GREELEY — At the what-are-you-still-doing-up hour of 3 a.m. on Nov. 17, insomniacs in Colorado could have turned to ESPN and discovered a hidden gem.
University of Northern Colorado men’s basketball.
In the past, that might have been must-not-see TV, but these UNC Bears are different — very different. And very good. They pressed and ran their way to a stunning dismantling of Hawaii to finish off a three-game Rainbow Classic tournament sweep and win the title in Honolulu.
And what does this team do for an encore? Win, of course. A lot.
The Bears are this state’s best college basketball secret — and could have the best chance at making it to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite Saturday’s 76-70 loss to Wyoming in Casper, Northern Colorado has started the season a sizzling 8-2 and ended the week ranked No. 22 in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll — a poll that NCAA Tournament mainstays Butler, Gonzaga and Northern Illinois sit atop.
“I won’t say it surprises me, because we all knew going into this season we have a talented group of guys,” UNC guard Devon Beitzel said. “I’m not sure what word I’d use, but it’s definitely nice.”
No matter how Northern Colorado’s start is described, there’s no debating it’s built on a solid foundation.
The Bears have played nine of their first 10 games on the road or at neutral sites. They already have beaten in-state schools Colorado State and Air Force and have a game Dec. 28 at home against Denver.
They are 1-1 in the Big Sky Conference. The victory came over Montana, which was picked to finish second in the Big Sky. UNC was picked to finish sixth in the nine-team conference, which did not sit well with the players.
“Getting those preseason predictions of being in the lower part of our conference, all that added was a chip on our shoulder,” said senior guard Will Figures, son of former Colorado football star Deon Figures. “And we still haven’t proven anything. Yeah, we’re (8-2), but we have a lot of season left and we have to play and fight with a chip on our shoulder every day. We’re the underdog wherever we go, and that’s how we have to play.”
So just how did UNC, which a couple of seasons ago had an RPI of 336 — last in Division I — get to this point?
“You’re seeing the fruits of the hard work of the guys in our program,” Bears coach Tad Boyle said. “We have to develop our players, because we’re not going to recruit the top 100 McDonald’s All-American-type kids. We’re going to get the guys who have great work ethic, who have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to play Division I basketball. And I think that’s what we got. We have a group of guys that want to get better.”
Figures (a senior), Beitzel (a redshirt junior), Yahosh Bonner (a senior) and Taylor Montgomery (a junior) are some of the upperclassmen that are the backbone of the team. And when the program hits its stride, Boyle wants fourth- and fifth-year players playing key roles.
That experience is helping the Bears now. And the wins are creating a huge buzz in Greeley.
They had a standing-room-only crowd of 3,192 fans for their Dec. 1 home game against Colorado State and had to turn away more than 200 at the door. Players are getting pats on the back from campus to around town.
“A lot of people have been coming up to us and saying, ‘Great job,’ ” Beitzel said. “People that normally wouldn’t talk to you. People in the grocery store came up to me the other day and were asking me about the season. It’s really cool, but we’ve just got to focus on not letting it get to our heads.”
Boyle won’t let that happen. His view is a one-day-at-a-time focus. He doesn’t even want his players looking to the next game if it isn’t being played that day. It’s a big reason he quickly dismisses any NCAA Tournament talk.
“What we talk about is: Little opportunities, when you put them together, become big opportunities,” Boyle said. “We can’t look to the NCAA Tournament; it’s December. Our guys have done a good job of doing that. They’ve bought into it. If we can continue to do that, we’ll continue to have success.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
UNC courting RPI respect
Northern Colorado had the highest RPI of any in-state NCAA Division I men’s basketball team as of Dec. 7. The RPI rankings are courtesy of and are updated each Monday.
Rank Team Comment
98 Northern Colorado A win at Wyoming would have given UNC its best start in history.
147 Denver Coach Joe Scott’s Pioneers have begun the season 6-3.
157 Colorado State Rams still young, but their talent and 7-3 start are encouraging.
184 Air Force Cherry Creek alum Grant Parker averaging team-high 17.1 points.
263 Colorado Buffaloes’ promising start has faded.
