Preview: @UNCO_MBB Set to Play @IdahoStateBall in the Bank

Saturday, January 13

Greeley, Colo.

2pm

University of Northern Colorado

Idaho State University

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

1/12/2018 5:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Kurt Maddox, UNCBears.com

Greeley, Colo.—Northern Colorado looks to get back to its winning ways against Idaho State Saturday. ISU comes to Greeley after being handed its first loss in the conference against North Dakota Thursday.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 pm and the Bears would like to see a full house to #DefendTheDen. At the game, you can put on your headphones and listen to Troy Coverdale on 1310 KFKA and follow the stats live on UNCBears.com. If you can't make it to the game, just watch it on WatchBigSky.com or Pluto TV channel 241.

Opening Tip
This will be the 55th overall meeting between Northern Colorado and Idaho State. Their first bout was in 1947 and the Bengals won the game 47-39. UNC was victorious in the last matchup February 18 of 2017, 87-81 but the Bengals won the previous three battles. ISU leads the overall series 34-20.

Climbing the Ladder
Jordan Davis continues to pass UNC great after UNC great in total points for his career. In the Weber State game, JD passed Tate Unruh (2009-2014) for 13th place overall and fourth place in Division I for all-time points. The Las Vegas native surpassed the 1,200 points barrier and now has 1,202 in his career with a season and a half left. He is 32 points away from being in the top 10 and will pass Sean Nolen (2000-2005) (1,226) for 12th, Lovell Hooks (1971-75) (1,228) for 11th and Henry Clausen (1966-69) (1,235) for 10th. Davis is also now eighth all-time in assists for UNC and trails Troy Graefe (1983-85) by 18 for seventh.

Last Time Out
UNC came out and built a lead on Weber State, growing it to as much as 12 in the second half. WSU chipped away at the lead and finally took it over and never let go afterward as the Wildcats beat the Bears 78-74. Northern Colorado is now 2-3 in the conference and 11-7 overall.

Last Time vs Idaho State
Northern Colorado had a three-point bonanza at Idaho State. The Bears cashed in on a season-high tying 14 makes from downtown in the 87-81 victory. Chaz Glotta and Jonah Radebaugh were at the forefront of the barrage of treys as the two combined to hit 11 of the 14. Radebaugh set a career-high with 23 points and Glotta tied his career-high of 22.

Bear Tracks

UNC heads into the matchup second in blocked shots per game in the Big Sky (4.0 bpg). They have totaled 72 swats and is one ahead of Portland State for the overall blocks lead. Jalen Sanders is the best at rejections for UNC and places third for individual blocks per game in the Big Sky.
The Bears have the second-best defensive rebounding average for the conference. The team pulls down 27.6 defensive boards per contest. Tanner Morgan is the best in this category for UNC as he grabs almost five per 40 minutes. Morgan sits seventh individually on defensive boards in the Big Sky.
As you watch this game, keep your eye around the 3-point line. Northern Colorado is 27th in the nation in 3-point attempts and 53rd for 3s made in the nation. The Bears make nine 3's per game and attempt 26.5. Andre Spight makes three of those nine per game and that is second in the Big Sky and 17th nationally.
Northern Colorado is graced with two of the top ten scorers in the conference with Spight at five (18.9 ppg) and Jordan Davis sits at 9th scoring 16.8 per game.

Scouting Idaho State

Bill Evans was named the head coach of the Idaho State men's basketball program on March 8, 2012, and he quickly has put his stamp on the program on the court and academically. The 2015-16 Big Sky Conference and NABC All-District Coach of the Year guided the Bengals to a 16-15 record and a fourth-place finish in the Big Sky. Evans is only the fourth ISU coach to be named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. Evans coached a Bengal offense in 2015-16 that set a school record for 3-pointers made in a season and ISU had its first first-team all-conference player since 2008-09 in Ethan Telfair.
Expect a low scoring game against the Bengals as they only average 71.2 points per game and only allow 71.4 ppg. On the season, ISU has only scored 3 points less than the team on the other bench.
Idaho State relies on a balanced scoring attack. They have six players who average from 5.5 to 14 points per game. The Bengals leading scorer is Jared Stutzman at 14 and is shooting 55.6% from the floor which is fourth in the conference. The sophomore also shoots 47.2% from beyond the arc.
Geno Luzcando is gunning for Jonah Radebaugh's title of Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year as Luzcando steals the ball 2.6 times per game which is first in the Big Sky and 6^th nationally. The senior from Santiago, Chile is also 15^th in the nation in total steals with 40.

What's Next
The homestand concludes on the 20th with the Energy Proud Showdown as North Dakota makes its final trip to Greeley as a member of the Big Sky. Tickets are available at UNCBears.com, at the UNCBox Office M-F from 10 am-5pm, at 970.351.1679 during business hours.
UNC will then head back out on the road as they head up to Moscow, Idaho to play the Vandals January 25th and follow that up with a trip to Cheney, Washington to face the Eastern Washington Eagles January 27th.