Saturday, March 22
Spokane, Wash.
5:10 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
San Diego State
Photo by: Robert Johnson/Icon Sportswire
NDSU Meets No. 11/13 San Diego State with Sweet 16 Bid on the Line
3/21/2014 11:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Complete NDSU Basketball PDF Game Notes
Complete San Diego State Basketball PDF Game Notes
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio
Saturday's Game: The No. 12-seeded North Dakota State men's basketball team (26-6, 12-2 Summit League) will play No. 4 seed San Diego State (30-4, 16-2 Mountain West) in the third round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (11,736) in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, March 22. Game time is set for 5:10 p.m. (CT) / 3:10 p.m. (PT).
What's at Stake: NDSU secured its first Division I NCAA Tournament victory in its second tournament appearance with Thursday's 80-75 overtime win over No. 5 seed Oklahoma. The winner of the North Dakota State-San Diego State contest will advance to the Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16) in Anaheim, Calif.
Television: Live coverage will be on TNT with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Doug Gottlieb (analyst) and Jaime Maggio (reporter) calling the action. NCAA.com/march-madness will have live video streaming of each tournament game.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo and KXMR-AM 710 of Bismarck will broadcast live with Scott Miller calling the play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson on analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows.
Westwood One Sports will broadcast live with Ted Robinson and P.J. Carlesimo calling the action. Audio streaming will be available exclusively at WestwoodOneSports.com.
Series History: Saturday's game will be the fourth meeting all-time between North Dakota State and San Diego State. The Aztecs are 3-0 all-time against the Bison.
The last meeting came on Dec. 15, 1971, in San Diego, with the Aztecs winning that game, 86-69. The two schools played a home-and-home in the 1971-72 season, with San Diego State winning both games. The first meeting in 1970 was a 92-86 SDSU victory.
Title Talk: NDSU swept The Summit League's regular season and tournament titles for the second time in school history. The Bison overcame an eight-point deficit in a 60-57 win over Fort Wayne in the championship game of the league tournament last Tuesday, March 11.
NDSU clinched its second Summit League regular season title with an 82-54 win over South Dakota in Fargo on Feb. 27. The Bison also earned the league crown outright in 2008-09.
Bison in the Postseason: North Dakota State is making its second NCAA tournament and its fourth postseason appearance as a Division I program. NDSU was a No. 14 seed and played Kansas (L, 74-84) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional at the Metrodome. NDSU's first year of Division I postseason eligibility was 2009 after a five-year reclassification from Division II that left the Bison out of the playoffs from 2005 through 2008. The Bison played in the College Basketball Invitational in 2012 and 2013.
Record Number of Wins: The 26 wins this season match the school record of 26 wins set in 1924-25 and 2008-09. NDSU has reached the 20-win mark four times in its 10-year Division I history. With 50 victories over the last two seasons, this is the most successful two-year stretch in program history.
Shooting Prowess: NDSU is No. 1 among all 351 NCAA Division I basketball teams in field goal percentage this season at 51.0 percent. Senior Marshall Bjorklund is No. 2 in the nation in field goal percentage for individuals at 63.4 percent.
National Team Rankings for the Bison:
1st - field goal percentage (51.0%)
15th - fewest turnovers per game (10.0)
15th - free throw percentage (75.2%)
16th - winning percentage (.813)
18th - scoring margin (+10.8 ppg)
38th - rebound margin (+4.5)
44th - scoring offense (76.5 ppg)
65th - turnover margin (+1.7)
National Individual Rankings for the Bison:
2nd - Marshall Bjorklund, field goal percentage (63.4%)
35th - Taylor Braun, free throws made (180)
39th - Lawrence Alexander, free throw percentage (86.6%)
47th - Taylor Braun, free throw attempts (229)
88th - Taylor Braun, points per game (18.0)
85th - TrayVonn Wright, blocks per game (1.77)
Bison Against Top 25 Opponents: Saturday will be North Dakota State's ninth game against a ranked opponent in Division I play, with the Bison holding a 3-5 record in those games. (Rankings are USA Today Coaches/Associated Press.)
#13/15 Wisconsin W, 62-55 Kohl Center Jan. 21, 2006
#9/8 Marquette W, 64-60 Bradley Center Dec. 2, 2006
#13/14 Kansas L, 74-84 Metrodome March 20, 2009 NCAA
#15/17 Minnesota L, 65-84 Williams Arena Nov. 24, 2010
#1/1 Indiana L, 61-87 Assembly Hall Nov. 12, 2012
#16/13 Minnesota L, 57-70 Williams Arena Dec. 11, 2012
#2/3 Ohio State L, 62-79 Value City Arena Dec. 14, 2013
#20/21 Oklahoma W, 80-75 (ot) Spokane Arena March 20, 2014
Seasoned Senior Class: The six Bison seniors have combined to play in 665 career games and have logged over 13,400 minutes, scoring more than 5,500 points and grabbing more than 2,300 rebounds.
High RPI: The Bison are a Summit League-best No. 35 in the latest edition of the official NCAA RPI -- the second-best ranking in school history. NDSU was ranked 32nd in the first official RPI this season on Jan. 10, marking the highest NCAA RPI ranking in school history.
Good Run: The Bison have 50 wins over the last two seasons, marking the most in a two-year span in school history. NDSU has back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1995-96 and 1996-97 campaigns.
Out Front: Over a span of 7 1/2 games leading into the Summit League championship game on March 11, the Bison trailed for only 14 of 300 minutes played, dating back to halftime of the IUPUI game on Feb. 6.
Big Five: NDSU has played 428 minutes this season with starters Lawrence Alexander, Kory Brown, Taylor Braun, TrayVonn Wright and Marshall Bjorklund on the floor together. No other lineup combination has spent more than 84 minutes on the floor together.
Inside the Arc: NDSU ranks 315th among the 351 Division I schools in three-pointers attempted this season. The Bison attempt an average of 14.8 three-pointers per contest, while the national average is around 18 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
The Bison have outscored their opponents by an average of 37-24 in points in the paint this season.
Multiple Threats: Taylor Braun (1,644 points), Marshall Bjorklund (1,432), Lawrence Alexander (1,128) and TrayVonn Wright (1,127) give NDSU four active 1,000-point scorers. NDSU and Elon are the only two Division I teams in the nation this year with four 1,000-point scorers.
Braun and Bjorklund each passed the 1,000-point mark during the 2012-13 season. Wright used a 20-point game at South Dakota on Jan. 30 and Alexander used a 20-point game at Denver on Feb. 1 to pass the milestone.
Senior Mike Felt owns 978 career points for NDSU. If Felt reaches 1,000 points, it will be the first time in Division I history that a school has five active 1,000-point scorers who scored all their points at the same school.
Starts Record: With a start against Western Illinois on Feb. 13, Marshall Bjorklund set the NDSU career record for games started at 119, breaking the mark of 118 set by Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman, who both played from 2005-09. Bjorklund has started every game of his career, starting with the first contest of the 2010-11 season. His record currently stands at 126 games started.
Brown Delivers: Sophomore Kory Brown led The Summit League in field goal percentage in league play, shooting 64.3 percent (45-for-70).
Charity Stripe: NDSU's team free throw percentage of 75.2 percent this season would be the second-highest season percentage in school history. The 1984-85 Bison squad shot 76.8 percent from the line.
Lawrence Alexander was 51-for-57 (89.5 percent) from the free throw line in Summit League games this season.
Felt's Longevity: Mike Felt has played in 131 games in his career, setting the NDSU career record for games played with his 121st at Denver on Feb. 1. Michael Tveidt held the previous high, playing in 120 games from 2006-11.
Over 1,600: Taylor Braun surpassed the 1,600 point mark against Denver on March 10, becoming just the seventh player in NDSU history with more than 1,600 career points.
Balanced Contributions: Taylor Braun ranks seventh at NDSU in career points, eighth in steals, ninth in rebounds and 11th in assists. He is also fourth on the all-time list in free throws made. Braun is the only player in NDSU history to rank top 15 for the Bison in career points, rebounds and assists.
Top 10: Lawrence Alexander is now ninth all-time at NDSU with 350 career assists after recording four vs. Oklahoma on Mar. 20.
Experience Counts: The current NDSU roster has combined to play in 967 career games and make 515 starts, making the Bison one of the most experienced teams in the nation.
Complete San Diego State Basketball PDF Game Notes
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio
Saturday's Game: The No. 12-seeded North Dakota State men's basketball team (26-6, 12-2 Summit League) will play No. 4 seed San Diego State (30-4, 16-2 Mountain West) in the third round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (11,736) in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, March 22. Game time is set for 5:10 p.m. (CT) / 3:10 p.m. (PT).
What's at Stake: NDSU secured its first Division I NCAA Tournament victory in its second tournament appearance with Thursday's 80-75 overtime win over No. 5 seed Oklahoma. The winner of the North Dakota State-San Diego State contest will advance to the Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16) in Anaheim, Calif.
Television: Live coverage will be on TNT with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Doug Gottlieb (analyst) and Jaime Maggio (reporter) calling the action. NCAA.com/march-madness will have live video streaming of each tournament game.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo and KXMR-AM 710 of Bismarck will broadcast live with Scott Miller calling the play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson on analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows.
Westwood One Sports will broadcast live with Ted Robinson and P.J. Carlesimo calling the action. Audio streaming will be available exclusively at WestwoodOneSports.com.
Series History: Saturday's game will be the fourth meeting all-time between North Dakota State and San Diego State. The Aztecs are 3-0 all-time against the Bison.
The last meeting came on Dec. 15, 1971, in San Diego, with the Aztecs winning that game, 86-69. The two schools played a home-and-home in the 1971-72 season, with San Diego State winning both games. The first meeting in 1970 was a 92-86 SDSU victory.
Title Talk: NDSU swept The Summit League's regular season and tournament titles for the second time in school history. The Bison overcame an eight-point deficit in a 60-57 win over Fort Wayne in the championship game of the league tournament last Tuesday, March 11.
NDSU clinched its second Summit League regular season title with an 82-54 win over South Dakota in Fargo on Feb. 27. The Bison also earned the league crown outright in 2008-09.
Bison in the Postseason: North Dakota State is making its second NCAA tournament and its fourth postseason appearance as a Division I program. NDSU was a No. 14 seed and played Kansas (L, 74-84) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional at the Metrodome. NDSU's first year of Division I postseason eligibility was 2009 after a five-year reclassification from Division II that left the Bison out of the playoffs from 2005 through 2008. The Bison played in the College Basketball Invitational in 2012 and 2013.
Record Number of Wins: The 26 wins this season match the school record of 26 wins set in 1924-25 and 2008-09. NDSU has reached the 20-win mark four times in its 10-year Division I history. With 50 victories over the last two seasons, this is the most successful two-year stretch in program history.
Shooting Prowess: NDSU is No. 1 among all 351 NCAA Division I basketball teams in field goal percentage this season at 51.0 percent. Senior Marshall Bjorklund is No. 2 in the nation in field goal percentage for individuals at 63.4 percent.
National Team Rankings for the Bison:
1st - field goal percentage (51.0%)
15th - fewest turnovers per game (10.0)
15th - free throw percentage (75.2%)
16th - winning percentage (.813)
18th - scoring margin (+10.8 ppg)
38th - rebound margin (+4.5)
44th - scoring offense (76.5 ppg)
65th - turnover margin (+1.7)
National Individual Rankings for the Bison:
2nd - Marshall Bjorklund, field goal percentage (63.4%)
35th - Taylor Braun, free throws made (180)
39th - Lawrence Alexander, free throw percentage (86.6%)
47th - Taylor Braun, free throw attempts (229)
88th - Taylor Braun, points per game (18.0)
85th - TrayVonn Wright, blocks per game (1.77)
Bison Against Top 25 Opponents: Saturday will be North Dakota State's ninth game against a ranked opponent in Division I play, with the Bison holding a 3-5 record in those games. (Rankings are USA Today Coaches/Associated Press.)
#13/15 Wisconsin W, 62-55 Kohl Center Jan. 21, 2006
#9/8 Marquette W, 64-60 Bradley Center Dec. 2, 2006
#13/14 Kansas L, 74-84 Metrodome March 20, 2009 NCAA
#15/17 Minnesota L, 65-84 Williams Arena Nov. 24, 2010
#1/1 Indiana L, 61-87 Assembly Hall Nov. 12, 2012
#16/13 Minnesota L, 57-70 Williams Arena Dec. 11, 2012
#2/3 Ohio State L, 62-79 Value City Arena Dec. 14, 2013
#20/21 Oklahoma W, 80-75 (ot) Spokane Arena March 20, 2014
Seasoned Senior Class: The six Bison seniors have combined to play in 665 career games and have logged over 13,400 minutes, scoring more than 5,500 points and grabbing more than 2,300 rebounds.
High RPI: The Bison are a Summit League-best No. 35 in the latest edition of the official NCAA RPI -- the second-best ranking in school history. NDSU was ranked 32nd in the first official RPI this season on Jan. 10, marking the highest NCAA RPI ranking in school history.
Good Run: The Bison have 50 wins over the last two seasons, marking the most in a two-year span in school history. NDSU has back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1995-96 and 1996-97 campaigns.
Out Front: Over a span of 7 1/2 games leading into the Summit League championship game on March 11, the Bison trailed for only 14 of 300 minutes played, dating back to halftime of the IUPUI game on Feb. 6.
Big Five: NDSU has played 428 minutes this season with starters Lawrence Alexander, Kory Brown, Taylor Braun, TrayVonn Wright and Marshall Bjorklund on the floor together. No other lineup combination has spent more than 84 minutes on the floor together.
Inside the Arc: NDSU ranks 315th among the 351 Division I schools in three-pointers attempted this season. The Bison attempt an average of 14.8 three-pointers per contest, while the national average is around 18 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
The Bison have outscored their opponents by an average of 37-24 in points in the paint this season.
Multiple Threats: Taylor Braun (1,644 points), Marshall Bjorklund (1,432), Lawrence Alexander (1,128) and TrayVonn Wright (1,127) give NDSU four active 1,000-point scorers. NDSU and Elon are the only two Division I teams in the nation this year with four 1,000-point scorers.
Braun and Bjorklund each passed the 1,000-point mark during the 2012-13 season. Wright used a 20-point game at South Dakota on Jan. 30 and Alexander used a 20-point game at Denver on Feb. 1 to pass the milestone.
Senior Mike Felt owns 978 career points for NDSU. If Felt reaches 1,000 points, it will be the first time in Division I history that a school has five active 1,000-point scorers who scored all their points at the same school.
Starts Record: With a start against Western Illinois on Feb. 13, Marshall Bjorklund set the NDSU career record for games started at 119, breaking the mark of 118 set by Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman, who both played from 2005-09. Bjorklund has started every game of his career, starting with the first contest of the 2010-11 season. His record currently stands at 126 games started.
Brown Delivers: Sophomore Kory Brown led The Summit League in field goal percentage in league play, shooting 64.3 percent (45-for-70).
Charity Stripe: NDSU's team free throw percentage of 75.2 percent this season would be the second-highest season percentage in school history. The 1984-85 Bison squad shot 76.8 percent from the line.
Lawrence Alexander was 51-for-57 (89.5 percent) from the free throw line in Summit League games this season.
Felt's Longevity: Mike Felt has played in 131 games in his career, setting the NDSU career record for games played with his 121st at Denver on Feb. 1. Michael Tveidt held the previous high, playing in 120 games from 2006-11.
Over 1,600: Taylor Braun surpassed the 1,600 point mark against Denver on March 10, becoming just the seventh player in NDSU history with more than 1,600 career points.
Balanced Contributions: Taylor Braun ranks seventh at NDSU in career points, eighth in steals, ninth in rebounds and 11th in assists. He is also fourth on the all-time list in free throws made. Braun is the only player in NDSU history to rank top 15 for the Bison in career points, rebounds and assists.
Top 10: Lawrence Alexander is now ninth all-time at NDSU with 350 career assists after recording four vs. Oklahoma on Mar. 20.
Experience Counts: The current NDSU roster has combined to play in 967 career games and make 515 starts, making the Bison one of the most experienced teams in the nation.
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