FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State men’s basketball team will take part in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)/Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Challenge presented by O'Charley's Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 20-21, at Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis, Ind. FSU will square off against regional power Southern Indiana Tuesday (Dec. 20) and then battle host Indianapolis Wednesday (Dec. 21). Both games tipoff at 7:30 p.m. (EST). GLIAC member Wayne State will also take part in the event and participate in the 5:30 p.m. (EST) tilt each evening.

Media Coverage: No Ferris State radio or internet coverage will be available for either of the non-conference games.

Ticket Info: Tickets will be sold separately for each day of the event. Adult admission is $6, ages 12 and under are $4, and preschool and younger receive free admission. For more information, call (317) 788-3359.

GLIAC/GLVC Challenge Notes: Ferris defeated both Southern Indiana and Indianapolis last season in the FSU Lions Club Holiday Classic (12/20-21) held in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs then posted victories over both schools in the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (3/12-15) at Findlay, Ohio ....... The four teams competing in this year’s event all took part in last season’s Lions Club Holiday Classic at FSU. All four then advanced to the regional tournament ....... The two GLIAC schools, FSU and Wayne State, won three of the four games involving the four participating teams in last year’s Holiday Classic hosted by Ferris State.

FSU Stays Unbeaten In GLIAC: Ferris State remained unbeaten in GLIAC play with a 67-50 road triumph over Lake Superior State last Friday (Dec. 16) evening in LSSU's Bud Cooper Gymnasium at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Bulldogs jumped out to an 18-4 lead only 10 minutes into the contest. LSSU was able to cut the lead down to 13 points in the final half but couldn't get any closer. The Bulldogs were led by junior forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) who had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) added 12 points while senior forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) and freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) both netted 10 points.

Ferris Falls At Toledo: Ferris lost a 67-55 non-conference decision to the NCAA Division I Toledo Rockets (Dec. 10) in UT's Savage Hall at Toledo, Ohio. The Rockets jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and then outscored FSU 32-30 in the final half to notch the victory. Ferris was able to cut the Toledo lead down to four points on two different occasions in the final half but couldn't get any closer. Terrance Shaw led the Bulldogs with a game-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo/Scott) netted 13 points along with seven assists in his return to his hometown while senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) chipped in 13 points. The Rockets forced 22 Bulldog turnovers, but also had 18 miscues of their own. Ferris shot 46.0% (23-50) from the floor, but also totaled 19 fouls compared to UT's six fouls for the ballgame. FSU was only seven-of-23 (30.4%) from three-point range for the contest.

Last Season: Ferris State capped off a banner 2004-05 season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (March 12-15) held in Findlay, Ohio. FSU reached the regional championship game for only the third time in school history last season. The Bulldogs, who won their second-straight GLIAC North Division Championship with a 13-5 league mark last campaign, concluded the year with a 24-7 overall record and fell one game shy of advancing to the NCAA-II Elite Eight for the second time ever. FSU's 24 victories represented the third-most wins in school history. Ferris, which was ranked 23rd in the final 2004-05 National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Regular-Season National Poll, also advanced to the GLIAC Tournament for the second-straight year in 2004-05. Last season marked FSU’s first appearance in the national rankings since 1988-89.

Preseason Ranked: Ferris State was ranked 18th overall in the 2005-06 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Preseason Top 25 poll. GLIAC member Findlay was seventh in the poll with regional foe Southern Indiana listed ninth. League members Grand Valley State, Gannon and Ashland were listed in the others receiving votes category. FSU was not ranked but did receive votes in last week’s (Dec. 13) regular-season poll.

FSU Third In Poll: Two-time defending divisional champion Ferris State was picked to finish third in the 2005-06 GLIAC Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 28 points along with one first-place vote in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. Northern Michigan was selected as the North Division favorite as the Wildcats recorded 33 points along with four first-place votes. Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 24 points and four first-place votes. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but not allowed to vote for their own team.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, fourth-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. Including his stint as interim coach, Sall has a current 60-47 (.561) career mark. He is 55-39 (.585) overall since being appointed head coach prior to the 2002-03 campaign.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2005-06 campaign marks the 78th 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 922-846 (.521) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won 11 GLIAC titles, made seven 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: The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 30-8 (.789) overall record at Jim Wink Arena in Bill Sall’s head coaching era at FSU. Ferris, which holds an all-time mark of 38-37 (.507) to date in the seven year old facility, registered a school-best 15-1 (.938) overall record at home during the 2004-05 campaign. FSU is 25-31 (.446) to date in league play at Wink Arena. The 2,400-seat facility replaced Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 season.

On The Road: Ferris is 379-315 (.546) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 176-217 (.448) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs were 7-5 (.583) on the road in 2004-05.

GLIAC Games On The Air: All eighteen of FSU’s 2005-06 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN (News Talk 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.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2005-06 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. Six of the 12 players are guards while the remaining six are frontcourt players. Eleven of the 12 players hail from Michigan with Dennis Springs the only out-of-state player on the active roster.

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, yearbooks and more.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors will serve as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include Dennis Springs, Antwuan Holt and Jeffery Shanahan. Both Springs and Shanahan are returning three-year letterwinners while Holt played his first two collegiate seasons at GLIAC-member Northern Michigan before his transfer to FSU prior to last season.

Bulldog Bites: Eight of FSU’s 11 outings this year have been decided by more than 10 points ....... Jeffery Shanahan notched his 400th career board at LSSU .......... Dennis Springs has scored 10 points or more in eight of nine outings this season while Jessie York has netted seven double-figure scoring performances ...... The attendance of 3,646 at Toledo represented the largest crowd the Bulldogs have played in front of during the Bill Sall head coaching era at Ferris State ..... Ferris’ current 4-0 league start is the program’s best since winning five-straight to open the 1989-90 campaign. FSU posted a perfect 16-0 league record in 1988-89 ........ The Bulldogs had posted only a 21-82 (.204) mark in the four seasons prior to current head coach Bill Sall's arrival, but have since went 55-39 (.585). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02 .... Dennis Springs needs eight assists to record his 600th career assist ..... Michael Daniels posted a personal career-high 11 rebounds at Lake Superior State.

Tough Slate: The Bulldogs will face two of the nation’s top-seven ranked teams in the next two weeks according to last week’s (Dec. 13) NABC Division II Top 25 Poll. FSU is slated to face seventh-ranked Southern Indiana at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge (Dec. 20) and will also battle top-ranked Montevallo (Ala.) in the Florida Gulf Coast Holiday Classic (Dec. 30). Ferris already took on the current number six team Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) in its season opener (Nov. 15).

GLIAC Honors: Ferris claimed the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award for the third time this season as Terrance Shaw was recognized as last week's (Dec. 12) selection in an announcement made by the league office. The honor, which has been awarded only four times to date this campaign, previously went twice to FSU’s Dennis Springs on both Nov. 22 and Dec. 5.

Former Bulldogs Sign Pro Contracts: Former Ferris State guards Carlton and Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) recently signed professional contracts with the International Basketball League's (IBL) expansion Holland (Mich.) Blast. The 6-2 twins are among the franchise's first additions for the league's 2006 season. The IBL, which played its inaugural season in the spring and summer of 2005, is the newest professional basketball league designed around the concept of a faster, more skilled game. The duo concluded their four-year careers by guiding the Bulldog men's basketball team to a runner-up finish in the 2004-05 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional. Former Ferris State center Adam Anderson played for the Grand Rapids Flight in the IBL this past season.

Players To Watch: FSU’s Dennis Springs and Terrance Shaw were chosen among the top 10 West Michigan collegiate players to watch this year by the Grand Rapids Press in the Nov. 15 edition. Springs was picked second overall while Shaw was the seventh player listed.

Possible Breakthrough Team: Ferris State was listed as a possible breakthrough squad in the 2005-06 Street & Smith's College Basketball Magazine Division II Preview. The annual list of teams, which was compiled by Chuck Mistovich of the Basketball Times, included a preseason top 10 list and 30 additional teams receiving possible breakthrough recognition.

A Look At The Opponents:

Southern Indiana: The Screaming Eagles hold a 5-2 series’ edge, but FSU has won the last two meetings including a 93-87 triumph in the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Semifinals last season (3/13/05) in Findlay, Ohio. USI, which was ranked seventh in last week’s (Dec. 13) NABC Division II National Poll, presently is 10-1 overall and 3-1 in the GLVC following Saturday’s (Dec. 17) 88-53 non-league home win over Bryan (Tenn.). Southern Indiana posted a 27-5 overall mark a season ago, including a first-place 18-2 GLVC finish. The Screaming Eagles, who are directed by fifth-year head coach Rick Herdes, were picked to finish first in the 2005-06 GLVC West Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Southern Indiana, which was the national runner-up in 2003-04, presently is led in scoring by senior forward Chris Thompson (18.8 ppg) and has won its last three outings to date this year. The Bulldogs own a 2-1 overall record versus USI in the Bill Sall head coaching era.

Indianapolis: The all-time series between Ferris and Indianapolis is tied at two wins apiece after FSU’s 99-79 win in the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Quarterfinals last campaign (3/12/05) in Findlay, Ohio. The Greyhounds won the initial two series’ meetings but have since lost two-straight to FSU. Indianapolis, under ninth-year head coach Todd Sturgeon, compiled a 19-10 overall record last season and placed tied for third in the GLVC with a 14-6 league mark. UI is currently 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the GLVC East Division this season following Saturday’s (Dec. 17) 63-45 non-conference loss at Grand Valley State. Indianapolis was chosen to finish sixth in the 2005-06 GLVC East Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Greyhounds are led in scoring by senior guard Jesse McClung (13.3 ppg). UI has dropped three consecutive games to date this season, but had made three-straight trips to the NCAA-II Tournament heading into this campaign.