SIU looks to rebound from their 1 point loss at Wichita State on Tuesday in Carbondale.
Meet the Bison:
North Dakota State is coached by David Richman in his 10th year as head coach. Richman is an alum at NDSU and was an assistant under Saul Phillips before taking over the head coaching job when Phillips left for Ohio. Richman has led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament twice as head coach and should have had them there a 3rd time in 2020.
The Bison were picked 3rd in the preseason Summit League media poll behind South Dakota State and Oral Roberts. They're 10th in the country in minutes continuity from last season (71.3%). NDSU is 309th in the country in adjusted tempo (66.2) and 341st in the country in average possession length on the offensive end (19.2 seconds).
North Dakota State's best win this year comes against #152 KenPom ranked Montana on the road. They're coming off a 10 point loss to Illinois State in their current 2-game Illinois roadtrip. They also have a 108-14 win over Oak Hill Christian and you have to see how bad that team was in this video.
On the offensive end, North Dakota State has excelled a 3 point shooting. They're 28th in the country in 3 point % (38.5%) and 33.2% of their points come from 3 pointers which is 104th in the country. They've also done a good job at taking care of the basketball as they're 29th in the country in steal % on the offensive end (7.2%) and 113rd in the country in turnover % (16.7%). The Bison have struggled inside though, they're 292nd in the country in 2 point % (46.1%) and 336th in the country in block % on the offensive end (13.2%).
It's been a struggle for the Bison on the defensive end. They're 299th in the country in defensive efficiency (109.9) and 331st in the country in 3 point % against (37.4%). They struggle to create any kind of turnovers, they're 339th in the country in steal % (6.4%), 345th in the country in turnover % (13.7%), and 350th in the country in block % (4.3%).
The leading scorer for the Bison is 6-5 Senior Boden Skunberg averaging 13.5 points per game. Skunberg saw big improvements last year which led to him being named to the All-Summit League first team this offseason. Skunberg was 278th in the country last season in 3 point % (55-141, 39%) but hasn't been hitting them this year (11-39, 28.2%).
The 2nd leading scorer for NDSU is 6-0 Sophomore Damari Wheeler-Thompson averaging 13.4 points per game. Wheeler-Thompson is from Larkin High School in Elgin, Illinois and is 440th in the country in assist rate (19.4%) and leads the teams in assists with 3.2 assists per game.
The leading rebounder for the Bison is 6-4 Sophomore Tajavis Miller averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. Miller was a 3 star recruit out of Lubbock, Texas and chose NDSU over offers from SMU, Pepperdine, and Loyola Marymount. Miller is 47th in the country in 3 point % (15-31, 48.4%), 190th in the country in effective field goal % (58.8%), and 257th in the country in true shooting % (60.3%).
Other players to watch out for include the leader in possessions for the Bison, 6-10 Junior Andrew Morgan. Morgan is 121st in the country in offensive rebounding % (12.1%). 6-3 Junior Jacari White was a JUCO transfer from State College of Florida. He's 176th in the country in 3 point % (16-37, 43.2%), 404th in the country in effective field goal % (54.4%), and 481st in the country in true shooting % (56.6%).
Links:
SIU Game Notes
North Dakota State Game Notes
It's a generally favorable circumstance for Southern in that it's the back end of a road swing, far from home, for North Dakota State, which was in pretty good shape at ISU yesterday until the final 8 minutes or so.
Things I want to see:
- The bigs building on a very good second half at Wichita. Ebube has earned an extended opportunity in this game.
- Hensley needs playing time to shake off some rust before MVC play. Give him 20sh minutes.
- Some minutes adjustments in the backcourt. Johnson should not play 40 minutes a night, certainly not in non-conference home games. More (some!) minutes for Miller, or if not Miller, Sharp: you can't roll with one point guard heading into the Valley grind. And semi-related, playing Brown 35 minutes a night is not taking advantage of the size/length you have on your roster. If he's shooting well, play him 25 minutes a night. If not, fewer.
Schedule-wise, this is a prime opportunity to notch some wins these next few weeks. Have to take advantage.
North Dakota State had that big win against Oak Hill...Thanks for posting that in the preview, I have to give it a watch today for sure.
I must admit that I was rather relieved when the Bison football team lost to Montana in the Semi-finals on Saturday. Nice to see someone else in the National Title game. Fantastic game however.
I must also admit that I know very little about their basketball team/talent. I believe during the Covid season we played them twice, winning both contests.
Was surprised we had an opportunity to win the game at Wichita, as we played better in the second half of that contest. I do believe we will play much better tomorrow night, and will start the contest off much stronger than previous showings. As stated earlier, Mr. Hensley will indeed be a positive contributor moving forward. Simply love the intangibles he brings.
SALUKIS 77 BISON 61
GO DAWGS!
North Dakota State had that big win against Oak Hill...Thanks for posting that in the preview, I have to give it a watch today for sure.
Here's their team photo if you need a good laugh lol
I must also admit that I know very little about their basketball team/talent. I believe during the Covid season we played them twice, winning both contests.
That was North Dakota. This is the first meeting against them since 1965
This is a joke, right?North Dakota State had that big win against Oak Hill...Thanks for posting that in the preview, I have to give it a watch today for sure.
Here's their team photo if you need a good laugh lol
I must also admit that I know very little about their basketball team/talent. I believe during the Covid season we played them twice, winning both contests.
That was North Dakota. This is the first meeting against them since 1965
Thank you for the clarification. 1965 is a long time ago. I hope we were victorious.
I bet them boys know how to party though! They look like they could have starred in Animal House.North Dakota State had that big win against Oak Hill...Thanks for posting that in the preview, I have to give it a watch today for sure.
Here's their team photo if you need a good laugh lol
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
I bet them boys know how to party though! They look like they could have starred in Animal House.North Dakota State had that big win against Oak Hill...Thanks for posting that in the preview, I have to give it a watch today for sure.
Here's their team photo if you need a good laugh lol
Or "Revenge of the Nerds." 😀
March on triumphantly!
SIU is currently an 8.5 favorite in this one.
I want a humiliating blowout of the Buffaloes - payback for all the football beatdowns!
@salukifan32 why do I get the feeling that team is a performance art piece.
I also suspect a bad high school team probably would beat them.
I also noticed in that highlight reel NDSU was leaving a lot of dudes wide open, probably due to lack of hustle due to the opposing team being unable to hit the broad side of a barn.
Though to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if pretty much any team would have the same issue.
If NDSU leaves as many Salukis open tonight they might lose by 50+
