The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team will take on the reigning NCAA DII national champions on the home hardwood for a mid-week showdown, tipping off against the Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks at Romano Gymnasium on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7:00 PM.

 

Last Time Out 

 

The Bulldogs collected a sweep of a week across the NSIC, pulling out the 63-44 victory over the nationally ranked Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs on Wednesday before tallying a 76-66 victory on the road over the Augustana University Mustangs.

 

UMD shot out to an early 13-0 lead over the No.17 ranked Mustangs to start out the week, controlling the rebound game to hold a 31-20 lead by the halftime break. The Bulldogs continued to widen their lead in the second half, cruising to a 63-44 win while out-rebounding SMSU 43-25 throughout the night.

 

A late surge in the first half on the road gave UMD the 37-28 lead heading into the halftime break. The Bulldogs continued their scoring momentum going into the second half, coasting to the 76-66 victory while collecting 14 boards on the offensive glass throughout the game.

 

Last Week's Spotlight Players

 

#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 30 PTS, 14 REB, 10 A, 3 STL, 1 BLK

 

#32 Austin Andrews - 2 GP, 21 PTS, 22 REB, 6 A, 2 STL, 75.0 FT%

 

#11 Nick Katona - 2 GP, 19 PTS, 17 REB, 1 A, 1 BLK, 1 STL

 

Scouting Report - Minnesota State Mankato

 

The Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks are 16-9 overall and 12-5 against NSIC opponents throughout the 2024-25 season, most recently coming off a 75-73 win over the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.

 

The Bulldogs are 5-8 against the Mavericks since 2014, holding a 3-2 hom record, 2-4 away record, and a 0-2 neutral site record against MSU after falling to them 77-97 in last year's NSIC tournament championship. UMD's largest margin of victory over Mankato has been 20 points (88-68, Feb. 2023).

 

The Mavericks are currently led in scoring by senior guard #1 Kyreses Willingham who is averaging 18.3 points per game with 457 total points over 25 total games this season.

 

Bulldogs Against the Rest

 

The Bulldogs rank within the top five in the NSIC in 13 different statistical categories, including six different categories where they rank within the top three. These categories include:

 

Blocks Per Game - 3.3 (4th in NSIC, 103rd in NCAA)

Effective Field Goal Percentage - 0.544 (3rd in NSIC, 55th in NCAA)

Field Goal Percentage - 47.9 (4th in NSIC, 47th in NCAA)

Field Goal Percentage Defense - 41.1 (2nd in NSIC, 26th in NCAA)

Free Throw Attempts per Game - 21.0 (5th in NSIC, 89th in NCAA)

Free Throws Made Per Game - 13.7 (5th in NSIC, 156th in NCAA)

Rebounds Margin - 5.0 (3rd in NSIC, 41st in NCAA)

Rebounds Per Game - 36.70 (5th in NSIC, 108th in NCAA)

Scoring Defense - 66.5 (2nd in NSIC, 20th in NCAA)

Scoring Margin - 10.0 (2nd in NSIC, 29th in NCAA)

Three Point Percentage Defense - 31.5 (1st in NSIC, 47th in NCAA)

Turnover Margin - 1.4 (5th in NSIC, 94th in NCAA)

Winning Percentage - 69.6 (5th in NSIC, 50th in NCAA)

 

Rising Through The Record Books

 

Fifth year seniors Austin Andrews, Joshua Brown, and Charlie Katona continue to rise through the Bulldog men's basketball record books through their final year in the maroon and gold, seeing their names rise in categories such as:

 

Scoring 

- Charlie Katona (5th - 1771 career points)

- Austin Andrews (9th - 1643 career points)

- Joshua Brown (11th - 1588 career points)

 

Rebounds

- Austin Andrews (5th - 850 career rebounds)

 

Katona Named to Small College Basketball Award Watchlists

 

Fifth year senior Charlie Katona was named to Small College Basketball's Top 100 watchlist for the 2024-25 Bevo Francis Award on January 15.

 

The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player with the strongest season throughout Small College Basketball, accounting for season statistics, individual achievements, personal character, and team achievements. This reward considers some of the top players from Division II, Division III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA basketball.

 

Katona was also named to the 2024-25 Trevor Hudgins Award Top 25 watch list on February 1.

 

Considerations for the Trevor Hudgins Award are overall career statistics and achievements, team achievements, awards, and personal character. The player must have played his entire career at the small college level. The overall intent of the Trevor Hudgins Award is two-fold: 1) To keep the collegiate legacy of Trevor Hudgins alive and continue to tell his story to the next generation, and 2) To provide a national platform to honor outstanding players – and ultimately one player – within small college basketball on an annual basis.

 

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 play their final home games of the 2024-25 regular season this weekend against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons and the Northern State University Wolves. Tip-off against the Dragons is currently set for Friday, Feb. 14, at 5:30PM.