How Northern Colorado turned its season around and became the Big Sky contender the numbers say the Bears are | College Basketball Insider
GREELEY — Process over product.
That’s been the motto for Steve Smiley and his Northern Colorado team all season.
It was that way when the Bears won 10 games in nonconference play for the first time in program history, including beating Colorado for the first time in nearly 100 years. It was that way when they went 1-7 to open Big Sky play. And it’s that way now as UNC has found a way to turn things around and win six straight in conference play heading into Saturday’s game (6 p.m. ESPN+) against Northern Arizona.
“This entire time, I feel like our demeanor hasn’t changed,” star senior point guard Quinn Denker told The Denver Gazette this week. “Even when we beat CU, even when we went through that losing streak, obviously it’s nice to have wins, but I think what makes this team so special is our attention to detail and our love of the process and the journey. I feel like that’s the epitome of our team.”
For a team like UNC, which has its entire season essentially come down to a three- or four-day stretch in March, that’s the way it has to be. Even if the Bears were having a historic, undefeated season like Miami (Ohio) and in the national spotlight, people would still be talking about what happens to their NCAA Tournament chances if they lose in the Big Sky Tournament.
While Smiley’s team knows those few days in Boise, Idaho, will decide if this program gets back to March Madness for the first time since 2011, they also know they can’t lose sight of the journey it takes to get there.
In Greeley, this is basically the third different mini-season within the 2025-26 campaign as a whole. The first was that awesome 9-1 start in which the Bears went 5-1 in one-score games. The second was that rough 2-8 run that began in mid-December in which they went 1-5 in one-possession games.
As his team got ready for the final 11 games, Smiley had a simple goal for his group.
“Let’s find a way to get back to being a winning program,” Smiley told The Denver Gazette.
Even though they lost the first of these final 11 regular-season games, the Bears have found their groove and it has all come after a players-only meeting in which the group collectively realized none of them were doing enough as individuals.
“We kinda plateaued where we were the same team and we didn’t really improve in the little things that we needed to improve on,” Denker said. “What it really came down to was we realized, as players, that the coaches were doing everything they could possibly do for us. Now, it’s up to us.”
With Denker leading the way as the nation’s best point guard no one talks about, UNC has rattled off six straight wins following that 1-7 start to Big Sky play, including last Saturday’s win over Portland State, the No. 1 team in the conference.
But it’s not just about Denker, who should be a top candidate for the Lou Henson Award given annually to the top mid-major player in the country. It’s about veterans like Zach Bloch and Brock Wisne, who have spent their entire careers in Greeley. It’s also about newcomers like Ring Nyeri and Ibu Yamazaki, a pair of transfers who have made a big impact, down to the last guy on the bench.
“We always felt like we had a really high floor because we had Quinn, Zach and Brock,” Smiley said. “Our ceiling is gonna be (about) a lot of these new guys and young guys. How are these guys going to blend in and understand these roles and get better and better and better?
“The growth of those guys has been critical for us being such a more balanced attack and it’s helped us so much.”
That’s what makes this Bears team so dangerous as the end of the regular season approaches. They’re not just stringing together wins, but they’re doing it in impressive fashion with an average margin of victory of 10 points during this streak, thanks in large part to the No. 1 offense in the conference that no one seems to have an answer for right now.
More than just talent and on-court results, though, it’s about belief.
UNC came into this season believing this was going to be the breakthrough season. Like Montana and Montana State (the two previous Big Sky Tournament champions), the Bears last March got to experience what it was like to lose with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line.
They have never wavered in their belief that it’s their time. Now, everyone else is just starting to see why.
“I think we’re making strides at the right time,” Denker said. “This is just the beginning. Obviously, the six (wins) in a row has been good, but I think it’s just a product of us having an attention to detail and to the process and loving it.”
The list: Top 5 teams that can win the Big Sky Tournament
- Portland State
The only team in the conference still with single-digit losses and with a defense and a home-court advantage that is best in the Big Sky, it’s hard to give the top spot to anyone but the Vikings, who have lost just twice since Christmas. Leading scorer Terri Miller Jr. (19.2 points per game) is as dangerous as any player in the conference.
- Montana State
A veteran team that has been in the class of the Big Sky for the majority of this decade, you just can’t discount the experience this group has and it’s shown up all season. The Bobcats are currently second in the conference standings with just one home loss as they’re seeking their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons under coach Matt Logie.
- Northern Colorado
Even though five teams are currently ahead of them in the standings, no one in the Big Sky should want to see the Bears right now. The six-game winning streak has highlighted how good this team has always thought it was and coming off a win over Portland State last week, there is no hotter team in the conference right now and there’s a chance for this group to stretch its streak to 10 games heading into the Big Sky Tournament.
- Montana
You can’t count out the defending champions, either. The Grizzlies are the only other team in the conference to beat the Vikings this season and they did it at their place. Big Sky leading scorer Money Williams is capable of putting up 30 or more points in any given game and the team has a handful of youngsters who play heavy minutes.
- Eastern Washington
Despite a wretched 2-13 start to the season, the Eagles have never given up hope and have now won five straight games to move into a tie for third place. Veteran guard Isaiah Moses (17.7 points per game) is also one of the better players in the conference.
Mid-Major Minute
For all the talk about the unbeaten RedHawks of Miami (Ohio), the real mid-major no one should want to play in March is the team currently leading the always-difficult Missouri Valley Conference, Belmont. The Bruins are 24-4 overall and 14-3 in conference play with a three-game lead atop the standings and have lost just once since Jan. 4. They’re No. 56 in Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency rankings with a top-50 offense that could give any high-major team trouble in the NCAA Tournament.
Upset of the Week
Creighton 91, No. 5 UConn 85
With apologies to Denver Gazette Nuggets beat writer and Creighton alumnus Vinny Benedetto, it has not been a great season in Omaha for the Bluejays. Greg McDermott’s program has made the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last eight years, but it is currently a long shot to make it back to March Madness. But Wednesday’s upset at the home of the No. 5 UConn Huskies is a point of progress for this team and it came thanks to a big night from Iowa transfer Josh Dix (21 points and eight rebounds), who is still grieving the loss of his mother to colon cancer earlier this month.
Going Overseas
Sticking with the Northern Colorado theme, let’s highlight one of the key players of the Smiley era, Sterling’s own Bodie Hume. The former All-Big Sky guard is in his fourth professional season and currently playing for Ironi Kiryat Ata in the top Israeli league, where he is averaging just under 10 points and five rebounds per game this season.