THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth prepares for its final home regular season contests this weekend. The Bulldogs match up against Minot State on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, UMD will honor its seniors and have facility appreciation day against the University of Mary on Feb. 10 at 4:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE: The Beavers stand at 17-7 overall and 11-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. They are third in the north division and are coached by Matt Murken, who is in his sixth season. Murken has a record of 78-87 at Minot State. 
The Beavers ranks third in the NSIC in scoring defense allowing 71.5 points per game. They are 17th in Division II and second in the NSIC in field-goal percentage (49.5). Minot State has shot better than 50.0 percent from the floor 12 times this season. It has committed the seventh fewest turnovers per game in the country (9.8).
David Akibo scored a career-high 27 points at Southwest Minnesota State. Luis Ricci Maia posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 assists against Southwest Minnesota State. Ricca Maia is 16th in the nation in assists per game (6.4) and second in the conference. The Beavers have the 35th best scorer in the land with Tyler Rudolph.  He is averaging 21.1 points per game, which is second behind Minnesota Crookston's Harrison Cleary. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON U-MARY: The Marauders are 5-17 and last in the NSIC at 3-15. U-Mary has lost four straight contests going into the weekend. Joe Kittell is in his third season as the head coach with a 36-46 record.
The Marauders are last in the NSIC in rebounding (30.0), 13th (78.1) in scoring defense and 14th in scoring (71.3). 
Keith Hunter leads the team with 14.8 points a game. He has two 30-point games on the year. Trevor Zacher posted a career high 27 points in their last outing. He is second with 11.8 points. He is also 14-for-23 behind the arc in the last four games. Jaylan White is 4th in the NSIC in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and leads the team with 3.7 assists per game. Matthew Kreklow is the leading rebounder (4.9) and shot blocker (0.9)

THE SERIES: Minot State holds a 8-4 lead between the two clubs. The Beavers has took the last five meetings including a 80-71 win at end 2017. The last Bulldog victory over Minot State happened on the regular season finale on Feb. 21, 2015.
UMD and U-Mary will meet for the 19th time on Saturday with the Bulldogs holding an 11-7 advantage in the series. UMD claimed the win last meeting in Bismarck, N.D. as they sunk the Marauders 63-58. They split the season series last year.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and SCSU stack up in the NSIC standings and in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) and the D2SIDA media polls.
TEAM        NSIC        NABC        D2SIDA
UMD          13th           NR               NR
MISU         T-5th          NR               NR
U-Mary      16th           NR               NR

THE BROADCAST: Both games this weekend will be carried live through a video stream and is available at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/

SENIOR SALUTE: The Bulldogs will pay tribute to their two seniors Kyle Schalow and Jake Wilson along with their student manager Alec Polovina on Saturday in UMD's final game at Romano Gymnasium for the season.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs took a pair of hard losses at home to Minnesota State University Mankato and Concordia University, St. Paul last weekend. On Tuesday, they couldn't get pass St. Cloud State University. 

UMD was bull rushed by MSU 76-58. The Bulldogs did limit the conference-leading Mavericks to under 80 points for just the second time in the last eight games. A 0-for-8 start doomed UMD as MSU ballooned its five-point halftime lead. Brandon Myer was one rebound shy of a double-double as he ended up with 23 points and nine rebounds. Xavier Cummings came off the bench to lead the second rotation with eight points.

CSP came back from a 16-point halftime deficit to force overtime and eventually shock the Bulldogs. UMD forced a season-high 20 turnovers but shot 28.6 percent in the second half to allow the Golden Bears back in. The blown lead was the worst since the Bulldogs let go of a 21-point lead with 16 minutes remaining on Dec. 12, 2014 against Northern State University. Myer did notch his fourth double-double posting 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jake Wilson drilled five three-pointers on his way to 19 points. Trevor Entwisle dished out 10 assists, tying his career high.

The Huskies were dominant inside the paint in the first half, scoring 24 of their 36 points in the paint. SCSU went to a 10-2 run early in the second half to go yp by 19. The Bulldogs had the lead cut down to eight but couldn't get any closer before time ran out. Myer had his fifth double-double, tallying 25 points and a career high 14 rebounds. His 14 rebounds was the most since Brandon Pineda gobbled up 16 boards against Winona State on Feb. 25, 2015.

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 66.2 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, 14 of the 16 NSIC teams rank in the top-30. HERO Sports' SOS system has 11 NSIC teams in it. Both systems have the Bulldogs 22nd 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 7-2 this year with games decided by two possessions or less in regulation and 7-1 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).

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 76.6 percent of its free throws, which is the 25th best percentage in the Division II landscape. Colorado Christian University holds the mark with 80.8 percent. They have made the 49th most free throws in Division II (373). 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 83.6 percent. Brandon Myer has knocked down the most free throws made (115) while connecting on 83.9 percent.
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 equals a better chance of pulling out the victory. UMD is 9-7 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 7-1 when they make more three's then the Bulldogs. When the script is flipped or equal, UMD is 8-8.

MYER THE GO-TO MAN: The dominant sophomore breakout performance continues for Brandon Myer. He has led the team in scoring 15 of the last 17 games and has achieved double figures in all but three games this season. The Superior, Wis. native has posted UMD's only five 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 on top of the charts in scoring, rebounding, and blocks in the NSIC. On a per game basis, Myer is fourth in the conference in scoring (20.5) and fourth in rebounding (7.3) He has the sixth best field-goal percentage in the NSIC knocking down 48.6 of his attempts.

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.

WHEN HE'S ON, LOOK OUT: When Jake Wilson finds his groove, he can be a hassle to stop. On three occasions, Wilson has caught fire and buried a large array of threes. During those three games Wilson has gathered 20 points (twice) and 19 points. He has made at least four threes in each of those performances. 

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 4.3 assists per contest and has a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. 
His 4.3 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 ninth-most offensive rebounds per game (2.1). Brandon Myer, on the defensive end, is grabbing the fifth-most rebounds (5.7).

FIND THE DEFENSIVE IDENTITY: After allowing back-to-back games under 70 points, UMD has allowed at least 85 points or more in four of the last seven games. Teams have shot at least 50 percent in seven or the last eight games. 

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 (9.6), which is fourth in the Division II landscape. Northwest Missouri State University is first with 8.6 per contest. It has recorded the 14th fewest turnovers on the year, only coughing up the ball 230 times in 24 games. 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 1.28 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 seven 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 12 games including the last ten 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 cap off the 2017-18 regular season on the road against Northern State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Feb. 16-17.