FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State men’s basketball team will square off against nationally-ranked Findlay in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Semifinals this Friday, March 3, in Grand Valley State’s Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich. Tipoff for the first men’s semifinal game is set for 3 p.m. (EST).

Media Coverage: Friday’s game will be carried live by local radio station News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Rob Bentley of the FSU Athletics Communications Office will provide the play-by-play coverage. The game is also tentatively slated to be webcast at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Ticket Info: Tickets for the GLIAC Tournament can be obtained by contacting the GVSU Athletics Department at (616) 331-8800 or will also be sold at the door. Adult ticket prices are $10 per session while children ages 3-17 and seniors 55+ will be charged $8 per ticket. College students of the competing teams will be admitted for only $2 with identification. No complimentary tickets or GLIAC passes will be allowed for the tournament. All seats will be general admission.

Tourney Notes: The Bulldogs are seeded third and the Oilers second entering the semifinal round ........ Host and top-seeded Grand Valley State will meet fourth-seeded Ashland in the 8 p.m. (EST) nightcap with the two winners squaring off Saturday (March 4) in the 8 p.m. (EST) title contest ............ In addition, Grand Valley State will also host the final four teams of the women's tournament. The first women's game between Lake Superior State and Ashland is set to begin Friday at 1 p.m. (EST) with the GVSU women hosting Gannon at 6 p.m. (EST). The women’s final is set for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (EST).

What’s At Stake: The eventual tournament champion will receive the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Men’s Basketball Tournament slated for March 11-14 at a site to be determined. Eight teams, including six at-large squads, will participate in the regional with the official announcement set to be released late Sunday (March 5) evening.

Quarterfinal Results: The Bulldogs are currently 17-11 overall this season following Tuesday’s (Feb. 28) 73-69 tournament quarterfinal round home win over Northern Michigan in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. UF advanced to the semifinals with a 76-62 triumph over Hillsdale Tuesday in Findlay, Ohio. In the other quarterfinal games, GVSU beat Michigan Tech 67-46 at home in Allendale while Ashland posted a 70-68 win over Mercyhurst at Ashland, Ohio.

GLIAC Tourney Info: The Bulldogs, who are making their third-straight league tournament berth, hold a 6-9 all-time tournament mark in their eighth appearance heading into Friday’s contest ............ Ferris captured the 1997-98 GLIAC Tournament title ............ This year marked the third consecutive season the Bulldogs 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) that campaign ......... FSU and Findlay have never met before in GLIAC Tourney play.

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 ....... Ferris will be playing in the tournament semifinals for the second-straight year as FSU dropped a 68-63 decision to Wayne State last season (3/4/05) at Findlay, Ohio, following a 103-98 quarterfinal-round (3/1/05) home win over NMU.

Ferris Wins At Home: Ferris advanced to the semifinals with a 73-68 quarterfinal-round triumph over Northern Michigan Tuesday (Feb. 28) in Wink Arena. FSU built a 35-26 halftime edge and jumped the lead up to 14 points with 16:23 remaining. However, Northern Michigan was able to knot the contest up at 52 points apiece with 9:13 left to play before FSU went on a 15-2 run over the next six minutes and took a 13-point advantage. NMU trimmed the lead back down to four points with four seconds left to play but could get no closer. Senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) led a balanced Bulldog attack with 15 points and nine assists. Senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) along with freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) both added 12 points in the FSU win. Senior forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) contributed eight points and nine rebounds. Ricky Volcy compiled a game-best 37 points and grabbed seven rebounds in addition to blocking seven shots for NMU.

FSU Falls To Rival Lakers: Ferris State dropped a 90-55 decision to archrival Grand Valley State in its regular-season finale last Saturday (Feb. 25) evening in GVSU's Fieldhouse Arena. The 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. 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.

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 Semifinals in 2004-05.

National Rankings: Ferris was not ranked but did receive two votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II National Rankings this week after claiming the 24th spot in last week’s (Feb. 21) poll. Prior to last week, the Bulldogs had not been ranked this season since earning the number 18 spot in the NABC Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll. GVSU is tied for sixth and Findlay eighth in the latest poll with regional foes Saint Joseph’s, Ind. (2nd), Southern Indiana (11th) and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (T22nd) also listed. Ferris has played six teams currently ranked in the top 25 this campaign, including four of the top eight squads. Last week's national listing represented the 21st time the program had been ranked.

Regional Rankings: FSU was listed ninth in this week’s (March 1) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings. Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) heads the regional poll, which will be used to help determine the eight-team field for the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (March 11-14). 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 tournaments receive automatic bids into the regional field. GVSU is listed second, Findlay third and Northern Michigan 10th among four league schools in the current poll.

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 933-854 (.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 71-55 (.563) career mark. He is 66-47 (.584) overall since being appointed head coach prior to the 2002-03 campaign.

Jim Wink Arena: The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 36-10 (.783) overall record at home in Jim Wink Arena during Bill Sall’s head coaching era at FSU. Ferris, which holds an all-time mark of 44-39 (.530) 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 info on all FSU programs including rosters, statistics, yearbooks and more.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors are serving as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include Antwuan Holt, Dennis Springs and Jeffery Shanahan. Holt played his first two seasons at Northern Michigan before his transfer to FSU prior to last campaign.

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 30 of its last 34 home outings overall, including 21 of the last 23 ...... 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 13-3 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 66-47 (.584). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02 ...... Ferris has won 19 of its last 22 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 .... Twenty-one of Ferris’ 28 outings this year have been against teams with a .500 record or better entering the contest ..... Dennis Springs moved into 10th place on the school’s career scoring chart in Tuesday’s victory over Northern Michigan. He has 1,449 career points to date ......... Ferris’ 17 victories this year are the program’s third-most in the last 16 seasons. FSU’s most during that stretch was 24 wins last year while the 1997-98 squad posted a 21-12 overall record.

GLIAC Honors: Ferris’ Dennis Springs earned the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award Feb. 6, which marked the third time Springs has claimed the honor this year as he was 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 ...... Ferris was picked to finish third in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Northern Michigan was selected as the divisional favorite with GVSU second.

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 699 career assists to date and is 17th on the all-time NCAA Division II assists leaders list. Springs presently ranks 17th nationally in assists (5.7) along with 42nd in steals (2.3) this season among the latest (Feb. 26) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. He is also the GLIAC’s overall assists leader to date this campaign.

A Look At Friday's Matchup:

Series Information: Ferris trails the Oilers in the all-time series' 10-2 and has not beat Findlay since the 1963-64 campaign. Findlay has won the last 10 matchups and defeated Ferris 94-73 in the 2004-05 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Championship Game (3/15/05) at UF’s Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio. UF also beat Ferris 88-72 earlier this season (1/28/06) at home. Ferris head coach Bill Sall is 0-5 in his head coaching career versus Findlay. The Oilers posted a controversial 87-85 regular-season victory over the Bulldogs with a tip-in at the buzzer last season (12/2/04) in Big Rapids, Mich.

About Findlay: Findlay enters Friday's outing with a 25-3 overall record and has won 21 of its last 22 outings overall to date this campaign. The Oilers, who are guided by 21st-year head coach Ron Niekamp, were 30-4 overall during the 2004-05 campaign and posted a first-place 16-1 GLIAC South Division finish. Findlay also claimed the 2004-05 GLIAC Tourney Championship and advanced to the NCAA-II Elite Eight. Senior guard Dustin Pfeifer is the Oilers’ leading scorer (14.9 ppg) to date. UF, which claimed its fifth consecutive league South Division crown this year, was picked to finish first in the 2005-06 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Oilers are ranked eighth nationally in this week’s poll.