FACTS & STATS: Site: Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion (5,000) -- Greeley, Colorado. Television: None. Home Record: Montana 10-2, UNC 3-7. Away Record: Montana 7-4, UNC 2-8. Neutral Record: Montana 0-0, UNC 2-0. Conference Record: Montana 10-1, UNC 4-7. Series Record: Montana leads, 13-5. A pair of league rivals at opposite ends of the spectrum meet on the hardwood tonight, as the Grizzlies face the Northern Colorado Bears in a Big Sky tilt at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Montana enters the meeting riding the wave of a six-game win streak, and has generally been on fire for well over a month. With the exception of an 80-64 setback at Weber State on January 14th, the Grizzlies have notched 12 wins dating back to December 17th en route to a 17-6 overall ledger. The Grizzlies most recently dispatched of Idaho State in convincing fashion with a 76-40 verdict on Moncay night, improving to 10-1 in Big Sky action in the process. As for Northern Colorado, things have not gone nearly as well for the Bears, who enter tonight's affair with just seven wins to show for their 2011-12 campaign. UNC has dropped back-to-back decisions and four of their last five overall, and a 93-81 final at Weber State last Saturday left the Bears with a meager 4-7 mark in conference play. Montana owns a 13-5 lead in the all-time series between the two programs. The Grizzlies held Idaho State to a miserable 24.6 percent from the field during their 36-point victory, a mark that included stifling the Bengals to a 2-of-16 mark from long range. Montana hit 51.9 percent of its own attempts from the floor during the contest, and added 15-of-18 at the foul line as well. The Grizzlies dominated the glass to the tune of 40-27, and forced a game-high 16 turnovers. Will Cherry posted a game-high 21 points to lead Montana in the win, while Art Steward added 14 points. Kareem Jamar got into the mix as well, contributing 13 points and collecting eight rebounds. Montana is shooting at a solid 45.8 percent clip as a team this season, a mark that includes a respectable 35.8 percent conversion rate long range. As a result, the Grizzlies net 69.3 points per game up to this point, and boast three players with a double-digit scoring average. Cherry paces the squad (15.2 ppg), while Jamar follows with a 13.4 ppg tally to go with a club-best 79 assists. Mathias Ward rounds out the trio, chipping in a solid 10.1 ppg, while Steward checks in at the cusp of double figures with a 9.2 ppg contribution. UNC never recovered from a gaping 54-35 halftime hole, succumbing to Weber State by 12 points in its last outing. The Bears allowed WSU to shoot at a blazing 60.0 percent clip that included 7-of-12 from beyond the arc during those opening 20 minutes, while hitting just 41.9 percent from the field themselves. The Bears did shoot 49.2 percent from the floor overall during the meeting, but the squad also committed a game-high 16 turnovers. Tate Unruh scored 17 points to lead the way for UNC, while Tim Huskisson added 14 points. Connor Osborne finished with 12 points, while Tevin Svihovec and Emmanuel Addo chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, the latter grabbing nine rebounds as well. The Bears average a healthy 71.8 ppg this season, but also yield 75.4 ppg at the other end of the court. Still, the Bears are shooting at a 47.3 percent clip as a team that includes an impressive 43.3 percent mark from long range. Even so, the club owns a single player with a double-digit scoring average, as Unruh leads all scorers with a 10.2 ppg tally. Montana is too hot to deny right now, not that the Grizzlies would especially need to be at the absolute top of their game in a matchup against the Bears. Still, UNC can be dangerous if things are clicking beyond the arc, so give a little leeway, especially with the home crowd edge. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Montana 78, Northern Colorado 74 02/09 10:43:27 ET
Thursday, February 9th, 9:05 p.m. (et)
