LAST WEEK

Last week, the Bulldogs traveled to face off against the Bemidji State Beavers and then hosted the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles.

The Bulldogs traveled to face off against Bemidji state on Thursday December 2. The Bulldogs controlled the majority of the game after they jumped out to an early 25-8 lead to start the game. From there, the Bulldogs continued to control and dominate the game as they took a 43-27 lead into halftime. After the Beavers inched their way back into the game to get their deficit to 7 points, UMD once again gained control of the game and did not look back. Drew Blair led the Bulldogs with 23 points as they Bulldogs went on to win 87-64.

Minnesota Duluth hosted Minnesota Crookston on Saturday December 4. In what was a highly competitive game, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 14-5 lead to start the game. From there, the Bulldogs eased their way back into the game as they battled back to a 18-16 lead with 9:16 remaining. Thanks to a late run in the first half, the Bulldogs managed to take a 9-point lead into halftime as they led 37-28. The second half saw both teams struggle from the field as both teams shot around 40% from the field. After building up to a 12 point lead, the Bulldogs saw their lead fade as the Golden Eagles got it to within one point with two minutes left. After scoring 0 first half points and only 2 points going into the last two minutes; Drew Blair came alive down the stretch as he scored 10 points in the last 2 minutes, including three straight baskets, including two three's . The Bulldogs were able to hold off the Golden Eagles down the stretch as they went on to win 75-68. Big games from Jack Middle- ton and Austin Andrews propelled the Bulldogs to a big home win.

Bulldogs Host Beavers and Marauders

The No. 22 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs will host the Bemidji State Beavers on Friday December 10 at 5:30 pm. They will then host the Mary Marauders on Saturday December 11 at 3:30 pm. Both games are home at Romano Gym.

One of the Last Standing

Coming into the weekend, the No. 22 Bulldogs are one of the last remaining undefeated teams in Division II. The Bulldogs are 1 of
14 teams to still be undefeated. They are also the only undefeated team left with atleast 9 wins so far this season. The Bulldogs are also the last unbeaten team in the NSIC and the only team that is 3-0 in conference. The Bulldogs look to continue their hot streak.
 

High Powered Offense

The Bulldogs come into the week with the second-best offense in the NSIC as they are averaging 87.9 points per game through 9 games. Mi- not State currently has the highest scoring offense as they are averaging 89.4 points per game. Mary comes into the game with the 12th ranked offense in the NSIC as they are averaging 72.1 points per game.

Two of the Conferences Best

The Bulldogs currently feature two of the top 10 scorers in the conference. Redshirt junior Drew Blair currently is second in the conference averaging 19.8 points per game while sophomore Austin Andrews is Minot State is led by Camron Dunfee who is 15th in the conference averaging 14.9 points per game. Mary is led by Kai Huntsberry who is tied for 5th in the conference averaging 18.8 points per game.

Preseason Coaches' Poll

Before the season started, the NSIC released their preseason coaches poll. In the North Division, Minnesota Duluth was picked to finish 3rd and 6th overall in the NSIC. Minot State was picked to finish 4th in the North Division and 10th overall. Mary was picked to tie for 7th in the North Division and picked to finish 15th overall. Currently, Minnesota Duluth is 1st in the North Division and 1st overall, Minot is current- ly 2nd in the North Division and 2nd overall, and Mary is 3rd in the North Division and 8th overall.

Nationally Ranked

Following the Bulldogs 9-0 start, they have been noticed across the country. The Bulldogs have been ranked No. 22 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and were ranked No. 13 in the Division II Sports Information Director Association (D2SIDA) Poll. The No. 13 ranking is the highest the Bulldogs have ever been ranked. The No. 22 Bulldogs are one of two NSIC teams to be ranked in the NABC poll. Minnesota State (7-1) received the No. 25 ranking. Upper Iowa and Augustana just missed the top-25 as they both received votes.

Follow Along

UMD vs MSU
You can watch Thursdays game here: https://bit.ly/3kpDTU.
You can follow along with the live stats here: https://bit.ly/3onIhnh.

UMD vs UM
You will be able to follow along for Tuesday's matchup online at: https://bit.ly/3kpDTU.
You can follow along with the stats here: https://bit.ly/3onIhnh.