TUCSON — As Northern Colorado prepared today for a first-round game against San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament, the spotlight shifted away from a “Cinderella story” and toward Devon Beitzel.
The Northern Colorado guard drew comparisons to BYU star Jimmer Fredette from reporters and fans at Tucson, where the Bears are practicing today before Thursday’s game.
“Whenever you get compared to a player like Jimmer, it’s a compliment,” said Beitzel, who averaged 21.4 points in leading UNC to its first NCAA berth. “But no one in the country can do what he does. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone score 52 points in a game and only have one point come from a free throw. That’s unbelievable.
“I mean, I’ll take the compliments, but I’m definitely not at that level.”
Still, Beitzel said the Bears were excited about being in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a dream come true. Five years ago we were the absolute worst team in Division I, which isn’t something that we really took lightly. It was a huge motivational factor.
“And you know, it just shows how our hours in the gym and hours in the weight room and watching film, just how that has really just paid off.”
Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill also talked about his team’s turnaround.
“It’s been a long five years. A lot of hard work,” Hill said. “A lot of great kids. And a lot of support from everybody back in Greeley.”
And the key for the Bears against San Diego State?
“One of the stats I look at at halftime is points in transition,” Hill said. “We’ve done a good job of taking away easy baskets. i thnk that’s the good step in any defense.
Added Hill about the big stage that is the NCAA tournament:
“The energy level has been great since arriving in Tucson. Our first practice down here they lacked a little bit of focus, which is understandable.
“But once we brought them back into practice, I thought we got a lot out of it. And then it became the Northern Colorado that practices back in Butler-Hancock every day.”
