Northern Colorado is set to begin its Big Sky Conference men’s basketball schedule with a two-game road trip in Montana. The Bears will play Montana State on Thursday, January 1, at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, followed by a matchup against the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday, January 3, at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and covered on Pirate Radio.
The Bears enter conference play with a 10-3 overall record, marking their best nonconference performance since joining Division I. Their early season included games against Power Four opponents and several close contests, which have helped the team develop its identity.
Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky in scoring offense (86.8 points per game), field goal percentage (50.8%), effective field goal percentage (.594), assists per game (18.1), and scoring margin (+10.7). Nationally, they rank within the top 50 for each of these categories.
Head coach Steve Smiley’s team has focused on shot efficiency, physicality inside, and balanced offensive contributions. Graduate guard Quinn Denker has been central to this approach, averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 assists per game—both first in the conference—and earning three Big Sky Player of the Week honors as well as Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week recognition.
In the frontcourt, Brock Wisne averages 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field; Ring Nyeri leads the team in rebounding and provides defensive presence inside.
On the perimeter, Zach Bloch ranks among national leaders with a three-point shooting percentage of 51.9 percent and an average of over three made threes per game.
The Bears’ assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56) leads the league as well, highlighting their emphasis on structured offense and decision-making.
Montana State enters conference play averaging 78.9 points per game with six players scoring at least eight points each. Patrick McMahon leads them at 15.2 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from both the field and beyond the arc.
Montana features one of the league’s most productive offenses at 80.9 points per game and emphasizes attacking off the dribble to generate free throws; Money Williams is their leading scorer at 18.2 points per contest.
Northern Colorado has historically found success against Montana State by controlling rebounding and forcing contested shots late in games; last season’s semifinal meeting saw UNC win decisively by a score of 72-45.
Against Montana, UNC aims to limit transition opportunities and control possessions through rebounding—a strategy that proved challenging during their last meeting when Montana won 91-83 in the Big Sky Tournament championship.
After this road trip, Northern Colorado returns home for games against Idaho State on January 8 and Weber State on January 10 at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley; both contests will also be available via ESPN+ and Pirate Radio coverage.
Fans can follow updates about Northern Colorado Bears men’s basketball at uncbears.com or through social media platforms including X (@UNC_BearsMBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).
