siouxfan512

Good lord, just keep it manageable for the rest of the half and hope they don't keep hitting 3s in the second half.

Shanks just looks defeated mentally. Guy should not be on the floor right now.

Very true. College teams can rise and fall so quickly. Makes NDSU's run all the more impressive. All we can go off of is what we have seen, and with the Muss years behind us, I really like what Bubba is doing. Definitely, think we are going in the right directions, but we'll have to wait to see if what he is doing translates on the field. 2019 should be a better game; hope it actually works out that way.

Completely agree, this team is certainly headed in the right direction. I was more commenting that as we bicker with bison fans we can keep going back to the good old d2 days where we had some success in Fargo. Different times, different teams, different level of competition .... like you said, 2019 should be a much better game, given where UND is going with their team right now. I full expect the Bison to be competitive for years to come. They may not win the championship every year, but with the program they have built they will very competitive for a long time.

I had the below information in a previous post, but it should be noted that it looks like Roger Lewis declared for the NFL Draft and there are some strong rumors that Gehrig Dieter is transferring to Alabama. Definitely a huge hit to their passing game, in addition to Matt Johnson graduating. Bowling Green (9-3) (7-1 conf.) Finished 1st in the Mid-American Conference – East (Plays N Illinois this weekend for conference championship) Won 2 games vs Big 10 (Maryland and Purdue) Key Departures: QB Matt Johnson (4465 Yds, 41 TDs, RB Travis Greene (1036 Yds, 12 TDs) DB Dernard Turner (4 int, 1 TD) Key Returning Players: WR Gehrig Dieter (82 Rec, 882 Yds, 9 TDs) WR Roger Lewis (76 Rec, 1401 Yds, 14 TDs) (Hi Roger, I’d like you to meet Cole Reyes J ) WR Ronnie Moore (62 Rec, 818 Yds, 5 TDs) DB Alfonso Mack (5 int) Rankings withing MAC Scoring – 1st – 44.2 PPG Rushing – 5th – 178.2 YPG Passing – 1st – 387.8 YPG Scoring D – 8th – 27.8 PPG Rushing D – 7th – 166.2 YPG Passing D – 11th – 255.2 YPG This will be a much bigger test than playing Wyoming. Fortunately, BGSU will be losing a monster of a QB, as well as their senior RB. Unfortunately, BGSU will likely start James Knapke (6-2, 237) at QB, and he will have several dangerous receivers still on the roster. Knapke took over for an injured Matt Johnson in 2014, and threw for 3173 yards and 15 TDs. It is also worth noting that while BGSU loses starting RB Travis Green, they will still have Fred Coppet who still rushed for just over 700 yards 4 TDs. His average per carry was actually slightly better than Greene, and without Will Ratelle on the field, our linebackers will need to step up (Hopefully Taj Rich comes back really strong). I don’t think BGSU will be as good next year as they were this year, but they will still be a very strong team. Probably not a game you expect to win, but definitely need to be competitive, and if the defense plays well, and our offense is clicking, then who knows. Santiago can always be a game changer and Oliveira will only get better. If Keaton starts next season where he left off, then there is certainly potential in this matchup. Needless to say, this would be UNDs biggest win at the D1 level if they could pull it off.

Its definitely fun to know that we played well in the past, but I'd me much happier if we go 4-1 in our next 5 games in the Fargo dome.

Yeah, imagine what 2017 and 2018 will look like with a seasoned O-Line and a mature Santiago and Oliveira. That could get really fun.

It could, hopefully not too bad though, I was just about to post something about the game against Bowling Green. They will really want to get Santiago going against them. I know teams change from year to year, but just look at the stat totals from Georgia Southern in their bowl game. It would definitely be nice to get Santiago, Oliveira, Neverman, Norberg and Gordon going. I think that will be a game, where you just keep running and rotating guys. Keep hammering them with fresh legs. I especially like the rotation of Santiago and Oliveira with their different styles, that really became hard for some of our opponents to defend at the end of last season. Georgia Southern Passing C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT QBR Kevin Ellison 3/5 65 13.0 1 0 87.0 Favian Upshaw 1/3 17 5.7 0 0 99.9 TEAM 4/8 82 10.3 1 0 -- Bowling Green Passing C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT QBR Matt Quinn Johnson 15/34 246 7.2 3 0 65.7 TEAM 15/34 246 7.2 3 0 -- Georgia Southern Rushing CAR YDS AVG TD LONG Favian Upshaw 12 199 16.6 4 80 Wesley Fields 9 75 8.3 1 26 Kevin Ellison 13 70 5.4 0 18 Matt Breida 15 68 4.5 1 36 LA Ramsby 12 44 3.7 1 15 Derek Keaton 1 15 15.0 0 15 Chaz Thornton 2 -3 -1.5 0 3 TEAM 68 452 6.6 7 80

So anyway, UND in 2016 .... What will likely be our biggest Stregths and Weaknesses? Strength: Run game, defense (front 7) Weaknesses: Passing game (potential, but a lot to prove), defense (secondary, you and potential, but a lot to prove) thoughts?

Ok, I think we've all made our point here. Does it matter who we play in the playoffs? No, it truly is about getting in, winning games and winning Championships. Would it be fun to play NDSU in a playoff match? Of course .... is it fun to play the Gopher in a post season in hockey? The game would get super hyped up, and I for one would love to play the Bison again before 2019. (Of course maybe you don't want to play NDSU based on their playoff history over the past 5 years, no denying what they have done is unbelievably impressive. Though they will not win championships from here until eternity, so eventually these team will even out. UND is certainly trending in the right direction.) As for regionalization, I understand trying to control travel costs, but it really is stupid. If I had been a Bison fan I would have been somewhat irritated as well. Fun thing about the playoffs is to see new teams. I know there has been talk, but I'm not sure if there has been a decision. They need to extend the seeding process to we see some better match ups.

Does anyone know if this game will be on Fox College Sports? I haven't seen anything, so I assume its only on the Big Sky TV. Anyone know for sure?

So pumped to watch this game tonight! Keep it rolling. I'd like to see McBuckets with another big night.

Dumb part is that a successful basketball season, has zero impact on hockey or any other sport at UND. Ideally, they are all successful. Yes, Basketball would definitely garner more national attention. Though successful hockey is certainly important too, give the size of the fanbase and the revenue they generate. It is still national exposure, just not as much as you can get with basketball. I think we can all agree, that we just want success across the board, but especially for hockey, football and basketball.

As I am a big time Sioux fan, but am tired of being ridiculed for not embracing the new name, I would like to motion a new (if its not already out there) twitter hashtag for this weekend. #GoSiouxHawkey Already a thing? Thoughts?

Jeff Kolpack ‏@FGOSPORTSWRITER 7m7 minutes ago Dale Lennon has decided to get out of football, hired today as director of public affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck.

Is Jim going to post his Pairwise rankings articles like he has in the past? Always enjoy reading the "what if" scenarios for the upcoming weekends.

UNDs hockey fan base has been around far longer that the REA. Does the REA help? Sure. But the Betry should also help, compared to the Hyslop, and the Alerus should help, compared to memorial. It all comes down to winning. If UND was 5 time national Champs in football, there would be zero question about support or filling seats. If basketball was annual big Sky contenders, and making the dance the crows would be there. We are already seeing improvement on both fronts. Let's not cut the hockey programs success short because of their arena, or because they have the following, which is based on success. The other sports are getting there, which is awesome.

Sure hope so, he has shown his potential in small flashes. Today, not so much. Thursday, he play horrible to start, then came back into the game and played much better. Development and consistency is what he needs, certainly has the size.

haha, maybe, as long as none of this young talent were to leave. Also depends on who we would hire to replace him.

..... and in the last 40 years? UND has been in the frozen four how many times in the last decade? UND football has been in the playoffs how many times in the last decade? Yes, UND had a great Engelstad contribution, but they were successful well before that. Even so, we don't need to argue about that point. I would like to see the stands packed for all sports, but UND is not the only place to have this issue. Schools support successful programs, UND is working to get there for Basketball and Football. It WILL get there. You've seen me on the other thread enough to know, I'm a big supports of more than just hockey. Even so, there is no denying hockey is the big ticket in town. Can't control what people like, can only hope that they expand on what they watch.

I don't think the criticism is totally unwarranted, given Jones's record over 10 years. BUT at this point, he has found a good combination of young talent, and has them played great, on both offense and defense. I would say Jones has certainly quieted the "fire Jones" talk, and earned the right to play out what happens with this group of talent. Especially, if he can make some noise in the Big Sky Tournament and potentially go dancing, he will have really earned the right to shut people up.

Totally, as far as basketball goes, I just want to see these kids keeping rolling. Crandall - Going to be a stud, just needs to be a little more patient. Hooker - Already a stud, can't believe we get the kid for another year. What a leader. Avants - Going to be a horse for this team. Hard work and pure grit. McBuckets - Going to be a sharpshooter for years to come. Bernstine - Great all around player. Going to be a solid leader for this team. Seales - A ton of potential, but looks like a freshman. Going to develop into a great player. Baker - can't wait to see this addition.

No, I agree with you. It goes both ways. Booing people for embracing the name is dumb, just like criticizing people for yelling Sioux is dumb. Either way, you are cheering for the same team, maybe just with a different historical sentiment. Regardless, lets cheer against the opposition, not ourselves.

I understand what you mean, and part of that support will come with winning. Support used to be there, especially for football. It'll be back, but you can't ever expect it to be as big as it is for hockey. In the "hockey world" UND competes on the highest stage and pumps out NHL athletes. UND Football and Basketball don't. Doesn't mean they don't deserve a high following, but also considering the region in which UND competes, some people are just bigger hockey fans than anything else. Nickname politics aside, if UND Football and Basketball wants a high level of support, they need to win. Today was a great example of the potential for that. Huge win, best fan support we have seen in a while. Absolutely love seeing a ton of football players at the game supporting the basketball team, Bubba included. Just awesome to see. I understand wanting more support across the board, just need to be mindful than not everyone like sports outside of hockey ... in this region. UND Hockey has earned the support and attention the get. At most schools Football and Basketball is the money maker; UND is an exception to the rule. We're not the gopher where we play in the BIG football or Basketball. UND is in kind of unique position where our hockey program is bigger than our basketball and football team; not something most schools have to deal with.

ok really, lets move the nickname chatter to the appropriate thread. If you want to talk on here, lets celebrate a huge victory for this basketball team.