The University of Minnesota Duluth will look to continue the upward trajectory built by head coach Matt Bowen entering his fourth season. Adding four wins per season each of the last two years, the Bulldogs will look to maintain that momentum and take the next step after, in 2014-15, hosting a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference playoff game at Romano Gymnasium for the first time since 2004. While Bowen sees center Brett Ervin ('15) gone due to graduation after an National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Central Region Second Team selection as UMD's leading scorer a year ago, the team brings back plenty of offense from a squad that posted 16 wins, the most for the program since 2008-09.

WHO'S BACK?
Senior swing man Pierre Newton was named the Bulldogs' Player to Watch after starting each of the final 25 games for UMD a season ago. He finished second behind Ervin, averaging 13.4 points per game while also hauling in 3.0 rebounds per outing and leads a trio of transfer players that should make up a large part of the Bulldog offense this year. Small forward Brendon Pineda averaged 11.0 points per game and 5.7 rebounds while shooting guard Taylor Lavery also averaged double digits (10.5 PPG) while shooting 41.9 percent on the season. Joining them in the senior class are a pair of big men returning from injury-riddled seasons in forward Kristofer Jackson and center Jake Harder as well as point guard Junior Coleman, who also sat out of game action with a redshirt season in 2014-15. Playing time in the post will be up for grabs between Jackson and junior Charles Benson as Harder continues to recover from a broken foot in the early weeks of this season.

Sophomore point guard Kyle Schalow averaged 12.2 minutes per game a season ago, making four starts for the Bulldogs and will look to see his time on the court continue this year. He's joined in the class by a pair of forwards who return after a redshirt season, the 6-foot-5-inch Jake Wilson and 6-foot-6-inch Lane Olson. Each looks stronger in this preseason than their freshman campaigns of 2013-14 or even last year's training season. Sophmore guard Jake Larkin will sit out of action this season, training with UMD as a redshirt in his second go-around.

WHO'S NEW?
Four new players join the fold for Bowen's squad, but he also has a new man alongside him on the bench as former Bulldog player Matt Hockett takes over for Kevin Williamson as the team's top assistant. Hockett had spent the previous six seasons as the head varsity boys basketball coach at Stoughton High School. He had been a five-year athlete for the Bulldogs, surviving as a captain during his senior campaign in 2006-07 and earning the North Central Conference Honor Athlete Award that year. "Matt's passion for the Bulldogs is unrivaled," said Bowen at the time of Hockett's hiring. "His passion for UMD and our basketball program will enhance our current path to be champions in the classroom, community, and competition."

Three guards and a forward make up the first-year class for the Bulldogs. Wisconsin natives Trevor Entwisle and Cody Tomlinson are two of those guards. The 5-foot-11-inch Entwisle earned All-Fox Valley Conference honors at Neenah High School the past two seasons while Tomlinson is a local product, leading Washburn High School to the Wisconsin State Tournament and back-to-back undefeated Indian Head Conference titles. Shoreview, Minnesota native Ryan Kaczynski rounds out the guard position but at 6-foot-4-inches could play a small forward as well. He was  a three-time All-Suburban East Conference selection during his prep career. Sean Burns, Jr. rounds out the incoming class, a 2015 graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School averaged 15.3 points per game a season ago, while also leading the Northwest Suburban Conference with 8.5 rebounds. With a large group of upper classmen, the newcomers will be battling for playing time as the team offiically begins its 2015-16 campaign.

THE SCHEDULE
UMD will start its season off with a challenge as three of its first four opponents are among the teams receiving votes in the NABC Division II Coaches Top 25 poll beginning with the University of Central Missouri, hosts of a weekend crossover for teams in NCAA II Central Region. The Bulldogs will take on the Mules for the first time in program history on Friday, Nov. 13 and then face another first-time foe in East Central (Okla.) University the following afternoon. Coming home for just one non-conference game, UMD will play host to Northern Michigan in a Tuesday night tilt on Nov. 17 before heading out on the road to face another ranked foe in Michigan Technlogical University on Nov. 19 and a perennial NCAA II Tournament contender in the University of Wisconsin-Parkside that Saturday, Nov. 21. Closing out the early non-conference slate will be an exhibition that has become an annual tradition as the Bulldogs test their might against NCAA Division I's Green Bay Phoenix of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday, Nov. 22.

While UMD opens the NSIC campaign with three straight home games, the conclusion of the season's first half will end a stretch of 8-of-12 on the road to start 2015. Included in that stretch of early season games is the Bulldogs' first look at NSIC North Division favorite No. 9 Minnesota State University Moorhead on Dec. 12. UMD opens NSIC play Nov. 28, hosting St. Cloud State University on Saturday following the Thanksgiving holiday and will close out the season's first half at SCSU on Dec. 19.

The Bulldogs return to action just a few weeks later as Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University Mankato (RV) each come to town for a weekend split Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2-3. UMD will then dip its toes back into non-conference play one final time as the team hosts bridge rival the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Wednesday, Jan. 6. After one more Saturday/Sunday series the next week at NSIC North division rivals Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota-Crookston Jan. 9-10, the Bulldogs will return to the usual NSIC Friday/Saturday schedule and get their first look at preseason NSIC favorite and national No. 1 Augustana (S.D.) University on Jan. 16. The Vikings knocked UMD out of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament a season ago en route to NCAA II Central Region Tournament appearance.

Six of the Bulldogs' final ten regular season match-ups will be in the friendly confines of Romano Gym as they look to position themselves not only for another home playoff game but also among the top teams of the NSIC.

TIP-OFF
The season tips off this Friday night in Warrensburg, Missouri as UMD takes on the University of Central Missouri at the NSIC/MIAA/GAC Crossover at 6:00 p.m.