UND-FB-FAN

This all sounds very logical and truthful to me.

As the #1 seed, UND certainly better be of the mindset that they can win it all this year (or else there is some serious lack of leadership). I do understand the concerns, though, considering this a one-and-done single elimination tournament.

This is a wide-open field with a neutral floor, but with that said, a 5 to 10 seed winning would definitely surprise me.

No need for concern, but even the staff will tell you the OL needs to be emphasized this spring and moving forward into the fall. You are right, though, that depth is being worked on. Offensive line injuries did affect UND some late last season, even into the playoff game. Last year, the offensive line didn't perform as well as it did in 2015, and its necessary for how UND wants to play offensive football. UND beats Richmond if they can just line-up and play downhill smash-mouth football last December in the 4th quarter (remember there was a lot of throwing and 3 and outs); this is why OL is being emphasized moving forward. There is always something that can be improved upon.

Or just cut women's hockey and free up all kinds of money for the sports that Grand Forks folks actually attend ...

Thanks for the report! Sounds like offensive line, offensive line, and offensive line! As well as QB and defensive back depth! Improvements yet to be made - always need to strive for improvement.

If Jones and his squad can reach the NCAA tournament, I'm quite sure everyone will (or at least I will) be just fine with Faison signing Jones to a 3 or 4 year contract. That kind of exposure (NCAA tournament) would be huge for UND's program and is just what UND needs every year as their top goal in order to recruit off of it. The pending performance in this week's Big Sky Conference tournament is big; UND is the #1 seed and they need to play like it!

Let's be careful not to temper expectations too much. Yes, winning a regular season title is a big deal, but winning a tournament championship and reaching the dance is FAR MORE IMPORTANT due to exposure potential with the NCAA tournament. I know I may be going too far with this, but just to illustrate a point, UND shouldn't cancel their plans to attend Reno and the BSC tournament. Jones and his team need to execute under pressure AND expectations (they are the #1 seed, in fact) and win the conference tournament or else, essentially, they have choked. You can't set half-way goals and expect for the entirety of accomplishments to happen. Raise expectations a bit and expect the #1 seed UND Fighting Hawks to represent the Big Sky Conference as the #1 Big Sky Conference team in the NCAA tournament. EDIT: Oh, and lastly, let's not try to raise NDSU on a pedestal by saying their 20+ point loss to IUPUI was just a fluke. NDSU put themselves in a position to lose badly and that happened. UND shouldn't let that happen at the conference tournament or else they too (coaches and/or players) deserve some level of constructive criticism.

I agree with this. If UND is dancing, you have to retain Coach Jones. If UND doesn't make the NCAA tournament due to an upset in the BSC tournament, then Faison will have to carefully weigh both options (extension versus hiring a new coach). My gut tells me Faison will be locking up Jones irregardless of the Big Sky Conference tournament results, unfortunately.

If another AD decides to hire Jones, that would be very unfortunate for that particularly institution (and wonderful for UND, in my opinion).

Value hire: Half the price for twice the coach; this also exists in reality, @hoops44 It explains why low level coaches get hired by bigger institutions: salary obviously does not always represent ability. There are many factors besides salary to consider.

400k? That's over a 4-fold increase; makes little sense to quadruple the salary when one could remove the "less valued" and hire with double the salary. Also, quadrupling the salary is not plausible.

Well, in the past 5 seasons, Weber State and Rahe have done well (2 out of 5 [40%] seasons both regular season and conference tournament champions). With that said, he won the conference regular season and conference tournament his first season (2006-2007) which set the table for his tenure and salary. Jones' program did not win the BSC regular season until his fifth try.

So UND should fire Jones and hire a coach worth 150 to 200k per season? If Jones continues to win, I'm obviously fine with him continuing to lead UND men's basketball. However, to your point, if UND goes on another stretch of unaccomplishment, then UND needs to hire someone valued at the "Big Sky level".

This is the first regular season Big Sky Conference title for a Brian Jones' team (1 out of 5; 20%). A Brian Jones' team has yet to win the Big Sky Conference tournament (0 out of 4; 0%). Can Brian Jones' program maintain the success, even into next week? Just facts and logical inquiry, @hoops44 There is no reason for harsh comments; if you can't debate, leave it at that.

NDSU loses 76-57 to IUPUI in the Summit League Tournament ... wow. Better luck next year, bizons. Go Hawks! Flagship!

Go Hawks! Congratulations to coaches and players! Big Sky Conference champs! Great year for UND athletics! Let's keep it going and make 2017-2018 even better!

2017 is going to be a fun one. Thanks for the report, @Teeder11 Go Hawks! Pledge Your Loyalty!

http://www.ccenterdispatch.com/sports/nfl/article_aa2f109d-a822-5be3-ade3-6c25940914d0.html I would've loved to see him finish out his career at UND. I'll be watching for him on Sundays, along with Will Ratelle.

I didn't say I was going to. It is possible to actually identify issues without an all or nothing, doom and gloom approach. Constructive criticism is more than appropriate here, in my opinion. The issue is UND should not be losing coaches to division rivals. Now, without knowing the whole story, this particular situation may be the exception, but UND needs to be able to retain coaches against other FCS programs. I can imagine most programs would rather be focusing on other things (e.g., spring ball) than finding a new coach this time of year, but you are right in that UND is attractive in terms of its RB talent and overall 2017 prospects. The thing is, many coaching candidates (not all) are most interested in the competitive dollars UND can potentially provide their assistants and there is doubt there for UND yet. I hope for a good, positive hire.

I am not sure, but I imagine it being hard for EWU to top the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator AND position coach. Only true promotion that is possible, in my opinion, would be coordinator with play-calling duties. EDIT: Either way, my concerns remain the same. UND shouldn't lose coaches to conference rivals. A move to the FBS is understandable but a parallel move to a conference school is always troubling for the departed school (in this case, UND).

Losing coaches to a conference team for the same position, though, is an issue. Promotions or a move to the FBS is more understandable. UND apparently just couldn't match EWU which highlights UND football still has work to do in terms of funding (which most of us already knew).

The loss of Coach Maurice highlights this point more than anything else.

Great guy with great past experiences. I hope Bubba and UND do a good job in replacing him. The move to EWU is troublesome, though, as it's within the BSC; he becomes direct competition.

30% from free throw line will consistently get you beat ... a very bad night there. EDIT: Conversely, give Sac State credit as they hit the pressure free throws at the end that UND couldn't.