The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team is rolling into another split home and away week of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play, hosting the No. 17 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 5:30 PM and hitting the road to take on the Augustana University Vikings on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 3:30 PM.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs are coming off a split week after a Wednesday 78-86 road loss to the Winona State University Warriors, and a huge 88-87 home victory against the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears.
UMD jumped out to an early seven point lead to open the night on the road in Winona on Wednesday, but that lead was short lived as they fell to a 40-33 deficit by the halftime break and was unable to take it back before the end of the game.
The Bulldogs bounced back in their return to Romano Gymnasium to host the Golden Bears, putting together a pair of nine point runs in the first half to collect a 47-44 lead at the halftime break. CSP would bounce back to take a 85-83 lead as time winded down, but five unanswered points for the Bulldogs and an all important stop on the last possession of the game would secure the game for UMD.
Last Week's Spotlight Players
#32 Austin Andrews - 2 GP, 43 PTS, 18 REB, 6 A, 2 STL, 70.4 FG%
#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 34 PTS, 22 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 1 A
#1 Joshua Brown - 2 GP, 24 PTS, 6 REB, 7 A, 1 BLK, 1 STL
Scouting Report - Southwest Minn. State
The Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs are 18-4 overall and 13-3 against NSIC opponents, most recently coming off a 88-81 victory over the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.
The Bulldogs are 3-10 against the Mustangs since 2014, holding a 3-3 home record and a 0-7 away record against SMSU after falling to the Mustangs 66-79 on the road earlier this season. UMD's largest margin of victory over Southwest has been 29 points (91-62, Jan. 2022).
The Mustangs are currently led in scoring by sophomore forward #0 Aeron Stevens, who is averaging 15.1 points per game with 317 total points over 21 games played this season.
Scouting Report - Augustana
The Augustana University Vikings are 10-12 overall and 7-9 against NSIC opponents this season, most recently coming off a 48-54 loss to the Wayne State College Wildcats.
The Bulldogs are 6-8 against the Vikings since 2014, holding a 3-4 home record, 2-3 away record, and a 1-1 neutral site record against AU after taking them down 70-61 earlier this season at Romano Gym. UMD's largest margin of victory over Augustana has been 27 points (92-65, Dec. 2023).
The Vikings are currently led in scoring junior guard #1 Tanner Te Slaa, who is averaging 14.7 points per game with 323 total points over 22 games played this season.
Bulldogs Against the Rest
The Bulldogs rank within the top five in the NSIC in 15 different statistical categories, including five 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 - 0.549 (4th in NSIC, 51st in NCAA)
Field Goal Percentage - 48.4 (4th in NSIC, 41st in NCAA)
Field Goal Percentage Defense - 41.8 (2nd in NSIC, 39th in NCAA)
Free Throw Attempts per Game - 21.1 (5th in NSIC, 88th in NCAA)
Free Throws Made Per Game - 13.7 (5th in NSIC, 159th in NCAA)
Rebounds Margin - 4.1 (3rd in NSIC, 55th in NCAA)
Scoring Defense - 67.6 (3rd in NSIC, 35th in NCAA)
Scoring Margin - 9.5 (2nd in NSIC, 39th in NCAA)
Scoring Offense - 77.1 (5th in NSIC, 124th in NCAA)
Three Point Percentage Defense - 31.5 (2nd in NSIC, 53rd in NCAA)
Turnover Margin - 1.8 (4th in NSIC, 78th in NCAA)
Turnovers Forced Per Game - 12.58 (5th in NSIC, 168th in NCAA)
Turnovers Per Game - 10.5 (4th in NSIC, 22nd in NCAA)
Winning Percentage - 66.7 (5th in NSIC, 67th 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 (6th - 1741 career points)
- Austin Andrews (9th - 1622 career points)
- Joshua Brown (13th - 1563 career points)
Rebounds
- Austin Andrews (5th - 828 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 prepare for a loaded schedule next week in their last three home games of the regular season, taking on the reigning national champions in the Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks before a full weekend against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons and the Northern State University Wolves. Tip-off against the Mavericks is currently set for Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7:00 PM.
