The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team is ready to host another tournament as part of their 2024-25 non-conference schedule, this time hosting the inaugural St. Louis County Basketball Classic that will pit them against the Michigan Tech Huskies on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6:00 PM and the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4:00 PM.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs collected another home win against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside last weekend, moving to a 3-0 record and defending their 2024-25 undefeated season.
UMD shot out to an early 17-2 lead to open things against the Rangers on Sunday, building themselves a 32-21 advantage as the two teams entered the halftime break. The Bulldogs continued to expand on their lead, collecting another 17 unanswered points in the middle of the second half to secure themselves a 73-43 victory in dominant fashion.
Last Weekend's Spotlight Players
#32 Austin Andrews: 1 GP, 14 PTS, 6 RBs, 1 A, 60.0 FG%
#4 Caleb Siwek: 1 GP, 12 PTS, 2 RBs, 1 BLK, 71.4 FG%
#24 Charlie Katona: 1 GP, 12 PTS, 12 RBs, 2 A, 2 BLK, 2 STL
Scouting Report - Michigan Tech
The Michigan Tech Huskies are 2-2 overall to start the 2024-25 season, collecting wins against Missouri St. Louis and Maryville (MO) but falling to Winona State and Concordia St. Paul.
The Bulldogs are 7-3 against the Huskies since 2013, collecting a 2-2 record at home and 5-1 record on the road in Michigan. UMD's largest margin of victory was 34 points (99-65, 2022), and most recently defeated them last season 85-70 on the road in Houghton.
The Huskies are currently led by #1 Marcus Tomashek who has tallied 101 pts, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and a 48.1 FG% throughout their first four games.
Scouting Report - Northern Michigan
The Northern Michigan Wildcats are 3-0 overall to open the 2024-25 season, collecting wins against Maryville (MO), Missouri St. Louis, and Illinois-Springfield.
The Bulldogs are 5-4 against the Wildcats since 2013, collecting a 3-1 record at home and a 2-3 record on the road in Michigan. UMD's largest margin of victory was 24 points (84-62, 2019), and most recently defeated the Wildcats 74-72 on the road in Marquette last season.
The Wildcats are currently led by #24 Brian Parzych who has collected 39 points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals throughout the first three games.
UMD Slated Third in NSIC Preseason
The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team was slated to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in the preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs received 172 points in the conference poll, including one first place vote, after finishing off the 2023-24 season in the second round of the NCAA Central Region tournament.
Katona Named NSIC Player to Watch
Fifth year senior Charlie Katona was named UMD's NSIC Player to Watch for the 2024-25 season. Katona was a mainstay in the Bulldog starting five last season, starting in all 33 games for the Bulldogs and averaging 28 minutes a game. Katona recorded 424 total points while averaging 12.8 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game and will enter the season as the reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Year.
Last Season
The Bulldogs closed out their 2023-24 season with their third straight NCAA tournament appearance, falling in the second round against the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats.
UMD closed out the regular season at second place in the NSIC standings, and would go on to fall in the championship game of the NSIC tournament to the eventual NCAA National Champs, Minnesota State Mankato.
The Bulldogs secured the third seed going into the NCAA Central Region tournament, and closed out the opening round with a buzzer beater layup from Mattie Thompson to defeat Fort Hays
State.
UMD ended their season in the semifinal round after a defense driven, 71-62 loss to the Bearcats.
Looking Ahead
Bulldog men's basketball will finish out their non-conference schedule on the road against the Lake Superior State University Lakers. Tip-off against the Lakers is currently set for Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 1:00 PM.
