Preview: Bears Look to Stay Hot in Chilly Montana

Thursday, January 4

Bozeman, Mont.

7:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

Montana State University

Tickets

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

1/3/2018 7:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Bears will face the other two 2-0 teams on road trip

By: Kurt Maddox, UNCBears.com

Greeley, Colo.— Fresh off a pair of victories to open conference play, the Northern Colorado men head north to face the other two teams to sweep their opening weekend of Big Sky matchups. First up, Montana State in Bozeman to face the Bobcats (9-6. 2-0). Start time for the game is set for 7pm. Listen live on KFKA 1310 or follow live stats at UNCBears.com. The contest will broadcast live on Pluto TV, channel 238.

Opening Tip
This rivalry goes back nearly 100 years as the Bobcats and Bears first matchup was February 3, 1924. UNC lost that first game by 11 and MSU, having won the last two meetings, leads the all-time series 38-23. The Bears are playing their best basketball of the season, having opened conference play with a dominating win over Eastern Washington and a victory against preseason Big Sky favorite Idaho in Greeley over New Years' weekend.

Rising in the Polls
Win after win and game after game, the Northern Colorado Bears have been creeping up the Collegeinsider.com MidMajor Top 25 poll. UNC has been receiving votes for a couple of weeks and finally cracked into the top 25 after their performance over the weekend. UNC now sits at 25^th in the poll, their first ranking since the 2013-14 season.
The College Insider Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences and 31 total coaches from these conferences vote on the poll: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast, Western Athletic.

Last Time Out
Andre Spight and Jordan Davis took the team on their backs to lead the way to two wins to open Big Sky play. They combined for 91 of the Bears' 169 total points in the two victories. UNC handled Big Sky preseason favorite Idaho 81-77 in a classic to close 2017 on a high note. Spight was the leading scorer with 28 and Davis had 25. Dre and Tanner Morgan hit four crucial free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the game for the Bears.

Last Time vs Montana State
Despite a 19-point effort from junior guard DJ Miles, Montana State limited Northern Colorado's offense to just 34.6% shooting and handed the Bears a 68-53 loss in Bozeman on January 14, 2017. Jordan Davis was the only other Bear to score in double-digits (14pts).

Record Book Watch
Jordan Davis now trails Dennis Colson (1965-68) by 14 points for 15th all-time points in UNC history. JD moved up to ninth overall for career assists with 261 having passed Scott Watson (1986-90) and Jordan Wilson (2013-16) so far this season and only needs 13 more to move into ninth place.

Bear Tracks

UNC scores the second-most points (79.3) per game in the Big Sky behind Portland State (92.3).
The Bears stand third in margin of victory in the league, outpacing their foes by 9.3 points.
The blue and gold are third in both field goal percentage and defense. The Bears have moved up the charts in the month of December by upping their shooting percentage to 45.9%. On the other end of the court, UNC limits their opponents to 42.8% shooting from the field.
The bears take pride in collecting blocks, which are a key to the UNC defense this season. The team has blocked a Big Sky best 63 total shots on the year.
Spight is heating up and having the type of season predicted for the Arizona State transfer. Dre is fifth in the league in scoring at 18.8ppg and second in 3-pointers made with 46.

Scouting Montana State

Head Coach Brian Fish is in his fourth season at MSU and has a 46-62 overall record with the Bobcats. Fish spent 16 years on the bench with Dana Altman and coached under Billy Tubbs, Brad Holland and Dwight Freeman.
MSU enters the game on a two-game winning streak, having opened Big Sjy play with a 104-99 win at Southern Utah and a 76-73 win at Northern Arizona. T
The Bobcats employ a 10-man rotation and average 78.1 points per game while holding their opponents to 76.7ppg.
Tyler Hall is their go-to player. The two-time All-Big Sky honoree and 2015-16 league Newcomer of the Year averages 18.5pts, 3.2rbs and 2.5 assists while leading the league in 3-pointers made. He is shooting 42% from the field and 38% from behind the arc.
Look for a close game in Bozeman as the Bobcats have only outscored their opponents on the season by 20 points total (1171-1151).
MSU is third in the Big Sky in turnover margin at +2.47 per game.
The Bobcats have taken almost 100 more shots than their opponents on the season but have allowed almost the same number of made shots (396 made FG for MSU and 391 for opponents). MSU shoots 42% while allowing 46% from their counterparts.

What's Next
UNC heads northwest on I-90 to face the Montana Grizzlies Saturday, January 6 at 7 pm to conclude their road swing.The Bears are back home for a three-game stretch starting January 11^th as the Weber State Wildcats come to town for a 7pm tilt in Bank of Colorado Arena. Idaho State visits the 13^that 3pm and the homestand concludes on the 20^th 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 UNC Box Office M-F from Noon-5pm and then 10am-5pm starting January 8^th or at 970.351.1679 during business hours.