FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will host Michigan Tech Thursday, Feb. 3, in an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The contest opens a six-game homestand for the Bulldogs. FSU will also face Northern Michigan Saturday, Feb. 5, in a 2 p.m. (EST) league home tilt.

FSU Third In Division: FSU is currently 13-5 overall and 5-5 in league action, which ranks third in the GLIAC North Division standings to date. Grand Valley State (7-3) leads the division with Michigan Tech (6-5) presently listed second. Ferris is ranked 10th in the latest (Jan. 26) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings.

Media Coverage: FSU’s 2004-05 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports. Live internet statistics will also be available for all remaining FSU home games.

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.

FSU Drills Northwood: Ferris State concluded a four-game road swing with a convincing 82-42 GLIAC victory over Northwood last Wednesday (Jan. 26) in NU's Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich. FSU forced 29 Northwood miscues and outscored NU 42-0 off of turnovers. The Bulldogs also grabbed 24 offensive rebounds and made 12-of-32 (37.%) three-pointers. Junior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) led a balanced Bulldog attack with 17 points while senior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) chipped in 11 points. Eleven different FSU players saw action in the contest.

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 43-42 (.506) 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 905-841 (.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 362-310 (.539) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 169-212 (.444) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 5-4 (.556) on the road this season.

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 will square off against rival Grand Valley State Monday, Feb. 7, in an 8 p.m. (EST) league home contest. The Bulldogs will then host Lake Superior State Thursday, Feb. 10, for an 8 p.m. (EST) conference game before taking on Saginaw Valley State Saturday, Feb. 12, in a 3 p.m. (EST) GLIAC home outing.

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 Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The Bulldogs’ 2004-05 yearbook is also available online.

Live Statistics: “Live Stats” of all remaining 2004-05 FSU home contests will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon.

Rematch Set: Thursday’s outing versus MTU will be a rematch of last season’s regular-season finale (2/28/04) held at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs defeated the three-time defending champions 70-61 in the contest to claim the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division crown.

Home Stretch: FSU will play six consecutive games at home to begin the month of February. Six of the Bulldogs’ remaining eight outings this season are in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs have played six of their last eight contests to date away from home.

Bulldog Bites: Carlton Epps passed former Bulldog player Ty Miller (1990-94) to become the school’s all-time career steals leader at Northwood. Epps, who has presently reached double-figure scoring in all 18 contests this season and 24 of his last 26 outings dating back to last campaign, has tallied 229 career thefts to date while Miller registered 227 steals. He also notched his 1,300th career point in the contest ......... Antwuan Holt will face Northern Michigan for the first time Saturday after previously spending his initial two collegiate seasons (2002-04) with the Wildcats. Holt ranked as the squad’s third-leading scorer (10.1 ppg) and was the team’s top performer in assists (63), steals (39) along with made free throws (63) last campaign ...... Junior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) tied Tim Herman (1975-79) for third place on the school’s all-time assists chart by notching his 445th assist at NU. He is 18 assists shy of tying Ty Miller (1990-94) for second place and needs 10 points to register his 800th career point.

Notes From Northwood: Ferris State tied the school’s single-game steals record with 22 thefts against the Timberwolves. FSU also registered 22 steals versus Aquinas on Jan. 4, 1988 ....... Ferris’ bench scored more points (43) than the entire Northwood team (42) ....... The 42 points allowed by the Bulldogs at Northwood was the school’s best defensive showing since limiting Oakland to 34 total points in a 40-34 home win during the 1989-90 (2/15/90) season. It was the fewest points allowed by FSU away from home since recording a 51-40 neutral site win over Carthage in the 1984-85 Wisconsin-Parkside Tournament at Kenosha, Wis. (12/1/84) .......... Ten of the 11 FSU players who saw action at Northwood scored at least four points in the contest. Ferris State led the entire contest and held its largest lead of 46 points with 5:33 left to play.

Key FSU Notes: FSU's last seven losses dating back to last season have all been by seven points or less. The Bulldogs are currently 7-0 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 ........ The Bulldogs’ current 8-1 mark at Jim Wink Arena this campaign ranks as the program’s best performance in the six-year history of the facility to date ........ Ferris State was listed among other teams receiving votes with three points in last week’s (Jan. 25) National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top 25 poll .......... Ferris is currently 8-5 overall in games versus Great Lakes Regional opponents this campaign.

A Look At The Opponents:

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 48-44 lead entering Thursday’s 93rd series meeting. MTU had won 11 consecutive series contests prior to FSU’s 70-61 triumph in the most recent meeting (2/28/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. Michigan Tech is presently 13-6 overall and 6-5 in league play this season following last Saturday’s (Jan. 29) 86-55 league home victory over Lake Superior State. The Huskies, under 11th-year head coach Kevin Luke, were 22-8 overall during the 2003-04 campaign and compiled a second-place 13-5 GLIAC North Division record. MTU, which is led in scoring by senior forward Josh Buettner (20.0 ppg), was selected first in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Michigan Tech has dropped three of its last four outings to date this campaign. FSU head coach Bill Sall has a current 1-3 mark against MTU, which was ranked ninth in last week’s (Jan. 26) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings.

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 62-38 advantage heading into this Saturday’s 101st encounter. FSU has won three of the last four meetings, however, including a 69-51 triumph in the most recent (2/26/04) contest at Big Rapids. NMU is currently 9-10 overall and 4-6 in GLIAC action heading into Thursday’s (Feb. 3) league road game at Grand Valley State after last Saturday’s (Jan. 29) 66-54 GLIAC home win over Saginaw Valley State. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish fourth in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by sophomore forward Ricky Volcy (19.2 ppg). The Wildcats have won four consecutive games to date under 18th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 16-12 overall in 2003-04 and placed tied for third (10-8) in the GLIAC North Division. Sall presently holds a 3-1 career coaching mark versus NMU.