Friday, March 20
Seattle, Wash.
8:50 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
Gonzaga
Photo by: Tyler Ingham
Bison Play No. 7 Gonzaga in 3rd NCAA Tournament Appearance in 7 Years
3/17/2015 5:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Complete NDSU Basketball PDF Game Notes
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio
Friday's Game: The No. 15-seeded North Dakota State men's basketball team (23-9, 12-4 Summit League) will play No. 2 seed Gonzaga (32-2, 17-1 West Coast Conference) in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyArena (capacity 17,072) in Seattle, Wash., on Friday, March 20. Game time is set for approximately 8:50 p.m. (CT) / 6:50 p.m. (PT).
What's at Stake: NDSU is looking for its second Division I NCAA Tournament victory in its third tournament appearance. The winner of the North Dakota State-Gonzaga contest will play the winner of No. 7 seed Iowa and No. 10 seed Davidson in the third round on Sunday, March 22, with that game time still to be determined.
Television: Live coverage will be on TNT with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Mike Gminski (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 will broadcast live with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson on analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows.
Westwood One Sports will broadcast live on Sirius channel 93 and XM channel 203 with Kevin Calabro and P.J. Carlesimo calling the action. Free audio streaming will be available exclusively at NCAA.com/marchmadnesslive and WestwoodOneSports.com/Seattle.
Series History: NDSU and Gonzaga have met once in basketball -- a 74-70 victory for the Zags on Dec. 29, 1956, in Williston, N.D. The Bison are 2-1 against members of the West Coast Conference in their Division I era (since 2004-05) including a 91-85 road victory at Santa Clara on Nov. 29, 2013, in the most recent game against a WCC opponent.
Title Talk: NDSU won its third Summit League regular season title and third league tournament title this year after earning both league crowns in the 2008-09 and 2013-14 seasons. The Bison own back-to-back regular season conference titles for the first time since the 1940-41 and 1941-42 seasons in the North Central Conference.
Another 20-Win Season: NDSU has reached the 20-win mark five times in its 11-year Division I history.
Three-Year Plan: The Bison have posted three straight 20-win seasons for just the second time in school history. NDSU won 20-plus games for four straight seasons from 1993-97. NDSU's 73 wins over the last three seasons are the most in school history in a three-year span.
Bison in the Postseason: North Dakota State is making its third NCAA tournament appearance and its fifth postseason appearance as a Division I program. The Bison played in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2014 and made appearances in the College Basketball Invitational in 2012 and 2013.
Bison Against Top 25 Opponents: Friday will be North Dakota State's 12th game against a ranked opponent in Division I play, with the Bison holding a 3-8 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 Mar. 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 Mar. 20, 2014 NCAA
#11/13 San Diego St. L, 44-63 Spokane Arena Mar. 22, 2014 NCAA
#10/10 Texas L, 50-85 Erwin Center Nov. 14, 2014
#25/RV Iowa L, 56-87 Carver Hawkeye Arena Nov. 17. 2014
15 Over 2: In the history of the NCAA Tournament, there have been seven No. 15 seeds that have defeated No. 2 seeds. The 15-2 upset has happened three times since 2012, most recently with Florida Gulf Coast knocking off Georgetown 78-68 in 2013.
The last three times a 15 seed beat a 2 seed, the game was played on a Friday.
Player & Coach of the Year: Lawrence Alexander was selected as The Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and NDSU first-year head coach David Richman earned the league's Coach of the Year award. Redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson was named honorable mention All-Summit League, as well as earning a spot as the lone freshman on the All-Newcomer Team. Sophomore forward Dexter Werner won the league's Sixth Man of the Year honor.
Alexander becomes NDSU's second consecutive Summit League Player of the Year and third overall, joining Taylor Braun (2013-14) and Ben Woodside (2008-09). Richman's honor is the third Coach of the Year award claimed by NDSU in the last seven years, after Saul Phillips won in 2008-09 and 2013-14.
Sign of a Program: NDSU is the only school in the country to claim its league's Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards with four different people over the last two seasons (Alexander, Braun, Richman, Phillips).
Summit League Numbers: NDSU will attempt to become the first Summit League team to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons. A victory by the Bison would also be the first time the league posted wins in the Big Dance in back-to-back seasons since 1986-87.
NDSU's No. 15 seed is The Summit League's lowest since 2006.
The Bison earned a share of The Summit League's regular season title with a mark of 12-4 in league play, despite being picked fifth in the league's preseason poll.
Lockdown Defense: The Bison allowed an average of 54 points per game in three Summit League Tournament victories.
Home Court: The Bison have won 25 straight home games, which is tied with Kansas for the 5th-longest active home winning streak in the nation. NDSU is 38-2 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, with the only two losses being to Southern Miss (70-69) on Nov. 18, 2013, and Western Illinois (49-36) on Feb. 14, 2013.
Three-Point Improvement: The Bison saw a dramatic improvement in their three-point shooting over a two-month stretch late in the season. On Dec. 24, NDSU was shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and ranked 137th in the nation. On Feb. 24, NDSU was shooting 39.5 percent and ranked 24th in the country.
NDSU record when leading at half: 17-0
NDSU record when tied at half: 2-0
NDSU record when trailing at half: 4-9
Taking Care: The Bison are averaging 9.8 turnovers per game this season – an average which ranks them ninth-best in the nation. NDSU is also ranked 13th in Division I for fewest fouls committed per game at 15.1.
50 or Less: NDSU has held opponents to 50 or fewer points seven times this season.
Three-Year Run: The Bison are in the midst of the winningest three-year run in school history. NDSU is 73-26 since the start of the 2012-13 season, including a mark of 43-11 against league opponents.
Up to Fourth: With 25 points in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament, Alexander moved to fourth on the NDSU all-time scoring list with 1,736 points. He is one of five players in school history to surpass 1,700 career points.
Lawrence Alexander's National Rankings (as of Mar. 17)
2nd in minutes per game (38.6)
8th in 3-point field goal percentage (44.1%)
12th in 3-pointers made (100)
13th in 3-pointers made per game (3.13)
22nd in total points (605)
32nd in points per game (18.9)
Starts Record: Lawrence Alexander has passed Marshall Bjorklund (2010-14) for the NDSU record with 130 career games started. Mike Felt (2009-14) holds the NDSU career record for games played at 132.
Only One: Lawrence Alexander is the only player in NDSU history with at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in his career.
Threes Record: Lawrence Alexander's 100 three-pointers this season are a new school record. Alexander broke the mark held by Ross Manson, who made 85 three-pointers in the 1993-94 season.
Wins Record: Lawrence Alexander owns the most wins ever by a Bison basketball player. He has 90 wins in his career, passing the previous record of 82 held by Mike Felt (2009-14). NDSU is 90-40 during Alexander's career.
Most Minutes: Alexander has passed Ben Woodside (2005-09) for the NDSU record for minutes played in a career. Woodside played 4,117 minutes in 118 games. Alexander has totaled 4,595 minutes in 130 games.
Senior Steps Up: Alexander has 13 games this season with four or more three-pointers. He only had three such games over his first three seasons combined.
Downtown L.A.: Alexander is ranked 13th in the nation with 3.13 three-pointers per game. He has made multiple treys in 25 of 32 games.
Best Around: Alexander led The Summit League in points per game (19.1), three-pointers made (93) and minutes per game (38.6).
League's Best: Senior Lawrence Alexander was named the Summit League Player of the Week for the second week in a row, the third time this season, and the fourth time in his career after averaging 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on Feb. 12-14.
At the Line: Lawrence Alexander is 55-of-61 (90%) from the free throw line in the final five minutes of games.
Iron Man: Lawrence Alexander is playing an average of 38.6 minutes through 32 games this season, ranking him second in the nation in minutes. The senior guard has played 40 or more minutes 16 times this year. Over 130 career games, Alexander has averaged 35.3 minutes -- the most in NDSU history.
Dishing It Out: Lawrence Alexander's 408 career assists rank him No. 6 all-time at NDSU.
Every Game: NDSU senior guard Lawrence Alexander has started all 130 games in his career.
Record-Breaking Day: Alexander drained an NDSU single-game record eight three-pointers in a 71-47 win over South Dakota on Feb. 7. That output is tied for the 14th-most in a game in all of Division I this season.
Finishing Strong: Over the last eight games, redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson is averaging 15.8 points per game, well above his season average of 11.9 points per game.
Top Freshman: A.J. Jacobson is The Summit League's top scoring freshman, both overall and in league play. He ranked eighth in the league in three-point field goal percentage at 44.3 percent, and was No. 2 in free throw percentage (89.4 percent) in league play. Jacobson made multiple three-pointers in 11 of 16 league games.
Freshman Numbers: Jacobson has scored the second-most points by a Bison freshman since 2006, behind only Lawrence Alexander.
Ninth on the List: Jacobson ranks 9th in school history with a three-point percentage of 40.5%.
At the Line: A.J. Jacobson made 42-of-47 free throw attempts (89.4 percent) in league play -- good enough for the second-best percentage in The Summit League.
Eight Boards: Jacobson has pulled down eight rebounds on four different occasions this season.
Summit Quarterfinals: Jacobson scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Bison to a 61-50 win over Denver in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament.
First Game Back: In his first game back after missing five games with a knee injury, redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson hit his first three shots from three-point range and finished with 17 points against Northland College on Dec. 28.
The Mayor Goes Downtown: A.J. Jacobson connected on a career-best five three-pointers in NDSU's victory over Montana State on Nov. 30. Jacobson made four treys in the first eight minutes of the second half and finished with 15 points.
Sixth Man: Sophomore forward Dexter Werner was named The Summit Leaue's Sixth Man of the Year.
Off the Bench: Werner has nine games of 7+ rebounds this season. He has scored in double figures 12 times.
Double-Double: Dexter Werner recorded his first career double-double to lift NDSU to a 61-50 victory over Alcorn State in the consolation game of the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 22. Werner scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Bison in both categories.
Sweet 16: Dexter Werner pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in NDSU's 55-46 win over Akron on Dec. 16. Werner's rebound total was the highest by a Bison in over eight years – since Andre Smith had 17 at Minnesota on Nov. 13, 2006.
Career-High: Werner scored a career-high 17 points in NDSU's 71-42 rout of North Dakota on Dec. 13. He made 6-of-9 shots from the floor.
Half-Dozen Blocks: Werner registered a career-high six blocks in NDSU's win over Minnesota-Crookston on Nov. 25, tying him for the second-most in a game in school history. It was the most blocks by a Bison since Jordan Aaberg also recorded six against Green Bay in 2009.
Brown's Scoring: Kory Brown posted what were then the two highest point totals of his career in back-to-back home games on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16. Brown scored 18 points in a victory over North Dakota on Dec. 13 and followed up with 15 points in a win over Akron on Dec. 16.
Key to Success: NDSU is 10-1 this season when Kory Brown scores more than 10 points.
Last NCAA Tournament: Brown was NDSU's high scorer in its most recent NCAA Tournament game, scoring 13 points vs. San Diego State in the third round last season.
Experienced Junior: Kory Brown started 65 games for the Bison prior to his junior season -- an all-time NDSU record he shares with teammate Lawrence Alexander.
Shot Blocker: Chris Kading ranked second in The Summit League with 1.7 blocks per game in league play. He had multiple blocks in 10 of 16 league games.
Climbing the Charts: Kading ranks fourth in school history with 91 career blocked shots.
Academic All-District: Kading was named first-team Academic All-District by CoSIDA this season. He owns a 3.80 GPA with a major in exercise science.
Season-High: Kading tallied a season-best 13 points in a win at Montana State on Nov. 30.
Stat Sheet Filler: Sophomore guard Carlin Dupree has at least three rebounds in every game but one this year. He has registered an assist in all but three games.
Dupree's Big Game: Sophomore guard Carlin Dupree scored a career-best 16 points on Dec. 3 at Southern Miss, with 14 of his points coming in the second half.
Grand Larceny: Dupree registered five steals in a win over IUPUI on Feb. 19 -- the most by any Bison in a game this season.
Bigger Role: After averaging 7.8 minutes per game as a freshman last season, Dupree is playing 32.9 minutes per contest this year. He has started all 32 games.
True Freshman: Paul Miller has played 29 minutes per game and made six starts as a true freshman this year.
Season-High: Miller scored 17 points in back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State and Hampton on Nov. 21-22.
Quick Start: Miller made his first seven shots in his first collegiate action -- an exhibition game vs. Division II Minot State on Nov. 5.
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio
Friday's Game: The No. 15-seeded North Dakota State men's basketball team (23-9, 12-4 Summit League) will play No. 2 seed Gonzaga (32-2, 17-1 West Coast Conference) in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyArena (capacity 17,072) in Seattle, Wash., on Friday, March 20. Game time is set for approximately 8:50 p.m. (CT) / 6:50 p.m. (PT).
What's at Stake: NDSU is looking for its second Division I NCAA Tournament victory in its third tournament appearance. The winner of the North Dakota State-Gonzaga contest will play the winner of No. 7 seed Iowa and No. 10 seed Davidson in the third round on Sunday, March 22, with that game time still to be determined.
Television: Live coverage will be on TNT with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Mike Gminski (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 will broadcast live with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson on analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows.
Westwood One Sports will broadcast live on Sirius channel 93 and XM channel 203 with Kevin Calabro and P.J. Carlesimo calling the action. Free audio streaming will be available exclusively at NCAA.com/marchmadnesslive and WestwoodOneSports.com/Seattle.
Series History: NDSU and Gonzaga have met once in basketball -- a 74-70 victory for the Zags on Dec. 29, 1956, in Williston, N.D. The Bison are 2-1 against members of the West Coast Conference in their Division I era (since 2004-05) including a 91-85 road victory at Santa Clara on Nov. 29, 2013, in the most recent game against a WCC opponent.
Title Talk: NDSU won its third Summit League regular season title and third league tournament title this year after earning both league crowns in the 2008-09 and 2013-14 seasons. The Bison own back-to-back regular season conference titles for the first time since the 1940-41 and 1941-42 seasons in the North Central Conference.
Another 20-Win Season: NDSU has reached the 20-win mark five times in its 11-year Division I history.
Three-Year Plan: The Bison have posted three straight 20-win seasons for just the second time in school history. NDSU won 20-plus games for four straight seasons from 1993-97. NDSU's 73 wins over the last three seasons are the most in school history in a three-year span.
Bison in the Postseason: North Dakota State is making its third NCAA tournament appearance and its fifth postseason appearance as a Division I program. The Bison played in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2014 and made appearances in the College Basketball Invitational in 2012 and 2013.
Bison Against Top 25 Opponents: Friday will be North Dakota State's 12th game against a ranked opponent in Division I play, with the Bison holding a 3-8 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 Mar. 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 Mar. 20, 2014 NCAA
#11/13 San Diego St. L, 44-63 Spokane Arena Mar. 22, 2014 NCAA
#10/10 Texas L, 50-85 Erwin Center Nov. 14, 2014
#25/RV Iowa L, 56-87 Carver Hawkeye Arena Nov. 17. 2014
15 Over 2: In the history of the NCAA Tournament, there have been seven No. 15 seeds that have defeated No. 2 seeds. The 15-2 upset has happened three times since 2012, most recently with Florida Gulf Coast knocking off Georgetown 78-68 in 2013.
The last three times a 15 seed beat a 2 seed, the game was played on a Friday.
Player & Coach of the Year: Lawrence Alexander was selected as The Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and NDSU first-year head coach David Richman earned the league's Coach of the Year award. Redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson was named honorable mention All-Summit League, as well as earning a spot as the lone freshman on the All-Newcomer Team. Sophomore forward Dexter Werner won the league's Sixth Man of the Year honor.
Alexander becomes NDSU's second consecutive Summit League Player of the Year and third overall, joining Taylor Braun (2013-14) and Ben Woodside (2008-09). Richman's honor is the third Coach of the Year award claimed by NDSU in the last seven years, after Saul Phillips won in 2008-09 and 2013-14.
Sign of a Program: NDSU is the only school in the country to claim its league's Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards with four different people over the last two seasons (Alexander, Braun, Richman, Phillips).
Summit League Numbers: NDSU will attempt to become the first Summit League team to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons. A victory by the Bison would also be the first time the league posted wins in the Big Dance in back-to-back seasons since 1986-87.
NDSU's No. 15 seed is The Summit League's lowest since 2006.
The Bison earned a share of The Summit League's regular season title with a mark of 12-4 in league play, despite being picked fifth in the league's preseason poll.
Lockdown Defense: The Bison allowed an average of 54 points per game in three Summit League Tournament victories.
Home Court: The Bison have won 25 straight home games, which is tied with Kansas for the 5th-longest active home winning streak in the nation. NDSU is 38-2 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, with the only two losses being to Southern Miss (70-69) on Nov. 18, 2013, and Western Illinois (49-36) on Feb. 14, 2013.
Three-Point Improvement: The Bison saw a dramatic improvement in their three-point shooting over a two-month stretch late in the season. On Dec. 24, NDSU was shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and ranked 137th in the nation. On Feb. 24, NDSU was shooting 39.5 percent and ranked 24th in the country.
NDSU record when leading at half: 17-0
NDSU record when tied at half: 2-0
NDSU record when trailing at half: 4-9
Taking Care: The Bison are averaging 9.8 turnovers per game this season – an average which ranks them ninth-best in the nation. NDSU is also ranked 13th in Division I for fewest fouls committed per game at 15.1.
50 or Less: NDSU has held opponents to 50 or fewer points seven times this season.
Three-Year Run: The Bison are in the midst of the winningest three-year run in school history. NDSU is 73-26 since the start of the 2012-13 season, including a mark of 43-11 against league opponents.
Up to Fourth: With 25 points in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament, Alexander moved to fourth on the NDSU all-time scoring list with 1,736 points. He is one of five players in school history to surpass 1,700 career points.
Lawrence Alexander's National Rankings (as of Mar. 17)
2nd in minutes per game (38.6)
8th in 3-point field goal percentage (44.1%)
12th in 3-pointers made (100)
13th in 3-pointers made per game (3.13)
22nd in total points (605)
32nd in points per game (18.9)
Starts Record: Lawrence Alexander has passed Marshall Bjorklund (2010-14) for the NDSU record with 130 career games started. Mike Felt (2009-14) holds the NDSU career record for games played at 132.
Only One: Lawrence Alexander is the only player in NDSU history with at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in his career.
Threes Record: Lawrence Alexander's 100 three-pointers this season are a new school record. Alexander broke the mark held by Ross Manson, who made 85 three-pointers in the 1993-94 season.
Wins Record: Lawrence Alexander owns the most wins ever by a Bison basketball player. He has 90 wins in his career, passing the previous record of 82 held by Mike Felt (2009-14). NDSU is 90-40 during Alexander's career.
Most Minutes: Alexander has passed Ben Woodside (2005-09) for the NDSU record for minutes played in a career. Woodside played 4,117 minutes in 118 games. Alexander has totaled 4,595 minutes in 130 games.
Senior Steps Up: Alexander has 13 games this season with four or more three-pointers. He only had three such games over his first three seasons combined.
Downtown L.A.: Alexander is ranked 13th in the nation with 3.13 three-pointers per game. He has made multiple treys in 25 of 32 games.
Best Around: Alexander led The Summit League in points per game (19.1), three-pointers made (93) and minutes per game (38.6).
League's Best: Senior Lawrence Alexander was named the Summit League Player of the Week for the second week in a row, the third time this season, and the fourth time in his career after averaging 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on Feb. 12-14.
At the Line: Lawrence Alexander is 55-of-61 (90%) from the free throw line in the final five minutes of games.
Iron Man: Lawrence Alexander is playing an average of 38.6 minutes through 32 games this season, ranking him second in the nation in minutes. The senior guard has played 40 or more minutes 16 times this year. Over 130 career games, Alexander has averaged 35.3 minutes -- the most in NDSU history.
Dishing It Out: Lawrence Alexander's 408 career assists rank him No. 6 all-time at NDSU.
Every Game: NDSU senior guard Lawrence Alexander has started all 130 games in his career.
Record-Breaking Day: Alexander drained an NDSU single-game record eight three-pointers in a 71-47 win over South Dakota on Feb. 7. That output is tied for the 14th-most in a game in all of Division I this season.
Finishing Strong: Over the last eight games, redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson is averaging 15.8 points per game, well above his season average of 11.9 points per game.
Top Freshman: A.J. Jacobson is The Summit League's top scoring freshman, both overall and in league play. He ranked eighth in the league in three-point field goal percentage at 44.3 percent, and was No. 2 in free throw percentage (89.4 percent) in league play. Jacobson made multiple three-pointers in 11 of 16 league games.
Freshman Numbers: Jacobson has scored the second-most points by a Bison freshman since 2006, behind only Lawrence Alexander.
Ninth on the List: Jacobson ranks 9th in school history with a three-point percentage of 40.5%.
At the Line: A.J. Jacobson made 42-of-47 free throw attempts (89.4 percent) in league play -- good enough for the second-best percentage in The Summit League.
Eight Boards: Jacobson has pulled down eight rebounds on four different occasions this season.
Summit Quarterfinals: Jacobson scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Bison to a 61-50 win over Denver in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament.
First Game Back: In his first game back after missing five games with a knee injury, redshirt freshman A.J. Jacobson hit his first three shots from three-point range and finished with 17 points against Northland College on Dec. 28.
The Mayor Goes Downtown: A.J. Jacobson connected on a career-best five three-pointers in NDSU's victory over Montana State on Nov. 30. Jacobson made four treys in the first eight minutes of the second half and finished with 15 points.
Sixth Man: Sophomore forward Dexter Werner was named The Summit Leaue's Sixth Man of the Year.
Off the Bench: Werner has nine games of 7+ rebounds this season. He has scored in double figures 12 times.
Double-Double: Dexter Werner recorded his first career double-double to lift NDSU to a 61-50 victory over Alcorn State in the consolation game of the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 22. Werner scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Bison in both categories.
Sweet 16: Dexter Werner pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in NDSU's 55-46 win over Akron on Dec. 16. Werner's rebound total was the highest by a Bison in over eight years – since Andre Smith had 17 at Minnesota on Nov. 13, 2006.
Career-High: Werner scored a career-high 17 points in NDSU's 71-42 rout of North Dakota on Dec. 13. He made 6-of-9 shots from the floor.
Half-Dozen Blocks: Werner registered a career-high six blocks in NDSU's win over Minnesota-Crookston on Nov. 25, tying him for the second-most in a game in school history. It was the most blocks by a Bison since Jordan Aaberg also recorded six against Green Bay in 2009.
Brown's Scoring: Kory Brown posted what were then the two highest point totals of his career in back-to-back home games on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16. Brown scored 18 points in a victory over North Dakota on Dec. 13 and followed up with 15 points in a win over Akron on Dec. 16.
Key to Success: NDSU is 10-1 this season when Kory Brown scores more than 10 points.
Last NCAA Tournament: Brown was NDSU's high scorer in its most recent NCAA Tournament game, scoring 13 points vs. San Diego State in the third round last season.
Experienced Junior: Kory Brown started 65 games for the Bison prior to his junior season -- an all-time NDSU record he shares with teammate Lawrence Alexander.
Shot Blocker: Chris Kading ranked second in The Summit League with 1.7 blocks per game in league play. He had multiple blocks in 10 of 16 league games.
Climbing the Charts: Kading ranks fourth in school history with 91 career blocked shots.
Academic All-District: Kading was named first-team Academic All-District by CoSIDA this season. He owns a 3.80 GPA with a major in exercise science.
Season-High: Kading tallied a season-best 13 points in a win at Montana State on Nov. 30.
Stat Sheet Filler: Sophomore guard Carlin Dupree has at least three rebounds in every game but one this year. He has registered an assist in all but three games.
Dupree's Big Game: Sophomore guard Carlin Dupree scored a career-best 16 points on Dec. 3 at Southern Miss, with 14 of his points coming in the second half.
Grand Larceny: Dupree registered five steals in a win over IUPUI on Feb. 19 -- the most by any Bison in a game this season.
Bigger Role: After averaging 7.8 minutes per game as a freshman last season, Dupree is playing 32.9 minutes per contest this year. He has started all 32 games.
True Freshman: Paul Miller has played 29 minutes per game and made six starts as a true freshman this year.
Season-High: Miller scored 17 points in back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State and Hampton on Nov. 21-22.
Quick Start: Miller made his first seven shots in his first collegiate action -- an exhibition game vs. Division II Minot State on Nov. 5.
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/ Men's BasketballNorth Dakota State Men's Basketball -- 2026 Summit League Tournament Champions -- Cinematic Recap
Friday, March 13
The Bison Basketball Show - March 11, 2026
Thursday, March 12
The Bison Basketball Show - March 4, 2026
Thursday, March 05
North Dakota vs. NDSU Men's Basketball Highlights - February 28, 2026
Sunday, March 01
