What conference does Northern Colorado Men's Basketball compete in?

Northern Colorado Bears Men's Basketball competes in the Big Sky Conference conference at the NCAA D1-FCS level.

Where does Northern Colorado play men's basketball home games?

Northern Colorado Men's Basketball plays home games at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, CO.

Who is the head coach of Northern Colorado Men's Basketball?

The head coach of Northern Colorado Bears Men's Basketball is Steve Smiley.

When was Northern Colorado Men's Basketball program established?

The establishment date for Northern Colorado Men's Basketball is not currently available.

NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS MEN'S BASKETBALL

Big Sky ConferenceD1-FCSwinter

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Northern Colorado has built a competitive mid-major program in Greeley, Colorado, where the Bears are scoring 83.0 points per game while holding opponents to 76.7 this season. Coach Steve Smiley's 16-player roster posted a 17-10 record highlighted by 10-3 dominance at Bank of Colorado Arena, establishing the home court as a critical advantage in Big Sky Conference play. The Bears' 6-4 conference record positions them within striking distance of tournament contention despite struggling 7-7 on the road, revealing a clear split personality in their identity.

The 8,869-student University of Northern Colorado, founded in 1889, continues supporting Division I athletics in the Big Sky Conference's competitive landscape. Smiley has engineered efficiency on both ends—the Bears outscore opponents by 6.3 points per game—which becomes magnified in home games where they've won two of every three contests. Northern Colorado's conference struggles away from Greeley suggest road success remains the pathway to postseason relevance in a league where balanced play determines tournament seeding and NCAA opportunities.

KEY FACTS

School	University of Northern Colorado
Sport	Men's Basketball
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Division	D1-FCS
Location	Greeley, Colorado
Venue	Bank of Colorado Arena
Head Coach	Steve Smiley

ROSTER (2025-26)

#	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Class
0	Walker Asp	F	6' 8"	160 lbs	Sophomore
8	Zach Bloch	G	6' 2"	185 lbs	Senior
10	Tanner Braketa	G	6' 1"	-	Freshman
4	Hunter Caldwell	C	6' 10"	230 lbs	Sophomore
1	Vincent Delano	G	6' 2"	175 lbs	Sophomore
35	Quinn Denker	G	6' 3"	190 lbs	Senior
13	Will Dixion III	G	6' 2"	-	Freshman
2	Kaden Ericksen	G	6' 4"	-	Junior
21	William Humer	F	6' 10"	235 lbs	Senior
3	Ariik Mawien	G	6' 4"	175 lbs	Sophomore
7	Ring Nyeri	F	6' 8"	165 lbs	Sophomore
5	Steven Ramirez Jr.	G	6' 4"	-	Freshman
33	Egan Shields	C	6' 10"	250 lbs	Sophomore
11	Chancellor White	G	6' 6"	185 lbs	Junior
14	Brock Wisne	F	6' 9"	245 lbs	Senior
54	Ibu Yamazaki	F	6' 7"	215 lbs	Junior

SEASON RECORD

20-12

Overall

12-3

Home

8-9

Away

9-6

Conference

82.5 PPG / 76.5 Opp PPG

SCHEDULE (2025-26)

Date	Opponent	H/A	Result	Venue
Nov 4	Colorado College Tigers	Home	W 91-57	Bank of Colorado Arena
Nov 8	Colorado Christian Cougars	Home	W 101-65	Bank of Colorado Arena
Nov 16	Pepperdine Waves	Away	W 88-81	Firestone Fieldhouse
Nov 22	St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies	Away	L 72-73	Chiles Center
Nov 23	Portland Pilots	Away	W 86-80	Chiles Center
Nov 23	Cal State Fullerton Titans	Home	W 97-93	Chiles Center
Nov 26	Air Force Falcons	Away	W 71-53	Clune Arena
Nov 30	Regis (CO) REGIS UNIVERSITY	Home	W 104-63	Bank of Colorado Arena
Dec 4	Omaha Mavericks	Away	W 75-70	Baxter Arena
Dec 7	South Dakota Coyotes	Home	W 89-87	Bank of Colorado Arena
Dec 17	Texas Tech Red Raiders	Away	L 90-101	United Supermarkets Arena
Dec 20	Denver Pioneers	Home	L 79-86	Bank of Colorado Arena
Dec 28	Colorado Buffaloes	Away	W 86-81	CU Events Center
Jan 2	Montana State Bobcats	Away	L 75-89	Worthington Arena
Jan 3	Montana Grizzlies	Away	L 79-88	Dahlberg Arena
Jan 9	Idaho State Bengals	Home	W 85-72	Bank of Colorado Arena
Jan 11	Weber State Wildcats	Home	L 71-76	Bank of Colorado Arena
Jan 16	Portland State Vikings	Away	L 73-76	Viking Pavilion
Jan 18	Sacramento State Hornets	Away	L 89-93	Hornet Pavilion
Jan 20	Montana State Bobcats	Home	L 68-73	Bank of Colorado Arena
Jan 25	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	Away	L 77-81	J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome
Jan 30	Idaho Vandals	Home	W 91-83	Bank of Colorado Arena
Jan 31	Eastern Washington Eagles	Home	W 74-71	Bank of Colorado Arena
Feb 6	Weber State Wildcats	Away	W 88-74	Dee Events Center
Feb 7	Idaho State Bengals	Away	W 69-61	Reed Gym
Feb 13	Sacramento State Hornets	Home	W 95-79	Bank of Colorado Arena
Feb 14	Portland State Vikings	Home	W 77-65	Bank of Colorado Arena
Feb 22	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	Home	W 78-77	Bank of Colorado Arena
Feb 27	Eastern Washington Eagles	Away	L 72-82	Reese Court
Feb 28	Idaho Vandals	Away	W 76-67	ICCU Arena
Mar 3	Montana Grizzlies	Home	W 85-57	Bank of Colorado Arena
Mar 9	Montana Grizzlies	Away	L 89-95	Idaho Central Arena

ANALYTICS

+6.0

Pt Diff

Streak

50.3%

SOS

#186

T-Rank

Barthag: 0.4530

#162

105.7

Adj O

#227

107.4

Adj D

Last 5: 3-2Last 10: 8-2Best W Streak: 7Worst L Streak: 5

View full analytics →

OTHER SPORTS AT NORTHERN COLORADO

Baseball Football Men's Cross Country Men's Golf Men's Soccer Men's Tennis Softball Women's Basketball Women's Cross Country Women's Golf Women's Lacrosse Women's Soccer Women's Swimming & Diving Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball

BIG SKY CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAMS

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Colorado Men's Basketball Programs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What conference does Northern Colorado Men's Basketball compete in?: Northern Colorado Bears Men's Basketball competes in the Big Sky Conference conference at the NCAA D1-FCS level.
Where does Northern Colorado play men's basketball home games?: Northern Colorado Men's Basketball plays home games at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, CO.
Who is the head coach of Northern Colorado Men's Basketball?: The head coach of Northern Colorado Bears Men's Basketball is Steve Smiley.
When was Northern Colorado Men's Basketball program established?: The establishment date for Northern Colorado Men's Basketball is not currently available.