Northern Colorado will host South Dakota on Saturday in the Big Sky–Summit League Challenge finale at Bank of Colorado Arena. The Bears, currently 8-1, come off a 75-70 win against Omaha, while the Coyotes are 5-4 after a loss to Portland State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST, with coverage available on ESPN+ and PirateRadio935.com.
As part of the event, Northern Colorado men’s basketball is organizing a Toy Drive during the game. Fans can bring new, unwrapped toys for free admission, with all donations going to support the Rodarte Community Center.
The Bears have started their season strong, recording an 8-1 mark that represents their second-best start since joining Division I. Their current five-game winning streak has been built on efficient offense and balanced scoring. Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky in several categories: field goal percentage (49.5%), three-point percentage (37.4%), and assists per game (19.2). Nationally, they rank among the top teams in effective field-goal percentage and assists.
Graduate point guard Quinn Denker continues to be a key player for UNC. In their recent win at Omaha, he recorded 22 points, eight assists, and three steals. Denker averages 18.7 points per game and leads the Big Sky with 6.7 assists per game.
Graduate guard Zach Bloch has also contributed significantly this season by leading the conference in three-point shooting percentage (52.5%) and making an average of 3.44 threes per game.
Forward Brock Wisne scored 20 points with eight rebounds against Omaha and ranks among the top forwards in scoring efficiency within the Big Sky Conference.
Junior forward Ibu Yamazaki added his fifth double-digit scoring performance of the season at Omaha with 16 points and has been effective from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Northern Colorado allows an average of 70.6 points per game—third-best in their conference—and recently held Omaha to just two field goals late in their last matchup.
On rebounding metrics, UNC holds a +7.7 margin over opponents and features three players averaging more than five rebounds each: Wisne (6.8), Shields (6.3), and Nyeri (5.3).
South Dakota enters Saturday’s contest looking for its first road victory this season after starting out strong at home but falling short away from home so far (0-2). Offensively led by Isaac Bruns who averages 18.6 points per game, South Dakota brings depth through guards Jordan Crawford and Uzziah Buntyn as well as forward Cameron Fens inside.
The Coyotes average over 83 points per contest but allow nearly 80 defensively while being out-rebounded by almost five boards per game—a potential advantage for Northern Colorado given its rebounding strength.
Historically, South Dakota leads the all-time series between these programs; however, since Northern Colorado moved up to Division I competition in 2006 they hold a perfect record of three wins against South Dakota—including their last meeting which resulted in a five-point UNC victory at home during December 2021.
Following Saturday’s matchup, Northern Colorado will travel to Lubbock to face No.19 Texas Tech on Tuesday December 16th.
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