Risky

The Nickel should stay in Grand Forks after the the ncikname is retired. UND was the last team to win the game and UND also won the overall series between the two schools. The Nickel will stay where it belongs , right in Grand Forks. The NDSU football team had their chance to keep it in Fargo and couldn't get the job done.

Isn't #21 his brother Javen Butler?

I see Breon Butler's name isn't on the roster right now. Is that just a mistake or is he gone?

I think we need to trust the coaching staff on this. They know what it is best for the team. A lot also depends on what the particular athlete's attitude on red shirting is. Some might want to and some might not want to. It is hard for some fans to just look a roster and know what it is best. I think you need to be right there workling with them to know what is right. All I know is I can't wait for the season to start. It is going to be fun to see the new players.

Did anyone see any of the practices over the weekend and if so how did they look?

If Mankato, ST. Cloud and Bemidji had wanted to join the NCHC was the invitation even there or were they never a part of the picture?

Will Carlson get one vote when he comes up for reelection? Both Carlson and Shaft are some real characters. It is hard to have any respect for either of them. Carlson has no integrity whatsoever. He is going to come out of this fiasco looking like a real buffoon. I guess he already looks like that.

NDSU wan't to get into any conference but really wanted to get into the Big Sky. UND wanted to get into any conference too but really wanted to get into the Big Sky. Big Sky members voted no on NDSU. Big Sky members voted yes on UND. UND is very happened to be where they are. NDSU didn't get what they wanted but I guess they are settling for what was left and are still happy because they at least got in a conference. Both schools are happy for different reasons.

I don't know if the UND/NDSU game will ever resume but a person could really say that after looking at the future Big Sky schedules for UND that neither school needs that game any more than the other now. If the rivalry game starts again it will be because both schools want it to happen and neither school holds any leverage over the other. That in itself is kind of refreshing.

I kind of wonder if that SDSU game will ever happen. I also wonder if the Montana non conference game will ever happen either. No matter what happens on those 2 games the schedules are going to be exciting.

Let's just hope that our football fan base will hang in there for one more year. Be patient for one more year. The Blue Sky's are about to open. Or should I say the Big Sky's are about to open. It is really going to be exciting.

I agree with you. I think the Alerus is a great place to watch football. I have never really heard anybody complain about the actual watching of a football game at the Alerus. That comment surprises me.

Would it not have been our turn to go to Vermillion anyway?

I would imagine since UND and USD are going into different conferences both schools are trying very hard ro secure home games so it probably just isn't going to work. That's to bad but it is just the reality of the situation.

The Montana schools have played D2 schools. Most schools have a doormat on their schedule. NDSU plays ST. Joseph school of hair design next year and they play Lafayette too. They have 2 doormats. It happens. Hopefully we will get to a point it won't. Scheduling is a real pain. If we as fans keep coming to games and supporting them we can grow the financial situation of our athletic programs which might result in being able to afford to not have to bring in one doormat every year... I do think there is going to be a game every year of the easier nature though. That is just what happens in almost every program at every school.

I agree with one of the previous posts that the Sioux didn't seem to have quite as much defensive energy at times but they really had played a lot of games in a short period of time lately. If they had been a little fresher they could of pulled it out tonight. 6 points down with 4 minutes to go and had opportunites to cut it lower. I still can't believe we are starting 4 freshman and gave a team with an RPI around 100 a real good game. The team the last 6 or 8 weeks is a totally different team than they were the first half of the season. The future is extremely bright. They have did themselves proud . I can't wait for next season.

Aren't Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado also in the post season? That would make 4 teams. 5 if you count a future member in UND.

I see where Colorado State (Tim Miles team) just got selected to play in the NIT. If I remember right Air Force beat Colorado State by 15 or 20 I could be wrong on this. It is safe to say we probably have our hands full. It really doesn't matter because it is just fun to be in the post season. Go Sioux.

I didn't mention but of course Allard has been very much part of the normal rotation and has been improving greatly as the year has gone on. In fact Allard has really been very good down the stretch. If it hadn't been for injuries the sophmore class would indeed have been a very good class too.

Actually 2 of our 4 sophmores are injured ( Goodman and Wilmar). Goodman was starting when he went down. Wilmar played against the Bison and had a good game before he went down. Archer had a serious knee injury late last year which involved surgery and hasn't bounced back . That class was contributing but injuries happen. Our Freshman class which followed is a terrific class though. Let's just hope every class continues to get better than the class before. Haugen hasn't played much lately but he hit a big 3 in Utah though. It is good to see Bison Dan is worried abouy the relative strength of our Sophmore class though.

When I look at my expectations for the year, throw in some injuries with Goodman and Wilmar and most of the team playing being Freshman and they have way over exceeded what I thought would happen. If they could shoot free throws they would have blown me away. They seem to be really headed in the right direction.

I didn't realize we had that many tankers. I guess if we are able to get our foot back into the door with 4 to 12 tankers we might have a pretty good chance to get more. If we are able to get some tankers it is a real good sign for the future. Thanks for the info.

Does anybody know the answers to the tanker questions and population wise how large was the base at its largest?

How many tankers did the base have at its peak and how many did it have when it downsized and out a few years ago?

So were over 2 milion now. How does that compare to NDSU?