FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will host Northern Michigan this Thursday (Feb. 26) in an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris will then conclude the regular season at home versus three-time defending GLIAC North Division Champion Michigan Tech Saturday (Feb. 28). Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (EST).

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to FSU regular-season home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. A family pass can be purchased for $15. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student identification card.

Ferris One Game Back: FSU is presently 12-13 overall and holds a second-place 12-4 mark behind Michigan Tech (13-3) in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Bulldogs can clinch a share of the GLIAC North Division Championship by defeating both NMU and MTU. Ferris, which has won more conference championships (nine) than any other league member, last won a GLIAC title in 1994-95. FSU has not won a GLIAC crown since the league was split into two divisions in 1996-97.

FSU Earns Home Game: Ferris will host a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal round game Tuesday, March 2. The Bulldogs, who last played in the conference tournament during the 1997-98 campaign, will face either Northwood or Northern Michigan depending upon this week’s results. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EST) following FSU’s women’s quarterfinal round contest. The semifinals and finals will be held Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, at the site of the highest remaining seed.

A Look At Last Week: Ferris defeated league rival Grand Valley State 91-78 last Monday (Feb. 16) at GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs then recorded a 83-79 conference win Saturday (Feb. 21) over Northwood in Midland, Mich.

Leading The Charge: Junior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) scored a personal career-high 21 points and twin brother Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) added 20 points against GVSU. Carlton Epps totaled 17 points versus NU while junior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) and sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) compiled 16 and 15 points, respectively. Senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) scored 14 points at GVSU and had 13 points against the Timberwolves.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2003-04 campaign marks the 76th season of Bulldog men’s basketball. The program began in 1925 although Ferris did not field a team from 1942-45 due to World War II. FSU has compiled a 890-835 (.516) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won nine GLIAC titles, made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and reached the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark and a fourth-place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish in head coach Bill Sall’s initial season at the helm. The Bulldogs’ biggest loss was 6-10 center Adam Anderson, who is presently playing in Egypt. The two-time team MVP was a three-time All-GLIAC pick.

Senior Day Contest: Ferris will honor senior co-captains Willie Thomas and Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) between Saturday’s women’s and men’s games as part of its annual Senior Day activities. Thomas presently has scored 789 career points in 51 outings (15.5 ppg) while Wruble has compiled 260 points and 333 rebounds in 97 all-time contests at FSU to date.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, second-year FSU head coach Bill Sall previously held assistant coaching positions at Calvin (1992-95), Ferris State (1995-98) and Hillsdale (1998-02) prior to being named Ferris State’s 11th head coach. The Zeeland, Mich., native served as Ferris’ interim head coach for a portion of the 1995-96 campaign and led the Bulldogs to a 5-8 mark. Before joining the coaching ranks, Sall was a standout player at Calvin from 1985-90. He twice (1989-90) received second-team National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-America honors and led Calvin to three MIAA championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four. Sall has a current 28-36 (.438) career mark.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded an 18-35 (.340) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 13-30 (.302) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign.

Between The Lines: “Between The Lines”, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, airs across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Phill Mooney and produced in the studios of the University’s cable Channel 7. FSU men’s basketball head coach Bill Sall will make appearances throughout the season. The show is also aired locally on the University's cable Channel 7 every Tuesday (7 p.m.) and Wednesday (8 p.m.).

GLIAC Games On The Air: Ferris’ 2003-04 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected league contests can also be accessed live this season via the internet by clicking the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

FSU On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The site features information on all of FSU’s varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics and more. The Bulldogs’ 2003-04 yearbook is available online.

FSU Picked Fourth: Ferris was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 17 points in the balloting by the GLIAC’s head coaches. NMU was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite while Findlay took the top spot in the South Division.

Bulldog Bites: Willie Thomas presently has 153 career made three-point field goals and is 13 away from reaching Aaron Nauta's (166; 1996-00) school career record. Thomas has 84 treys this campaign and surpassed Joe Blankenship's (1992-93) school single-season mark of 72. Thomas grabbed his 200th career rebound at Northwood ........ FSU's 12 GLIAC victories to date this campaign are the school's most since the 1994-95 squad claimed the conference title with a 13-5 league mark. The Bulldogs' 12 victories overall this season is the school's best performance since finishing 21-12 overall during the 1997-98 campaign ........ Dennis Springs presently has 299 career assists and needs one more to match Mike Gillespie's (300; 1979-83) fifth-place career total at FSU. Springs' 144 assists to date this campaign also ranks as the school's fifth-best single-season mark ........ Carlton Epps presently has 915 career points and is 15 away from tying Dave Swilley (930; 1980-83) for 24th place on the school's all-time scoring list. He needs 85 points to become the 23rd player in school history to register 1,000 career points ........ The Bulldogs have shot 49.0% or better from the floor seven times in their last 14 games after having done so only once in their initial 11 games this campaign ........... Sophomore forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) compiled his 200th career point at Grand Valley State ......... Ferris has not hosted a GLIAC Tournament game since 1994-95 when the Bulldogs lost to Hillsdale (semifinals) and Michigan Tech (consolation) at FSU’s Old Jim Wink Arena. The 1994-95 season marks Ferris' only previous league tourney home games. FSU is 4-7 all-time in five previous tournament appearances and captured the 1997-98 championship ........ Freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) needs a single point to notch his 200th career point.

A Look At The Opponents:

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 62-37 advantage heading into this Thursday’s 100th encounter. FSU has won two of the last three meetings despite dropping a 79-73 decision in the most recent (2/8/04) contest at Marquette, Mich. NMU is currently 15-10 overall and 9-7 in GLIAC action after last Saturday’s (Feb. 21) 82-67 league home win over Lake Superior State. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish first in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior forward Billy Hill (11.4 ppg). The Wildcats have lost two of their last three games to date under 17th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 15-14 overall in 2002-03 and placed second (10-8) in the GLIAC North Division. Ferris head coach Bill Sall presently holds a 2-1 career coaching mark versus Northern Michigan.

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 48-43 lead entering this Saturday’s 92nd series meeting. MTU has won 11 consecutive series contests and defeated Ferris 71-55 in the last meeting (2/5/04) at Houghton, Mich. Michigan Tech is presently 19-4 overall and 13-3 in league play heading into this Thursday’s (Feb. 26) GLIAC road game at Grand Valley State following last Saturday’s (Feb. 21) 91-68 league home victory over Saginaw Valley State. The Huskies, under 10th-year head coach Kevin Luke, were 29-3 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and compiled a first-place 17-1 GLIAC North Division record. MTU, which is led in scoring by junior forward Josh Buettner (21.6 ppg), was selected second in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Michigan Tech has won nine of its last 10 outings to date this campaign. Sall has a current 0-3 mark against MTU. The Huskies are ranked 18th in the latest (Feb. 17) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Top 25 Poll.