NDSU Travels to Islands of the Bahamas Showcase this Weekend

Friday, November 16

Nassau, Bahamas

1 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Miami (Ohio)

Photo by: Xavier Bonner

NDSU Travels to Islands of the Bahamas Showcase this Weekend

11/13/2018 3:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

NDSU Basketball on Twitter
Complete NDSU Game Notes
Watch | Listen | Live Stats

The Tournament: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (1-1) travels to Nassau, Bahamas, this weekend for three games in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. The Bison open against Miami (Ohio) on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT inside Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium. NDSU will play either Montana or Incarnate Word on Saturday, and one of Towson, Pepperdine, Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern on Sunday.

Where to Watch: Each game will be streamed live by the tournament hosts, with a price of $9.95 per game or $24.95 for all 12 tournament games. Links are available on GoBison.com.

Radio: Each of NDSU's games in the Bahamas will be broadcast by Brad Jones for Radio FM Media. Friday's and Saturday's contests will air on HITS 96.9 FM, and Sunday's game will air on 107.9 The Fox (and potentially Bison1660, depending on game time). Audio for each game will be streamed free on GoBison.com/allaccess.

About Miami (Ohio): The RedHawks will take a 1-1 record to the Bahamas, falling 90-68 at Butler on Nov. 10 before defeating NAIA Midway University (Ky.) 91-42 on Nov. 12. Miami was picked to finish second in the MAC East Division this season behind only Buffalo after going 16-18 one year ago. Sophomore guard Nike Sibande leads the RedHawks with 21.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season.

History vs. Miami (Ohio): The Bison and RedHawks have never played each other in men's hoops.

Back to the Bahamas: NDSU made a trip to Nassau in August 2015, playing three offseason exhibition games as part of the trip. The Bison went a perfect 3-0 inside Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium.

From All Angles: All 11 Bison who have played this season have attempted at least one three-pointer.

Fresh Legs: Through two games this season, no Bison player has logged more than 26 minutes in a contest. NDSU had 10 players play between 14 and 26 minutes in the win over UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 11.

Bench Points: The Bison received 46 of their 82 points from bench players in the victory over UC Santa Barbara.

Kreuser's Career Night: Bison sophomore forward Rocky Kreuser scored a career-high 23 points in the season opener at New Mexico State on Nov. 6, shooting 9-of-11 for the game and 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. It was just the third double-digit scoring performance of Kreuser's young career.

First Starts: Rocky Kreuser, Vinnie Shahid and Sam Griesel all made their first career starts for the Bison at New Mexico State on Nov. 6. Kreuser played in all 32 games last season as a true freshman. Shahid, a junior college transfer from Western Nebraska CC, and Griesel, a true freshman from Lincoln, Neb., made their NDSU debuts.

Making Shots: NDSU ranked among the top 60 teams in the nation in all three shooting categories last season. The Bison were 33rd in free throw percentage, 50th in three-point percentage, and 58th in field goal percentage.

Good Run: The Bison are averaging 21 wins per season over the past six years.

Experience: Junior Tyson Ward is NDSU's most experienced returner, having played in 62 games for an average of 23.6 minutes per game over the past two seasons. Junior Deng Geu is next on the list, playing in the same 62 games over two seasons, averaging 12.0 minutes.

Picked Fifth: The Bison were picked to finish fifth in The Summit League this season, according to the annual preseason poll of league head coaches, sports information directors and media. South Dakota State topped the preseason poll with all but two first-place votes. South Dakota came in second, Denver was third, and Purdue Fort Wayne was fourth in front of the Bison.

Preseason 2nd Team: Tyson Ward was voted to the preseason All-Summit League second team. Ward is NDSU's top returning scorer (11.8 ppg), and he led the Bison in rebounding as a sophomore last season with 5.9 boards per game.

High Percentage: Deng Geu posted a .623 field goal percentage last season as a sophomore, ranking ninth on the NDSU all-time single-season list.

Three-Point Record: The Bison set a school record with 294 three-pointers made last season, breaking the previous high of 284 set in the 2002-03 season. NDSU averaged 9.2 three-pointers made per game.

At The Line: The Bison were historically good at the free throw line last season, shooting 76.1 percent for the year. That percentage ranks second-best in school history.

Sharpshooter: Junior guard Jared Samuelson enters the season ranked eighth on the NDSU career list for three-point percentage. Samuelson is shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc for his career.

Overseas Action: Bison junior Deng Geu played three games for Uganda's national team in FIBA World Cup qualifying this summer, averaging a double-double and leading the tournament in rebounding. Geu averaged 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.