THE OPENING TIP
The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team (24-9 overall, 16-6 NSIC) will dance into the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face Emporia State on Sunday, March 12 at 5:00 p.m. in Maryville, Mo. 

LAST TIME OUT
As the No. 6 seed in the Central Region, UMD's First Round draw was No. 3 Central Oklahoma out of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). It was the first time these two squads had ever met in the postseason. The first few pages of the matchup history report were written by the Bulldogs, as a Jack Middleton three helped them push their early lead to as high as five at 11-6. But the rest of the chapter dedicated to the first half would be penned by UCO. Through 20 minutes, the Bronchos' lead was 10 at 35-25.

And for much of the second frame, it seemed like old trends would continue. With 12:01 left in the game, UCO's lead was still eight at a score of 46-38. Then… the Bulldogs started to bring themselves back into this one. Slowly but shortly, UMD withered away at the lead. Finally, with just 4:24 remaining, a huge three from Joshua Brown gave the Bulldogs their first lead since way back in the first frame. This time around, UMD didn't give it up. The Bronchos did good work to keep themselves within range, but the Bulldogs were ultimately able to shut the door on a 62-56 victory. 

GAME STATS DEBRIEF:

UMD

• Brown: 21 points (7-13 shooting, 3-6 3pt), nine rebounds, three assists

• Middleton: 21 points (5-8 shooting, 4-6 3pt), three assists

• Charlie Katona: 13 points (4-7 shooting), 11 rebounds, four assists

UCO

• Cam Givens: 12 points, five rebounds 

• Danquez Dawsey: 11 points

• Curtis Haywood: 10 points, 10 steals, nine assists, seven rebounds

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

The Bulldogs did more than win on Saturday- they made themselves a bit of history. While UMD found success in the NIAA National Tournament ranks back in the day, the program was 0-4 in the NCAA Tournament heading into its 2023 dance. That win against UCO was UMD's first ever victory in the NCAA tourney space.

STATS STATUS REPORT

Drew Blair continues to sit at the top of the charts for UMD in average scoring, potting 19.5 points a game. The redshirt-senior guard also dishes out a team-high 2.12 assists a game. Katona's scoring 12.4 points a game on 55.4% shooting all while grabbing a Bulldog-leading 5.8 rebounds a contest. Brown's third in team scoring with 11.9 points a night to go with an average of five rebounds. Austin Andrews is scoring 11.1 points a contest on a 54.7% effort from the field to pair with 5.6 boards.

INCHES FROM SECOND

With six more tallies added to his name on Saturday, Blair now sits with a career points total of 1945. He'd need just nine more to surpass Guidinger' s 1953 mark for second on UMD's all-time scoring charts. Remember that 19.5 PPG average- Blair will be looking to make Sunday a historic afternoon in more ways than one.

A THOUSAND'S ON THE HORIZON

But the potential for history doesn't even stop there. Brown's efforts in leading the offensive charge for the Bulldogs on Saturday left him with a grand total of 985 points across his career. That means that with just 15 more tallies, the junior guard will have hit the 1000 mark.

SCOUTING REPORT ON EMPORIA STATE (23-8 OVERALL, 15-7 CONFERENCE)

THE TRIP TO THE TOURNAMENT
Given the team's resume heading into March, it makes sense that Emporia State was given the opportunity to dance in 2023. Don't let that No. 7 placement in the Central Regional fool you- that's more of a testament to the strength of the MIAA than anything else. It was in that talented conference that the Hornets finished third in the regular season rankings, sitting behind only UCO and No. 1 seed/ Regional host Northwest Missouri State. Of note- one of NMSU's two total losses all season came at the hands of the Hornets.

THE ROAD SO FAR
ESU certainly doesn't come from a conference full of slouches. When the Hornets were tasked with going up against the cream of the crop of the also-strong NSIC in Northern State as the lower seed in a No. 2-No. 7 matchup, the talent discrepancy between the two squads was probably more dramatic on paper than it was in practice. No "probablys" about it, really- this made it clear early and often. Through 20 minutes of ESU's First Round bout with NSU, the Hornets had allowed just 23 points while potting 43 of their own. It was a massive 20-point halftime lead that the Hornets were able to ride to an eventual 72-51 victory and a second round berth.

GAME STATS DEBRIEF

• Owen Long: 18 points (8-14 shooting) eight rebounds, four assists

• Mayuom Buom: 16 points (7-10 shooting)

• Levelle Zeigler: 10 points (4-8 shooting), six rebounds

• Team: shot 16-28 in first half, held NSU to an 8-29 mark from the floor

POSTSEASON PARALLELS
Turns out there's a lengthy through-line between these ESU and UMD squads, one that goes beyond residency within a deep conference field. 

The Bulldogs weren't the only team to break an NCAA Tournament wins drought this year- even in their own region. The Hornets' First Round victory was also a first for their program across three attempts, most recently in 2007. Sunday will mark the first meeting between these teams on the NCAA tourney stage, and the setting will be just as new as the opponent for each of them. 

A DYNAMIC DUO
Two Hornets closed the season averaging double-figures in scoring. Long led the charge with 16.9 points a night while also leading the team in assists with 2.19 dimes a night. Alijah Comithier wasn't far behind in the scoring race, tallying 14.5 points a contest while grabbing a Hornet-high 5.8 rebounds a game.

…WITH A DYNAMIC DEFENSE
This scoring has helped to supplement what's typically a shutdown effort from ESU's defensive unit on a nightly basis. The Hornets hold the 18th-best scoring defense nationally, allowing just 64.3 points a game. In the process, ESU holds opponents to an average field goal percentage of just 41.2%- the 28th-lowest figure in the country. 

THE LOW-DOWN ON DOTY
At the bench for the Hornets for a fifth season is Craig Doty. After three seasons of acclimation, these last two years seem to be proof that Doty's Hornets are turning the corner. This season marked ESU's second-straight 20+ win campaign.

UPSETS ABOUND 

Didn't take long- the madness of March is already in full swing. Across the first four contests in the Central Regional alone, only one team that held a higher seed advanced to Round Two, that being No. 1 NWMSU. Seeds two (Northern State), three (OCU) and four (MSU Moorhead) are no more. 

REPRESENTING THE NSIC

NSU and MSUM joined UMD as the NSIC schools to make the cut in the NCAA Tournament. With both the Wolves and the Dragons eliminated from the equation, the Bulldogs are now left as the sole rep remaining for their conference. Two MIAA schools are still standing (NMSU and ESU) while No. 5 Southern Nazarene is alone to carry the flag of the Great American Conference (GAC). 

THE BROADCAST 
Catch all of the tournament action free-of-charge through the MIAA Network by clicking the link below:
NCAA Tournament Second Round vs Emporia State (Sunday, March 12 @ 5:00 p.m.): bit.ly/3JwdQau
 

REGIONAL INFO
For more information on this year's Central Regional, including a full list of opponents and a complete schedule, visit the dedicated Regional website here: bit.ly/3kZlyR1