FSU Basketball At A Glance: FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team opens the 2005-06 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament with a quarterfinal round game this Tuesday (Feb. 28) versus Northern Michigan at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (EST). Ferris is seeded second in the division with NMU third.

Media Coverage: Live internet statistics for Tuesday’s game can be found by clicking on the “Live Stats” icon at www.ferris.edu/sports. No local radio or internet coverage is currently slated for Tuesday’s game due to the Bulldog women’s tournament road contest being broadcast from Grand Valley State starting at 6 p.m. (EST). However, Tuesday’s game is tentatively slated to be aired through the NMU Athletics Website at www.nmu.edu/sports with Nate Rose calling the play-by-play action. Additional FSU tournament coverage beyond Tuesday’s game will be announced later in the week.

Ticket Info: Tickets for the quarterfinal round will be sold at the door beginning one hour prior to game time. Tickets are $5 for adult general admission and $2 for students with identification. Children five years of age and younger will be admitted free of charge.

FSU Record: The Bulldogs enter postseason play with a 16-11 overall mark and placed tied for second in the GLIAC North Division with a 13-5 conference regular-season record. FSU and NMU tied for second place in the division, but the Bulldogs won the tiebreaker in terms of seeding for the league tournament and the opportunity to host Tuesday’s contest.

The Tourney Field: The other quarterfinal round games include Michigan Tech (#4 seed North) at Grand Valley State (#1 seed North), Hillsdale (#4 seed South) at Findlay (#1 seed South) along with Mercyhurst (#3 seed South) at Ashland (#2 seed South). The HC-UF game will also take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. (EST) with the MC-AU contest slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and the MTU-GVSU tilt set to start at 8 p.m. (EST). The semifinals and finals will be held Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, at the site of the highest remaining seed. Should the top four seeds advance, Grand Valley State would be seeded first, Findlay second, Ferris third and Ashland fourth for the semifinals.

GLIAC Tourney Info: The Bulldogs, who are making their third-straight league tournament berth, are 5-9 all-time in seven previous appearances ............ FSU defeated Northern Michigan 103-88 in the quarterfinal round last season (3/1/05) at Ferris’ Jim Wink Arena before suffering a 68-63 setback to Wayne State in the semifinal round (3/4/05) at Findlay, Ohio ........... Ferris captured the 1997-98 GLIAC Tournament title ...... This year marks the third consecutive season the Bulldogs have hosted a league tournament quarterfinal-round game, including the second straight campaign against Northern Michigan. Prior to the current stretch, the 1994-95 season marks Ferris' only other previous league tourney home games as FSU lost to Hillsdale (semifinals) and Michigan Tech (consolation) at Old Jim Wink Arena during that campaign ......... Ferris is 1-1 all-time versus NMU in GLIAC Tourney play as the Bulldogs also dropped a 90-88 overtime semifinal decision to the Wildcats (3/4/94) back in 1993-94 at Detroit, Mich.

Tournament Notes: The tournament remains on campus sites this season for the fourth year in a row. Prior to the 2002-03 season, the four previous tournaments were held at a neutral site location, with the final three taking place at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids, Mich ....... The winner of this season’s GLIAC Tournament will receive the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament slated for March 11-14 at a site to be determined.

FSU Falls To Rival Lakers: Ferris State dropped a 90-55 decision to archrival Grand Valley State in league action Saturday (Feb. 25) evening in GVSU's Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich. The nation's eighth-ranked Lakers jumped out to a commanding 46-19 halftime advantage over the Bulldogs. FSU was able to cut the Laker lead down to 15 points in the final half but couldn't get any closer. GVSU, which won the division's regular-season crown, improved to 24-3 overall and 16-2 in conference action while Ferris dropped to 16-11 overall and 13-5 in the GLIAC. Grand Valley State was led by Callistus Eziukwu with 18 points. Ferris was led by junior forward Terrance Shaw's (Saginaw/Bridgeport) team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) chipped in 14 points while senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) netted 12 points.

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.

National Rankings: Ferris State climbed back into the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II National Rankings in the 24th spot last week (Feb. 21). The Bulldogs had not been ranked this season since earning the number 18 spot in the NABC Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll released on Nov. 8th. Fellow GLIAC members Grand Valley State and Findlay are eighth and 10th, respectively, in the latest poll with regional foes Saint Joseph’s, Ind. (3rd), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (11th) and Southern Indiana (17th) also listed. The Bulldogs' 11 losses this season are the most of any team ranked in the current poll. Ferris has played six teams currently ranked in the top 25 this campaign, including five of the top 11 squads. Last week's national listing represented the 21st time the program had been ranked in the poll.

Regional Rankings: FSU was listed 10th in last week’s (Feb. 22) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings. The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) holds the top two positions in the poll with GVSU the highest ranked GLIAC school at number three. Findlay is fourth and Mercyhurst ninth among the four league schools featured. Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) heads the regional poll, which will be used to help determine the eight-team field for the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships (March 11-14) at the end of the campaign. The official bracket and site for the regional tournament will be announced late Sunday evening, March 5. The winners of both the GLIAC and GLVC postseason tournaments receive automatic bids into the regional field.

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 balloting 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 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 932-854 (.522) 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.

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 70-55 (.560) career mark. He is 65-47 (.580) overall since being appointed head coach prior to the 2002-03 campaign.

Jim Wink Arena: The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 35-10 (.778) overall record at Jim Wink Arena in Bill Sall’s head coaching era at FSU. Ferris, which holds an all-time mark of 43-39 (.524) to date in the seven year old facility, registered a school-best 15-1 (.938) overall record at home in 2004-05. FSU is 30-33 (.476) to date in league play at Wink Arena.

On The Internet: Ferris State 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. “Live Stats” of all remaining 2005-06 FSU home contests will also be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors are serving as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include Antwuan Holt, Dennis Springs and forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley). 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: Ferris has won 40 of its last 54 conference regular-season outings dating back to the 2003-04 campaign .......... FSU has emerged victorious in 29 of its last 33 home outings overall, including 20 of the last 22. ...... Ferris’ 7-0 league start this campaign was the program’s best since posting a perfect 16-0 mark in 1988-89 ..... The Bulldogs are currently 12-3 against in-state foes this season ....... 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 65-47 (.580). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02 ...... Ferris has won 18 of its last 21 games held in the month of February dating back to the 2003-04 season ...... This season marks the third-straight year the Bulldogs have finished either first or second in the GLIAC North Division during regular-season action.

GLIAC Honors: Ferris’ Dennis Springs earned the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award on Feb. 6, which marked the third time Springs has claimed the honor this season as he was previously recognized both Nov. 22 and Dec. 5. Ferris has received the weekly award five times this season as both Terrance Shaw (Dec. 12) and Antwuan Holt (Jan. 9) also claimed the distinction once each.

Preseason Notes: 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 ..... Ferris was listed as a possible breakthrough squad in the 2005-06 Street & Smith's College Basketball 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 teams receiving possible breakthrough recognition.

One Of Division II’s Best: Dennis Springs’ current career average of 6.2 assists per game ranks tied for 17th place all-time in NCAA Division II history and is the GLIAC’s top career performance average for all games played. He has 690 career assists to date and is 17th on the all-time NCAA Division II assists leaders list. Springs presently ranks 17th nationally in assists (5.8) along with 37th in steals (2.3) this season among the latest (Feb. 20) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. He is also the GLIAC’s overall assists leader to date this campaign.

A Look At Tuesday's Matchup:

Series Information: NMU holds a 63-42 advantage heading into Tuesday’s 106th encounter. FSU has won seven of the last nine meetings, but dropped a 92-82 decision to the Wildcats in the most recent meeting this year (2/11/06) at Marquette, Mich. The two teams split two meetings this season as FSU posted an 88-75 home win (1/12/06) over Northern Michigan in Ferris’ Jim Wink Arena. FSU head coach Bill Sall presently holds a 7-2 career coaching mark versus NMU. Ferris won three meetings versus the Wildcats during the 2004-05 campaign, including a 103-88 win in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/1/05) at Big Rapids, Mich.

About The Wildcats: NMU’s currently 17-10 overall and tied Ferris for second place in the GLIAC’s North Division with a 13-5 conference mark this season. The Wildcats recorded an 81-76 victory in four overtimes versus Michigan Tech this past Saturday (Feb. 25) at Marquette, Mich. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish first in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by junior forward Ricky Volcy (19.8 ppg). The Wildcats have won five of their last six games to date this year under 20th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 13-15 overall in 2004-05 and placed fourth (8-10) in the division.