- The junior lit it up from beyond the arc against Sacred Heart, scoring a career-high 17 points, while shooting 5-of-7 on 3FGs. He followed that up with a 16-point performance in the loss to Bucknell, going 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-8 from downtown.
- He earned his first-career start against Bucknell, in place of an injured Chaz Glotta, who suffered an ankle injury in the Sacred Heart game.
He'll Be Back
- Junior college transfer, Gerad Davis will miss some playing time in the month of November with a leg injury.
- Davis is expected to return in 3-4 weeks, and could return as early Nov. 29 when the team heads to Oklahoma to play the Sooners.
Windex Bears
- Jeff Linder has his team hitting the boards in the early goings of the season. The Bears are currently averaging 36.0 rebounds a game, with a +2.3 rebounding margin. UNC has limited its opponents to 33.7 rebounds a game, ranking the team second in the Big Sky in defensive rebounding.
- The Bears are 3-3 thus far on the year in winning the rebound battle, including out boarding No. 8 Arizona.
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
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