UND92,96

UC-Irvine's RPI is 75. Other than maybe UNI, this might be the best team to play in GF in the division I era?

The tough part is that even though UND returns everybody and adds Baker, Weber, Montana and Idaho return a lot too, and UND was just 1-5 against those three this season. Personally, I think UND should be better than Weber minus Bolomboy, and Montana minus Breunig (regardless of who else they may add in the off-season), but it definitely won't be easy.

You are correct. I specified Freije and Klabo mostly because I think they can, and will probably need to replace the production of Loyd, who is obviously a big loss.

I expect Freije and Klabo to take big steps forward next season. Hopefully the Denver transfer can be a big contributor, too.

Has UND offered Akealy Moton from West Fargo? She's an impressive athlete.

http://www.wday.com/sports/3983797-watch-live-100-pm-ndhsaa-super-state-basketball-tournament

I believe Nagy's .780 winning percentage in nine years as a dII coach at SDSU bought him more time than most coaches would have gotten under the circumstances.

He apparently had several offers, but none by the in-state Nebraska schools. I'm guessing McDermott is kicking himself a little bit over that decision.

That was the number reported when he signed his most recent contract extension in 2013.

SUU fired Coach Nick Robinson today.

I'm just speculating, but I imagine Faison really, really wants to avoid having to buy Jones out, as even though the funds would be privately raised, it would still "look bad" in this climate of budget cuts. Rather, I believe Faison will be honest with Jones and tell him he's going to be brought back for next season, but there will not be another extension without meeting some pretty lofty goals, e.g. 20 wins, top-2 finish in the Big Sky during the regular season AND an appearance in the conference championship game.

An extension, or the opportunity to coach the final year of his contract (being next season)? I am in favor of the latter.

No link. Somebody I trust was at a service club meeting where Bubba spoke. It's second-hand info, but I trust the source. Doesn't mean it will actually come to fruition, but it's certainly reason for optimism.

I believe Grady is presently enrolled at a tribal community college. Not sure exactly how it will work but I'm sure the compliance people in the athletic department have a handle on it. I doubt Bubba would bother mentioning it in public unless they feel like it's a workable situation.

I have heard that Bubba has mentioned in at least one speech at a local service club meeting that Grady may very well be back. I'm sure it wouldn't occur until this summer at the earliest. There are clearly some extenuating circumstances here--not like a kid who just didn't feel like attending class or putting in the work.

That's certainly a valid point, but with BSU's resources, has he already hit the ceiling for what can realistically be accomplished? I'm thinking that's a distinct possibility. With UND's facilities and spending an amount on women's hockey pretty similar to what Minnesota and Wisconsin do, coaching at UND could give him a realistic shot at a title. Whether that and at least somewhat of a pay raise would win out over coaching at his alma mater, I don't know.

Sounds like Wanzek is getting at least a partial scholarship. It also sounds like he has an intriguing skill set--maybe a more physical Travis Lueck-type player--in that he has very good height, leaping ability and is faster than one would expect?

It could be that all the scholarships were already committed for next year. I know they have a very large class coming in. Or maybe Walseth just wasn't convinced Johnson was going to be fully recovered from her surgeries. Not really sure.

I wonder if Brewster would consider bringing Holly Johnson in for one year?: http://www.wday.com/sports/collegiate/3930231-holly-johnson-leaves-ndsu-basketball-program

Apparently UND is talking to Siman Sem from Fargo North: http://www.inforum.com/sports/3929094-mix-norths-siman-sem-goes-back-ndsu-commitment-broadens-his-options

I certainly can't discount the fact that the budget hasn't been where it should be, but in the case of Ahelegbe, I can't help but wonder whether the move had a lot to do with feeling Smith would give him a better chance of moving up the coaching ladder, similar to the lateral move Ben Jacobson made when he first left UND?

I guess any win is a good win at this point, but you won't win often shooting 29% from the field.

But if Bohl couldn't get a better job than Wyoming, who is to say Klieman can? Or was it more Bohl's past personal issues that prevented him from getting a better job?

Just speculating, but does the fact that Bohl has tanked so far hurt Klieman's FBS job prospects?

I thought production from the center position would be one of the biggest problems this year, but collectively Roscoe and Smith are averaging about 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. The fact that the team is consistently losing despite these somewhat unexpected contributions is surprising and disappointing.