UND92,96

A wet field probably negates speed to a large extent, and may put more of a premium on power. It may also make field goals an adventure for both teams, although both kickers are very capable. I do like the power of the UND offensive line and front seven on defense, so a power game may bode pretty well for the Sioux. Obviously, turnovers are also more likely with a wet and slippery football so untimely fumbles and/or int's could play a big role, also. I still think a low-scoring game is likely, with turnovers probably being the deciding factor either way.

Since it's Wednesday and there's no thread about the actual game yet, I'll give my $.02 worth. It looks like Grand Valley is very strong defensively this year, and particularly against the run. They've also gotten a lot of sacks and turnovers. I think the Sioux still need to utilize the power rushing game, but I wouldn't expect a great deal of success there. If Grand Valley is going to exploited, it would likely have to be by throwing the ball. Bowenkamp needs to play better than he has thus far in the post-season. He doesn't need to be perfect, but he can't be making stupid decisions and he must be willing to throw the ball away when necessary instead of taking sacks. Offensively, Grand Valley is pretty young, but they have still managed to put up good numbers, particularly running the ball. Obviously, they have more than proven themselves in the post-season, but I think you have to take some of the offensive statisitics with a grain of salt considering that other than themselves and Saginaw Valley, the GLIAC was not a very strong league this year. That's probably part of the reason you saw GVSU and SVSU hanging 50 points on so many conference opponents. In any event, I think the Sioux need to be able to stop the run first and foremost. Both the running back, Michael Tennessee and the quarterback, Cullen Finnerty, have been very effective running the ball. It doesn't sound like their offensive line is huge, however, and UND has generally done a very nice job of stopping the run this year, aside from a couple of games. If the Sioux can stop the run, I would like our chances of keeping the game pretty low-scoring. Finnerty is no Anes, and there's definitely no Kircus this year so the passing game isn't as explosive as its been. I would look for a low-scoring game decided by seven points or less. If UND has an advantage, it might be that we have been in so many close games this year and have generally always found a way to win. Grand Valley St. has really only been in about three games that have been very close. Who knows whether that really makes any difference or not but it may. It should be a great game.

Franklin has left the team, according to today's Herald, and with Parks and Nobles injured (Parks is probably done for the year), the team is down to nine relatively healthy players. And two or three of them are walk-ons. Needless to say, things have gone from bad to worse.

Ticket and charter info is now posted on UND's site.

By my count, this will be the 12th time since 1997 that a UND team (hockey, womens basketball and football) has played on national tv. Not too bad for primarily dII school.

Nobody said the homefield didn't help UND. The issue is whether North Alabama was any more deserving of it. I'm sorry, but I personally am not all that impressed with an undefeated record when there were only three games against teams with a winning record during the entire regular season. When you are comparing two number one seeds, strength of schedule should mean something. Maybe you don't agree with how it's measured. Maybe you don't even understand how it's calculated. In any event, UND's regular season schedule was stronger, and they were the number one seed in a region which historically is better than yours. It's hardly the biggest travesty ever perpetrated by the NCAA.

This column was in the Florence paper today: link The committee decided the outcome? Come on. UNA was a good team, but they were not better than UND. And since Mr. McIntyre basically admits that UND won on the field and deservedly so, I don't see how he can make much of a case that UNA "deserved" to host any more than did UND. Both were number one seeds. Who is ranked higher in the national poll is completely meaningless and not one of the criteria anyway. A better overall record, aided at least in part by a schedule that included very few teams with a winning record, only goes so far. Had UNA gone out and dominated yesterday, then I think they would have reason to complain about not hosting. But since UND proved to be the better team, and least based upon this one game, the argument that UNA should have hosted just because UND happened to have one loss loses much of its merit.

That's certainly good to hear. I think even the most ardent fan of any team would acknowledge that there are at least a few fellow fans who we would prefer to disassociate ourselves from. But in general, I firmly believe that the vast majority of UND fans are pretty good people.

1. Kammrad 2. Heckendorf 3. Hall The fact that Kammrad and Heckendorf are from the same conference and region will probably cause some vote-splitting, and the fact that both played on non-playoff teams will hurt them, as well. Kammrad's numbers are awfully impressive, especially considering the caliber of competition he played against this year.

The UND men won at Concordia-SP last night, but it looks like Keith Parks may have suffered a season-ending injury in the process. At this rate, there may not be enough bodies to finish the season. I'm also wondering if Derrick Franklin will even return to the team for the second semester. He played about two or three minutes against Moorhead, and not at all last night. It might be time to start recruiting some football players to the basketball team after next week.

If the UNA posters on this site are any indication, you guys have some of the classiest fans in dII. Congrats on a great year.

I don't think anybody is trying to say that Lennon will never, ever leave. If he were to be offered a head coaching job at a decent I-AA program with a substantial pay raise, then I doubt anybody would harbor any bitterness towards him. I would be somewhat disappointed if he left to take on a reclamation project at a losing program without much if any of a pay raise, however. He has one of the best jobs in division II right now in his home state at his alma mater. I doubt he'll be looking to just take any I-AA job just for the sake of taking a I-AA job. Look at Brian Kelly at Grand Valley, for example. He could have left already, but he's apparently waiting for the right situation if he is going to leave. That's kind of how I see Lennon's situation.

Jeff Kolpack said: Kolpack is practically begging Lennon to move on. Shouldn't he have been saying something similar about Amy Ruley or Bucky Maughn about 10 years ago? Somehow, I doubt he was pushing them out the door.

And considering the "success" NDSU has enjoyed in division II mens basketball, I'm just sure they'll be making some major noise in the Big Dance really soon.

There are clearly some NDSU fans (some--not all) who are completely obsessed with UND. Apparently, it doesn't matter that we won't even be playing each other for at least a few years. The mere fact that bisonfan1234 continues to post here is proof of that obsession. You can bet that had JBB not been booted, he'd also still be here sharing with us his unique brand of idiocy.

I have a feeling the only thing that may save the mens basketball program from the embarrassment of playing in a mostly empty Hyslop for most of the year is the fact that most of the games are double-headers and people are still interested in the womens team. I can't help but wonder what Rich Glas thinks when he compares his own team to the football team which is playing in the national semi-finals, the hockey team ranked number one in the country, and the womens basketball team ranked number two in the country. It's tough to understand how there can be such a disparity, and it's not as though this is an unusual year in that regard.

Well, beating MSU-Moorhead at home isn't a huge accomplishment, but at least things are looking a little better. The UND starting five is decent, but with Nobles out with an injury and Jahner forced into the starting lineup, there's very little depth. I am perplexed as to why walk-on Jared Wells is playing considerable minutes and Franklin and Stoute are barely playing at all. Franklin looked pretty disgusted when he finally got into the game with about three minutes left last night. It also seems like interest in UND mens basketball is at one of the lowest levels I've seen in a long, long time. Only the die-hards were there last night.

Quite frankly, I don't know exactly what transpired at UNA in the mid-90's, but I have heard some things from people I trust that do not jibe with the "official" version coming out of Florence. I believe there's a worst-case scenario, which is what I have heard, and a best-case scenario, which is what you are claiming. I wouldn't be surprised if the truth lies somewhere in between. In any event, it's all water under the bridge now.

I heard on the basketball post-game show last night that ticket sales have been going very well, and that they are expecting a crowd much bigger than the Pitt St. and Winona St. games. Hopefully, at least in the 11,000 to 12,000 range. If that turns out to be true, the total attendance for the three 2003 playoff games will be almost identical to the total attendance for the three 2001 playoff games.

The offense is pretty much a 50-50 run and pass mix. In terms of success, the pass is more effective. There are a lot of different formations. In reality, Lennon is known much more as a defensive coach as he was a defensive assistant at UND from '88 to '96 before leaving for a couple of years to become a head coach at NAIA University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Lennon's predecessor--the current a.d. Roger Thomas--is largely credited with turning the UND program around from a pretty dismal decade in the '80's. Thomas put together some very good staffs which included Lennon. Other than a disappointing 5-6 mark last season, UND has consistently been a good team from about '90 to the present. During that time period, there have been six conference titles, eight playoff appearances, four national semi-final appearances, and one national championship. Aside from last season, UND has finished in the top three in the conference every year from 1990 to the present. Lennon has played a large role in the success of the program over the last dozen-or-so years.

Please keep in mind that when we refer to "strength of schedule," it's referring to the term as it's defined by the NCAA. Various quantities of power points are given for games depending upon whether it's a win or a loss, the winning percentage of the opponent and whether the game was home or away. We are by no means trying to say that your league is weak. The reason UND's strength of schedule index is considered higher is because your games against non-dII opponents result in very few power points. It's not necessarily fair, but that's the NCAA for you.

Bravo, Wyobisonman! I only hope we can expect more of these astounding observations from you on a dII football board even though NDSU has supposedly moved onward and upward. I guess I keep forgetting that UND's 11-1 record should probably have an asterisk attached to it since wins over your team, SCSU, UNO, SDSU, etc. don't really count for anything. The Crookston game, to borrow from the words of the immortal Tony Stauss, should trump everything else, and officially result in UND's schedule being considered weak.

Who UNA has beaten? Wait a minute, isn't that a subtle jab at the teams UND has beaten, e.g. NDSU?

I agree. With regard to the whole speed issue, let's keep in mind that relative to midwest region teams, the top teams from the south probably always have a speed advantage. And yet, the South has managed just one national championship in the past seven years compared to five for the supposedly big and slow teams from the midwest. Funny how that works, huh? Let's face it, while I'm sure North Alabama has a very good team and very possibly better than UND, it's not as though we're playing Miami here. There are enough I-A and I-AA schools in the South, not to mention northern schools recruiting in the South, so that any true superstar is probably not going to be attending North Alabama or any other dII school unless none of the big boys wanted them. The talent discrepancy will not be as big as some believe, and playing at home will even the playing field somewhat, as well. Don't think for a minute that the UND players are going to be at all intimidated on Saturday.