Many coaches say it but B.J. Hill has implored it to his young Bears all season: do not look too far into the future. Focus on the task at hand.
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Northern Colorado’s roster is among the youngest in the Big Sky Conference. Hill, UNC’s fifth-year head coach, does not have a senior on his team. Cameron Michael, a former Air Force transfer, was expected to be the leader as a junior but he suffered a concussion four games into the season and has not played since. All but one of the 13 players on UNC’s roster has started at least one game and seven have started at least six, including 26 starts in 28 games for true freshman guard Jordan Davis.
“We only had three or four of guys who have seen any real Division I minutes coming into this year so our motto is to not look too far out on the horizon,” Hill said. “I just don’t think they can handle that. We are just trying to stay focused. This week, it’s been about valuing every possession offensively and defensively because we are at a point now where you are almost to that third season where if you lose, you go home. We can’t play tight but we have to value every possession each end of the floor.”
Northern Colorado ends the regular season with a battle against Montana State Thursday night in Bozeman and a matchup with front-running Montana on Saturday in Missoula. While the battle for the third and fourth seeds rages on — the top four teams earn byes in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament in Reno next week — with Idaho, Eastern Washington, North Dakota and Idaho State all tied at 10-6 in league play, the battle for position on the bottom of the bracket continues as well.
Montana State enters Thursday’s matchup alone in seventh place at 7-9, a game ahead of UNC and Portland State. A win coupled with a Portland State loss to Northern Arizona would sew up the seventh spot for the Bobcats. A Northern Colorado win would muddle the bottom of the bracket even further.
“We have to have a good two home games, get a sweep and get some momentum going into the conference tournament,” Montana State senior Danny Robison said. “Everyone wants to be playing their best basketball right now. If we can get two great wins, it will set us up with momentum heading into Tuesday.”
Northern Colorado enters Thursday’s game having lost six of its last seven games. The Bears took Portland State, a team that swept Montana State with ease, down to the wire in an 89-86 loss last Saturday. UNC fell 74-73 at North Dakota the week before and defeated UND earlier this season. The Bears handed Montana State a 78-76 loss in Greeley in the first meeting between the two teams on January 16.
“They’re probably the most aggressive team at the guard spot of anybody in our league, attacking the basket and getting after it,” Montana State second-year head coach Brian Fish said. “They hit a big shot to beat us at their place and did a good job of throwing zones at us and trying to keep us off balance. They’re not a great matchup for us, we’ll have to play very well.”
With Michael and freshman center Kenny Lesley — a player Hill said “wowed the coaching staff with his effort and toughness in the summer” — on the shelf with injuries, the attack has shifted into the hands of Davis and the aggressive junior guard pair of Anthony Johnson and Jordan Wilson.
Johnson, a strong 6-foot-2 slasher, is averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Wilson, an explosive 5-foot-7 mighty mite, is averaging 13.1 points per game, shooting 40.8 percent from deep and has half a dozen 20-plus point games to his credit. The 6-foot-2 Davis is the best penetrator, scoring 10.7 points per outing despite hitting just nine 3-pointers this season. Junior Dallas Anglin, a Southern Miss transfer, has rebounded from an early injury to chip in 13.2 points per game over the last 20.
“It will be a battle between two talented guard corps and which one is more disciplined,” Hill said. “It seems like every Big Sky game is a two to three-possession deal. It’s all about who can maintain that discipline on either side of the ball the majority of times is going to be who comes out on top.”
Montana State will counter with freshman sensation Tyler Hall, the Big Sky’s fourth-leading scorer at 19 points per game. Senior Marcus Colbert (15.3 points, 5.3 assists) and Robison, a Billings West product, will celebrate their final home stand at home. MSU will have Senior Day on Saturday afternoon with North Dakota in town.
“I appreciate (former MSU head) Coach (Brad) Huse and his staff for bringing these guys to the program because they’ve been outstanding,” Fish said. “Marcus has done it all. He’s been a big reason Tyler has played well. And his leadership on the floor. Danny has dealt with injuries (elbow) all season long. He’s been incredible in the locker room and showing our young guys how to play through some injuries, how to get involved with a team and make an impact.”
“Those two guys keep me up at night thinking about how to replace them.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
