The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team is set to host Winona State University and Concordia University St. Paul this weekend. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. against WSU tomorrow, with CSP to follow on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

OPENING DOMINANCE: The Bulldogs opened the 2025-26 campaign on the road in the GAC/NSIC Challenge, where they earned two back-to-back wins over East Central University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University last weekend. This marked their second straight 2-0 start to the season. After that, they returned home to earn a home opener victory over the College of St. Scholastica, with an overwhelming 89-58 score inside Romano Gymnasium.
 
SIWEK ON THE RISE: After being chosen as the NSIC's Player to Watch for the Bulldogs, redshirt junior Caleb Siwek has gotten off to the best start in his career. He has earned six straight games in the double-digit points category with 34 points on opening day against East Central, 20 points against Southeastern Oklahoma,  21 points against St. Scholastica, 12 points against Michigan Tech, 22 points against Lake Superior State, and 23 points against Bemidji State. He also tallied 28 points against Minnesota State University Moorhead. 
 
A COLOSSAL OUTING FOR PAULSON: In a narrow loss to the conference newcomer, University of Jamestown, Noah Paulson earned 28 points of the teams 70 while shooting 61.5% (8-13) from the field, 91.7% (11-12) in free throws, making his only three pointer for his best outing so far. 
 
COACH WIECK'S 8TH SEASON: Head Coach Justin Wieck enters his eighth season at the helm of UMD men's basketball. Since taking over the program in 2018, he has led the team to three NCAA II Tournament berths, all of which happened back-to-back, with one going all the way to the Elite Eight in the 2023-24 season. Wieck has an overall record of 142-58 with 99-43 in conference play.
 
NSIC LEADERS: The Bulldogs, as a unit, are the third best in scoring defense (72.4 avg/g) in the NSIC, fourth in scoring margin (4.4), fifth in opponent field goals (43.6%), fourth in rebounding margin (2.6), first in turnover margin (2.89), and fifth in steals (7.17 avg/g).
 
Individually, Paulson is leading the NSIC in field goal percentage with 59% (95-161). Hanson is third in free throw percentage with a 88.7% (63-71).
 
LAST MATCH: The Bulldogs fell in overtime to St. Cloud State University in their third straight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) loss Saturday.
 
Leading the effort for the Bulldogs was Kole Hanson with a career high of 32 points. He also set the team's new individual season high in field goals made (12) and field goal attempts (22). Throughout the match, he totaled one steal, two assists, and two rebounds while earning 54.5% (12-22) accuracy from the field, 50% (2-4) beyond the arc, and 100% (6-6) from the free throw line. The next top scorers were Noah Paulson (17), Nick Katona (13), and Jackson Fowlkes (12).
 
The first two minutes saw the Bulldogs put the Huskies behind off a perfect two-for-two three-pointer effort from Paulson and a layup from Katona for an 8-2 lead. The following three minutes had SCSU force a 7-0 scoring run to claw ahead 9-8.
 
That was the first and last time the Huskies had the advantage on the Bulldogs in the half, as the remainder saw UMD get out to a lead and not look back. The Bulldogs scored a colossal 44 points between Kole Hanson (19), Paulson (9), Katona (5), Caleb Siwek (2), Dnaiel Molhoek (2), and Mattie Thompson (2) to force a 52-41 lead into halftime.
 
After the halftime break, the Bulldogs continued to keep the Huskies in the rear-view mirror on a 10-9 scoring run in the first five minutes as they held a 62-50 lead. By the 9:43 mark, SCSU had chipped the lead down to seven after scoring nine points to outpace Hanson's four points.
 
With 2:59 remaining, the Huskies completed a 12-5 scoring run to tie the game at 71-71. Both teams would put in a layup to end regulation at 73-73.
 
Entering overtime, Siwek was the first to score with a jumper 40 seconds in. The next two minutes saw SCSU take the advantage, scoring eight points to force an 81-79 lead over UMD.
 
Overall, the team earned a 45.7% (32-70) from the field, 30.8% (8-26) beyond the arc, and 93.8% (15-16) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the total rebound battle by one with 41 throughout, with Katona leading the effort with 11 rebounds (one offensive).
 
MORE ON THE WARRIORS: The Warriors own the advantage with a 10-8 record over the Bulldogs since 2014. In the last four matches, the two teams have split, with WSU winning last season's set of matches. Leading the scoring for the Warriors is Ryan Heise, who has 218 points to start the season, averaging 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST WSU: After falling behind 13-12 to open the night, UMD went on an 8-0 run with 9:35 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Nick Katona, to take a 20-13 lead. The Bulldogs surrendered that lead, getting out-scored 27-13 throughout the final minutes and entering halftime down 40-33.
 
WSU continued to widen its lead after intermission, constructing a 66-52 advantage before UMD collected seven unanswered points, finished off by Nick Katona's three, to shrink the deficit to 66-59 with 9:31 to go in the contest. The Warriors responded and outscored the Bulldogs the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 86-78. UMD got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 45 total points.
 
The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures, led by Jayden Johnson, who had 16 points and five assists. Austin Andrews tacked on 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists and Charlie Katona chipped in as well with a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
 
The UMD offense still found success across the court, lighting it up from three point land with nine threes throughout the game. The Bulldog bench also made a significant impact, adding 26 points to the scoring output.
 
UMD pulled down 38 rebounds compared to Winona State's 30, led by Katona's 15 boards. The Bulldogs also cleaned up on the offensive glass, turning 10 rebounds into 13 second chance points.
 
MORE ON THE BEARS: The Bulldogs own a 9-5 record over the Bears since 2014. CSP is led by Ben Kopetzki, who has 398 points to start the season while averaging 22.1 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals. He is the top scorer in the NSIC.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST CSP: After falling behind 14-7, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run, bookended by a Noah Paulson three pointer, to push ahead 16-14 early in the first half. UMD gave up their lead, finding themselves behind 35-32 before collecting another nine unanswered points with 6:05 left in the first half to take a 39-35 lead. CSP cut into the lead by a few points as time winded down, but the Bulldogs still entered the halftime break with a 47-44 advantage. UMD did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 47 points close to the basket.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Golden Bears 36-31 throughout the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, but ten straight points allowed CSP to take an 85-83 lead with two minutes to go. As time ticked away, UMD went on a 5-0 run to seize an 88-85 lead with 14 seconds to go in the contest. The Golden Bears narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on for the 88-87 win. UMD took care of business in the paint, recording 32 of its 41 points in the lane.
 
Austin Andrews collected a game high 29 points and nine rebounds while Charlie Katona added 22 points and seven rebounds. Joshua Brown also helped out with 16 points and five assists of his own. The trio combined to account for 76% of the Bulldogs' points.
 
UMD pulled down 31 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to CSP's 30, led by Andrews' nine boards.
 
The Bulldog defense was also effective at taking away the basketball throughout the game, forcing 14 Golden Bear  turnovers while only committing six. Those takeaways turned into 23 points on the other end of the floor. Kole Hanson led the way individually for the Bulldogs with four steals.
 
NSIC REINSTITUTES NORTH/SOUTH DIVISION: With the reestablishment of a two-division system, the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team has been selected as the favorites to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Division.
 
In the NSIC's annual preseason poll, UMD has been ranked as the favorite to win the North Division, receiving 47 points, with the next closest team being Minnesota State University Moorhead with 43 points. Overall, the team finds itself in a tie for fifth with Augustana University, earning an identical 174 points. They both trail Concordia University St. Paul in fourth (176), Minnesota State University Mankato in third (189), St. Cloud State University in second (194), and Southwestern Minnesota State University as the favorites (219).
 
The conference spent the last two seasons with a single division structure where the Bulldogs combined for a 33-11 record in conference play. In the last five seasons of the dual division structure, UMD has had four top-three finishes in the conference, including a North Division win in the 2021-22 season.