Weber State Outlasts Northern Colorado

At times in the second half, it looked like Weber State was in control of the game. At the final media timeout, an and-1 by Richaud Gittens put Weber State up 55-48, and the light seemed to be closing on Northern Colorado. However, they scored the next seven points of regulation, and had the chance to win on a last second shot, but Tate Unruh's jumper rimmed out.

Overtime basically followed the same pattern. Davion Berry led with five straight points, and the Bears were playing from behind again. Just when things started to look bleak, down seven with a little over a minute left, they clawed back. Derrick Barden hit a three. After Jordan Richardson hit one of two, Barden scored again. Tevin Svihovec forced a turnover, and then hit a bucket. Just like that, it was 64-63.

But then Berry showed why he is the Big Sky Player of the Year... he hit an acrobatic driving shot, giving the Wildcats the 66-63 lead with 10 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Wildcats did a great job at denying Unruh the ball, and Jordan Wilson's prayer at the buzzer went unanswered. 66-63, Weber State headed to the Big Sky championship.

There are many stars for UNC (Cody McDavis playing the best game of his career), but a quick word on Tate Unruh and Derrick Barden. Since I live a little over an hour from Greeley, I've seen them in person 20 times over the last three years. Each of these guys had great UNC careers. Barden's athletic ability was almost unreal at times, and Unruh had the purest shooting stroke I've seen. I'll miss watching those guys.

For Weber State, I'm sure they'll be the first to tell you it wasn't their best game. They couldn't get buckets inside in the second half (Kyle Tresnak was scoreless after halftime), but it's all about surviving and advancing. Freshmen like Richaud Gittens and Kyndahl Hill made big plays, and they'll be great players sooner rather than later. Berry made the plays when it counted. In the end, all that matters and all they care about is they are playing in the title game on their home court, with a trip to the Big Dance on the line.

It is games like this where you are reminded that sports is a zero sum game. Northern Colorado deserves better than a loss and a heartbreaking end to their season, but that is unfortunately what they get, because somebody always has to lose. There are no moral victories in March, but eventually they will be proud of the effort they gave in this game.

That was a heck of basketball game.

Saturday night - North Dakota vs Weber State. Everything the teams have been working for, all comes down to that game. Can't wait to get it started!

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Northern Colorado Runs Through Northern Arizona

Another Big Sky conference game in Greeley, another runaway win for Northern Colorado. While Northern Arizona kept battling all game, eventually the end result was another double digit home victory for the Bears, as they improved to 6-1 in the Big Sky with an 87-72 win.

The Bears were downright unstoppable in this game. They shot 11/16 from downtown, 59% overall, and still found the time to grab eight offensive rebounds. It was a group effort, as four guys were in double figures, and ten guys scored for UNC. NAU tried to play man to man, zone, and bring pressure, but Northern Colorado could not be stopped. In the first half, the Bears were drawing up some beautiful plays to get open looks for Tate Unruh, and he responded with five first-half treys.

In the second half, Tim Huskisson played very well (more on him in the near future - he is the most improved player in the conference), Tevin Svihovec had some nice buckets, and they got solid minutes from Corey Spence. In short, it was a game where Derrick Barden did not go off, and they didn't need him to in order to beat a solid team. That's a great sign for the Bears.

One thing that sticks out to me about Northern Colorado is this - right now, what separates them from the rest of the conference is that when guys like Svihovec and Dominique Lee come into the game, there is no drop-off. These guys could be starting for most of the teams in the Big Sky, and having them off the bench is a luxury that nobody else in the conference has right now.

For Northern Arizona, there was good and bad to take away from the game. They really struggled to get into their offense against the 2-2-1 pressure of Northern Colorado, and they will likely see more pressure from North Dakota on Saturday. Another struggle was getting Max Jacobsen the ball in scoring position. He just was not able to get deep enough from his post-ups. They are at their best when he is getting opportunities, but they just weren't there in this game.

The obvious bright spot is Quinton Upshur, who kept them in this game. He was sensational offensively, hitting 7 of 8 threes (his only miss was a shot he threw up as the shot clock wound down), and did a great job finishing at the hoop in transition. He finished with 32 points and looked downright explosive.

The other bright spot to me was Kris Yanku, and I thought that even before he went on a scoring tear in the second half (he finished with 20 points). As Jack Murphy told me after the game, he is not scared of anything out on the court. Against constant UNC pressure (guys like Jordan Wilson and Corey Spence make things miserable for opposing ballhandlers), Yanku was very poised, and almost always seemed to make good decisions. While everyone else for the Lumberjacks looked tentative trying to advance the ball against the Bears zone, Yanku was constantly attacking. He has a bright future, and a bright present.

Northern Colorado is now tied with Weber State at 6-1 as they prepare to host Sacramento State, while Northern Arizona falls to 5-2, as they visit North Dakota on Saturday.

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Northern Colorado Exerts Their Will on Weber State

If Northern Colorado had merely beaten Weber State, it would have been a nice statement for them, given Weber State's recent run in the Big Sky and status as preseason favorite. However, the Bears went beyond that, really taking control almost from the outset and beating the Wildcats in all phases of the game.

When UNC beat North Dakota, I came away impressed. After this game, it is now clear that at the current moment, the Bears are the best and deepest team in the Big Sky. It all starts with Derrick Barden, who looks like he could be the league MVP to this point. Barden had 21 points and 13 rebounds, while battling Kyle Tresnak and Joel Bolomboy all night in the post. After taking some early shots from the outside, he settled down offensively and was his typical efficient self, shooting 10/15 from the floor.

After Barden, it's a revolving door of guys that make plays when they are called on. Tim Huskisson had another nice night with 12 points, Tevin Svihovec had 15 efficient points off the bench (he is the sixth man of the year in the Big Sky), and Tate Unruh had 10. On this night, even a guy like Cody McDavis stepped up and gave them 16 really solid minutes, grabbing four rebounds, finishing a nice post move, and playing solid defense in the post. Everything that Coach BJ Hill did worked.

On Weber State's side, well, mama said there'd be days like this. It just wasn't their night. Early on, they forcefed the ball to Bolomoby and Tresnak, and had some success. Those guys had 14 of the team's 15 points, and combined for 24 points on the night (Bolomboy also grabbed 14 rebounds). However, even Tresnak, who had a nice offensive game, missed a couple bunnies that he probably makes 98 times out of 100. It was that kind of night.

In the second half, the Bears tightened up their post defense, and the Wildcats struggled to get anything going. UNC came with a lot 3/4 court pressure, and the Wildcats young guards struggled a lot with it. It is clear that Jeremy Senglin and Richaud Gittens are very talented guys, but the stage was a little too big on this night. Fortunately for them, it's only the third Big Sky game.

As of now, the Bears have established themselves as the early front-runners in the Big Sky with a great all-around performance. However, circle February 8th on your calendar - the rematch in Ogden. I think this Weber State team is going to look a lot different than the one we saw on Thursday night.

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Northern Colorado Stuns Kansas State

In the first big upset of the college basketball season, Northern Colorado went into Manhattan and beat the defending Big 12 champion Kansas State Wildcats, 60-58. The Bears trailed by five at the half, but took a lead in the second half and held on down the stretch, despite some misses from the free throw line.

The star of the game was unquestionably Derrick Barden. The forward who averaged a double-double during Big Sky play last year started off this season with a bang, scoring 16 points and grabbing a ridiculous 17 rebounds. He was 8/16 from the field, and had three assists for good measure.

Tate Unruh was second on the team with 14 points, shooting 4/11 from the floor. Freshman Jordan Wilson chipped in eight, along with three assists and no turnovers, which is big in comparison to the four turnovers from Corey Spence.

Most importantly, the Bears defense played well, holding K-State to 34% shooting, including 2/19 from long-range. The Wildcats also missed 17 free throws on the night.

I'm not sure how Kansas State will do this year, and at this point, that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that Northern Colorado started the season on the road and upset a Big 12 team. They will be feeling pretty good this season, for good reason.

College basketball is back!

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Montana Extends Home Winning Streak to Advance to Title Game

Our dream Big Sky finals matchup awaits us: Montana vs Weber State, part 3. How did they get there? On Friday night, Montana took some punches from Northern Colorado, but wound up with a 14 point win.


Counting conference tournament games, make that 30 straight home conference victories for Montana. Behind a raucous crowd, they got off to an 11-0 start against Northern Colorado and never trailed in the ballgame. The Bears fought back all night, but the Grizzlies just seemed like they would not let them get closer than about six after the early stages of the second half, eventually winning 70-56 after extending the lead in garbage time.

Before the game, we talked about how the Bears might have the advantage down low, but they would need to slow down the quicker Montana guards. That did not happen in this game. Will Cherry (21 points, 3 assists) and Kareem Jamar (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) seemed to go anywhere they pleased in this game, and they were just too quick and physical for Tevin Svihovec and Tate Unruh. On the other wise, Unruh and Svihovec couldn't get things going offensively.

Unruh did not play a bad game, his shots were just not falling. He finished 2/11 from the floor, including 2/10 from downtown. He is a guy that keeps shooting, and that is the gameplan. He still had six rebounds and four assists, but the fact that he wasn't hitting was big. Svihovec struggled all game. He was 1/9 from the floor, finishing with six points. He also had four turnovers, and was making poor offensive decisions all night. His development this offseason will be the key for UNC next season.

Connor Osborne played great in this game, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He was a force. Derrick Barden had 18 points and 7 rebounds, but it was a quiet 18 and 7. Montana's bigs played well enough to get the win, while UNC's guards did not. That was the difference in the game. Andy Martin had some productive minutes in the second half, while Eric Hutchison had some in the first half.

So, it all adds up to Montana hosting Weber State for the Big Sky championship. Again. 7pm mountain time on Saturday night - it is going to be a fun one, that is for sure.

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North Dakota Gets Thrilling Win Over Northern Colorado

In Wednesday's night tilt between North Dakota and Northern Colorado, there was about 37 minutes of tight defense and inconsistent offensive play. UND took a lead into halftime, UNC came out in the second half and led by as much as 11, and the rest of the game was a tight, back and forth affair.

After a flurry of buckets back and forth, Northern Colorado led 61-60 with the ball late. Tevin Svihovec made only one of two, giving UND the ball down 62-60 with 18 seconds to play. After working the ball around, it made its way to Aaron Anderson, and the junior guard delivered. He buried a back breaking three. On the ensuing possession, Tate Unruh tried to make something happen, but got the ball stolen. After making 1 of 2, the Bears needed to go the length of the court in 1.8 seconds.

Remarkably, they got off a great shot. The ball got tipped to Tim Huskisson, who had what seemed to be a wide open layup (would like to see a replay), but he missed it as the buzzer went off. It looked like he was a bit surprised to actually get the ball right there, in that spot. With the miss, UND won the game 64-62.

Two things that add injury to insult for the Bears in this game:
1) North Dakota was shorthanded, as Brandon Brekke and Josh Schuler did not make the trip because of injuries. If you're keeping track at home, that's their fourth and fifth leading scorers.
2) It was a game that North Dakota wanted to win, obviously, but a game that Northern Colorado NEEDED to win. The loss drops them to 7-10 in the Big Sky. That means they almost certainly will need to split their road games next week (at Eastern Washington and Portland State), and then beat Southern Utah at home.

Some other thoughts from the game:
- Troy Huff was not at his best (19 points on 6/18 FG, two rebounds), but he stayed aggressive down the stretch and made some nice plays. Plus, his drive and two-handed slam was perhaps the most athletic play in the Big Sky this year. That or this allep oop slam he had earlier in the year.
- Apart from the last three, Anderson was solid. He was money down the stretch from the line, finishing 7/7 from the stripe. Even though he was only 1/5 from deep. He had 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He is a really good all-around player.
- Connor Osborne had his best game of the season, finishing with 19 points and 6 rebounds, including some huge plays down the stretch. Derrick Barden didn't really stand out, and finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. That is a compliment. Makes tons of plays every night, and it has become commonplace.
- Tevin Svihovec was very shaky down the stretch. He got swiped by Jamal Webb, almost got swiped by Troy Huff, and badly missed a FT in the final 20 seconds. If UNC will take the next step, Svihovec has to take the next step. No other way to say it.
- Tate Unruh is a fine player, but this had to be one of the worst games of his life. He was 2/11 from the floor, and 0/5 from downtown. If you are BJ Hill, you want him to keep shooting... they just weren't falling tonight. It was shocking to see because he is such a great shooter.

Anything other thoughts on this game?

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Derrick Barden Is A Star

Since conference play began, Derrick Barden has played like an all-conference player. On Saturday night, he played like the best player in the Big Sky. In Northern Colorado's 78-64 win over Sacramento State, the Hornets simply had no answer for Barden on either end.

Let's start with the numbers. Barden had 15 points and 10 rebounds... in the first half. And that was even after he went down for a few minutes with a leg injury. He finished the night with 21 points, 14 rebounds (6 offensive), and shot 10/11 from the field. 

Offensively, I thought he was very assertive from the get go. He used his quickness and strength to establish great position down low, and scored when he got the ball down there. He was a monster on the offensive glass, and turned most of his offensive rebounds into easy baskets. He scored on the drive. All of his baskets were within five feet (at least, that I can remember)... and he is 6'3''! There's nobody else like him in the Big Sky.

Defensively, he executed the game plan very well. After getting burned a bit by UNC's guards in the first meeting between these teams, the Bears made an effort to jump all back screens and show, and nobody was better at this than Barden. After jumping the screen, he forced the ballhandler to dribble back a few feet, and then was quick enough to get back to his man. That was a big reason why the Hornets offense was out of sorts for most of the night, and Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney couldn't really get anything going all night, finishing with nine points apiece.

I have said all year long that UNC has the third highest ceiling in the Big Sky, and Barden is the reason. He is a lot of fun to watch.

A few other notes:
- Tate Unruh had another nice day, finishing with 20 points. He moves off the ball as well as anyone else in the Big Sky.
- Tim Huskisson was also a big factor for the Bears. He had 15 points and was good on both ends. He is still a little bit inconsistent as a sophomore, but he is on the cusp of being a really good player. It will be fun to watch his development.
- Joe Eberhard was a non-factor for the Hornets in this game. He had two points and two rebounds in 20 minutes, and it seemed like his impact was even less than that. He was such a good player for them last year, but seems to be lacking in some confidence now.

The Bears and Hornets are now part of a four way tie for fifth in the Big Sky at 7-9. Northern Colorado feels like it's hitting its peak right now, while Sacramento State's once promising season seems to be falling off the rails. It will be an interesting final two weeks.

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Northern Colorado and North Dakota Get Key Wins

It was a game that Northern Colorado had to have, and they responded with a solid all-around effort in a 76-68 victory over Northern Arizona, who was right above them in the Big Sky standings heading into the day. They did it even though they didn't necessarily play their best.

"I think we took another step tonight and did what good teams, maturing teams, growing teams do, which is find a way to win when you play bad, when you play ugly. When you give up 56 percent, you turn it over 18 times and you get outrebounded, you shouldn't win. But these guys withstood a heck of a run in the second half, fought back and made free throws down the stretch and found a way to get it done. That's what growing teams do. That's what good teams do."

The key was this... at the half, UNC led 35-26. Within the first two minutes of the second half, NAU went on a 9-0 run to tie the game. It was gut check time for the Bears, and they responded, scoring a quick eight straight points to get the lead back, and they never gave it away after that. They were led by three guys offensively in this game. Tevin Svihovec (24 points, 4 assists), Derrick Barden (21 points, 6 rebounds), and Tate Unruh (17 points, 5 steals) were all huge, which I imagine is about what BJ Hill expected for this season.

The Lumberjacks got DeWayne Russell contributing again, scoring an efficient 15 points and looking like the guy that was so good early in the season. Gabe Rogers also had a big day, leading the team with 23 points. But nobody else was over seven points, and that lack of diversity offensively hurt them.

Both teams are now tied for seventh in the Big Sky at 6-9. The Bears will have another chance to take a big step forward on Saturday night, when they host Sacramento State.

-----

Sacramento State will want to forget Thursday, a night where they lost 49-48 to North Dakota in a game that they had chances to win. The Hornets shot 33% from the floor, and seemed to miss a ton of easy shots in this game. It is their fourth one-point conference loss of the season, which is remarkable to think about.

Down the stretch, both teams gave a how-to on what not to do at the end of games. With UND clinging to a three point lead, they missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Hornets got the ball, and scored. UND inbounded with about 18 seconds left... and Aaron Anderson dribbled the ball a bit before throwing it away. Fortunately for UND, the Hornets then dribbled the ball away, having to foul Lenny Antwi, whose ensuing miss dropped him to 5/12 on the year from the line. The Hornets got the ball back, and while they didn't have a lot of time, Dylan Garrity gave a late pass to John Dickson, whose desperation 30 footer missed the mark. Even though there isn't a lot of time, Garrity has to take the ball strong to the basket in that situation.

Troy Huff led the way again for North Dakota, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. It was not a pretty game by any means (UND didn't get a field goal in the last ten minutes), but sometimes that happens. Brian Jones will take the ugly game if it means a victory any day.

UND is now 8-7 and tied for third, while Sac State is 7-8, tied for fifth, and all of a sudden they are not too far off from the cut line between making and missing the tournament.

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Troy Huff and Tate Unruh Share POW Honors

Northern Colorado's Tate Unruh and North Dakota's Troy Huff were named co-players of the week, as they both played well and helped their teams win a pair of home games.

Huff, a 6-5 junior guard from Milwaukee, Wis., averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebound and 3.5 steals per game as North Dakota earned home wins over Portland State and Eastern Washington. He also became the 32nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

Unruh, a 6-4 junior guard from Branson, Mo., averaged 20 points per game, shot .667 percent from 3-point range and .577 from the field as the Bears notched home wins over Portland State and Eastern Washington.

Well deserved for both guys. Both are juniors, and we could be hearing from them in the all-conference honors at least once over the next two seasons.

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Northern Colorado Pulls Away From Eastern Washington

 

Other than Montana and Weber State, Northern Colorado has the highest ceiling of any team in the Big Sky. I say that with confidence right now, especially after watching the Bears beat Eastern Washington 72-56 on Saturday night. Simply put, it was the best performance from UNC I have seen them give since I started covering the Big Sky, and one a lot of people have thought they had in them.

The Bears were led by their defense and rebounding. They outrebounded the Eagles 47-29 in the game, including grabbing a whopping 18 offensive rebounds (more on that later). They held EWU to just 8/23 from downtown and 38% shooting for the game. It was a stellar effort from the starters and the bench, as BJ Hill tightened up the rotation a bit, playing just eight guys.

The star for the Bears, and the reason that teams might not want to play them come conference tournament time is Derrick Barden. He scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds (the second time in three games that he had 15 rebounds), including eight on the offensive glass. Simply put, and this is not exaggeration, he can do things athletically that nobody else in the Big Sky can do. On a fast break he went up for a dunk attempt over Venky Jois, and even though it missed, it was an impressive athletic display. I am hoping to write more about him later in the week, but he is the difference between UNC and some other Big Sky teams. The combination of Barden and Tim Huskisson will be tough to matchup against.

Tate Unruh continues to play real well for Northern Colorado as well - to me he is playing at an all-conference level offensively. He is so lethal on the catch and shoot, coming off screens. With just a little bit of room he buries you. He was 5/9 from downtown and finished with 21 points. His off the dribble game is improving as well.

While UNC improved to 3-5 in Big Sky play, Eastern Washington dropped to 2-6. They are a young team, and it shows. They struggle with consistency, and don't always have great shot selection. Collin Chiverton is a guy that can shoot you in or out of a game, and unfortunately he struggled tonight, finishing just 5/16 in 19 minutes.

One guy you can't help but be impressed with is freshman Venky Jois. He finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks. He still leads the conference in rebounding (but Barden is on his tail), and has a nice offensive game as well. He was solid in the post, and has a really nice handle for a big man. He is the cornerstone for the future of this team, and that is a good thing. Another freshman, Daniel  Hill, handled the ball well, but was limited by an apparent ankle injury early on. It could be a long rest of the season, but I do think the Eagles have a bright future.

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Montana State With Comeback Road Win

 

Not long ago, Montana State was 3-7 overall, 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, and losing two of their most talented players (Jamie Stewart was dismissed, Antonio Biglow was suspended). Things looked bleak. But then a funny thing happened. The Bobcats started playing like a team, becoming much better defensively, and attacking the rim more offensively. They became a little bit more than the sum of their parts.

After two home wins last week, MSU faced a test of coming into Greeley and playing a Northern Colorado team that was pretty desperate for a win. For most of the game, it looked like UNC was going to get it, as they led by as many as nine in the second half. But the Bobcats hung around, and made their move over the last four minutes.

They got some help to... as Northern Colorado seemed to get tight, committing turnovers down the stretch and missing some easy shots. Tevin Svihovec struggled with a couple bad turnovers, and Tim Huskisson threw a lazy pass in the last 30 seconds. Each time, MSU took advantage. When they had the ball, they were the aggressor, with guys like Xavier Blount and Mike Dison (who hit the go-ahead free throws with about 30 seconds left) taking the ball to the rim and getting fouled or getting easy baskets.

All of a sudden, the Bobcats are 3-2 in Big Sky play and playing good, team basketball. They have a nice rotation going, with Mike Dison/Marcus Colbert at the point, Christian Moon/Xavier Blount/Calen Coleman on the wing, and Paul Egwuonwu/Flavien Davis up front. They are confident and look like a team that will be playing in the Big Sky tournament.

Some other notes from the game:
- Derrick Barden was as good as advertised, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was fantastic on the glass, skying for offensive rebounds and using his big hands to come down with them. He looked like an all-conference player in this game.
- Tate Unruh is my favorite shooter in the Big Sky conference to watch (with all due respect to Scott Bamforth). He has a great release and smooth stroke. He led the Bears with 23 points, including 5/11 from downtown. Unfortunately, the rest of the team was 1/10 from deep.
- To call UNC unsettled at the PG spot right now would be kind. Tevin Svihovec was supposed to make the leap, but he has been making some bad decisions, especially down the stretch. Paul Garnica was probably the top backup option coming into the year... but he had his pocket picked by Christian Moon early in the game and didn't play the rest of the way. James Davis was their best PG in this game. He is still trying to find his way offensively, but he is their most sound perimeter defender.
- I thought the refs got it right on a flagrant-2 foul call (along with ejection on Blake Brumwell in the second half. With Unruh going for an uncontested layup, Brumwell gave him a full two-handed shove while Unruh was in midair. It was a dangerous play, and the refs were right to boot Brumwell.
- When Xavier Blount does not settle for threes, but goes hard to the rim, he is one of the more dangerous players in the conference. He is tough to defend because he is so strong and uses his body well.
- I am not sure it is what Brad Huse intended when the season began, but I really like the PG duo of Marcus Colbert and Mike Dison for the Bobcats. They are very unselfish and give maximum effort on both ends.

Anyone else watch the game?

*Photos taken by my lovely wife!

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Northern Colorado Battles, But Loses 85-69 to Colorado State

Like Montana before them, Northern Colorado will be glad that there are no Colton Iverson's in the Big Sky.

Iverson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Colorado State, as the Bears just simply didn't have an answer for him down low. Defensively, UNC was having trouble stopping anyone on the CSU squad. The Rams shot 54% from the field, and made 21/23 free throws, winning the game through offensive talent.

When Iverson got the ball down low, the Bears had nobody that could body him up, and he was able to get short jump hooks whenever he was single teamed, as he shot 7/8 from the floor. When the Bears brought a double team, he would kick it out, and UNC was having trouble in their rotations getting to the open shooter. This helped guys like Wes Eikmeier (17 points) and Dorian Green (19 points, 7 assists) have big nights.

In my keys for Northern Colorado, I said they would need to take care of the ball, rebound the ball, and hit their outside shots. They took care of the ball as well as they have all year (8 turnovers), and rebounded fairly well (it helped that Pierce Hornung missed the game, but they had been outrebounded just 16-14 at halftime, and 38-28 for the game). However, they couldn't get their shots to fall consistently, which had a lot to do with a very good Rams defense. The Bears finished 5/19 from downtown.

At times Northern Colorado struggled to be patient in their offense, with Tim Huskisson being a key offender, as he shot a couple of quick threes that drew the ire of head coach BJ Hill. Still, he is an impressive player and had an impressive game with ten points and seven rebounds. He had a nice bucket off the dribble, and an athletically impressive putback jump after a Tate Unruh miss. He also had a sweet block defensively. I have said for the past year he is such a key guy for the Bears, because physically he is capable of doing some things that nobody else on the team can do.

Derrick Barden, though, is another guy that adds that athleticism that was missing a bit last year. He had 13 points and three rebounds, and showed good quickness on both ends. I suspect his numbers will improve a lot during conference play, because small four men fare better there than against seven footers like Iverson. Barden had a steal up top and took it up for a dunk (he was fouled on the attempt), which is a play that maybe only a handful of guys in the conference can do, or even think about attempting.

One guy that I think has to be frustrating for the UNC coaching staff is Emmanuel Addo. When you watch him, there are times when you think he can be the best offensive post player in the conference, and potentially an all-conference player. He can step back and hit a three, has a solid midrange shot, a nice baby hook, and can even take you off the dribble. He should average 15 a night. At the same time, he can be a bit of a lazy defender and rebounder, and I am sure this cuts into his minutes. On one drive he failed to box out his man on a free throw attempt. Another team he didn't really seem to have the awareness to step in and help out when a Ram was driving to the hoop, and was far too late to provide any help at all. His potential is tantalizing though.

One guy that did impress me on the defensive end was guard James Davis, who is a really good on the ball defender. That was something they lacked last year after the departure of Elliott Lloyd, so he adds a nice element to the team.

One last player note... I liked what I saw out of Tate Unruh. He had 13 points on just 4/12 shooting, but he was very aggressive, and UNC ran plays designed to get him looks. He has a great stroke, and the Bears offense will be good if he can get 10 shots per game. Again, the 4/12 isn't as big of a concern because UNC will not play more frontlines like CSU's.

I came away impressed with Northern Colorado's fight in this game, as they often outhustled CSU, whose best attribute is possibly their tenacity. Coach Larry Eustachy of CSU also came away very impressed, saying he thought Northern Colorado was better than Montana, and that he could see them winning the Big Sky. It was a defeat for the Bears, but also gave them some good things to build on.

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Soctt Bamforth, Tate Unruh Among Top Shooters in NCAA

Every year, Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports lists the top 50 shooters in America, and this year it features two Big Sky players.

Number six on the list is Scott Bamforth of Weber State:

Damian Lillard may not have been the best shooter on his team the last couple of years. Bamforth made 48.8 percent of his 3's as a sophomore despite battling a shoulder injury and last year proved it was no fluke by making 77-of-192 (40 percent) from deep. Bamforth was also among the nation's leaders from the line last season at 87.5 percent.

Number 23 is Tate Unruh of Northern Colorado:

The Bears were the nation's top 3-point shooting team in the nation last season and Unruh is the best shooter on team. He made 46 percent (60-of-130) and shot 42 percent from deep two years ago.

Congrats to both of those guys, who both have beautiful strokes. Hopefully they make good on the preseason publicity!

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Northern Colorado's Trip to Australia

CBS had a look at Northern Colorado's trip to Australia, including some quotes from head coach BJ Hill.

What Hill learned: "Last year we had five guys going through the same adjustment all at once. The year before, we had four seniors and last year's group thought they knew what to expect last year, but they didn't really know. I think know these guys understand it better. They took a punch on the trip and fought back. Last year they took the same kind of punch and didn't quite know what to do."

Who stood out: "Derrick Barden. He was a third-team junior college All-American who was the first person to average 20 points and 10 boards at Midland since Larry Johnson. He's undersized, probably only about 6-foot-4, but he averaged a double-double against the two toughest teams over there. I didn't think he'd be able to go right in and do that against pros."

Biggest concern: "Defense. Valuing defense more. Scoring isn't our problem, but we need to take more pride and show more effort on the defensive side of the ball. We did a better job on the trip, but we've still got to improve in that aspect."

Jeff Goodman of CBS also had some solid notes on the trip. A look at a few of them in more detail.

- The only significant loss from last year's team was that of starting power forward Mike Proctor, who averaged 9.5 points and 6.8 boards and was an honorable mention all-league guy. However, look for Barden to slide into Proctor's spot and the Bears shouldn't miss a beat. In fact, it'll likely be an upgrade.

I heard similar good things about Barden when he was signed... a JUCO recruiting expert told me he will be a big-time player in the Big Sky. He averaged 20 and 12 last year. In my mind, he is the favorite for Newcomer of the Year in the Big Sky.

- Sophomore point guard Tevin Svihovec tied for the team lead in scoring and Hill was extremely complimentary about his performance on the trip. "He was our best defender on the trip," Hill said. "He's a tough kid and just wants to compete."

Svihivoec emerged as the go-to guy for the Bears down the stretch last season, so it is no surprise that he led the charge here. The Bears will be a very good offensive team, but if they are going to compete for a conference championship, they need to get better and a lot tougher defensively. This sounds like a good start. If the Bears will have a successor to Devon Beitzel, it looks like Svihovec is the guy.

- Junior guard Tate Unruh has made strides -- both emotionally and physically. "When we recruited him, he was 5-foot-11 and 145 pounds. Opey Taylor. He looked like he was 12. He's 6-foot-4 now and you can see he's starting to get that much-needed confidence. In the first game on the trip, they really took it to him -- but he responded so well in the next game. He dug in and got back up after a punch."

Unruh can be huge for them because he is as pure of a shooter as there is in the Big Sky. He is someone you can't cheat an inch off, because he will bury any look. If he gets that confidence, and more importantly, adds some strength (he has grown but was still very wiry last year), he can average 15 points a game in this conference.

- The X-factor for the team could be 6-foot-5 sophomore forward Tim Huskisson, who averaged 6.5 points as a freshman while starting about half the team's games. "He's the guy who looks like a high-major player when he walks into the gym," Hill said. "He's 6-5 or 6-6 and has long arms. He was effective against Marquette and Iowa State last year, but like your typical freshman, he hit the wall halfway through the season. He needs to play with more confidence."

I said all last year that Huskisson may be the most important piece for them to take the next step, because he added something different from every other player on the roster. Last year, UNC had a lot of skill players, but they didn't have any plus athletes other than Huskisson. He was raw last year as expected from a true freshman, but he has a chance to make the leap because he is so gifted.

- Another player who could change the complexion of the team is 6-foot junior Paul Garnica, a big-time scorer coming out of high school in San Antonio. "He's so, so talented," Hill said.

Garnica is an interesting player. At times, he will look like an all-conference guy. He is a good shooter, penetrator, and you get the feeling he could be near the top of the league in steals. However, he does things that have to be maddening for the coaching staff. He loses concentration defensively, and offensively he has a bad habit of going for the flashy play rather than the solid play. If he can break those bad habits and keep improving the good habits, he is talented enough to be an all-conference player as well.

There is certainly a lot to like about the Bears, and the more I think about them, the more I think they will be (at least) the third best team in the Big Sky.

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Northern Colorado Loses A Heartbreaker

When these two teams met in Greeley in January, it was Eastern Washington that was on the wrong end of a stunning, heartbreaking loss. On Wednesday night in Cheney, they returned the favor to the Bears.

Northern Colorado led by as many as 17 in the second half and looked like they were firmly in control of the game, but EWU would not go away. The Eagles chipped away and chipped away, finally breaking through on a Parker Kelly three-point dagger from the corner to put EWU up 74-72. On the ensuing possession, Mike Proctor was called for traveling with 4 seconds left. EWU made one FT, and that was the final.

75-72 Eastern Washington, and a crushing blow dealt to Northern Colorado's hopes of defending their conference title in the Big Sky tournament. UNC came into the game 5-8, trailing EWU by a half game for the final tournament spot. With a home game against Weber State and road game against Portland State, they face an uphill battle.

Cliff Colimon led the Eagles with 22 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds. He was the man that passed it up to find Parker Kelly for the game-winning basket, and should be praised for his unselfishness there. Kelly is a freshman, but has shown a knack in the past few weeks for hitting big shots. It looks like Jim Hayford has found himself a hidden gem. Kelly only had 9 points, but they came on three big treys late in the game.

The Bears started the game hot, making seven of their first eight from beyond the arc. The rest of the way, they were 3/8, and EWU should be commended for tightening up. Connor Osborne led the way with 17 points, and he was solid all night. Tate Unruh had 16 points, but 12 of them came in the first few minutes - he was quiet after that.

Close only makes it all the tougher for Northern Colorado, as they had a potential season-changing win right within their fingers, and they let it slip through. Barring a miracle, their season will end in two weeks at the end of the regular season and UNC will have to hang up their t-shirts until next year. They are a young team and they will be strong next year, but it will sting for a long time.

For Eastern Washington, winning close games has been a problem for them all season long, which has to make this one especially sweet. They are in a great position to make the tournament, and they have the talent to win a game or two when they get there.

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Northern Colorado Stays Alive

Yesterday was an absolute must-win game for Northern Colorado if they wanted to have a chance to make the conference tournament. Sitting at 4-8, 4-9 would not have been a hole they would have been able to come back from, looking at their schedule. However, for 25 minutes, it looked like that was where they were headed, as Montana State led by as many as 16 points early in the second half, before UNC pulled it out for a 77-64 win in OT.

Some thoughts from the game (I was in attendance) in bullet point fashion.

- The key spark for Northern Colorado was that they got into a full-court press (54 press, they called it) early in the second half. BJ Hill said in an interview after the game that it was a staff suggestion, while a member of the staff told me that it was all Hill, and he was just being modest. Whoever's idea it was, it was absolutely huge, and may helped turn this around. Montana State led by 7 at half, and UNC seemed to come out very flat to me in the second half.

So the press did two things - one, it gave the Bears more energy. Coach Hill said, "It gave us some confidence that we could make plays and get some defensive stops which allowed us to get back in there." Two, it took the Bobcats out of their rhythm, and made them take some quick shots at times or hurry more than they would have liked.

- One thing I noticed from MSU, and Bobcats fans have noticed too, after they got a nice lead, they changed from being the aggressor to being a bit more tentative. One reason Hill said they went to the press was that MSU started to take 30 seconds per possession. It seemed like they were content often to do a three-man weave 40 feet from the basket for 20 seconds of the shot clock, eventually leading to a jacked up three (where they finished 4/24). Don't know why they got so tentative.

- Tate Unruh finished with 20 points, including a particularly big three in OT that knocked MSU out. He is fun to watch shoot because his stroke is so pure. He is 34/35 from the FT line, which, needless to say, would put him #1 in America if he had enough attempts to qualify. If he gets an opening, the shot is likely to swish through so well it will barely touch net.

- Mike Proctor had a nice day with 8 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, but it was something that won't appear in the box score that may have been his best attribute on the day. You can clearly hear him in the back of the defense, communicating and talking with his teammates, telling them where he was, or if he saw a specific play coming. That is the kind of thing that coaches love.

- Paul Garnica provided a nice spark for the Bears in the second half with a couple nice assists and a couple of nice threes, probably playing the best game he has played in a while. He has a tendency to go for the spectacular play rather than the smart and solid play, which usually doesn't go over so well with coaches. In this one he did much better at playing within himself.

- Emmanual Addo showed the whole variety of his offensive game, and why he has the chance to be such a big-time player. He hit two threes, but also showed good fluidity and moves near the basket, finishing with 13 points and 5 rebounds. He still will make a couple head-scratching plays per game, but he has the talent to be one of the best big men in the conference, without question.

- For the Bobcats, for long stretches it seemed like Shawn Reid was their only offensive weapon. It seemed like their best plan of attack was to give it to him to take a stepback jumper with a hand in his face, which can only work so many times (though it was impressive how many times he did make that shot). He led the team with 18 points. I was excited to watch Christian Moon play, but he had no impact. He scored 4 points and finished 0/5 from downtown. He seemed to sit for long stretches, which I am not sure if that was a result of him jacking up a couple threes early in shot clocks.

- Xavier Blount struggled as well, only finishing with 8 points. It is hard to imagine, but the game and the following thoughts on the game would have been a lot differentif Blount had made an extra free throw. With a little under a minute to play and UNC up 55-54, Blount was sent to the line. He made just 1 of 2, and it went to OT tied at 55..

- I know that MSU fans aren't very happy with Rod Singleton at PG, but there are not a lot of options right now. Michael Dison played 19 minutes but had no impact. Without Jamie Stewart, it is tough for them to find the depth to have Blount play the PG more often. It is clear they could have used Antonio Biglow this year.

- In the overtime, MSU never had a chance, as they came out lifeless. Northern Colorado scored 22 points in the five-minute period and put any doubt to rest quickly about who would win. For MSU fans, it is deja vu. Another promising start to the conference season has led to another second half collapse. They should make the conference tournament (since they play one more against NAU), but it is hard to see them making a run.  UNC still has a long way to go to make the conference tournament, but they can at least take some positives out of this one. It is tougher to find them for MSU.

Thoughts?

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Northern Colorado Outlasts Northern Arizona in Overtime

It wasn't always pretty, but UNC doesn't care about getting style points when it comes to road victories in the Big Sky Conference.

In a tight, back and forth game, Northern Colorado prevailed for a big win, beating Northern Arizona 64-62 in OT.

UNC led 54-45 with 3:49 to go, when the Lumberjacks went on an 11-0 run, taking the lead with 20ish seconds left. After a Stallon Saldivar missed FT, Tevin Svihovec went the length of the court to make one in the lane, tying it up. James Douglas committed and offensive foul, and Svihovec was blocked by Durrell Norman to send the game to an extra session.

This was the story at the end of overtime:

In overtime, the teams exchanged the lead five times before Svihovec put the Bears up by one with a layup. NAU had two chances to tie the game or win in the final 10 seconds. Saldivar missed a jumper in the lane with seven seconds left and UNC's Mike Proctor grabbed the rebound. Tim Huskisson hit the first free throw to extend the lead to two points but missed the second, giving NAU a final chance. James Douglas' jumper from the right side was off the mark as time expired.

A few takeaways from this game:

- About a month ago, it seemed like Tate Unruh and Paul Garnica were the underclassmen guards that were the future of UNC's backcourt. But suddenly, a new contender has emerged. Tevin Svihovec scored 30 against Idaho State, and had another important game for them. He only had 11 points on 5/13 shooting, but he made big shots for them. He made the running layup near the end of regulation to give send it to overtime, and he hit the go-ahead basket. He is an excellent outside shooter and crafty, efficient offensive player. His star is bright. I am hoping to write a bit more about him in the next couple weeks.

- Another guy that has gotten better and better is Emmanuel Addo. I called him one of the breakout sophomores of the conference before the year started, and he is fulfilling that promise. He scored 28 against ISU, and last night threw in 17 points and 5 rebounds, and doing it very efficiently. He is a guy that looks to score around the basket, and does it well. There are not a lot of big men athletes like Addo in the Big Sky, and UNC has to be very excited about his future.

- I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tate Unruh finding his stroke again, draining four threes.

- James Douglas showed why he has supplanted Gabe Rogers as the go-to guy in Flagstaff. He played all 40 minutes, and had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He showed some nice athleticism and the ability to get to the basket.

- With Northern Arizona trailing by 1 in overtime, they had the ball at midcourt with 25 seconds left. I thought they might give it to Stallon Saldivar, so he could create for somebody else (8 assists on the night). Instead, he took it himself, and missed a runner in the lane. Did not really like that call, because that is not his game. I would rather have seen the ball go to Douglas to see if he could create something.

What is everyone else's impressions of the game?

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Northern Colorado Tops Eastern Washington In A Thriller

Note: I had the chance to go to this game, and it was definitely a thriller. Thanks to Northern Colorado staff and especially Scott Ward for setting it up for.

This was certainly a strange way to win a ballgame, but Northern Colorado will take it.

With about 10 seconds left, Eastern Washington was up 70-69, with Northern Colorado taking it up the court. UNC head coach BJ Hill was trying to get a timeout, but couldn't get one in time. Tevin Svihovec lost the ball, and Collin Chiverton of Eastern Washington dove on the ball and called timeout.

The only problem was that EWU was out of timeouts.

A technical was called, and Tate Unruh converted a pair of free throws to go ahead 71-70. EWU was unable to score on their last possession, and the Bears got the huge victory.

Reading that, it would seem like Collin Chiverton should be getting a lot of blame for this game, but in truth, it was his offense that really kept them in the game. Despite only playing 18 minutes because of an injured foot, he scored 21 points and hit the go-ahead leaner with 18 seconds left. Coach Jim Hayford made offense/defense subs all second half, which really showed how he was having trouble with his foot. His jumper was on all game long, and that kept this thing close.

The key to the game was the matchup between Cliff Colimon and Elliott Lloyd. Colimon was held to just 3 points on 1/10 shooting. When I asked Hill about that after the game, he said that was the work of Elliott Lloyd, who "took on a challenge and did a tremendous job." He won't get as much credit as some other guys when you look at the box score, but he was integral in this win. The casual fan might not note his role, but I am sure the coaches are well aware of what he did.

The other key was free throws. I have been saying for awhile that EWU's Achilles heel is that they send opponents to the stripe too much, and UNC took 40 attempts from there last night. While they struggled early, they hit them late, and that was enormous down the stretch. They finished 25/40 from the line.

The win moves UNC to 3-2 in the Big Sky, while EWU falls to 3-3. I will have more notes on this game in the coming days, but wanted to get this article up. It was a great game that was tight the whole way, and really a game that both teams can build on.

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Idaho State Tops UNC; Both Teams 1-1

Northern Colorado had a great chance to move to 2-0 in the Big Sky on Monday night, as they had a home game against Idaho State, a team most expect to finish at the bottom of the Big Sky. Instead, their youthful inconsistency showed through again, as Idaho State won 57-55, evening both team's conference record to 1-1.

“For some reason we came out flat but we just kept grinding away and we were able to get ourselves back in the game and finish it off,” Idaho State Interim Head Coach Deane Martin said. “If you can just stay in games and keep grinding away you will have a chance to win games.”

Chase Grabau was the star once again for the Bengals, as he is getting better as the season goes on. He followed up his big game against Weber State by scoring 18 points, dishing out 6 assists, and grabbing 3 rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes. He is slowly becoming one of the better, more versatile guys in the Big Sky.

Kenny McGowen (16 points) and Melvin Morgan (11 points) joined Grabau in double figures, as the team shot 48% from the field.

For UNC, they were plagued by turnovers, as well as an ankle injury to guard Tate Unruh. He played just 7 minutes before leaving with a left ankle injury (no word on severity), which hurt them a lot, as he has been a key guy for them.

The Bears shot 50% from the field, but turned it over 17 times. Mike Proctor scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but added 7 turnovers. Guard Paul Garnica also turned it over 6 times. UNC jumped out to an 11-2 lead in this game, but ISU outscored them 55-44 the rest of the way. The Bears had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Elliott Lloyd missed a driving layup, and Tim Huskisson was unable to put it back in at the buzzer.

The Bengals improve to 3-10 overall, 1-1 in the BSC, while Northern Colorado drops to 4-9, 1-1 in the conference.

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The Improvement of Paul Garnica and Tate Unruh

With Northern Colorado losing as much talent as they did after last season, it was paramount that they had some guys really step up. So far this year, the two guys that have done that the most are guards Tate Unruh and Paul Garnica. Both were expected to have their roles increase after being part-time players as freshman last year, and they have answered the bell.

For Paul Garnica, last year he did a lot of nice things, but he had a couple big holes in his game. One, he was not a very good outside shooter, and that limited him offensively. He shot just 27% from downtown, and did not get to the line often. His other problem was that he turned the ball over way too much, with a TO Rate of 28.3%. Disregarding the obvious fact that he was blocked by Devon Beitzel, these had to contribute to him not seeing more time.

This year, both of those weaknesses have been improved a lot, especially outside shooting. This year he is shooting nearly 50% from downtown (though his 2-point percentage is down), and that is having a huge impact on his offensive efficiency. In addition, his assist rate has gone up, and his turnover rate has gone down, from 28.3% to 18.8%. There is still room for improvement to take the next step, but that has to be very encouraging for BJ Hill. He is also getting to the FT line a bit more this year. All in all, he has at times looked like their best guy.

At other times, Tate Unruh has looked like their best player. Last year he played sparingly, but was efficient in that time, mostly because he flashed his potential as an outside shooter. He shot 42% from outside, and even though he didn't do a whole lot else, that is a great skill. I said before the year he would need to add strength and he could be very dangerous, and he has done that.

Unruh certainly is not the most athletic or strongest guy, but he has gotten the job done for the Bears. His efficiency has only gotten better with more time, as he has shot 46% from outside, 51% from 2-point range, and is 18/19 from the stripe. He still doesn't do a ton besides that (low assist rate, average rebounding rate), but he has become a solid scorer. He leads the team in scoring with 13.1 PPG. He has a long way to go to reach this level, but UNC may have found their next Devon Beitzel. Compare Unruh's stats this year to Beitzel's sophomore year.

UNC is still a very young team, with only one senior on the roster, but the improvement of guys like Garnica and Unruh is one reason the fans should still be very excited for the state of the Bears program. Tad Boyle put a lot of nice pieces in place, and BJ Hill is capitalizing on them.

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