THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth have an opportunity to close the 2017-18 regular season on a positive note rolling into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs, who are riding a two-game winning streak, are one victory away from tripling their win total one year ago and they will have two chances to do in the final weekend. However, UMD will have to do it on the road as it squares off against the 12th-ranked Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. Friday night and Minnesota State University-Moorhead Saturday evening. First tip Friday is at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday's tip will commence at 6:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves are led by head coach Paul Sather, who is in his eighth season, and has his team at 25-3 and 18-2 in the NSIC. His squad ranked first in the NSIC in scoring defense (66.1), scoring margin (+14.4), field goal percentage (50.8), offensive rebounds (10.7), three-point defense (33.8) and field goal defense (42.9).
Four players average above double figures with DJ Pollard leading the way dropping 13.3 points per game. Ian Smith is second (12.6) and is also the head passer (4.3 assists) and pickpocket artist (1.2 steals). The Wolves are not afraid to spread the floor as three players have at least 39 baskets from long distance with Darin Peterka hitting 41.9 percent of his shots including a team high 44 makes. DJ Pollard (13.0 ppg) and Darin Peterka (11.9) both have the ability to drain the three ball. Logan Doyle has the highest shooting clip at 66.2 percent and is averaging 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU-MOORHEAD: The Dragons are guided by Chad Walthall, who is in his seventh year. MSU-Moorhead is 6-20 and 4-16 in the NSIC this season. The Dragons have lost the last five games. MSU-Moorhead has allowed at least 80 points in the previous four games and are on the bottom of the conference in scoring defense (82.9) and field goal defense (49.3). The Dragons are 5-6 at home and just finished a four-game road stint. They split last time at home. MSUM, like UMD, have excelled at the free throw line (76.5, 25th nationally) and limiting turnovers (10.2 per game, 11th).
MSU-Moorhead runs one of the smaller rotations in the NSIC with seven men playing the majority of time. Four of those seven average at least 10 points a game with Tanner Kretchman leading the team with 15.9 points per game and can be deadly from behind the arc with 75 threes (38.3 percent). Kretchman and Johnny Beeninga dominate most of the touches as they both have launched over 300 looks. Beeninga has the higher percentage between the two (43.6) and is scoring 14.2 per game. Addison Park is the Dragon's No. 4 scorer at 12.1 points per game. He's shooting a touch 58 percent and leads the team in blocks. Travaun Coad leads his teammates in blocks (0.6) and rebounds (7.4). He has gathered the most boards the last 12 games. 

THE SERIES: UMD leads the series 40-36 over Northern State and is trying to hold off being swept by the Wolves for the second straight season after splitting the previous three years. The Bulldogs were swept last season but did come away with a key road win during the 2015-16 season. Northern State won by 21 points in the most recent matchup at Romano.
After putting to an end to a four-game losing streak to MSU-Moorhead with an 83-74 victory on Jan. 19, UMD is looking put deal the same punishment as it was dealt last season when it was swept in 206-17. The Bulldogs have a sizeable lead in the series at 78-43. A win on Saturday would give UMD its first sweep of the Dragons since 2008-09. 

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents stack up in the NSIC standings and in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) and the D2SIDA media polls.
TEAM    NSIC    NABC    D2SIDA
UMD     T-12th      NR         NR
NSU        1st        12th       12th
MSUM    14th       NR         NR

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: The Bulldogs stood their ground in their final home games in the 2017-18 season defeating Minot State University in double overtime 80-78 and the University of Mary. 

CAN'T CATCH A BREAK: Injuries have plagued a promising turnaround season. The Bulldogs have lost two of their top five scorers to season ending injuries. UMD has trotted out five different starting lineups this season. Only Brandon Myer and Logan Rohrscheib remain as the only two to start all 26 games.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Coach Bowen for the second straight season is directing 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. Three sophomores pace the Bulldogs in points this season. Their outburst has accounted for 1,080 points on the season or 63.8 percent of the team's total points. That percentage was up around 72 percent before the loss of Luke Harris, who averaged 9.4 points, due to a season-ending injury.

THE VICIOUS NORTHERN SUN: With the youth, UMD is getting valuable experience in one of the most difficult conferences in the nation. The NSIC might only have one team ranked in the NABC poll (another receiving votes) but the overall strength of schedule is taunting.  According to the Massey Ratings' SOS, all 16 NSIC teams rank in the top-40. HERO Sports' SOS system has all NSIC teams in the top-40 as well. Both systems have the Bulldogs 27th in terms of strength of schedule. 

CLOSING TIME: UMD has made quite the turn around when it comes to dealing with close games. The Bulldogs are 8-3 this year with games decided by two possessions or less in regulation and 8-1 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).

FIVE MORE MINUTES?: The three overtime games UMD has been in this season is the most for the program since the 2002-03 season. That season, they played in four games and went 2-2. Before the double OT win over Minot State, the last time the Bulldogs had a game go beyond the first overtime was on Jan. 8, 2011 when it lost to Wayne State College in second overtime.

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 75.3 percent of its free throws, which is the 41st best percentage in the Division II landscape. Colorado Christian University holds the mark with 80.8 percent. They have made the 39th most free throws in Division II (406). In addition, they are 116-for-146 or 79.5 percent with under five minutes left.
The Bulldogs have relied on three players to take the majority of its free throws, and they all have 80-percent marks from the line. Trevor Entwisle has the highest percentage hitting 85.2 from the line. Logan Rohrscheib, who made a Bulldog record 43-straight free throws, is knocking down 82.6 percent. Brandon Myer has knocked down the most free throws made (130) while connecting on 82.8 percent. Myer is leading the NSIC in free throw makes and attempts.
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 has equaled a better chance of pulling out the victory. UMD is 11-7 when it attempts more free throws. However, they have yet to pull one out when they don't get to the line more than the opposition.

DON'T GET BEAT BY THE THREE: Opponents this season are 7-2 when they make more three's then the Bulldogs. When the script is flipped or equal, UMD is 9-8.

MYER THE GO-TO MAN: The dominant sophomore breakout performance continues for Brandon Myer. He has led the team in scoring 16 of the last 19 games and has achieved double figures in all but three games this season. The Superior, Wis. native has posted UMD's only six 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.
He is near the top of the charts in scoring, rebounding, and blocks in the NSIC. On a per game basis, Myer is third in the conference in scoring (20.5) and fourth in rebounding (7.7) He has the tenth best field-goal percentage in the NSIC knocking down 48.7 of his attempts despite the fourth most attempts (378).

WEEKLY RAZZLE DAZZLE: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference bestowed Brandon Myer with NSIC North Division Player of the Week honors for his outstanding contributions in two of the three weeks spanning from Dec. 20, 2017 to Jan. 8, 2018.
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. 
He took home his second honor on Jan. 8 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.

WHEN HE'S ON, LOOK OUT: When Jake Wilson finds his groove, he can be a hassle to stop. On five occasions, the senior from Zimmerman, Minn., has caught fire and buried at least three threes. During those five games Wilson has a minimum of 18 points. In his latest onslaught of the long ball, Wilson tied his career high of 24 points in the win over U-Mary.

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 10 assists twice this season, which is a collegiate best and a Bulldog season-high. Entwisle is dishing out 4.4 assists per contest and has a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. 
His 4.4 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. Among the conference, Entwisle checks out as the seventh best player.

CRASH THE GLASS: A pair of Bulldogs rank in the top-ten in the NSIC in rebounding on different ends of the floor. Sean Burns is pulling down 10th-most offensive rebounds per game (2.0). Brandon Myer, on the defensive end, is grabbing the sixth-most rebounds (6.1).

FIND THE DEFENSIVE IDENTITY: UMD, which allowed the opposition to shoot at least 50 percent in seven of the last eight before the weekend, held Minot State to 34.7 percent (a season-low by UMD) and 41.8 to U-Mary. The Bulldogs only gave up 25 second half points to the Marauders, the lowest half total scored on UMD this season.

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 second best in the NSIC in fewest turnovers per game (9.7), which is sixth in the Division II landscape. Northwest Missouri State University is first with 8.6 per contest. It has recorded the 22nd fewest turnovers on the year, only coughing up the ball 253 times. UMD turned the ball over a season-low four times in the victory of MSU-Moorhead on Jan. 19. 

FINDING THE OPEN MAN: UMD has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.30 which is 40th in the country.

GET IN THERE, ROOK: Two freshmen have cracked minutes thus far in the 2017-18 campaign. Xavier Cummings has played in eight games and made his first appearance versus Michigan Tech on Nov. 22. Jake Paper made his collegiate debut against SCSU on Dec. 16 and played in 14 games including the last 12 games.

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 be on the road to start the NSIC Tournament which will start Wednesday, Feb. 21. The bracket is seeded north division versus south division. UMD can finish in fourth but lose the overall conference tiebreaker to the south division foes.