The Games: The North Dakota State men’s basketball team will host Omaha on Thursday, Feb. 9, and Denver on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Feb. 9 vs. Omaha 7 p.m. CT WDAY Xtra, ESPN+
Feb. 11 vs. Denver 1 p.m. CT WDAY Xtra, ESPN+
Where to Watch: Both games will be broadcast by WDAY Xtra and available on ESPN+.
Radio: Rob Hipp and Dexter Werner will call the games on 107.9 The Fox and the 107.9 The Fox app. Audio of all NDSU basketball games is always streamed free at GoBison.com/AllAccess.
The Series vs. Omaha: Thursday will be the 90th meeting between North Dakota State and Omaha dating back to 1935-36. NDSU has a 56-33 lead in the series, including eight straight victories. The Bison swept both meetings last season, winning 71-67 in Omaha on Jan. 8 and 71-64 in Fargo on Feb. 3.
The Series vs. Denver: Saturday will be the 28th meeting between NDSU and Denver dating back to the 1993-94 season. The Bison hold a 20-7 advantage in the all-time series after winning the past 10 games vs. the Pioneers, including a sweep of three meetings last season.
Heating Up: NDSU’s three highest field goal percentages of the season have all occurred in the last four games.
- 59.6 percent at South Dakota State on Feb. 4
- 55.4 percent vs. North Dakota on Jan. 27
- 55.1 percent vs. Kansas City on Jan. 21
Three-Headed Bucket: Andrew Morgan (61.6%), Grant Nelson (57.3%), and Boden Skunberg (49.2%) rank first, third and seventh, respectively, for field goal percentage in Summit League play.
Trey-vis: Freshman Tajavis Miller is shooting 48 percent from three-point range (14-for-29) in league play.
Among The Best: In Summit League play, Grant Nelson is averaging 19.8 points, a league-leading 9.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He is shooting 57 percent overall in conference games. Nelson is the only player in The Summit League this season to rank top-five in scoring and field goal percentage.
35-Plus: After scoring a career-high 36 points in NDSU’s win over North Dakota on Jan. 27, Grant Nelson is the first Bison since 2010 with multiple career games of 35-plus points.
30-Plus: Grant Nelson is only the second Bison since 2010 to post three 30-point games in a season. Taylor Braun had four 30-point games for NDSU in the 2013-14 season.
All Five Categories: Grant Nelson leads NDSU in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in Summit League play.
New High for Morgan: Sophomore forward Andrew Morgan scored a career-high 29 points vs. Kansas City on Jan. 21.
Boden’s Buckets: Boden Skunberg erupted for a career-high 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc in NDSU’s 78-65 road win over Omaha on Jan. 14. Skunberg drained a career-best seven three-pointers, including an electric stretch of three treys in 1 minute, 40 seconds, to take control of the game in the second half.
One of a Kind: When Grant Nelson filled the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals at Denver on Jan. 12, he became just the fifth Summit League player since 1996 to hit those marks in a game – but the first to accomplish it in under 30 minutes.
Upcoming Milestone: NDSU head coach David Richman needs one more victory to tie for second on the all-time wins list at North Dakota State. Now in his ninth season, Richman has compiled 168 wins. B.C. Bentson currently stands second on the list with a career mark of 169-207. Erv Inniger is the all-time winningest coach at NDSU with a mark of 244-150.
Wide Variety: NDSU has used 12 different starting lineups this season. No starting five combination has been used more than five times.
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