THE OPENING TIP: Putting its three-game home winning streak on the line this weekend, the University of Minnesota Duluth will square up against a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division foes at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs host Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Friday, Jan. 19 at 8:00 p.m. and No. 8 Northern State University on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 6:00 p.m. UMD gets its first taste of both teams as they meet again in the regular season weekend finale.
 
SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU-MOORHEAD: The Dragons demolished Wayne State University 90-66 to end a seven-game skid and wrap up their four-game home slate. MSU-Moorhead hit a season high 90 points as it shot a season-high 57.6 percent last Saturday. 
Chad Walthall is in his seventh year patrolling the bench for the Dragons, who are 5-13 and 3-9 in the NSIC this season. Only one win has come on the road. They are last in the league in scoring defense allowing 83.5 points per game. Two reasons behind the poor defense is the overall defense field goal percentage (49.4, 15th in the NSIC) and three-point defense (41.0, last in NSIC).
MSU-Moorhead runs one of the smaller rotations in the NSIC with 10 men with the starters garnering most of the playing time. The main go-to player is Tanner Kretchman, who is averaging a team-high 16 points a game. Kretchman leads the teams in shots and can be deadly from behind the arc. He is hitting 40 percent of his attempts from three.  Addison Park, the Dragon's no. 4 scorer at 11.4 points per game. He's shooting a touch under 60 percent and leads the team in blocks. Travaun Coad leads his teammates in blocks and rebounds.
 
SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves tied the school record for consecutive wins on Monday, defeating Presentation College 111-73. The last time Northern State won 18-straight was in the 1992-93 season. The Wolves improved to 19-1 overall and are also the lone undefeated squad in the NSIC at 13-0. 
Paul Sather is in year No. 8 at the head coaching helm and has his squad ranked first in the NSIC in scoring defense (66.8), scoring margin (+14.3), field goal percentage (51.0).
Five players average above double figures with Ian Smith leading the way with 13.3. Smith is also dishing out 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, both team highs. DJ Pollard (13.0 ppg) and Darin Peterka (11.9) both have the ability to drain the three ball. Pollard has hit 34 three-pointers while Peterka is hitting 45 percent from long distance. Logan Doyle (11.2) is hitting nearly 64 percent of his shots and corrals 6.6 rebounds per game. 
 
THE SERIES: Amidst a four-game losing streak to MSU-Moorhead, UMD is looking for its first win over the Dragons since a home win on Dec. 13, 2014 when MSUM was ranked 14th. The Bulldogs do have a sizeable lead in the series at 77-43. MSU-Moorhead  swept UMD last season 87-68 in Moorhead and 62-56 in Duluth. 
UMD leads the series 40-35 over Northern State but has struggled to win at home versus the Wolves  recently. The Bulldogs were swept last season but did come away with a key road win during the 2015-16 season. The last home win came on Dec. 17, 2011. UMD won 93-82 on that day.
 
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and MSUM and NSU stacks up in the NSIC standings and in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) and the D2SIDA media polls..
TEAM        NSIC        NABC        D2SIDA
UMD           11th            NR              NR
MSUM         T-13th         NR             NR
NSU            1st              8th              6th
 
THE BROADCAST: Both games this weekend will be carried live through a video stream and is available at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/
 
LAST TIME OUT: Playing three games in four days, UMD started with a minor setback at Winona State University falling 71-52 on Friday night in McCown Gymnasium before it rebounded to upend Upper Iowa University the following night 72-69.
After the split, the Bulldogs hosted the University of Wisconsin-Superior Monday to conclude their third game in four days. UMD responded to the quick turnaround dismantling their border-battle rivals 74-68 Monday at Romano Gymnasium. A 31-point effort by Brandon Myer propelled the Bulldogs to their 94th win in the 138th edition of the border battle with the Yellowjackets.
 
CLOSING GAMES OUT AT CRUNCH TIME: UMD has made quite the turn around when it comes to dealing with close games. The Bulldogs are 7-1 this year with games decided by two possessions or less and 7-0 when tied or ahead with five minutes remaining. In 2016-17, UMD was 1-6 in close games and 3-5 in crunch time (five minutes left).
 
NEW YEAR, NEW BULLDOGS: UMD has reaped the benefits of turning over into the new year. In the month of January, the Bulldogs are 4-1 and are one win away from matching their win total from 2017.
 
FOURTH TIME THE CHARM?: The previous three times UMD has had a two-game winning streak it has failed to find win number three. The Bulldogs came into the weekend on its fourth streak.
 
LOCKED IN AT THE CHARITY STRIPE: The Bulldogs have been doing an excellence job at drawing contact and getting to the line. UMD is hitting 76.8 percent of its free throws, which is the 18th best percentage in the division II landscape. Colorado Christian University hold the mark with 80.8 percent. More importantly, they get better at hitting their freebies in the second half up to 80.3 percent (184-for-229) and 83.5 percent (91-for-106) under five minutes.
 
The Bulldogs have relied on three players to take the majority of its free throws. Logan Rohrscheib has the best percentage of all Bulldogs with 89.6, which places him third in the NSIC and 30th in all of Division II. Rohrscheib made 43-straight free throws at one point this season, a Bulldog record for a single season.
Among the starters, Trevor Entwisle and Brandon Myer are close behind knocking down 83.7 and 81.7 percent, respectively. 
UMD used its strength to the line 45 times against Northern Michigan, almost reaching the program record of 48 set back on Nov. 30, 1998. As a team, it made 35 of those attempts, which was one short of tying the school record also set on that same date against the University of Minnesota Crookston.
 
THEREFORE, GET TO THE LINE: As one of the better free throw shooting teams, getting to the line more equal a better chance of pulling out the victory. UMD is 8-4 when it attempts more free throws. However, they have yet to pull one out when they don't get to the line.
 
DON'T GET BEAT BY THE THREE: Opponents this season are 5-1 when they make more three's then the Bulldogs. When the script is flipped or equal, UMD is 7-3.
 
MYER THE GO-TO MAN: The dominant sophomore breakout performance continues for Brandon Myer. He has led the team in scoring nine of the last 10 games and has achieved double figures in 14 of the games this season. The Superior, Wis. native has posted UMD's only three double-doubles this season. 
Myer set a personal collegiate best with 32 points against Northern Michigan. He is the lone Bulldog since the turn of the century to hit at least 20-plus points in seven consecutive games. During that seven-game stretch, Myer has posted 25.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 assists as he's shot a blazing 55.0 percent from the field and 46.4 from three.
 
WEEKLY RAZZLE DAZZLE: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference bestowed Brandon Myer with NSIC North Division Player of the Week honors for his outstanding contributions the past two of the past three weeks.
In his Dec. 20, 2016 award, the Superior, Wis. native averaged 31.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and a block per game while shooting a robust 75.0 percent on the floor, hitting 21 of his 28 shots. He created new career highs in consecutive outings as his back-to-back 30-point efforts for the Bulldogs since Ryan Rasmussen posted 30 and 32 back on Jan. 20-21, 2012.
His 32 points was the most since Newton put up 42 points when he won weekly award back on Feb. 1, 2016. 
On Monday, he took home his second honor after averaging 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 47.6 percent on the floor including 40.0 percent from behind the arc. He came through in crunch time as he hit the go-ahead shot with 48 seconds remaining to knock off Minnesota Crookston. 
Pierre Newton was the last Bulldog to earn at least two players of the week awards for UMD. He accomplished that feat back in 2015-16.
 
AMONG THE NSIC BESTS: In addition, Brandon Myer top the charts in most of he major categories in the NSIC.
On a per game basis, Myer is fifth in the conference in scoring (20.1) and fourth in rebounding (7.4). He has the sixth best field-goal percentage in the NSIC knocking down 50.8 of his attempts.
 
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Coach Bowen for the second straight season will have to direct a very youthful squad from the sidelines. Only two seniors (Kyle Schalow and Jake Wilson) are on the roster with a combined nine freshmen and sophomores. The five sophomores tallied an average of 19 minutes during their freshmen seasons. Four sophomores pace the Bulldogs in points this season. Their outburst has accounted for 829 points on the season or 70.0 percent of the total points.
 
THE DISTRIBUTOR: No one last year for UMD averaged at least three assists per game but Trevor Entwisle is doing just that this season. The Neenah, Wis., native recorded a Bulldog season-high six assists versus the Cougars. Entwisle is dishing out 3.7 assists per contest and has an 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. 
His 3.7 assists per game are the most by a Bulldog in a single season since Sean Seaman averaged 5.3 assists in the 2005-06 season. He is ranked 11th in the conference.
 
NO EXTRA POSSESSIONS: Limiting turnovers has been a specialty in the past under the direction of Matt Bowen. His teams have ranked among the best at not turning the ball over and this year is no exception. UMD is the best in the NSIC in fewest turnovers per game (9.3), which is third in the Division II landscape. Northwest Missouri State University is first with 8.3 per contest. It has recorded the 11th fewest turnovers on the year, only coughing up the ball 158 times in 17 games.
 
PLAYING SMART: The Bulldogs have committed 266 fouls on the year which is the second fewest fouls by any NSIC team, trailing St. Cloud State University.
 
GET IN THERE, ROOK: Two freshman have cracked minutes thus far in the 2017-18 campaign. Xavier Cummings played two games and made his first appearance versus Michigan Tech on Nov. 22. Jake Paper made his collegiate debut against SCSU on Dec. 16. 
 
CONFERENCE COACHES CORNER: The NSIC 2017-18 Preseason Coaches' Poll slated UMD to a 13th-place finish. The Bulldogs, which finished eighth in the North Division and a 15th overall a season ago, received 46 points in the poll. The Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in the North Division ahead of Minnesota Crookston and U-Mary.
Northern State University, who claimed preseason favorites in the North Division, topped out in the overall poll with 213 points slightly edging Southwest Minnesota State University, who was picked to finish first in the south.
St. Cloud State University junior guard Gage Davis was the North Division Preseason Player of the Year. SMSU junior guard Ryan Bruggeman was named the South Division Preseason Player of the Year.
 
NEW DOGS ON THE BLOCK: The Bulldogs bring in four freshmen (Jimmy Vollbrecht, Xavier Cummings, Adam Smith and Jake Paper) and a junior college transfer (Mamadou Ngom) to join the 2017-18 roster and the 11 returners from a season ago.
 
BOWEN'S BITS: Entering his sixth season in 2017, head coach Matt Bowen looks to take the next step to bringing the University of Minnesota Duluth to the top of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Armed with a lineup of experienced underclassman and vital leaders, the Bulldogs are set to improve upon the 2016-17 season.
Bowen is no stranger to turning a program around, having taken a perennial Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference underdog in Bemidji State University to a championship level that has not been repeated since he left the program to take over as UMD head coach in the summer of 2012. Bowen, just the third head coach for the Bulldogs since the mid-1980's, succeeded Gary Holquist, who stepped down in April 2012 to take the role of UMD's Athletic Development Director.
Under Bowen, UMD produced its first NABC All-Region selection since 2008-09 in Brett Ervin ('15) during the 2014-15 season as well as NABC Honors Court selection Jake Harder ('16) that season and All-NSIC guard Jordan Reetz ('14) the previous year. Along with an influx of young talent, the future seems bright for the Bulldogs under Bowen's guidance.
Bowen completed his turnaround of Bemidji State in his sixth and most productive year with the program, guiding the Beavers to a school record 22-9 overall mark which included an NSIC regular season championship and the program's second NCAA II playoff berth in the team's 91-year history. In addition to receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll for the first-time ever, Bowen also produced the 2011-12 NSIC and NCAA II Player of the Year in James Ellisor. 
Prior to his appointment in Bemidji, Bowen spent 15 years on the staffs of three NCAA I institutions, working under the likes of Homer Drew (Valparaiso University), Gene Bartow (University of Alabama-Birmingham) and Bob Knight (Indiana University). 
A native of River Falls, Wisconsin, Bowen graduated from Indiana University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in health, physical education and recreation and earned a Master's degree in health education from Alabama-Birmingham four years later. His father, Rick, was the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1986-2006 and retired as that school's athletic director in 2010.
 
ON TAP: The Bulldogs will travel on the road for the second-to-last time for the 2017-18 season as they pay a visit to Augustana University and Wayne State College on Jan. 26-27.