FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team concludes its six-game homestand by hosting Northwood Saturday, Feb. 19, in a 3 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Saturday’s game is Ferris’ regular-season home finale.

Keeping Pace: FSU is currently 18-5 overall and 10-5 in league action this season. The Bulldogs trail Grand Valley State (11-5) by one-half game in the GLIAC North Division following GVSU’s 67-61 league home win over Northwood Wednesday (Feb. 16). Ferris, which has won seven consecutive games to date this campaign, is ranked third in the latest (Feb. 16) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings and is currently 13-5 versus regional teams this campaign.

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 at the site.

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 Rolls To Victory: Ferris State tallied 56 points in the final half en route to a convincing 101-69 league triumph over Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Feb. 12) at Wink Arena. FSU held a 45-33 halftime advantage and then broke the game open and led by as many as 37 points in the contest. FSU also clinched a berth in the GLIAC Tournament with the win. Senior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) led a balanced Bulldog lineup with a game-high 20 points. Junior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) added 17 points and 12 assists in 26 minutes of action while senior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) chipped in 14 points. All 11 FSU players who saw action scored in the contest.

FSU Holds On For Win: Ferris made nine free throws in the final 1:57 to preserve a hard-fought 94-89 triumph over Lake Superior State in GLIAC play last Thursday (Feb. 10) at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs finished the contest making 21-of-30 (70.0%) free throw attempts. Ferris sank 17-of-21 (81.0%) attempts in the final half after converting only four-of-nine (44.4%) chances in the opening period. Four Bulldog players reached double-figure scoring. Senior guards Carlton and Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) as well as Dennis Springs all contributed a team-high 20 points apiece. Willie Burrel added 12 points for the Bulldogs.

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 48-42 (.533) 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 910-841 (.520) 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.

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.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 33-37 (.471) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 22-31 (.415) 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 13-1 (.929) at home this year.

On The Road: Ferris is 367-310 (.542) 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.

Tying The Record: Ferris tied a school record by winning its 13th game at home this campaign versus SVSU. This season also represents the first time Ferris has won 10 or more home games in a season since the 1995-96 campaign (13-1). It is only the third time in the last 17 years FSU has achieved 10 or more home wins. Ferris can eclipse the school record of 13 home victories by winning its only remaining regular-season home outing versus Northwood.

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.

Up Next: FSU will visit Northern Michigan Thursday, Feb. 24, for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) league tilt in Marquette and then conclude the regular-season with a GLIAC game against Michigan Tech Saturday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. (EST) in Houghton, Mich.

Bulldog Bites: Dennis Springs currently has 485 career assists and needs 47 more to match Jarvis Walker’s (1985-89) school-record mark of 532 assists. Springs is 26 points away from scoring his 900th career point at Ferris State ............. Carlton Epps tied the school’s single-game steals record with eight thefts versus Lake Superior State. Joe Blankenship set the original record versus Northern Michigan (12/10/92) while Brian Monahan also tied the mark against Grace Bible (12/18/99). Epps presently has 71 steals to date this season and passed Day Day Smith's single-season record of 69 thefts recorded back in 1997-98 in last Saturday’s win ........... Carlton Epps has 76 three-pointers to date this season, which ranks second on the school's single-season list. He is 15 away from matching Willie Thomas' record of 91 treys set a year ago. He notched his 500th career field goal against Saginaw Valley State.

FSU Clinches Berth: FSU clinched its second consecutive GLIAC Tournament berth with last Saturday’s win. The Bulldogs, who made their first league tourney appearance since 1997-98 a year ago, could potentially host a tournament quarterfinal round game Tuesday, March 1, by finishing either first or second in the division. The semifinals and finals will be held Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, at the site of the highest remaining seed. FSU is 4-8 all-time in six previous tournament appearances following last season’s 72-71 quarterfinal round home loss to Northwood at the buzzer in Wink Arena. Ferris captured the 1997-98 league tournament title.

Senior Day Game: Ferris will honor seniors Carlton and Corey Epps, Willie Burrel along with junior guard/forward Michael Anderson (Farmington Hills/Royal Oak Shrine) between Saturday’s women’s and men’s games as part of its annual Senior Day activities. Carlton Epps, who ranks as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers (214) and steals (246), presently has scored 1,405 career points in 101 outings (13.9 ppg) while Corey Epps has compiled 772 points and 285 rebounds in 103 all-time contests at FSU to date. Burrel has registered 442 points and 202 boards in 48 games to date at Ferris following a two-year stint at Muskegon Community College. The 6-3 Anderson, who’s currently midst his third season in the program but has elected not to return next year, has totaled 121 points and grabbed 49 rebounds in 47 career outings at Ferris State.

More Bulldog Bites: Ferris has totaled more turnovers than its opponent only once this season, which came in an 84-56 non-league road win at Alma (Dec. 28) ......... Ferris has won its last 11 games held in the month of February dating back to last season. The Bulldogs were 6-2 during the month a year ago ....... Prior to Bill Sall’s arrival, the Bulldogs had posted only a 21-82 (.204) mark in the four previous seasons (1998-2002) combined. Since his debut, Ferris is currently 43-34 (.558) ...... Ferris’ 18 victories to date this season represents FSU’s most wins since posting a 21-12 mark in 1997-98 and only the second time in the last 10 seasons Ferris has won 15 or more games ....... FSU's last seven losses dating back to last season have all been by seven points or less .... The Bulldogs’ 61.5% shooting performance against SVSU was its best since shooting 63.1% in a 109-85 win at Olivet (12/14/02) ....... Ferris won its 300th all-time GLIAC game with the win versus SVSU.

A Look At The Opponent:

Northwood: Ferris holds a 42-20 advantage heading into this Saturday’s 63rd meeting. The Timberwolves have won six of the last nine meetings although Ferris posted a convincing 82-42 triumph in the last meeting (1/26/05) at Midland, Mich. NU is currently 8-14 overall and 4-11 in GLIAC action after dropping a 67-61 league setback Wednesday (Feb. 16) at Grand Valley State. NU, which was picked to finish fifth in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior guard D.J. Hughes (12.7 ppg). The Timberwolves have lost eight of their last nine outings to date this campaign under eighth-year head coach Bob Taylor. Northwood was 17-12 overall during the 2003-04 campaign and placed tied for third in the GLIAC North Division with a 10-8 mark. The Timberwolves’ assistant coach, Lewis Garner, compiled 1,437 points and 342 rebounds during his FSU playing career (1971-75) and later served as a Bulldog assistant coach from 1990-94. Ferris tied a school record with 22 steals against NU in the most recent meeting.