PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Heads to Flagstaff for Big Sky Matchup at Northern Arizona

Saturday, January 24

Flagstaff, Ariz.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

Northern Arizona

Photo by: © Jesus" Jesuzzy" Ayala

1/22/2026 2:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

UNC Game Notes

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado returns to the road for its next Big Sky test, traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., for a matchup with Northern Arizona as conference play continues. The Bears enter the contest looking to convert narrow recent margins into results, bringing one of the Big Sky's most efficient offenses into a road environment against an NAU team seeking to defend its home court at Findlay Toyota Court.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MST with coverage available on ESPN+ and Pirate Radio.

LAST TIME OUT: Northern Colorado erased a 15-point second-half deficit and cut the game to one possession in the final minute, but Montana State held on late to secure a 73-68 decision Monday night at Bank of Colorado Arena.

UNC controlled the early tempo and built a 14-5 lead midway through the first half before Montana State responded with perimeter shooting, closing the opening period on a run to take a 36-27 halftime advantage. The Bobcats knocked down six first-half three-pointers and carried momentum into the break.

The Bears flipped the tone in the second half, attacking the paint and generating second-chance opportunities while stringing together defensive stops. Northern Colorado outscored Montana State 41-37 after halftime and repeatedly cut into the margin after the Bobcats pushed the lead to a game-high 15 (61-46) with 9:20 remaining.

UNC trimmed the deficit to 71-68 with 31 seconds left and had multiple chances to extend the final possession, highlighted by two offensive rebounds from Ring Nyeri, but the tying attempt wouldn't fall before Montana State sealed it at the free-throw line.

Brock Wisne paced the Bears with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added five assists. Vincent Delano finished with 13 points, including three triples, while Zach Bloch added 12 points. Quinn Denker handed out seven assists, and Nyeri posted a career-high 14 rebounds (six offensive) as UNC finished with 38 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points.

BIG SKY STANDINGS CONTEXT: Northern Colorado enters Saturday's game at 1-6 in Big Sky play, with four of its conference losses coming by single digits and multiple games decided in the final possessions. Despite the league record, UNC's 11-9 overall mark remains among the stronger nonconference résumés in the conference and reflects one of the league's most efficient offensive profiles.

The middle tier of the Big Sky remains tightly packed, and continued movement is expected as teams cycle through second meetings and road swings.

NATIONAL & CONFERENCE RANKINGS SNAPSHOT (Through Jan. 21, 2026)
Northern Colorado continues to rank among the Big Sky's most efficient offensive teams while maintaining strong national placement in multiple core categories:

Scoring Offense: 62nd nationally, 1st Big Sky (83.5 ppg)
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 61st nationally, 1st Big Sky (1.48)
Assists Per Game: 43rd nationally, 1st Big Sky (17.3)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 25th nationally, 2nd Big Sky (.569)
Field Goal Percentage: 39th nationally, 2nd Big Sky (48.7%)
Three-Point Percentage: 43rd nationally, 1st Big Sky (36.6%)
Three-Point Percentage Defense: 31st nationally, 2nd Big Sky (29.6%)
Rebound Margin: 66th nationally, 3rd Big Sky (+5.1)

Individually, Quinn Denker ranks 10th nationally and first in the Big Sky in assists per game (6.9), while Zach Bloch ranks fourth nationally and first in the conference in three-point percentage (47.1%). Brock Wisne continues to rank among the league leaders in field-goal efficiency (57.0%), anchoring UNC's interior production.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS: Northern Arizona enters the matchup at 6-14 overall and 0-7 in Big Sky play, looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Despite the record, the Lumberjacks have been competitive at home (6-4) and feature a balanced scoring approach with multiple options capable of producing offensively.

NAU averages 72.3 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from three. The Lumberjacks rely heavily on half-court execution and perimeter shot-making, ranking among the league's better three-point shooting teams by percentage.

Zack Davidson (14.0 PPG, 61.7 FG%) leads the team with efficient interior scoring, while Ryan Abelman (10.8 PPG) and Isaiah Shaw (9.4 PPG, 44.2 3PT%) provide spacing and secondary creation on the perimeter. Arne Osojnik (8.6 PPG) and Karl Poom (8.1 PPG) add versatility and rebounding from the forward spots.

Northern Arizona has struggled defensively in league play, allowing 75.7 points per game, and will be tested by UNC's ball movement, spacing, and three-point volume.

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Northern Colorado leads, 26-16
Recent Trend: UNC has won four straight meetings and has swept the season series in each of the last two years
Last NAU Sweep: 2022-23

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado returns home for a two-game Big Sky homestand at Bank of Colorado Arena, opening the stretch Thursday, Jan. 29, against Idaho Vandals at 7 p.m. MST, followed by a Saturday afternoon matchup with Eastern Washington Eagles on Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. MST. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on Pirate Radio, as the Bears continue Big Sky play in front of the home crowd in Greeley.

FOLLOW THE BEARS: Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action at uncbears.com and on social media. Follow the Bears on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsMBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).