| Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| University | University of Northern Colorado | ||
| Head coach | Steve Smiley (5th season) | ||
| Conference | Big Sky | ||
| Location | Greeley, Colorado | ||
| Arena | Bank of Colorado Arena (capacity: 2,992) | ||
| Nickname | Bears | ||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| Division II 1989 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| Division II 1964, 1965, 1966, 1989 Division I 2011* | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 2011* | |||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||
| 2011*, 2025 | |||
* - vacated by NCAA | |||
TheNorthern Colorado Bears men's basketball team is the basketball team that representsUniversity of Northern Colorado (UNC) inGreeley, Colorado, United States. The school's team currently competes in theBig Sky Conference. Northern Colorado made its first and to date only NCAA tournament appearance in 2011.
The Bears have appeared in theNCAA Division I Tournament once, where they lost to San Diego State in 2011 (led by coachB. J. Hill).[2]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15 | Round of 64 | (2) San Diego State | L 50–68 |
The Bears have appeared in theNCAA Division II Tournament four times. Their combined record is 1–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Southeast Missouri State Lamar | L 79–83 L 85–116 |
| 1965 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Minnesota State–Moorhead Minnesota–Duluth | L 73–74 L 58–86 |
| 1966 | Regional semifinals | North Dakota | L 71–84 |
| 1989 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Alaska–Fairbanks Wisconsin-Milwaukee | W 92–70 L 88–89OT |
The Bears have appeared in oneNational Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | First round | UC Irvine | L 72–82 |
The Bears have appeared in twoCollege Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their combined record is 2–2.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | No. 12 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals | No. 5Florida Atlantic No. 13UNC Asheville No. 9UNC Wilmington | W 74–71 W 87–84 L 64–80 |
| 2024 | No. 8 | First round | No. 9Cleveland State | L 49-51 |
The Bears have appeared in theCollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) three times under three different head coaches (Tad Boyle,B. J. Hill,Jeff Linder). Their combined record is 5–2. They were CIT champions in2018.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | First round Quarterfinals | Loyola Marymount Pacific | W 86–76 L 59–63 |
| 2014 | First round | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | L 71–82 |
| 2018 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Game | Drake San Diego Sam Houston State UIC | W 81–72 W 86–75 W 99–80 W 76–71 |
Only two former Bears have appeared in an NBA game:
Only one former Bear has been drafted into the NBA:
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