Dagger

Over the course of the winter I did hear quite a bit of conversation about the fact that a lot of people working in the department at UND weren't happy with Bunning. I knew there was a situation out there. More recently I have heard that things were starting to come to a boil. The one interview that quite possibly reveals what the situation is like out there happened yesterday. One of the reporters asked Lennon who he talked to over the weekend when he was considering the job. Lennon said he discussed it with UND's President. I have to admit it would seem that he might also have talked it over with Bunning. That in itself tells you a lot about the relationship he has with Bunning.

If Chapman is hiring an attorney I sure hope the state isn't paying the bill on that. This Chapman must really be something. It appears he is just a little to full of himself.

I see there having a welcome back celebration for the Sioux Hockey team after there trip to the Nationals. It is at the Ralph tomorrow night. Hopefully when there at the podium tomorrow night they will at least mention that the Women's Basketball team made to the Elite Eight also. They deserve a mention too.

I watched the Florida team on TV today . They had lots of turnovers and couldn't throw it in the ocean. They had lots of open looks and still couldn't make the shots. They missed many layups and easy put backs. They either had the game of their life against us or they were miserable today. I'm not sure which is accurate. It was obviously a tournament we could of won.

I couldn't help but notice that when the NCAA announced the 64 teams in the Women's National Tournament they stated the nickname for 63 schools and accidentally forget to mention the nickname for UND. I am sure that was just an over sight by the NCAA. Does everyone agree with me? It wouldn't be very classy if they did it on purpose.

Gene Taylor has more or less been saying that NDSU isn't going to play UND for quite some time now. And yet the media in Fargo and the Bison fans in Fargo keep talking about whether the game should or shouldn't be played. It seems like this is simply old news being brought up over and over again by Bison followers. How many times can Hallstrom and the Fargo media announce that the Bison aren't going to play the Sioux. It sure seems like over kill. They need to move on. Apparently they must really enjoy repeating the statement that it looks like the Bison are now NOT going to play the Sioux.

One of the biggest misconceptions around is that everyone, including Bison and Sioux fans, said that the Bison were going to get their butts kicked when they went DIAA. Sioux fans and Bison fans actually have said for years that the quality of play in the NCC was extremely high and very comparable to DIAA. When NDSU decided to go DIAA it was only then that NDSU put forth the idea that DIAA was a totally different level of football, meaning a whole lot better. The bottom line is that when the top teams in DII have played some of the better teams in DIAA they have beaten them or gave them a good game. NDSU and UND have both proved that. Nobody that really followed and understood football ever doubted that the Bison would do just fine in DIAA football. Believe me I'm not saying that DIAA football isn't better, it just isn't the huge junp that Bison fans are trying to portray NOW. The Sioux will do just fine when they get going in DIAA football. The fact is the Bison weren't even a playoff team when they left DII and almost immediately were a ranked team in DIAA. A person doesn't need to say anymore than that.

When the Sioux women won a share of the conference title last Saturday they added another trophy to the case. They have been the NCC Regular season Conference Champions 7 of the last 10 years. In the last ten years they have been National Champions 3 times and Runnerup once. They have won 6 straight post season Conference Championships which is every one they have held recently. Hopefully they will get number 7 this year. That is quite a resume. Congratulations.

I have heard that recruiting is going much better than UND would have ever anticipated. In this whole transition process this would probably be perceived as the toughest year to rrecruit too. Good job. The future in football looks very bright.

Whether or not Veldman goes to UND or NDSU isn't going to make or break either schools recruiting class. It just makes for fun talk since both schools are recruiting him. It looks like UND is going to have a great recruiting class either way. Personally I believe he will go to NDSU because the lure of playoffs and probably more money up front will decide it for him. Just because hie Uncle played for UND before he was born isn't going to be enough to get him to UND.

The women were probably due to lose one. It might not be all bad.