Northern Colorado’s men’s basketball team is set to play Northern Arizona in Flagstaff as part of the ongoing Big Sky Conference schedule. The Bears, who have been involved in several close games recently, aim to improve their conference record and continue their efficient offensive performance on the road.
The game will begin at 6 p.m. MST and can be watched on ESPN+ or listened to via Pirate Radio.
In their previous outing, Northern Colorado nearly overcame a 15-point deficit against Montana State but ultimately lost 73-68. The Bears led early but saw Montana State surge ahead with strong three-point shooting before halftime. In the second half, Northern Colorado increased its efforts in the paint and defense, narrowing the gap to just three points in the final minute. Despite multiple attempts to tie the game, they were unable to convert before Montana State secured the win at the free-throw line.
Brock Wisne led Northern Colorado with 18 points and five assists. Vincent Delano contributed 13 points with three three-pointers, while Zach Bloch added 12 points. Quinn Denker recorded seven assists, and Ring Nyeri had a career-high 14 rebounds as UNC finished with notable totals in points in the paint and second-chance points.
Currently, Northern Colorado holds a 1-6 record in Big Sky play but has an overall record of 11-9. Many of their conference losses have been by single digits or decided late in games. Their nonconference performance remains one of the strongest among Big Sky teams, highlighted by an efficient offense.
Nationally and within the conference, Northern Colorado ranks highly across several categories: they are first in the Big Sky for scoring offense (83.5 points per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.48), assists per game (17.3), and three-point percentage (36.6%). They also rank among national leaders for effective field goal percentage (.569) and defensive three-point percentage (29.6%). Individually, Quinn Denker leads the conference and is tenth nationally in assists per game (6.9). Zach Bloch is fourth nationally in three-point percentage (47.1%), while Brock Wisne remains among league leaders for field-goal efficiency.
Northern Arizona enters this matchup with a 6-14 overall record and is winless so far in conference play at 0-7 but has performed better at home with a 6-4 record there this season. The Lumberjacks average 72.3 points per game and rely on balanced scoring from Zack Davidson, Ryan Abelman, Isaiah Shaw, Arne Osojnik, and Karl Poom.
Defensively, Northern Arizona has allowed an average of 75.7 points per game during league competition.
In series history between these programs, Northern Colorado leads with a record of 26 wins to Northern Arizona’s 16. The Bears have won four straight meetings and swept each of the last two season series.
After facing NAU, Northern Colorado will return home for two games against Idaho Vandals on January 29 and Eastern Washington Eagles on January 31 at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Fans can stay updated on team news through uncbears.com or follow social media accounts @UNC_BearsMBB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).
