SWSiouxMN

15-13 WIU

DAE 3 13 all

13-10 WIU

UND is struggling right now controlling the ball getting the rebounds. Allowing WIU to get 2nd chance points. 11-10 WIU

media! UND 10 WIU 8 14:50 1st

DAE 3! 10-6 UND

7-3 UND after the free throw Rebraca has all 7 points

Marlon in transition finds a streaking Rebraca for the bucket and gets fouled 6-3.

Rebraca again 4-3 UND

Rebraca 2-0 UND

Hey WIU DAE is not a junior come on....

Looks like Rebraca is going to give it a go.

Good. This all sounds good. Lets hope for the final clearance in April. St. Thomas will be a great addition.

This gives me flashbacks to that UND prof on the IAC saying that UND should move down to D2...

Perhaps they didn't want to wait until April to do this. The new GM isn't messing around.

UND showed some grit at home and shot the ball well, but too many lapses with the ball proved fatal as the Yotes rolled to a victory 82-68, dropping UND to 0-14 against the I-29 schools since joining the Summit. UND now hits the road for their only game this week, as they hit up Malcomb to take on a Western Illinois squad that is trying to make it to Sioux Falls. Since We Last Left WIU: It hasn't gone well for the Leathernecks, they haven't been able to score a victory since their win against Denver. They come into this game with a 7 game losing streak and are running out of opportunities to stop this losing streak. The good news is that they have two opportunities, one right here against UND and the other at the end of the year at Denver. The goal for WIU is simple: try to get to Sioux Falls anyway they can. We know that getting the Sioux Falls gives you a chance, given they upset SDSU last year and nearly took down NDSU in the semis. What they would like however, is for it to not to come down to the final game of the season. This also could be the final games of Billy Wright as head coach: with another near bottom finish more than likely, it might be time for a change at the top. Why this matchup is important: For UND, it is a chance to match their win totals in conference and overall record and finish no worse that 7th in conference play (finishing higher than expectations). It also would punch their ticket to Sioux Falls with a win or DU loss on Friday. For WIU, it is a chance to gain some separation from DU and hold that 8th and final spot to Sioux Falls. Given DUs tough matchup against SDSU on Friday, they could have a two game lead with three to go, meaning that DU would have to win out and WIU would have to lose out practically to pass. Key Player: Kobe Webster (Junior Guard) It might be a long year for the Leathernecks but Webster continues to be a bright spot for the squad. While his numbers from 3 as down, he is still averaging 16 points a game and is shooting a career high from the free throw line. Dropped 29 against USD in his last game. Last matchup: Behind a 1-2 punch from Marlon and Rebraca and a solid performance from the line, UND was able to come away with the 83-77 win at home. Marlon had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Series History: UND leads the series 5-3, including a 3-0 mark in the Summit. Milestone Watch: DAE currently has 353 points this season, which puts him 99 points away from tying the freshman scoring record set by Troy Huff in 2010-11. With UND guaranteed 6 more games (5 conference games and at least one in Sioux Falls), he would have to average 16.5 points a game to reach it. Given how he has played in the last 4 games, it is possible he can do it. If UND can make it to the semi-finals in Sioux Falls, that would increase his chances of doing so. Other Games: Friday DU (1-10) @ SDSU (9-2): If Denver wants to make it to Sioux Falls, they are running out of time to make a move up the standings. They need to be tied or ahead of Western going into the matchup in the finale. One thing that could help would be beating the upstart Jacks, who is looking stay with the Bison and hold off the Yotes. The Jacks have a favorable next three games before the titanic clashes at the end of the season. They cannot afford a toe stubbing here if they are dreaming of the crown. Fort Wayne (5-6) @ NDSU (9-2): If NDSU is going to win the Summit, they need to make sure they avoid the trap and letdown games between the clashes against SDSU and USD. The game against Fort Wayne is your classic trap game in the making if the Bison are not careful. If the Dons have any thoughts of getting into the 4/5 matchup in Sioux Falls, then stealing one in Fargo or Brookings would be in their best interest. Saturday: USD (9-3) @ ORU (6-6): Game of the weekend is down in Tulsa as the Yotes will take on the Golden Eagles. ORU helped themselves in a major way in getting a win against Omaha in the race for the 4 seed. A win against the Yotes would give them a major edge in that race and also send a statement that you shouldn't count out Oral Roberts and that great frontcourt of theirs. The Yotes are also trying to avoid the trap before their clash against the Bison on the 19th and winning in Tulsa won't be easy, but if you are going for the crown and the 1 seed, you have to win these games. Yotes have the horses at guard and a great big to battle ORU's frontcourt. The Call: UND has a big question to answer: Will Rebraca be good to go? He reaggravated his ankle injury in the USD game and his status is unknown. He had a big game against WIU at home and could have a similar performance if he is good to go. It was good that UND didn't play on Wednesday, so he has had a full week of treatment to help. If he cannot go, then G and Marko will have to step up once again in the post, but this game will have to be won by the seniors and a surging DAE. If UND can get that production, they can win. WIU is going to play desperate and they can win this game. They nearly did it last year, but took a Marlon trip to the free throw line to deny them. No reason they couldn't. In the end: I think Marlon and company prevent that from happening. UND 82-77 Game is on the Tres!

I foresee another 5 point weekend for UND

1) Gophers 2) DU 3) Wisco 4) St. Cloud 5) UMD 6) BU 7) Yale* that's right, I am not over 2010 or 2013

It also doesn’t help to have your best 3 point shooter miss 70% of the season.

So with a few weeks left in the conference season, it might be time to discuss how the league could potentially shape out for Sioux Falls. The league has divided itself into three tiers, which will be discussed below. Three teams in the top (NDSU, SDSU, and USD) Four in the middle (ORU, Omaha, UND, Fort Wayne) and two on the bottom (WIU and DU). It will be easier to discuss this starting from the bottom and then the top, and then finishing with the convoluted middle. Main tiebreakers: 1) Head to Head 2) Record against common opponents (start with the top of the standings and work your way down) Bottom Tier(AKA: THE SIOUX FALLS OR BUST TIER) (WIU 2-9, DU 1-10) Schedules: WIU: @USD UND Omaha @ORU @DU DU: @SDSU @Omaha ORU @ Fort Wayne WIU Western is in good shape to hold onto the 8th seed with 5 games left. Why? They already have a win over DU, so the worst they can end up with is a split (rematch in Denver on 2/29), and plus their win over USD is better than DUs win over Omaha (since USD is higher in the standings than Omaha if the 2nd tiebreaker was applied). Could Western finisher higher than 8th? Given their schedule, it would be tough given they have 2 games against the top tier and 2 against the middle. Their best hope: find a way to win 3 games and hope 1 of the middle tier teams loses out. Their best hope for that is UND and given they have a game against them on Saturday, and it is a must win. A loss to UND shuts the door for good on that idea. Then, focus should shift to holding off DU and making that matchup at the end of the year a moot point. Denver is in a tough spot: only one game back yes but they already lost to Western and their Omaha win more than likely is not going to be better than Western's USD win. So their only hope is to be AT WORST tied with Western going into the final game. They have chances as their schedule is "easier" with only 1 top tier team and 3 middle tiers teams left to play: expect Omaha and Fort Wayne is on the road. Their hope is that UND takes care of business on Saturday, they steal one game (targeting Omaha or Fort Wayne for this one) and go into the Western game tied. Top Tier (AKA: THE PLAY 3 GAMES IN 4 DAYS VS 3 IN 3 TIER) (SDSU 9-2, NDSU 9-2, USD 8-3) Schedules: SDSU: DU, Fort Wayne @ UND USD @ NDSU NDSU: Fort Wayne, @ USD @ UND SDSU Omaha USD: WIU, @ORU, NDSU @ SDSU UND The Surprise team in the league, SDSU, is in good shape for a top 3 finish. The question is now, can they finish the job and win the league. Their first two games are at home and are against a middle and bottom tier team, so they should be at 11-2, before the finish gets hot and heavy. The road game against UND could be tricky but they should be able to take care of business, but their finish: at home against the Yotes and on the road in Fargo. The good news: They beat the Bison already! The bad news: They have lost to the Yotes. Better news: The Yotes and Bison play on the 19th, so it is possible that the Yotes get knocked out the race or they will be 1 game clear of both teams going into those last two games. Truth be told, provided it would they take care of business against DU, Dons and UND, would be the Bison beating the Yotes, so if they were to stumbled against the Yotes in Brookings, they would still be playing for the 1 seed in Fargo and a win would clinch it (since they would have beaten the Bison twice). Schedule wise they have the advantage, but they need to take advantage of it. NDSU have lived up to expectations and are in the hunt for the conference crown, and yes, they still hold their destiny in their hands. Win out, you are the one seed. They still have to battle the 2 top tier teams, a rivalry game in Grand Forks, a home game against a tricky Omaha squad. They should take care of business against the Dons. Unlike the Bunnies, their first big clash comes on the 19th in Vermillion. A win would turn this into a two team race for the crown. A loss would then put the Bison behind the Yotes (remember, they beat SDSU and NDSU didn't, so at that point, would lose that tiebreaker). They have the veteran team to do it and a never say die leader in Vinnie. We will know more about their chances for the crown after the 19th. USD is a game back of the other two, but they also hold their destiny in their hands. Win out, and you are the one seed (it won't matter who wins the Bison/Jacks game since the Yotes would win the tiebreaker due to head to head with SDSU and better record verses common opponents with the Bison (2-0 vs 1-1 SDSU). They also wouldn't mind UND knocking down either SDSU or NDSU when they head to Grand Forks. Their schedule has 2 top tiers, 2 middle tiers and 1 on the bottom. They need to get revenge on WIU and that road trip to Tulsa will be tricky, but if they get past those two. The 19th looms large. However, 1 more slip up would more than likely give them the 3 seed. NDSU and SDSU could lose once and be okay. USD doesn't have that luxury. The Middle Tier (AKA: THE BATTLE TO NOT PLAY THE TOP 3 TEAMS IN DAY 1) (Omaha 5-5, ORU 5-6, Fort Wayne 5-6, UND 5-6) Schedules: Omaha: @ORU DU @ Fort Wayne @ WIU UND @ NDSU ORU: Omaha USD @ DU WIU Fort Wayne Fort Wayne: @NDSU @SDSU Omaha DU @ ORU UND: @ WIU SDSU NDSU @Omaha @USD Omaha has three things going for them right now. First, they have already beaten all of the middle tiers teams once and the rematches are coming with all of them. 2nd, they have their rematches with both of the bottom tier teams (although they did lose to DU) and they have 6 games left verses 5. Needless to say, if they take advantage of their schedule and go 5-1, they will easily slide into the 4 seed. It won't be easy since two of these three trips against these middle tier teams are on the road, and eventually UND has to beat them. That Fargo trip is not going to be easy either, especially with the conference crown on the line. The matchup this week with ORU is going to be the big to see who has a leg up between the two most likely teams in the 4/5 matchup. Oral Roberts holds the 5th spot right now due to a better record against UND and Fort Wayne (ORU 2-1, UND 2-2, Fort Wayne 1-2). They have probably the easiest path on the schedule. 4 home game! Match ups against Omaha and Fort Wayne at home, and their road trip is at DU. Their toughest task will be the USD game, but that is at home. They could win all 5 if they play to their talent. They also have the win against NDSU that could be used in ties with Fort Wayne and UND right now. However, Oral could stumble if they are not careful, given their performance against UND last week without Rebraca. Unlike Oral Roberts and Omaha, Fort Wayne doesn't have an easy schedule. A trip to Fargo and Brookings looms to start their adventure and two losses there could hurt their chances. They have the Omaha game at home, but a trip to Tulsa looms large at the end of the year. A DU team at home could be the different, but depending on what happens, DU could be desperate for a win. They hold a win over USD, which is why they get the tiebreaker over UND right now. Their realistic path to the 4th seed might have to be winning 4 out of 5, USD winning the league and Omaha tripping up. UND is in the toughest spot of the 4. They don't have a win over the top 3 like the others do. They cannot win any head to head tiebreakers (would have to beat Omaha to avoid losing that one), and only have one middle tier they haven't beaten in years and a lower tier team on the road. Then the Dakota schools. UND is the most likely of the 4 to lose out in my mind and could be in danger if Western gets hot to sliding down to the 8th seed. So where is the positive in all of this? Well given that the others have to play one another, they will beat each other up, and you have 2 great opportunities at home to get that victory over a top tier team, plus one on the road in Vermillion. The road trip to Omaha is a must win. Needless to say, UND is going to need some help, they have a tough finish. My predicted seedings as of 2/9 1) SDSU 2) NDSU 3) USD 4) ORU 5) Omaha 6) UND 7) Fort Wayne 8) WIU 9) DU

I have not been to the tourney. I didn't get to go last year and not sure if I will get the chance this year, but it is on my list. My dad's side of the family is from South Dakota and my grandpa is an SDSU alum so I am close to SDSU. My parents wanted me to go to SDSU (for a variety of reasons) since it was an hour away but it didn't have my major and I really didn't want to go there (wanted to go a little farther away and do something different). Heard lots of great stories from the NCC from both my dad and grandpa, and yes the stories of dead coyotes and bunnies were included.

I hope when they get to 10 again, they can go to that format.

Do I miss player Weber and Montana twice a year? Yes, I do. However, I definitely have enjoyed watching UND play against the Dakota 3 again, and Omaha (even if they haven't beaten them yet in league play). I have enjoyed UND playing against ORU and Denver as well. I could give or take on WIU, Fort Wayne (and soon to be Kansas City) Having the opportunity to go to Sioux Falls every year for the conference tournament is a very attractive option for me. I could never see myself going to Boise or Reno to watch. I like that I can watch on ESPN3 and ESPN+ ($50 a year isn't bad) and not having to deal with Pluto TV is a nice thing. As to whether the team would have finished higher in the standings in the BSC last year and this year? I doubt it. They still would have made it to Boise yes, but they wouldn't have been a threat. I hope Sather can make UND a consistent threat in the Summit. A Dakota 4 semi-final in the Summit Tournament is going to be fun (and this will happen sooner rather than later).

Hoping in 2 weeks. For now: take care of business at Western and match your win totals from last year.

I can’t wait that long. Beat either SDSU or NDSU at home later this month. End this nightmare