GREELEY, Colo. -- An epic showdown hinges on tonight's Big Sky battles.
If Weber State and Montana win against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona, respectively, they're one step closer to the first meeting in Big Sky Conference history between one-loss teams in the final game of the regular season: A winner-take-all brawl for the Big Sky title and the right to host the league tournament.
Montana would still have to beat in-state rival Montana State at home on Saturday, but that would set the stage for the Wildcats to meet the Griz on Feb. 28 with everything on the line.
Meanwhile, Weber State (22-4, 13-1 Big Sky) is remembering a different kind of history: Its recent history against the Northern Colorado at Butler-Hancock Pavilion, where they tip off tonight at 7 p.m.
"Everyone's aware of the game next Tuesday. We all understand the implications, but our coaches do such a good job of stressing the fact that if we don't 100 percent focus on the next practice and the next game, which happens to be Northern Colorado, we will lose that game," WSU senior forward Kyle Bullinger said. "That's a game we can't lose. That's a game we don't want to lose."
'Cats coach Randy Rahe has a laser-like focus on taking one game at a time and has instilled that in his team.
"I trust these guys," Rahe said. "They understand -- I think they understand -- how hard it's going to be over there at Northern Colorado. Our last two years over there, they've absolutely beaten the tar out of us."
Bullinger remembers.
"In the three years that I've played (in Greeley), we pulled one out my freshman year that we had no business winning and the other two times they've handled us down there," he said. "We understand what we're walking into. We understand that they're desperate, that they probably need this win to get into the postseason."
A loss would be bad news for the Bears (9-17, 5-9), who are barely holding out hope of reaching the six-team Big Sky tournament field.
"They're desperate. They're going to do everything they can to win," WSU junior guard Scott Bamforth said. "Everything in the past, the start of the season, that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is this game. That's the way we look at it and that's the way they have to look at it, so hopefully we can play hard and be successful."
Northern Colorado is the defending league champ under second-year coach B.J. Hill, but has struggled with an inexperienced lineup after the loss of several seniors, including Devon Beitzel, last year's Big Sky MVP.
Northern Colorado starts two freshmen and two sophomores, but the Baby Bears are baby-faced assassins from beyond the arc, leading the nation in 3-point percentage.
The 3 is important to the Wildcats as well. Weber State is ninth in 3-point percentage (.407) and third in 3s made per game (9.3).
That puts a premium on defense and rebounding tonight.
"Three-point defense is going to be a big key in the game as well as rebounding," Bullinger said. "Teams that shoot that many 3s, like both of us, there's going to be a lot of long rebounds."
With its youthful lineup, Northern Colorado ranks last in the league in scoring defense (75.0 ppg); WSU is second (68.2 ppg).
Redshirt freshman Tevin Svihovec set a UNC school single-game record with 34 points last Saturday in a Bracketbusters win against Cal Poly.
The Bears like to call that "Tevinsanity!" but Weber State observers will note that junior point guard Damian Lillard has scored more than 34 points five times this season alone and 30 or more seven times. That includes the last meeting with UNC, when Lillard scored 35 in a 93-81 win in Ogden on Feb. 4.
Dynamite Damian ranks second in the country in scoring (24.9 ppg); the Oakland, Calif., native will break his own school record for most 3s in a season with three more.
Both teams shot 50 percent from 3-point range in their previous meeting.
Rahe hasn't forgotten that Northern Colorado scored 81 points and outrebounded WSU by 14 boards, 39-25.
UNC ranks first in the Big Sky in rebounding margin and rebounding defense.
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