The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team tip-off their 2024-25 regular season as the hosts of the American Family Insurance Classic, where they will face the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Savage Storm on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5:00 PM and the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3:00 PM.
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.
Offseason Losses
The Bulldogs will see some changes in the rotation from last season, suffering huge losses with the graduation of Drew Blair and Jack Middleton, and with the transfer of Lincoln Meister.
Drew Blair was the premiere player in the Bulldog's offensive scheme last season, breaking the program's all time scoring record at the beginning of the season against Oklahoma Baptist and going on to lead the team in four different statistical categories (total points, points per game, rebounds, and steals).
Jack Middleton was the cornerstone of the Bulldog's leadership, and proved himself as one of the most accurate shooters on the team. Middleton ended his career with the Bulldogs as a 40.8% 3-pt shooter and an 89.8% free throw shooter.
Lincoln Meister was the Bulldog's primary sixth man option, serving as a dominant presence under the rim and an elite block presence. Ending the season with 32 blocks, UMD loses one of their strongest defensive big men with his transfer to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
New Leadership Core
With their offseason losses, the Bulldogs will look towards a trio of returning fifth year seniors, Austin Andrews, Joshua Brown, and Charlie Katona, to step into a more prominent role this season.
Austin Andrews has been a constant starter in the Bulldog's starting five for the past couple seasons. A former NSIC Freshman of the Year and NSIC Player of the Year, Andrews led the Bulldogs in field goal percentage last season with a 59.6 FG% on his way to 319 points.
Joshua Brown returns to the Bulldog starting five, starting in all 33 games for the Bulldogs last season. Brown 306 points with a 44.6 FG% while also tallying 61 assists and averaging 27.2 minutes a game last season.
Charlie Katona returns to the Bulldogs as the reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. Katona is coming off a career year for himself, tallying 424 total points with a 53.5 FG% and collecting NSIC All Conference and All Tournament team honors along the way.
Players Stepping Up
UMD will be looking towards a few role players from the previous season to step up in the starting line to fill the void of their offseason losses.
Mattie Thompson is a possible player to get a significant boost in starting minutes. Thompson made an appearance in all 33 games for the Bulldogs last season, collecting 208 points with a 49.1 FG% on his way to a game winning buzzer beater in the opening round of the NCAA Regional Tournament against Fort Hays State.
Caleb Siwek could also see more starting minutes to help minimize the loss in points production. Siwek also made an appearance in all 33 games for the Bulldogs last season, proving himself as a reliable 3-pt shooter after ending the season third on the team with a 36.6 3-PT%.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs spent their 2024-25 preseason with a pair of exhibition games against the University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin Superior. UMD put up a fight against the Hawkeyes before falling 102-81 in Iowa City, but would bounce back with a strong 102-86 win over the Yellowjackets.
Scouting Report
This will be the first matchup against Southeastern Oklahoma State University in program history for the Bulldogs.
The Savage Storm ended the 2023-24 season 23-9 overall, losing in the second round of the GAC Tournament against Southern Nazarene.
The Bulldogs are 1-0 against the Oklahoma Baptist Bison throughout program history after defeating them 77-71 in the season opener last year.
Looking Ahead
Bulldog men's basketball will face-off against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers before hosting the inaugural St. Louis County Basketball Classic. Tip-off against the Rangers is currently scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17, at 1:00 PM.
