The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team looks to get back in winning form with a weekend packed full of action in Romano Gymnasium, hosting the Augustana University Vikings on Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 PM and the Wayne State College Wildcats on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 5:30 PM.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs closed out their first two games of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play last weekend, falling to the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs and the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.
Despite jumping out to an early 8-3 lead in the first half against SMSU, the Bulldogs went into the halftime intermission at a 33-30 deficit and were unable to crawl out of the hole by the end of the game, falling in their first NSIC matchup of the season 79-66.
The Bulldogs go out to a similarly slow start in their Saturday afternoon matchup with the Cougars, falling behind 36-29 by the halftime intermission. UMD was able to mount a comeback to tie things up at 45-45 with just under 13 minutes left to go, but fell short as they were out-scored the rest of the way.
Weekend's Spotlight Players
#1 Joshua Brown - 2 GP, 28 PTS, 15 REB, 4 A, 1 STL
#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 27 PTS, 12 REB, 4 A, 2 STL, 1 BLK
#12 Mattie Thompson - 2 GP, 21 PTS, 16 REB, 5 STL, 2 A, 2 BLK
Scouting Report - Augustana University
The Augustana University Vikings are 3-6 overall and 0-3 against NSIC opponents to start the 2024-25 season, most recently coming off a pair of losses to Winona State and Minnesota State Mankato.
The Bulldogs are 5-8 against the Vikings since 2014, holding a 2-4 home record, 2-3 away record, and a 1-1 neutral site record against Augustana. The Bulldogs' largest margin of victory has been 27 points (92-65, Dec. 2023), and defeated the Vikings 88-74 in their most recent matchup in March of last season.
The Vikings are led by senior guard #3 Akoi Akoi who is averaging 13.3 PPG with 120 total points over Augustana's first nine games.
Scouting Report - Wayne State College
The Wayne State College Wildcats are 7-2 overall and 1-2 against NSIC opponents to begin the 2024-25 season, most recently coming off a loss to Minnesota State Mankato and a win over Winona State last weekend.
The Bulldogs are 8-3 against the Wildcats since 2014, holding a 5-1 home record and a 3-2 away record over Wayne State. The Bulldogs' largest margin of victory has been 28 points (82-54, Dec. 2023), and defeated the Wildcats 79-78 in their most recent matchup in February of last season.
The Wildcats are currently led by senior forward #35 Cody McCullough who is averaging 12.8 PPG with 115 total points over the Wildcats' first nine games.
Bulldogs Against the Rest
The Bulldogs rank within the top five in the NSIC in 12 different statistical categories, including seven different categories where they rank within the top three. These categories include:
Blocks Per Game (5th in NSIC, 77th in NCAA)
Fastbreak Points (3rd in NSIC, 168th in NCAA)
Field Goal Percentage (1st in NSIC, 40th in NCAA)
Free Throw Attempts per Game (2nd in NSIC, 72nd in NCAA)
Free Throws Made per Game (4th in NSIC, 113th in NCAA)
Scoring Defense (3rd in NSIC, 22nd in NCAA)
Scoring Margin (5th in NSIC, 49th in NCAA)
Steals per Game (3rd in NSIC, 103rd in NCAA)
Three Point Percentage Defense (5th in NSIC, 61st in NCAA)
Turnover Margin (2nd in NSIC, 69th in NCAA)
Turnovers Forced per Game (2nd in NSIC, 133rd in NCAA)
Turnovers per Game (5th in NSIC, 46th in NCAA)
Rising Through the Record Book
The Bulldog veterans Charlie Katona, Austin Andrews, and Joshua Brown continue to rise on the UMD All Time Scoring list as the season plays on. Katona who now sits at 1,513 career points slots in at #12 on the list, Andrews with 1,482 career points has taken over the #14 spot, and Brown with 1,404 career points now sits at #20.
NABC Rankings
The Bulldogs started off the year ranked NO.13 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason rankings (Oct. 29), before moving up to NO.6 (Nov. 29) after starting the regular season off 3-0. The Bulldogs would go on to add two more wins to the season to move them up to the NO.4 slot (Nov. 26), their highest ever national ranking in program history. The Bulldogs went on to drop to NO.11 (Dec. 3) following their loss to Lake Superior State, and eventually out of the rankings entirely after their losses to SMSU and USF.
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.
Offseason Departures
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 blocker. 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.
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 host the Winona State Warriors next week before traveling to Concordia St. Paul to take on the Golden Bears before the holiday break. Tip-off against the Warriors is currently set for Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 PM.
