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Southern Utah, huh. I'll be paying attention to that game. I would expect you guys to be competitive, and most likely win that game. Just don't beat them worse than NDSU.

My generation dates back to 1976, but IMHO without question it's Thomas. He made NDSU/UND football games no longer fun for me.

Saul Phillips was the assistant who worked with the majority of the schemes that Miles implemented. He put the gameplan in that beat Wisconsin and Marquette, and had a great amount of control in what style the team played. I think what got him the job was the players were unanimous and went to Gene Taylor and made a push for Phillips. It's a great hire for NDSU to keep familiarity and the core together. Miles did a great job selling the idea that the program is a family, and it will be carried on with Coach Phillips. Al the players love him, and his hiring was an important factor in keeping the recruit Carlson. I am sure there will be some growing pains along the way that come with an inexperienced head coach, but the system will be the same and the talent is there. I don't expect any big upsets like Wisonsin/Marquette anytime soon for obvious reasons, but there's no reason to think that NDSu can remain competitive going into the Mid Con next year.

NDSU will always be a stepping stone for other oppurtunities. Like you said, it's life as a mid major. Increase in salary, and a new basketball arena reguardless of how nice the facility is won't prevent that. Us Bison fans will need to get used to it, like you guys in a few years. But I do believe the stone has been cast, and basketball will only continue to grow at NDSU. The talent is there, the core of the coaches has been set in place, and as long as recruiting continues at the pace it is NDSU will continue to grow on the men's side. Keeping Richman was a crucial move for recruiting, and the players all pushed hard for Phillips to get hired. The possability for big things on the men's side is there in the future. The women's program on the other hand, I'm not so sure about.

1)for a while. When NDSU made the jump to D1, more money was placed in the program. NDSU has a tri state policy with MSU/Concordia, that the athletes can take classes over there at SU rates, if SU doesn't offer the class they're looking for. 2) a recruit that verbals after all the scholarships are filled, and will likely recieve a scholarship the following year.

As a Bison fan, I am extremely happy you guys didn't hire Craig Smith. He will likely be a top candidate, if not the guy, at NDSU when Miles decides to leave, and that could be as early as this offseason. He runs a system similiar to Miles', and is a very likeable guy in recruiting as well. Good luck through your transition. If I'm correct, you still have 1 year playing in the NCC. I will be interested to see if Coach Jones tries to shoot for the D1 recruits, or goes the JC route. NDSU had their hardest year recruiting, going into that least season in the NCC. Whether the transition is a struggle, or whether it's pain free, I think you guys will enjoy the significantly more athletic recruits that come in with D1.

It's a very true point, and at the time I would have never saw the men's team where it is now. Ironically, NDSU is way more competitive in D1 men's basketball then we probably ever were in Division 2 if you consider the circumstances. With your move up to D1, I think men's basketball will be the only sport that struggles, and I think alot of that has to do with your hockey program. With both being D1, hockey will always be superior, and basketball can't take comfort in being D2 anymore. Who knows though. UND could surprise me in men's basketball much in the same way NDSU has.

I would love to play in women's basketball. I think you guys would beat our Bison on the women's side, and I think it would be a good wake up call to NDSU in just where our women's program is right now. It's struggling and the years of 90 dominance is far past. I think football would be a competitive game, and great for both Universities, but because of playoff eligibility next year, and commitments to other schools on open dates this year, it won't happen until down the road. I don't think any Bison fans are interested in playing in men's basketball. With all due respect, you're program is struggling and it wouldn't be competitive at all. I think you guys are doing a great thing moving up, and I believe that your football team, and your women's basketball team will step right in, be competitive, and do some great things. Your men's basketball team, not so much.

Oh please do when you have time. Please do.

I remember when NDSU made the announcement to D1, and how I was laughed at by my UND relatives on how we were making this mistake, our football team would never even be ranked, and our basketball team would be a bottom feeder in the RPI index. How NDSU athletics and tradition would disappear, and the school would be forced to focus more on academics and programs, because we were making this mistake of leaving D2 for D1. Now here we are like 4 years later, with the football team ranked almost on a consistent level, the basketball team already wwith a win over the top 25, and finishing right in the middle of the RPI index without even a full D1 recruited bball team, and even funnier, how UND is making the move to D1, and not even everyone in their administration agrees with it. On a seriously respectable note, UND will have no problmes making the step up in football, and the women's bball team will be better then NDSU's, I think, in the next couple of years if it isn't already. The men's bball team is another story. UND will be 100% satisfied with the jump up in a couple years, I assure you.

None of these schools will ever be in the Big Sky. The Big Sky only entertained expansion East of Montana because they had to consider all regional schools. They made it clear that their intentions are more south then east when they choose a struggling UNC program. They choose a UNC athletic program, knowing it was struggling, over the Dakota schools. That alone should tell you what they think of expanding east of Montana into the Dakota's As long as there are California, and other coastal schools, they will never seriously consider the Dakotas. UND's only hope for a conference anytime in the foreseeable future is the Mid con. And they will get in sooner, or later.

Here's a picture perfect post of irony if I've ever seen one.

Here's an objective view of NDSU-UND smalk talk. UND: NDSU killed the rivalry. They couldn't handle D2 and made the move up because their sick and tired of losing to us. NDSU: UND is scared to play us now. They're the ones that killed the rivalry. They're just looking for excuses NOT to lose to us now that we are D1. UND: There is absolutely no difference in talent between D2 and D1 in terms of football. If you can make the move and be somewhat successful it's so obvious that we can too. NDSU: You guys have no buisness being in D1 as far as athletics go. You would get demolished against the steady competition. UND: We beat you didn't we. If we can beat you and you can succeed in D1 there obviously isn't any difference in talent. etc, etc, etc. It's so ridiculous on both sides. UND feels that NDSU did a disservice to the rivalry by going D1. Like NDSU is supposed to schedule every athletic move around UND's plan's. AS far as UND is concerned, NDSU should exist for UND only, not for themselves. NDSU feels UND is scared and they think they're bigger and better now that they are D1. NDSU feels UND is inferior to them now, which is absolutely ridiculous in it's own right because they couldn't beat UND in football when they were D2, at least the last few years anyways. Both of you guys need to get over yoursleves. NDSU may be a D1 school, and UND may be a D2 school, but both schools are great universities and have both advantages, and disadvantages to each. If UND doesn't feel there is any difference in competition levels between D1 and D2, they are thinking ignorantly. If NDSU doesn't think UND could make the transition and be an immediate impact like NDSU, especially in terms of football and women's basketball, NDSU is being completely ignorant. I don't have a clue what UND's financial situation is in term's of making a D1 move, but the recent history of both women's basketball and football lead me to believe UND could make a transitional move next year and have success in both of those sports. Men's basketball is another story, but then again, who would have thought that NDSU basketball would be as successful as it is. Even though they are D2, Gene Roebuck and Dale Lennon both have D1 quality programs. Being objective is this: 1)NDSU in the midst of making the transition to D1 has shown they can not only compete but be very successful in their sports. 2)With that being said, any NDSU fan is completely ignorant if they think UND cannot do the same as well.

You guys are funny. I'm not an NDSU hater, and that's probably why you guys get that impression. I just speak the truth. I'm happy enough in my own little world where I'm not resorting to go out of my way to hate a program that is irrelevant to my team's.

That's what I'm talking about. And as far as McFeeley goes, he get's just as much, if not more shots in on the Bison then we do, so I don't even need to go there. McFeeley is an MSU grad froom what I understand, and detests everything related to the NCC, Sioux, and Bison. He'll even go so far as to throw jabs at when in light of the other, and he's done it both ways. I totally agree. If I may generalize, basketball is irrelevant to hockey fans and vice versa. It's too bad 2/3's if not more of the population are basketball fans. Kind of brings everything into perspective as far as I'm concerned. Everyone in the Big10 knows, and will remember that victory for a long long time. And no you can't just "change the years". How many people were alive in 1948? I'm proud of what the hockey program has accomplished for sure. How can you not be? But I'll be honest. I'm not a hockey fan. I'm a sioux hockey fan but I could care less about the sport in general.