FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will visit NCAA Division I Toledo (Ohio) Saturday, Dec. 10, for a 7 p.m. (EST) non-conference tilt in UT’s Savage Hall at Toledo, Ohio. The contest will be the second game of a doubleheader as Toledo’s women will host Wright State (Ohio) in the first game at 4:30 p.m. (EST).

Media Coverage: Saturday’s game will be carried live locally by News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Rob Bentley will handle the play-by-play duties for Saturday’s coverage. No Ferris webcast is slated to be available due to other programming conflicts. Toledo’s broadcast can be heard on the world wide web at www.utrockets.com. “Live Stats” will also be available via Gametracker coverage by Toledo at the site.

About Ferris State: Ferris State University is a NCAA Division II school located in Big Rapids, Mich., with an enrollment of 12,547. The Bulldogs are a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Big Rapids is located in West Michigan approximately 60 miles north of Grand Rapids or 40 miles west of Mount Pleasant, Mich.

FSU Wins Thursday Rivalry Clash: Ferris outscored West Michigan archrival Grand Valley State 21-6 over the final 7:45 of the contest en route to a 79-63 victory over the nationally-ranked Lakers Thursday (Dec. 8) evening in FSU's Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs captured the battle of unbeaten teams in GLIAC play before a Wink Arena record crowd of 1,710 fans in attendance. GVSU entered the game ranked 19th in this week's (Dec. 5) National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II National Poll. Ferris won its fifth consecutive contest this year to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in GLIAC action. Junior forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) paced Ferris with a team-high 15 points. Senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) added 14 points and eight assists while freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) also tallied 14 points.

Ferris Wins Road Game: Ferris overcame a three-point halftime deficit to pull away for a 93-71 league win over Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Dec. 3) in University Center, Mich. The Bulldogs received a career-best 26 points from Dennis Springs. FSU’s Jessie York chipped in a personal-best 22 points and senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) tallied 10 points. Ferris trailed 44-41 at halftime, but outscored SVSU 52-27 in the final period. The Bulldogs shot 54.5% (36-66) from the floor, including a 21-of-33 (63.6%) second half showing.

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 State, which was ranked 23rd in the final (March 8) 2004-05 National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Regular-Season National Poll, also advanced to the GLIAC Tournament for the second year in a row in 2004-05. Last season marked Ferris State's first appearance in the national rankings since the 1988-89 campaign.

Handing Out The Hardware: Members of the 2004-05 Ferris State men's basketball team received their championship rings for winning a second-straight GLIAC North Division title along with earning NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional runner-up honors during a special presentation at halftime of Thursday’s (Dec. 8) Ferris-Grand Valley State women's basketball game.

Nationally-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 the initial (Nov. 28) 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 59-46 (.562) career mark. He is 54-38 (.587) 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 921-845 (.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.

Things Have Changed: 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 54-38 (.587) and claimed back-to-back divisional titles along with making a regional finals appearance last campaign. FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02.

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 378-314 (.546) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 175-216 (.448) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs were 7-5 (.583) on the road in 2004-05.

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.

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.

Live Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2005-06 Ferris State home basketball games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon.

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.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors will serve as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include Dennis Springs, Antwuan Holt and forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley). 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.

Homecoming For Springs: Ferris’ Dennis Springs will return to his hometown of Toledo for Saturday’s game. A two-time GLIAC North Division Second Team honoree, Springs prepped at Toledo’s Scott High School. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior while earning the Toledo Blade’s 2001 Player of the Year honor under head coach Earl Morris. Springs was a third-team Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I All-Stater as a senior. He’s in his fourth year as FSU’s starting point guard this campaign and ranks as the program’s all-time assists leader (581). Springs also became the 24th player in FSU history to notch 1,000 career points in the squad’s season opener (Nov. 15) at Saint Joseph’s (Ind.).

Bulldog Bites: Thursday’s attendance of 1,710 versus Grand Valley State was the largest crowd in Wink Arena history. The top five crowds in the facility have all came in the last three seasons, including the previous top draw of 1,413 last season (11/16/04) against Cornerstone ...... Ferris has won three-straight games over GVSU in Wink Arena to date following Thursday’s triumph ......... Six of FSU’s seven outings this year have been decided by more than 10 points ........ Ferris State has posted 37 winning campaigns and 42 non-losing seasons in its previous 77 seasons ............ FSU has presently won 24 of its last 26 home games dating back to the 2003-04 campaign .......... Dennis Springs has scored 10 points or more in all seven outings this season while Jessie York has netted six double-figure scoring performances.

GLIAC Player Of The Week: Ferris’ Dennis Springs was chosen as this week’s (Dec. 5) GLIAC North Division Player of the Week for the second time this year after averaging 20.5 points, eight assists, 4.5 rebounds along with 4.5 steals in two games last week. Springs, who also earned the distinction on Nov. 22, shot .571 (16-28) from the floor in the stretch.

FSU Fall Recruits: Ferris head coach Bill Sall recently announced the addition of current Muskegon Heights High School frontcourt players Edward Sanders and Lou Williams, who both plan to attend and compete in men's basketball at FSU beginning with the 2006-07 academic year. They inked national letters-of-intent with the Bulldogs during the fall signing period. The 6-7 Williams and the 6-8 Sanders helped guide the Tigers to a 26-2 overall record and state runner-up finish last year. The duo will join current junior guard Julius Vines along with Jessie York and freshman guard Anthony Sydnor from the Muskegon Heights program.

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 behind Grand Valley State center Callistus Eziukwu while Shaw was the seventh player listed. GVSU had three selections, Ferris and Hope College both had two honorees while Aquinas, Calvin and Cornerstone each had one player on the top 10 list.

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, which recently hit news stands. 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. The Bulldogs were one of three league institutions featured in the additional category along with defending GLIAC South Division champion Findlay and archrival Grand Valley State.

A Look At Saturday's Opponent:

Toledo: Saturday's contest will represent the first-ever series' meeting between the two schools. The Rockets are presently 3-2 overall and 0-1 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) action this season under 10th-year head coach Stan Joplin following last Saturday's (Dec. 3) 73-69 home loss to Northern Illinois. The Rockets returned seven of their top eight scorers this year from last season’s MAC West Division Championship team. Toledo was picked to finish first in the 2005-06 MAC News Media Association West Division Preseason Poll. The Rockets posted a 16-13 overall record last campaign, including an 11-7 league mark. They have recorded a winning season in seven of the last eight years under Joplin. UT had won three consecutive games prior to last Saturday’s setback. Junior guard Justin Ingrahm currently leads the squad in scoring (16.0 ppg) and is one of three players from Michigan on the Toledo roster.

Division I Competition: FSU dropped a 73-58 decision at Central Michigan in its most recent (11/17/03) play against Division I competition. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-point advantage only six minutes into the contest before the Chippewas responded in CMU's Rose Arena at Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The contest was played as a regular-season game for Ferris and an exhibition outing for CMU per NCAA regulations involving the season's official starting date. The last time Ferris squared off against a NCAA-I opponent when it counted as a regular-season game for both schools was when the Bulldogs defeated Oakland (11/21/00) by a score of 75-70 in Rochester, Mich.