Despite having the best record in the Big Sky in the 2009-10 season (25-8), the North Colorado Bears were only predicted to finish fourth in the standings in this year’s pre-season polls. The team returned all five starters but questions swirled about how they would survive without their head coach, Tad Boyle, who left the program for a job at Colorado.
While the Bears did not win as many games as they did last season, they still finished tied for the best record in the conference, beating the team they sat tied with in the championship tournament finale. New head coach B.J. Hill, the teams former assistant, stepped in admirably and led the team to the March Madness college basketball tournament for the first time in school history.
Northern Colorado may not have big game experience but they have what it takes to win. Devon Beitzel is one of the best players in the country, shooting 21.4 ppg, carrying the offense to wins game-after-game. The team is also masterful from the free throw line, hitting 77.2-percent and 91.4-percent in Big Sky tournament games.
Final Record: 21-10, 13-3 Big Sky
Predicted Seed: 15
Biggest Win:
Northern Colorado: 65 Montana: 60 (3/9/2011)
Northern Colorado didn’t beat anyone this season ranked in the RPI Top 100 and only played four teams ranked that high, so their big game experience is limited heading into March Madness. Their biggest win came in the Big Sky tournament finale, where they beat Montana, gaining revenge against the team who ended their run last season. Devon Beitzel scored 27 points in the win, 13 of them in the final five minutes of the game.
Northern Colorado Player to Watch: Devon Beitzel began his career at Northern Colorado with a 4-24 season. In his second season they improved to 13 wins and then 14 the next year. In his fourth year at the school, Northern Colorado won a school record 25 games. Thanks to a medical redshirt, Beitzel got a fifth season and is part of a team that made the school’s first ever NCAA appearance. He leads the team with 21.4 points per game, ranked No. 14 nationally.
Starting Lineup
- Neal Kingman, F
- Chris Kaba, F
- Taylor Montgomery, F-C
- Devon Beitzel, G
- Elliott Lloyd, G
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