Who's Playing

Montana @ Northern Colorado

Current Records: Montana 7-8; Northern Colorado 5-10

What to Know

The Northern Colorado Bears won both of their matches against the Montana Grizzlies last season (78-75 and 75-66) and are aiming for the same result Saturday. Northern Colorado and Montana will face off in a Big Sky battle at 8 p.m. ET at Bank of Colorado Arena. Given that these two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

2023 "welcomed" the Bears with a 77-56 beatdown courtesy of the Montana State Bobcats on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Montana was just a bucket short of a win on Thursday and fell 75-74 to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.

Barring any buzzer beaters, Northern Colorado is expected to win a tight contest. Now might not be the best time to take Northern Colorado against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past four consecutive games.

The losses put Northern Colorado at 5-10 and the Grizzlies at 7-8. A pair of stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Bears are stumbling into the game with the 358th fewest takeaways in college basketball, having accrued only 9.9 on average. Montanas have had an even harder time: they are seventh worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 10.7 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Saturday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bank of Colorado Arena -- Greeley, Colorado
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $34.00

Odds

The Bears are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Grizzlies, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -109

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Series History

Northern Colorado and Montana both have seven wins in their last 14 games.

  • Mar 03, 2022 - Northern Colorado 75 vs. Montana 66
  • Dec 04, 2021 - Northern Colorado 78 vs. Montana 75
  • Jan 04, 2021 - Montana 56 vs. Northern Colorado 54
  • Jan 02, 2021 - Northern Colorado 64 vs. Montana 62
  • Mar 05, 2020 - Northern Colorado 71 vs. Montana 64
  • Jan 04, 2020 - Northern Colorado 74 vs. Montana 66
  • Feb 25, 2019 - Northern Colorado 74 vs. Montana 72
  • Jan 12, 2019 - Montana 88 vs. Northern Colorado 64
  • Mar 09, 2018 - Montana 91 vs. Northern Colorado 89
  • Feb 01, 2018 - Montana 88 vs. Northern Colorado 79
  • Jan 06, 2018 - Montana 89 vs. Northern Colorado 80
  • Jan 12, 2017 - Montana 89 vs. Northern Colorado 68
  • Mar 05, 2016 - Northern Colorado 78 vs. Montana 72
  • Jan 14, 2016 - Montana 73 vs. Northern Colorado 66