THE OPENING TIP: Playoff season is upon the University of Minnesota Duluth as it heads to Winona State University to take on the Warriors in the opening round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs are the fifth seed in the north division and will play the north-division fourth-seeded Winona State on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. 

NSIC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: UMD is 12-10 all-time in the conference tournament. It has lost the last two first round matchups. The last win came in 2015 against Winona State 67-64. However, it loss in the next round to Augustana 71-62. The Bulldogs have won two NSIC Tournament championships in 2002 and 2003. It has been a long drought since making a run in the NSIC Tournament. The last time UMD advanced at least to the semifinals was in 2004 when it almost took home the NSIC title for a third consecutive time but fell to Northern State in the championship game.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors, who are coming off a home weekend split to end the regular season, are 19-9 overall and 14-8 in the NSIC. Winona State is 8-3 at McCown Gymnasium this year.  The Warriors are coached by Todd Eisner who in his third year leading the Winona State.
The Warriors hit on 57 percent of their shots in the 18 point win in the season finale. They are first in fewest turnovers in the NSIC. They feature the conference's best assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.68. Winona State is hitting nearly 10 three pointers per game. It has 277 threes on the year, the 20th most in the NCAA. Those are first in the NSIC.
Tommy Gathje leads the team with 13.3 points per game. Caleb Wagner is second with 12.2 points. Devin Whitelow, who had a game high 16 points in against the Bulldogs on Jan. 12, is averaging 9.2 points. Corey Jeffs is the leading rebounder (5.1 rpg). Wagner leads the team in assists (4.8 apg).

THE SERIES: UMD will meet for Winona State for the 101st time in its long-standing rivalry on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 63-37 lifetime over the Warriors. The 63 wins are fourth most over any one team in school history. Winona State has won the last three battles including this season's 71-52 victory at McGown Gymnasium back in January. The Bulldogs last defeated the Warriors in the first round of the NSIC Tournament back on Feb. 25, 2015. 

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     12th         NR           NR
WSU      5th          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 was tripped up twice in the final weekend of the 2017-18 season, falling to Northern State University and Minnesota State University, Moorhead. The Wolves defeated UMD 65-46 and dominated the game. Northern State held the Bulldogs to season lows in points, field-goal buckets, shooting percentage, rebounds and assists. UMD did have a season high 11 steals in that matchup. The Dragons hit 12 of their 24 field goals from three as they held off the Bulldogs 71-67. UMD tied a season-low for free throws. Johnny Beeninga scored a game high 29 points for MSU Moorhead. 

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 28 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. Two sophomores pace the Bulldogs in points this season. That class has accounted for 1,211 points on the season or 61.9 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, and Trevor Entwisle (7.3) 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 41 of 311 D2 basketball teams. The Bulldogs 26th 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 8-4 this year with games decided by two possessions or less 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 75.2 percent of its free throws, which is the 41st best percentage in the Division II landscape. Colorado Christian University holds the mark with 80.3 percent. They have made the 49th most free throws in Division II (428).
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 81.9 percent. Brandon Myer has knocked down the most free throws made (140) while also connecting on 81.9 percent. Myer is leading the NSIC in free throw makes and attempts and is 17th in the NCAA in free throws made.
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 11-8 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 9-2 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 18 of the last 21 games and has achieved double figures in all but three games this season. One of hose games was against Winona State when he scored a season low four points. 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.
For the season he is near the top of the charts in scoring and rebounding in the NSIC. On a per game basis, Myer is fourth in the conference in scoring (20.5) and fourth in rebounding (7.6). His 562 points are the 22nd most points in the NCAA.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK NODS: 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 in the same season. 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. Wilson tied his career high of 24 points in the win over U-Mary on Feb. 10.

THE DISTRIBUTOR: No one last year for UMD averaged at least three assists per game but Trevor Entwisle is did 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 dished out 4.4 assists per contest and had a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio before going down the rest of the season with an injury.
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.

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 third best in the NSIC in fewest turnovers per game (9.5), which is fifth in the Division II landscape. Northwest Missouri State University is first with 8.8 per contest. It has recorded the 16th fewest turnovers on the year, only coughing up the ball 267 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 1.27 which is 47th in the country.

GET IN THERE, ROOK: Two freshmen have cracked minutes thus far in the 2017-18 campaign. Xavier Cummings has played in 10 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 16 games including the last 14 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: With a win over Winona State, UMD will advance to the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Tournament against the winner of Northern State University (N1) and Concordia University, St. Paul (S8) at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Feb. 24.