Aug. 2, 2008

2008-09 schedule in PDF Format

GREELEY, Colo. -- A Pac-10 road opener, two Mountain West teams coming into Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, and a Christmas trip to Las Vegas highlight Northern Colorado's 2008-09 men's basketball schedule, which was finalized this past week and announced today by head coach Tad Boyle.

And that doesn't include two rivalry road games in mid-November and the always exciting Big Sky Conference schedule.

The Bears finished 13-16 and 6-10 in the Big Sky last season, and Boyle and his assistants think this year's slate will prepare the team as it continues its trek to the top of the conference and into the NCAA Tournament.

Northern Colorado starts the year Friday, Nov. 14, against Oregon inside historic McArthur Court, and road games against Colorado State (Tuesday, Nov. 18) and Denver (Wednesday, Nov. 26) will follow.

The Bears then start the home part of their schedule Saturday, Nov. 29, when Texas State comes to Greeley and Butler-Hancock.

San Diego State and head coach Steve Fisher will pay a visit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and the Air Force Falcons will travel north on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Boyle's squad will then play at Creighton on Saturday, Dec. 13, and at Fresno State on Thursday, Dec. 18, in the first rounds of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic. Games on Monday, Dec. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 23 (opponent is TBD) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas will complete the seventh-annual tournament and be Northern Colorado's last action before Christmas.

A home game against Northern Arizona on Monday, Dec. 29, will start the Big Sky portion of the Bears' schedule and defending Big Sky champion Portland State will play in Butler-Hancock on Saturday, Jan. 17. Northern Colorado will then play all conference games from there on out, until Johnson & Wales (Tuesday, Feb. 10) and North Dakota (Thursday, Feb. 12) come to town.

The game against the Ducks will be a homecoming for Boyle, who got his collegiate coaching start as an assistant at Oregon in 1994, and the games against the Rams, Pioneers and Aztecs will be rematches from last season. The Bears defeated Colorado State 72-59 at home during the 2007-08 season and won at San Diego State 62-56.

Northern Colorado split a pair of games (home and away) with Denver.