Bears vs. Rams

I like my alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado Bears, to beat the Colorado State Rams tonight at Moby Arena in Ft. Collins.
Why?
Because UNC coach Tad Boyle has cojones or, to simplify things, balls...He has balls.
He took his squad into Eugene, Ore. last Friday and almost handed the Oregon Ducks a loss in the hallowed grounds calledThe Pit.
The final was 66-64, in a game the Bears probably should have won (free throws broke their back late).
He will play any opponent at any venue and has games slated against Creighton, San Diego State, Air Force and Fresno State this season. Not exactly powerhouses, but in his first two years at the helm Boyle scheduled games with Kansas and Gonzaga, among others.
I'm guessing one of the perennial tournament teams doesn't want to be the first to be knocked off by an up-and-comer, therefore no big time program is on the schedule this year.

Contrastly, Tim Miles has scheduled a weak non-conference slate. However, the Rams undoubtedly play in a tougher conference, the Mountain West, than the Bears in the Big Sky so he can't be faulted too much for that.
And on paper Miles has put together an impressive recruiting class made up of transfers, freshman and the ever-important junior college players.
My buddy, "Eugene Shrew," who passionately defends his beloved Rammies, thinks Miles is the guy for the job. His vision might be a little skewed, but I think Mr. Shrew is onto something.
I don't think Miles will turn CSU into a consistent top 25 threat, but I do think he will have the Rams competing for Mountain West championships in the next two years in an underrated basketball conference.

As for the game: I like the Bears, obviously, to win 76-66 over the Rams.
The Bears return most of their key contributors including senior forward Jabril Banks who can dominate a game with his scoring and rebounding.
The Bears ended a 21-year winless streak against the Rams last year, and you can bet they will be playing to start a streak of their own.