Bears Open Road Slate at New Mexico State Saturday

Calendar

Nov 3

7:30 p.m. MT

Men's Basketball

vs Colorado College

Nov 7

6 p.m. MT

Men's Basketball

vs Colorado Christian

Nov 15

TBA

Men's Basketball

at Pepperdine

Nov 21

5:30 p.m. MT | 4:30 PT

Men's Basketball

vs St. Thomas

Nov 22

6 p.m. MT | 5 p.m. PT

Men's Basketball

at Portland

Nov 23

12:30 p.m. MT | 11:30 a.m. PT

Men's Basketball

vs California State - Fullerton

Nov 26

TBA

Men's Basketball

at Air Force

Nov 29

6 p.m. MT

Men's Basketball

vs Regis

Dec 3

TBA

Men's Basketball

at Omaha

SETTING THE SCENE

UNC fell to Colorado State in the final game of the three-game homestand.
The Bears take on New Mexico State for the first time since Dec. 13, 2015, a 73-64 UNC triumph.
Tip time is 6:02 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPN+ (Adam Young, Rus Bradburd and Tatiana Favela will call the action).
Mike Rich provides the call on KFKA 103.1/1310 AM.

SERIES HISTORY

UNC trails in the all-time series 1-4, including 1-3 in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Bears dropped a 74-62, Dec. 18, 2017, in Las Cruces, the last meeting between the two sides.

MR. 200

Head coach Steve Smiley earned his 200th-career win against Northern New Mexico Wednesday, Nov. 8.
He improved to 200-92 in his 10-year coaching career, including 47-47 at UNC.

SAINT THOMAS

Junior F, Saint Thomas netted career-highs in points and rebounds, with 20 and 12, respectively in the win over Northern New Mexico.
He surpassed his previous high in points with 14 in the first half.
Thomas added six assists and two steals.
Over the first two games, he nearly averaged a double-double at 14.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg, adding eight assists and three steals.

BROCK WISNE

Registered career high in points in back-to-back games, adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal in the two wins.
Followed up his opening night performance with 19 points on 8 of 11 from the floor, with four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Tallied 13 points on 6 of 9 from the floor in the opener, with two boards and a helper.

DEJOUR REAVES

Posted back-to-back 12-point performances to begin his UNC career, with 11 points at the free-throw line on 11 attempts.
Dropped in 12 points, with one board, one assist and one steal against Northern New Mexico.
Finished with 12 points, including 7 of 7 at the free-throw line in his debut, with two steals and a block.

UNDER SMILEY

Head coach Steve Smiley earned his 200th-career win against Northern New Mexico Wednesday, Nov. 8.
He owns the second-highest winning percentage in the program's Division I era, equaling Jeff Linder for the most postseason wins with six.
Since taking over the program before the 2020-21 campaign, five former Bears have played in the professional ranks, while 10 went pro since Smiley arrived in Greeley.
Smiley's squad finished runner-up at the Lobo Classic, with wins over North Dakota State and Jacksonville State before falling in the title game against the host Lobos.
UNC defeated Weber State 88-54 in front of a packed house and a national television audience.
Dalton Knecht led the Big Sky in scoring with 20.2 points per game, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors with teammate Daylen Kountz.
The Bears defeated Portland State in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament, securing at least one postseason win for Smiley in each of his three years as head coach. UNC and Montana State are the only two Big Sky programs to record a tournament win in his first three seasons.
Under his tutelage, Smiley coached six All-Big Sky selections and four players reached 1,000 points in their career.

2022-23 REVIEW

Last year, UNC fell to No. 3 Houston to open the campaign Nov. 7.
This is the 50th season the Bears are playing in The Bank of Colorado Arena, with an all-time mark of 386-239.
The 2022-23 Bears went 12-20, including 6-12 in the BSC regular season and 1-1 in the BSC Tournament.
The 2022-23 season featured the 43rd most difficult schedule in the nation, with games against seven teams that made postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournament teams, at No. 1 Houston and No. 4 Baylor and Montana State. In addition, the Bears faced Colorado (NIT), Eastern Washington (NIT), New Mexico (NIT) and San Jose State (CBI).
Northern Colorado defeated Colorado State in Fort Collins, the first win over the Rams since 2015. The Bears snapped a 14-game losing streak in Fort Collins, dating back to Dec. 2, 1986.