CEDAR CITY, Utah -- After losing their first matchup of the season to both the Northern Colorado Bears and Weber State Wildcats earlier this season, the Thunderbird men's basketball team will have another crack at both Big Sky foes this week. SUU will travel first to Greeley to play Northern Colorado on Thursday, followed by a trip to Ogden to face off against rival Weber State. 

Last Time Out 

When Southern Utah was last on the floor, they fell to the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona on the road. 

The opening half was tightly contested, as neither team led by more than three points for the entirety of the first frame. 

The Thunderbirds shot 52 percent in the opening 20 minutes, while the Lumberjacks shot just 37 percent. During that same time period NAU hit 10 free throws on 12 attempts, while the T-Birds made four on just seven. 

SUU held a 35-34 advantage going into the locker room for halftime. 

With 11:42 to play in the second half, the Lumberjacks became the first team to lead by more than three as Cameron Shelton knocked down a triple to put NAU up 53-47. They took that lead courtesy of a 9-0 run, while the T-Birds went over two minutes without a point. 

From that point on the Thunderbirds hung around, but were never able to climb all the way back into the contest, eventually falling 82-69. 

Andre Adams led the charge for the Thunderbirds, scoring a season-high 20 points of 7-of-10 shooting from the field, and 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. He secured a double-double on the evening with 11 rebounds as well. 

Stat Leaders

Through 25 games and 25 starts, Cameron Oluyitan remains the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds a 13.9 points per game average and 347 total this year. 

John Knight III is second on the team in scoring with a 12.0 ppg average. 

Sophomores Harrison Butler and Maizen Fausett are incredibly close in terms of being the team's leading rebounder, with Butler pulling in 6.2 rebounds per game and 155 total and Fausett with a 6.1 average and 152 total. 

Just taking average into consideration, Andre Adams holds the team lead with 6.3 rpg, but has only appeared in 16 contests for SUU. 

Knight III is the team leader in assists, with an average of 2.9 per game and 69 total. 

Oluyitan holds the top spot in steals, totaling 36 and a 1.4 steals per game average so far. 

In 16 appearances, Daouda (David) N'Diaye leads the team with 1.3 blocks per game and 20 total. Fausett is close behind in total blocks, with 29. 

Opponent Preview: Northern Colorado Bears (17-8, 10-4 Big Sky)

Sitting tied for second in the Big Sky Conference standings, the Bears of Northern Colorado will play host to the Thunderbirds after winning five of their previous six matchups. 

When SUU and UNC squared off earlier this season, the Bears claimed a close contest in Cedar City, 68-60. 

Knight III was the leading scorer for SUU in that contest, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Adams finished with a near double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. 

Kai Edwards was the leading scorer for the Bears, dropping in 17 points and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Jonah Radebaugh scored 10 points, while also dishing out 11 assists for UNC. 

Opponent Preview: Weber State Wildcats (10-16, 6-9 Big Sky) 

After claiming a road win in Cedar City to close out January, the Wildcats of Weber State will play host to Southern Utah for the second round of their in-state rivalry slate this season. 

The Wildcats will not play a contest before hosting the Thunderbirds. 

Adams was the leading scorer for SUU against WSU, dropping in 17 points. Dre Marin finished with 15 points, while Fausett had 12. 

Big Sky leading scorer Jerrick Harding had a solid outing against the Thunderbirds, scoring 27 points, pulling in six rebounds and dishing out six assists. 

Cody John had a big game for the Wildcats, hitting 7-of-9 shots from the field to score 22 points. 

State of the Big Sky 

With just three weeks of Big Sky play remaining,the Montana Grizzlies sit atop the conference standings with a 12-3 league record. They are currently on a five game winning streak. 

Right on their heels are both Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado, who are tied at 10-4. 

Montana State currently sits fourth at 8-6, with Northern Arizona right behind them in fifth at 8-7.

Southern Utah enters the weekend in sixth place, trailed by Portland State in seventh. 

Sacramento State and Weber are tied at 6-9, with 3-11 Idaho and 3-13 Idaho State closing out the league standings. 

Words From Coach Simon 

On last weekend...

"We're not far off," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "We've just got to clean up a few mistakes and turnovers. It's a possession game. When you shoot 49 percent you should have a good chance to win, and we've got to make sure we're not costing ourselves from a possession stand point." 

On Northern Colorado...

"They're one of the better teams in the league, and obviously a fantastic offensive team with shooters all over the place," he said. "They're very tough to defend, so we're going to have to be very on point and take the three away from them." 

On Weber State...

"The good and the bad of it last time was we only had one day prep coming off the road, and rewatching the film I thought we were a little tired," he said. "Those two guards are fantastic though, and just like last time we've got to focus on them and hopefully we can do a better job." 

On the biggest keys coming down the stretch...

"We've got to get healthy," he said. "We've got to have good practices and have bodies available. Hopefully we'll get Jakolby back soon, David N'Diaye is coming along well, but we just haven't had much continuity and consistency with some of the different lineups that we've had. We just need to find that continuity, and the consistency will  come."  

How To Watch / Listen / Follow Along

All Big Sky Conference games will be available to stream on both the PlutoTV App and www.WatchBigSky.com. 

A link to live stats, live video and any available radio feeds will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff. 

Follow Us

Follow the Thunderbirds all season @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook. 

Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com. 

Ticket Information 

Season Tickets for the 2019-20 season, as well as single game tickets, are available for purchase at the America First Event Center Ticket Office and online at www.tbirdtickets.com.