Last week, the Bulldogs faced Mary, Upper Iowa and Minnesota State Moorhead in the NSIC Tournament. The Bulldogs lost in the championship game to the Dragons.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a back and forth battle in the first half against the Marauders. The Bulldogs managed to keep it close with the Marauders in the first half, but trailed 36-34 at halftime. In the second half, the Bulldogs offense began to heat up. A 7-0 run with 10 minutes left in the second half propelled to the Bulldogs to a 9-point lead. The Bulldogs managed to maintain this lead the remainder of the game as they were able to outlast a 42 point game from the Marauders Kai Huntsberry, as the Bulldogs won 84-73.

In the matchup against the Peacocks, the Bulldogs trailed early as the Peacocks got off to a hot start. The Bulldogs managed to work their way back into the game however and managed to keep it close in the first half. NSIC North Division Player of the Year, Austin Andrews, went down halfway through the first half with injury and did not return to the game. Despite the big loss, the Bulldogs bench stepped up in a big way, especially Lincoln Meister and Jacob Shields. Both teams traded baskets throughout the second half as neither team could pull away. Late in the game, with the Bulldogs up by just 3 points, Joshua Brown hit a clutch three-pointer to seal the game for the Bulldogs as they went on to win 76-73. 

Without Austin Andrews, the Bulldogs' Joshua Brown had a big 15 point half to keep the Bulldogs in the game early. The Dragons also were hot on the offensive end as they kept attacking the paint and had success. The Bulldogs did not have a answer in the first half as they trailed 36-40 at halftime. The second half was another closely contested half as teams traded baskets throughout the half. The Dragons took a slight lead late in the second half, and the Bulldogs failed to erase the deficit as the Dragons went on to win 81-73.

For The Record

The Bulldogs come into the matchup with a 25-5 (16-4) record.... Washburn comes into the matchup with a 21-10 (16-6) record.

Previous Meetings

The regional quarterfinals will be the third meeting between the programs. Teams recently faced off on November 24, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas in the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic. The Ichabods won that matchup 86-61. They also faced off in the NAIA Tournament in 1989 when the Ichabods won 59-55 in the round of 32.

Scouting the Ichabods

The Ichabods come into the matchup averaging 75.6 points per game this season. They are also allowing 69.7 points per game. They are also shooting 45.7% from the field and 35.1% from three-point range. They are allowing 42.3% from the field and 33.2% from three-point range.

The Ichabods are led by Tyler Geiman who is averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 assists. Geiman was voted third team All-American following the 2020-21 season. The Ichabods are also led by Jalen Lews and Jonny Clausing who are averaging 13.6 points and 10.7 points respectively.

NSIC North Player of the Year

Sophomore Austin Andrews has been named the NSIC North Player of the Year. Andrews was named the NSIC North Player of the Week 5 times during the regular season. five times this year. Andrews has averaged 18.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Andrews also shot 63.9% from the field this season. Andrews was also named first team All-Conference and was named to the COSIDA Academic All-Region team.

All-Conference

Along with Austin Andrews, Drew Blair was also named to the NSIC first team All-Conference. Blair averaged 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Blair shot 44.5% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range. Blair was also named NSIC player of the week twice this year.

The Ichabods had 3 players earn All-Conference honors. Tyler Geiman was named to first team All-MIAA and to the All-Defensive MIAA team. Jalen Lewis was named to the third team All-MIAA, while Michael Keegan was named the MIAA freshman of the year.

Points, Points, Points

The Bulldogs head into the NCAA tournament with the top scoring offense from the NSIC. The Bulldogs are averaging 86.0 points per game. The Bulldogs are also 7th in the country in field goal percentage as they are shooting 51.3% from the field.

Bounce Back

The Bulldogs and Ichabods will look to bounce back as both teams lost in their conference tournament championship game. The Bulldogs lost to Minnesota State Moorhead 81-73 in what was a back and forth game throughout. The Ichabods lost to Northwest Missouri State 84-76 in the MIAA championship game.

Two of the Conferences Best

The Bulldogs currently feature two of the top scorers in the conference. Redshirt Junior Drew Blair is 5th in the conference in scoring as he is averaging 18.6 points per game. Austin Andrews is 7th in the conference as he is averaging 18.1 points per game. Andrews is also second in the conference with 9.5 rebounds per game.

Nationally Ranked

Following the Bulldogs 16-0 start, they have been noticed across the country. The Bulldogs have been ranked No. 5 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and were ranked No. 6 in the Division II Sports Information Director Association (D2SIDA) Poll. The No. 5 ranking is the highest the Bulldogs have ever been ranked. After making a run to the NSIC championship game, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 13 in this weeks poll. The Bulldogs are one of three NSIC teams to be ranked in the NABC poll. Augustana (24-3) was ranked No. 6 in the country while Upper Iowa (25-5) was ranked No. 17.