FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team, which is presently 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this campaign, will visit Lake Superior State Thursday, Dec. 9, for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) conference contest at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. FSU will then battle Saginaw Valley State Saturday, Dec. 11, in a 3 p.m. (EST) league contest at University Center, Mich.

GLIAC Games On The Air: 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.

FSU Falls At Buzzer: Findlay's Brent Schnipke tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to lift the Oilers past Ferris 87-85 last Thursday (Dec. 2) in the GLIAC opener for both teams at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Findlay, which was ranked 13th nationally in the latest (Dec. 1) National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, had the game's final possession after FSU senior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) tied the contest at 85 points apiece on a jumper with 18 seconds left. The Oilers' Matt Metzger missed a three-point attempt in the closing seconds but Schnipke tipped in the miss as the buzzer sounded to give UF the victory. Ferris opened up a 19 point lead with four minutes left in the first half before Findlay cut the advantage to 43-35 at halftime. UF then outscored FSU 52-42 in the final period. Ferris was led by senior guard Carlton Epps' (Benton Harbor) 18-point performance. Senior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) and Corey Epps both chipped in 16 points while junior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) added 12 points for the Bulldogs. Sophomore forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) compiled a personal career-high 10 rebounds.

Ferris Wins Home Game: FSU picked up its first league win of the 2004-05 season last Saturday (Dec. 4) with an 85-81 home triumph over Ashland. The Bulldogs led by as many as 18 points in the opening half and held a 77-57 edge with six minutes remaining before the Eagles rallied back to cut the final margin to four points on a Javan Robertson three-point basket with two seconds left. Carlton Epps led Ferris for the sixth consecutive game this campaign with a team-high 19 points. Junior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) chipped in 15 points along with 12 assists while sophomore forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport), Corey Epps and Willie Burrel all totaled 10 points.

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 MIAA championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four. Sall has a current 35-38 (.479) 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 897-837 (.517) 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 captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 24-37 (.393) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 16-31 (.340) 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 3-0 (1.000) at home this year.

On The Road: Ferris is 355-306 (.537) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 166-208 (.444) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 1-0 (1.000) on the road this season.

A Look At The 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.

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. The first-place team in the North Division received six points while the second-place team earned four points, etc. The first-place squad in the South Division picked up five points, the second-place team took four points, etc.

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.

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 teams.

Looking Ahead: Ferris State returns home to host the inaugural Lions Club Holiday Classic at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs will face nationally-ranked Southern Indiana Monday, Dec. 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (EST). FSU will then square off against Indianapolis Tuesday, Dec. 21, in a 7:30 p.m. (EST) encounter. Wayne State is also included in the four-team classic field and will play the 5:30 p.m. (EST) opening game both nights.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris State ranks first among the GLIAC’s latest (Dec. 6) overall statistical leaders this season in assists (20.0 apg), steals (13.67 spg), turnover margin (+7.50) and assist/turnover ratio (1.46). FSU is also second in scoring (86.7), three-point percentage (.417) and three-pointers made (9.17 pg). Carlton Epps leads the conference in scoring (22.8 ppg) and made three-point baskets (4.00 pg) while Dennis Springs tops the GLIAC chart in both assists (8.17 apg) along with assist/turnover ratio (4.08) ........ FSU's 4-0 start this season represented the first time the Bulldogs had won their opening four games of a season since winning 11-straight to begin the 1972-73 campaign. The 2004-05 campaign also marks the first time Ferris has won five of its initial six outings since the 1974-75 season ........... Carlton Epps, who is presently averaging a team-best 22.8 points per game this season, needs four three-pointers to match Aaron Nauta's (1996-00) school record mark of 166 treys ........... Dennis Springs currently has 371 career assists to date and is 74 away from matching Tim Herman's (1975-79) third-place FSU mark of 445 assists ............ The Bulldogs are presently 4-1 overall in games decided by five points or less this campaign. Last season (2003-04), Ferris dropped five of its seven games decided by the same margin ............. Junior forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) notched his 200th career board versus Ashland and is currently one point away from recording his 250th career point ............ Ferris has dropped its league opener 13 consecutive seasons to date. The Bulldogs, who had won seven-straight GLIAC openers prior to their current streak, last won their first league game in 1991-92 with a 77-66 home victory over Saginaw Valley State (1/4/92) ...... FSU is three victories away from compiling the program’s 900th all-time win ........ The Bulldogs were listed fourth among unranked teams receiving votes with 19 points in the initial (Dec. 1) National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II National Poll ........... Ferris has presently won four consecutive road contests dating back to last campaign.

Not At The Buzzer: Each of the Bulldogs’ last two losses to date have came on tipped shots at the buzzer. Ferris’ most recent loss prior to last Thursday came in last season’s (3/2) GLIAC Tourney Quarterfinals versus Northwood at Wink Arena. NU’s Derek Fillmore tipped in a missed jumper as the horn sounded to lift the Timberwolves to a 72-71 win in FSU’s 2003-04 season finale.

A Look At The Opponents:

Lake Superior State: The Bulldogs maintain a 67-42 lead entering this Thursday’s 110th series meeting. LSSU has won five of the last eight contests although Ferris has claimed the last three games and posted an 88-79 win in the most recent meeting (2/14/04) at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Lake Superior State, which has won two of its last three outings this campaign to date, is presently 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league play after Saturday’s (Dec. 4) 71-64 GLIAC home loss to Wayne State. The Lakers, who are coached by second-year head coach Mike Fitzner, were 9-19 overall during the 2003-04 campaign and compiled a seventh-place 2-16 GLIAC North Division record. LSSU, which is led in scoring by senior forward Scott Jamison (20.6 ppg), was picked to finish seventh in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. FSU head coach Bill Sall currently is 3-1 all-time versus LSSU.

Saginaw Valley State: Ferris holds a 40-27 lead heading into this Saturday’s 68th series meeting and defeated SVSU 88-69 in the last meeting (2/12/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. Saginaw Valley State is currently 3-3 overall and 0-2 in league play following last Saturday’s (Dec. 4) 69-63 conference loss at Hillsdale. The Cardinals, who are guided by first-year head coach Jamie Matthews, were 9-18 overall in 2003-04 and recorded a sixth-place 3-15 GLIAC North Division mark. SVSU, which was picked to finish sixth in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior forward Anthony Parker (12.0 ppg) and has lost three consecutive games to date this campaign. Ferris has won four of the last six series’ meetings while Sall presently holds a 3-1 career coaching mark against SVSU. The Cardinals will host Grand Valley State in league play Thursday (Dec. 9) night prior to Saturday’s meeting.