FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will square off against Gannon Thursday, Jan. 20, in an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at Erie, Pa. Ferris then visits Mercyhurst Saturday, Jan. 22, for a 3 p.m. (EST) GLIAC tilt in Erie. FSU is currently 11-4 overall and 3-4 in league play this season.

GLIAC Games On Air: Both games this week will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM with Rob Bentley providing the play by play coverage. They can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the webcast icon at www.ferris.edu/sports. Live internet statistics from the Gannon game will be available on the GU Athletics Website at www.gannon.edu/sports.

Ticket Information: Tickets for Thursday’s game at Gannon can be obtained by calling the GU Athletics Office at (814) 871-7416. The Mercyhurst Athletics Department can be reached by phone at (814) 824-2226 for ticket information regarding Saturday’s contest.

FSU Falls At Wayne: Ferris fell to Wayne State 76-69 Saturday (Jan. 15) in conference action at Detroit, Mich. Senior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) led FSU with 15 points while senior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) scored 13 points and sophomore forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) netted 10 points. WSU was led by Morris Hall's game-high 19 points. The Warriors shot 62.5% (25-40) from the floor and converted 10-of-16 (62.5%) three-point attempts. They also made 16-of-25 (64.0%) free throws.

Ferris Wins Home Outing: Ferris State shot 49.2% (31-63) from the field in posting an 82-69 league triumph over Hillsdale last Tuesday (Jan. 11) in FSU's Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs were led offensively by Carlton Epps' 19 points. Willie Burrel scored 17 points, junior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) had 14 points and Terrance Shaw registered a personal-best 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. The Chargers fell to FSU for the third-straight time despite a game-high 22 points from junior guard Cory Coe.

Glancing At The Bulldogs: Ferris State, which claimed the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Regular-Season Championship, finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 14-14 overall record and a 14-4 league mark. FSU, which has won more GLIAC championships (10) than any other league member, posted its best overall record in 2003-04 since compiling a 21-12 ledger during the 1997-98 season. Three starters and eight letterwinners return.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, third-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 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four. Sall has a current 41-41 (.500) career mark.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2004-05 campaign marks the 77th 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 903-840 (.518) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won 10 GLIAC titles, made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and reached the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris, which captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90, notched its 900th all-time win this season with a 110-104 overtime triumph over Indianapolis (Dec. 21) in the Lions Club Holiday Classic at FSU.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 28-37 (.431) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 17-31 (.354) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 season. FSU is 8-1 (.889) at home this year.

On The Road: Ferris is 360-309 (.538) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 167-211 (.442) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 3-3 (.500) on the road this season.

Starting Strong: Ferris’ current 11-4 mark this season represents the program’s best showing in its initial 15 games of a campaign since registering the same record in the 1992-93 season. The 1992-93 team concluded the campaign with a 16-11 overall record and a second-place 10-6 GLIAC performance. FSU has won 11 of its first 15 outings only three times in the last 15 years, including the 1988-89 season in which Ferris advanced to the NCAA-II Regional Tournament. The 1961-62 Ferris squad posted the best start in school history by winning 19 of its opening 20 contests.

Ferris Picked Second: Defending champion Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 32 points along with two first-place votes in the balloting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Michigan Tech was selected as the North Division favorite as the Huskies recorded 35 points along with five first-place votes. Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 25 points and five first-place votes. Each of the league’s 13 head coaches ranked the teams in their respective divisions, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Between The Lines: FSU’s Bill Sall will make periodic appearances throughout the season on “Between The Lines,” a weekly half-hour television show devoted to Ferris Athletics. The program, which is hosted by Shannon Vesper and produced by FSU Media Productions, airs each Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) and 8 p.m. (ET), respectively, on Ferris Cable Channel 7.

Looking Ahead: Ferris State heads to Northwood Wednesday, Jan. 26, for an 8 p.m. (EST) conference outing in NU’s Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich.

The FSU Roster: Ferris’ 2004-05 active roster includes three seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. Eight of the 14 players are guards while the remaining six are frontcourt players. Thirteen players hail from Michigan with one from Ohio.

FSU On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The Bulldogs’ 2004-05 yearbook is also available online.

Live Statistics: Live statistics of all remaining 2004-05 FSU men’s and women’s basketball home contests will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon for more information.

Bulldog Bites: Carlton Epps currently has 224 career steals and is three away from tying Ty Miller's (1990-94) school record total of 227 thefts. Epps tallied his 200th career assist against Hillsdale. He has currently reached double-figure scoring in all 15 contests this campaign and 21 of his last 23 games dating back to last season. The 6-2 Epps is presently four rebounds shy of garnering his 400th career board ............. Senior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) registered his 700th career point at Wayne State (1/15) while Willie Burrel notched his 350th career point in the same contest .......... Sophomore forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) tallied his 300th career point at WSU and currently needs five rebounds to register his 200th career board ................ Junior forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) is four points shy of scoring his 300th career point .......... Carlton Epps currently ranks first among the GLIAC’s overall statistical leaders in scoring (20.7 ppg), steals (3.3 spg) and made three-point field goals (3.6 pg) this season. In addition, he has presently tallied seven 20-plus point performances this campaign ....... Dennis Springs leads the GLIAC in assists (7.2 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.27) while FSU ranks first among the league’s overall team leaders in scoring offense (84.3 ppg), assist/turnover ratio (1.39), turnover margin (+5.73), steals (12.93 spg) and assists (19.40 apg).

FSU Team Notes: FSU's last six losses dating back to last season have all been by seven points or less ........ The Bulldogs are currently 6-0 in games decided by 10 points or more this campaign ....... Ferris concluded non-conference play this campaign with an 8-0 mark after previously posting an 0-10 non-league ledger last season ....... Saturday’s loss was the Bulldogs’ eighth consecutive versus Wayne State. FSU has not defeated WSU since recording a 94-67 victory during the 1996-97 season (12/19/96) at Big Rapids, Mich. ......... Ferris' home contest versus Hillsdale represented the Bulldogs' only home game during the month of January. FSU will play six consecutive games at home to begin the month of February.

Sall Wins Again: FSU head coach Bill Sall, who previously served as a Hillsdale assistant coach from 1998-02 under current Charger head coach Ed Douma, improved to 3-1 in his head coaching career versus HC with last Tuesday’s victory. Sall also played under Douma at Calvin (1985-90) and was his assistant coach (1992-95) for the Knights.

A Look At The Opponents:

Gannon: The Knights maintain a 6-3 series edge heading into this Thursday’s contest although Ferris posted a 74-67 in the last meeting (1/22/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. GU, which has won five of the last six series’ contests, is presently 11-5 overall and 5-2 in GLIAC action after recording a 68-62 league road win at Northern Michigan last Saturday (Jan. 15) in Marquette, Mich. The Knights, who are coached by ninth-year head coach Jerry Slocum, were 22-8 overall during the 2003-04 campaign and placed second (12-5) in the GLIAC’s South Division. Gannon, which was picked second in the 2004-05 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll, presently is led by senior center Geoff Husted (16.5 ppg). The Knights have won five of their last six games to date this year after advancing to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for the fifth consecutive campaign last season. FSU head coach Bill Sall is presently 2-1 all-time versus Gannon.

Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst holds a 6-4 series advantage and has won four of the last six meetings entering this Saturday’s contest. However, the Bulldogs have claimed the last two encounters, including an 80-66 GLIAC triumph in the last meeting (1/24/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. MC is currently 8-9 overall and 2-5 in league play under second-year head coach Gary Manchel heading into this Thursday’s (Jan. 20) league home game versus Grand Valley State as a result of dropping a 67-66 conference decision at Michigan Tech last Saturday (Jan. 15) in Houghton, Mich. Mercyhurst compiled a 16-12 overall record during the 2003-04 campaign, which included a fourth-place 10-7 GLIAC South Division finish. The Lakers, who were picked sixth in this season’s league South Division coaches poll, are currently led by senior guard Jawad Ali (13.9 ppg). MC has won two of its last three outings to date this season. Sall is 2-1 to date versus MC in his head coaching career.