There is one Big Sky game tonight, and Northern Colorado travels to Flagstaff to take on Northern Arizona. NAU is 1-8 in the Big Sky, while UNC is 3-5.
NAU has played 7 games at home and 14 games on the road, so they are anxious to get back and playing in front of their fans. However, they seem to be devoid of momentum right now, with losses piling up on the court, and now bad vibes from off the court coming to light.
For Northern Colorado, they are desperate for a win, because all of a sudden they are below the cut line in the Big Sky, falling to the seventh spot. This is the back end of a four-game roadtrip, so they are no doubt tired. This will be a great chance to see what they are made of mentally, and whether they have the toughness to make a run.
I will go with the more desperate team, and I think that is UNC right now. The Lumberjacks are three games out of it for being able to make it to the conference tournament, while the Bears are on the cusp. That adds an extra layer of motivation, and I think it will be enough. NORTHERN COLORADO 72, NORTHERN ARIZONA 66
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I agree with your prediction, which is bad considering I'm a NAU student.
ReplyDeleteNAU's "fans" have been severely lacking lately, and I'm not sure why (maybe its the 1-8 in the conference?). Usually there is strong support from the donors, but a few of them haven't been to a game since Adras left as a in protest to NAU Athletics for not really giving a reason for his departure.
But even with those few donors missing, the students just flat out have no interest. During the women's game this past Saturday, the NAU Band outnumbered the NAU fans, and last week there were more Idaho St fans than NAU fans.
So without any real fan support, I would expect the more desperate team to win.
Bryan - Thank you for showing up and giving your support. If things will ever change its going to have to be on the students to do so. The student support last year in the Big Sky tourney opening round win vs. MSU was probably the best I've ever seen it. That win felt like a real, honest to God college basketball environment. I was up in Flagstaff last weekend and everywhere I went I saw NAU shirts, hats and colors so the school spirit is there. Students I meet generally seem to like Flagstaff and NAU. But kids go to school at USC/LSU/Alabama/etc. because they are football fans. Kids go to UofA and Kansas because they are basketball fans. Kids don't go to NAU because they're Lumberjacks sports fans. That's something that will take multiple years of ongoing Lumberjacks success to change. -MTJack
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