PREVIEW: Men's Basketball Set to Host NAU on Senior Night at Bank of Colorado Arena

Saturday, February 21

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

Northern Arizona

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Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

2/19/2026 1:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

UNC Game Notes

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado returns home Saturday to host Northern Arizona at Bank of Colorado Arena, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. It will also serve as Senior Night, as the Bears honor their graduating class prior to the game. Coverage is available on ESPN+ and Pirate Radio.

LAST TIME OUT: Northern Colorado men's basketball used a strong early second-half run to pull away from Portland State for a 77-65 win Saturday at Bank of Colorado Arena, improving to 17-10 overall and 7-7 in Big Sky play. After erasing an early nine-point first-half deficit and taking a 37-34 lead into halftime, the Bears responded to a brief Viking push with a 10-0 surge sparked by Ibu Yamazaki to build control. Quinn Denker led UNC with 23 points and seven assists, Brock Wisne recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Egan Shields added 12 points as the Bears owned a 41-34 rebounding edge and went 21-of-27 from the free-throw line. Despite 29 points from Jaylin Henderson, Northern Colorado closed the game at the stripe and secured key stops down the stretch to seal the victory.

BIG SKY STANDINGS CONTEXT: Northern Colorado now sits at 7-7 in Big Sky play and 17-10 overall, riding a six-game winning streak and continuing to solidify its position in a tightly contested middle tier of the conference standings. The Bears are 5-2 at home in league play and 9-3 overall inside Bank of Colorado Arena, keeping themselves firmly in the mix as the regular season winds down. Just two games separate third from seventh, underscoring how fluid the standings remain heading into the final stretch.

At the top, Portland State leads the way at 11-2 in conference play (17-7 overall), followed by Montana State at 9-4 and Montana at 8-5. Eastern Washington holds fourth at 7-6, while Northern Colorado and Weber State are tied at 7-7. Idaho sits just behind at 6-7, with Sacramento State at 5-8. With multiple teams clustered around the .500 mark and momentum shifting weekly, the race for Big Sky Tournament positioning remains wide open.

RECORD WATCH: Brock Wisne moved into 13th place on UNC's all-time scoring list with 1,329 career points and now sits fifth in program history in field goals made with 554.

Zach Bloch continues to make steady progress across multiple career categories, ranking seventh all-time at UNC in three-pointers made (194) and sixth in three-point attempts (495), while sitting fifth in games played with 128, just five shy of the program record. Bloch also has 97 career steals, 16 away from cracking the all-time top 10, and is closing in on single-season marks as well, sitting in a tie for seventh in made three's with 84 and is five steals shy of the season top 10.

Quinn Denker remains one of the most productive playmakers in program history, currently ranking third on UNC's single-season assists list with 184 and continuing to move up the program's season-long distribution charts.

NATIONAL & CONFERENCE RANKINGS SNAPSHOT (Through Feb. 18, 2026):
Northern Colorado continues to profile as one of the most efficient offensive teams in the Big Sky, pairing national standing with league-leading execution. According to the NCAA Ranking Summary through games 02/18/2026, UNC ranks 46th nationally and first in the conference in scoring offense (83.0 ppg), 31st nationally and first in assists per game (17.2), and 45th nationally and first in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52). The Bears also sit 18th nationally and first in effective field-goal percentage (.571), reinforcing their identity as a disciplined, possession-valuing offensive group built on shot quality and ball movement.

Efficiency remains the foundation. Northern Colorado ranks 26th nationally and second in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage (49.1), 37th nationally and second in three-pointers per game (10.0), 52nd nationally and second in three-point percentage (36.6), and 52nd nationally and second in three-point attempts per game (27.2). Defensively, UNC ranks 41st nationally and second in three-point percentage defense (30.7), while also leading the conference in rebound margin (43rd nationally, +5.4) and ranking 32nd nationally, second in the league, in defensive rebounds per game (27.30).

Individually, Quinn Denker continues to drive the offense at an elite level. He ranks fourth nationally and first in the Big Sky in assists per game (7.4), seventh nationally and first in total assists (184), and 35th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.88), while averaging 18.6 points per game. Brock Wisne ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (57.7) and sits inside the league's top 10 in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). Zach Bloch remains one of the nation's elite perimeter shooters, ranking 19th nationally and first in the Big Sky in three-point percentage (43.5), while also leading the conference in total three-pointers (84) and three-pointers per game (3.11), solidifying UNC's spacing and offensive versatility.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS: Northern Arizona enters the matchup at 10-17 overall and 4-10 in Big Sky play, most recently earning a 79-74 home win over Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks have been far more comfortable in Flagstaff (9-6) than on the road (1-10), with three of their four conference wins coming at home, including an 81-77 victory over Northern Colorado on Jan. 24. NAU averages 72.6 points per game while allowing 76.0, shooting 47.0 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from three. However, rebounding has been a challenge, as the Lumberjacks are being outrebounded by 4.6 boards per game overall and by 6.3 per game in conference play.

Zack Davidson leads the team at 14.0 points per game while shooting an efficient 61.7 percent from the field, and Ryan Abelman adds 11.1 points and a team-high 52 assists. Karl Poom (9.6 ppg) and Isaiah Shaw (8.7 ppg, 42.9 percent from three) provide additional perimeter scoring, while Traivar Jackson contributes inside at 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In conference action, Poom has elevated his production to 12.1 points per game, with Abelman (9.8 ppg) and Chris Komin (9.5 ppg, 41.9 percent from three in league play) also factoring prominently. NAU protects the ball relatively well, averaging just 10.6 turnovers per game overall, but will need improved defensive consistency, particularly on the glass, to climb the conference standings down the stretch.

SERIES HISTORY: Northern Colorado leads the all-time series with Northern Arizona 26-16 dating back to Dec. 3, 2005, including a 23-13 edge in Big Sky play. The Bears are 15-5 against the Lumberjacks in Greeley and 10-11 in Flagstaff, with the two programs meeting regularly in tightly contested matchups over the past two decades. UNC averages 74 points per game in the series and owns a 6-4 record in the last 10 meetings (Jan. 29, 2021- Jan. 24, 2026).

The most recent matchup came on Jan. 24, 2026, when Northern Arizona secured an 81-77 win in Flagstaff, snapping a three-game UNC win streak in the series. The Bears earned a season sweep in 2023-24 and went 2-0 in 2021-22, including a 74-71 road win and an 82-60 home victory. Northern Colorado's largest margin of victory in the series was a 95-60 win on Feb. 15, 2018, while the narrowest came in a 72-71 win on Feb. 26, 2011, underscoring the competitive nature that has defined the matchup.

UP NEXT: The Bears will hit the road for their final regular season road swing, traveling to Cheney, Washington to take on Eastern Washington on Thursday, February 26 at 7 p.m. MST before heading to Moscow, Idaho on Saturday, February 28 to play the Vandals with tipoff at 2 p.m. MST. Coverage is available on ESPN+ and Pirate Radio.

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).