The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team is back in Romano Gymnasium for the first time in 2025 on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3:00 PM, taking on the St. Cloud State University Huskies in their annual Sophie's Squad mental health awareness game.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs started off the new year with a weekend sweep on the road, coming from behind to take down the Northern State University Wolves and putting up a dominant second half showing over the previously ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons.
UMD started off the night against NSU slowly, narrowly falling behind 40-37 throughout the opening 18 minutes of the first half. The Bulldogs would benefit off a burst of scoring momentum to take the lead before the halftime intermission, and hold on to it throughout the rest of the evening to collect the 83-72 victory.
The Bulldogs pushed the Dragons to a 35-35 tie by the halftime intermission in their final game of the weekend, continuing to keep things close throughout the opening of the second half. With about 12 minutes left, UMD would collect a 10 point lead that would only continue to grow as the Bulldogs took home the 71-56 win.
Last Weekend's Spotlight Players
#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 35 PTS, 10 REB, 7 A, 3 STL
#4 Caleb Siwek - 2 GP, 30 PTS, 15 REB, 6 A, 1 BLK, 1 STL
#1 Joshua Brown - 2 GP, 23 PTS, 16 REB, 6 A
Scouting Report - St. Cloud State University
The St. Cloud State University Huskies are 10-7 overall and 6-3 against NSIC opponents throughout the 2024-25 season, most recently picking up a 93-89 win over the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears.
The Bulldogs are 12-9 against the Huskies since 2013, holding a 7-3 home record and a 5-6 away record against SCSU. UMD's largest margin of victory over the Huskies has been 21 points (95-74, Dec. 2019), and defeated SCSU 80-69 in their most recent matchup last season.
The Huskies are currently led in scoring by sophomore guard #10 Nate Dahl, who is averaging 13.0 points per game with 221 total points over 17 games with SCSU this season.
Bulldogs Against the Rest
The Bulldogs rank within the top five in the NSIC in 12 different statistical categories, including four different categories where they rank within the top three. These categories include:
Blocks Per Game - 3.9 (2nd in NSIC, 61st in NCAA)
Effective Field Goal Percentage - 0.541 (3rd in NSIC, 61st in NCAA)
Field Goal Percentage - 47.8 (4th in NSIC, 56th in NCAA)
Field Goal Percentage Defense - 42.0 (4th in NSIC, 63rd in NCAA)
Free Throw Attempts per Game - 20.7 (5th in NSIC, 108th in NCAA)
Rebounds Margin - 4.7 (4th in NSIC, 61st in NCAA)
Scoring Defense - 66.9 (4th in NSIC, 36th in NCAA)
Scoring Margin - 9.4 (2nd in NSIC, 53rd in NCAA)
Scoring Offense - 76.3 (2nd in NSIC, 53rd in NCAA)
Steals per Game - 7.2 (5th in NSIC, 148th in NCAA)
Turnover Margin - 1.5 (4th in NSIC, 98th in NCAA)
Turnovers Per Game - 10.7 (5th in NSIC, 23rd in NCAA)
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 continue their three game homestand next weekend against the Bemidji State University Beavers and the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. Tip-off against the Beavers is currently set for Friday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 PM.
