Bears Open Cancun Challenge Tuesday

SETTING THE SCENE

UNC opens the Cancun Challenge Tuesday against Chicago State.
The winner takes on the winner of the Radford and Morgan State matchup at 3 p.m. MT Wednesday, in the Mayan Bracket Championship.
Tuesday's tipoff is set for 1 p.m. MT, with Wednesday's time to be determined.
Both games will be broadcast on FloHoops (Jon Gross and Lexi Ayala will call the action).
Mike Rice provides the call on KFKA 103.1/1310 AM.

SERIES HISTORY

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Saint Thomas is a double-double machine, averaging 13.8 points and 11.8 rebounds.
He recorded double-doubles in the last three games, ranking second in the Big Sky and third nationally with his three to this point.
Thomas leads the Big Sky and ranks nationally in total rebounds per game with 11.8, while his 47 boards are second in the league and 24^th in the country, while his 3.25 on the offensive glass paces the conference and 71 in the nation.
He sits third in the Big Sky with eight steals and 2.0 per game.
Thomas trails teammate Dejour Reaves in free-throw percentage at 82.4, the sixth highest in the Big Sky.

SHARPSHOOTER

Brock Wisne leads the team in field-goal percentage at 63.9, ranking second in the league and 51 in the nation.
He is 23 of 69 from the floor this season, sixth most made baskets in the Big Sky Conference.
Wisne knocked down 11 of his 15 attempts from the free-throw line.
He scored in double figures in the four games, including a career-high 19 against Northern New Mexico.

MR. AUTOMATIC

Dejour Reaves made his first 11 free throws of the season and ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 83.3% from the charity stripe.
His 20 free throws place him third in the league, while the 24 attempts rank fourth.

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.