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FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State men’s basketball team received its second consecutive NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament bid Sunday (March 5) in a live announcement made during the NCAA-II Selection Show. FSU, which is presently 18-12 overall this campaign, is the region’s eighth seed and will face top-seeded host Saint Joseph’s (30-2) this Saturday, March 11, in regional quarterfinal-round play at Rensselaer, Ind. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (EST). SJC earned the top seed and will serve as the tournament host with the games to be played in the 2,000-seat Richard F. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse.

Regional Tourney Schedule: In addition to the Bulldogs, two other Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools also received tourney berths in Grand Valley State and Findlay. The other quarterfinal round games Saturday feature third-seeded Findlay (25-4) squaring off against sixth-seed Quincy (21-9) at 1 p.m. (EST), second-seeded GVSU (27-3) battling seventh-seeded Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (22-6) in a 3:30 p.m. (EST) tilt along with fourth-seeded Southern Indiana (25-6) taking on the number five-seed Drury (21-8) starting at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

Regional Semifinals/Finals: The winners of Saturday's four quarterfinal round games will advance to Sunday's (March 12) regional semifinals with the championship game set for Tuesday, March 14. The winner of the Ferris/SJC game will play the winner of the USI/Drury game Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (EST) with the winner of the Findlay/Quincy game facing the winner of the GVSU/SIUE game in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. (EST). Tuesday's title game tips off at 8 p.m. (EST).

FSU’s NCAA History: FSU has made seven previous NCAA-II National Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight showing in 1988-89. The Bulldogs advanced to last season’s (2004-05) Great Lakes Regional Championship game before falling to eventual regional champion Findlay 94-73 (3/15/05) on the Oilers’ home floor in Findlay, Ohio. Ferris holds a 7-8 all-time mark in national tournament play at the NCAA-II level. The Bulldogs made four-straight trips to the regional tournament from 1987-90. Prior to last season, FSU had not reached the regional tournament since winning the GLIAC Tournament title and earning the league’s automatic bid in 1997-98.

About The Tourney: The single-elimination national tournament field includes eight regions of eight teams apiece. The Great Lakes Regional champion will advance to the 50th annual NCAA Division II Elite Eight set for March 22-25 in Springfield, Mass. Ferris was one of 42 NCAA-II schools to receive an at-large bid with 22 others advancing by virtue of claiming their respective league's automatic berths. The winner of the Great Lakes Regional has made it to the national championship game 11 of the last 12 years and has produced three national champions during that span.

Media Coverage: Live coverage of Ferris’ NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament games will be provided by local radio station WBRN (1460 AM) with Rob Bentley providing the play by play coverage. They are also tentatively slated to be accessible via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcast icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Ticket Information: An allotment of 100 tickets has been reserved for Ferris State fans wanting to purchase tickets for Saturday's game. Fans should contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888 prior to this Thursday (March 9) morning and supply the name and number of tickets needed. A list will be compiled and those tickets will then be held for purchase and can be obtained Saturday upon arrival at the Saint Joseph's facility. For those interested in obtaining tickets after Thursday morning or when FSU's allotment has been sold out, the Saint Joseph's College Ticket Office can be reached at (219) 866-6386 for additional information. A separate ticket will need to be purchased for each session, which consists of two games. The facility will be cleared between sessions. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for students with identification per session. No complimentary tickets will be issued per NCAA regulations.

GLIAC Tourney Championship Recap: Ferris State battled nationally-ranked archrival Grand Valley State nearly even for the first 28 minutes, but the host Lakers outscored the Bulldogs 32-11 over the final 12 minutes to win the GLIAC Tournament Championship 80-58 last Saturday (March 4) evening in GVSU's Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs trailed 39-33 at halftime before GVSU outscored FSU 41-25 in the final frame. FSU shot only 37.0% (20-54) from the floor for the game. The Lakers held a 44-25 rebounding edge and shot 52.4% (33-63) from the floor. Senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) led Ferris with 19 points while junior forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) added 16 points. GVSU was led by Callistus Eziukwu's game-best 20 points. FSU played only seven players in the contest as Springs went the entire 40 minutes and Shaw totaled 39 minutes of action.

Last Season: Ferris State capped off a banner 2004-05 season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA-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 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.

A Look At Saint Joseph’s: SJC is currently 30-2 overall this season and claimed the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament Championship with a 68-67 win over Quincy (Ill.) Sunday (March 5) in Evansville, Ind. The Pumas, under fourth-year head coach Linc Darner, placed first in the GLVC East Division with a 17-2 league regular-season record this year after being picked to finish first in the 2005-06 GLVC Preseason East Division Coaches Poll. Saint Joseph’s registered a 17-12 overall record during the 2004-05 campaign. The Pumas were ranked second in the latest (March 1) National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top 25 Poll and are led in scoring by senior guard/forward Sullivan Sykes (18.9 ppg). Darner previously served as an assistant coach at GLIAC-member Ashland.

Series Information: Ferris and Saint Joseph’s will square off for the ninth time Saturday with the Pumas holding a 6-2 series’ advantage. The Bulldogs dropped a 103-85 decision to SJC in this season's opening game (Nov. 15) at Rensselaer, Ind. Prior to this season, the two teams last squared off in 2002-03 (11/22) when Ferris recorded a 76-75 triumph in Rensselaer. The contest marked the official head coaching debut of current FSU head coach Bill Sall. The Pumas have won five of the last six meetings to date. Ferris posted its only other series victory by virtue of its 91-44 win at FSU’s Old Jim Wink Arena during the 1996-97 (12/14) campaign. The Bulldogs hold a 1-4 all-time record versus the Pumas at Rensselaer.

Tourney Note: Ferris State is one of five teams participating in this year’s regional tournament who also took part in last year’s event. Besides Ferris, last year’s regional also included host Findlay, Southern Indiana, Quincy and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Last Meeting: Ferris dropped its 2005-06 season opener Nov. 15 to Saint Joseph's (Ind.) by a score of 103-85 in Rensselaer, Ind. The visiting Bulldogs led the non-conference contest for the opening 10 minutes, however, the host Pumas outscored FSU 35-20 over the final 10 minutes of the half and never relinquished the lead. Dennis Springs led the Bulldogs with a game-high 21 points and also added six assists along with two steals. Terrance Shaw added 19 points and eight rebounds for Ferris State while freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) totaled 12 points in his collegiate debut.

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 934-855 (.522) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won 11 GLIAC titles, made eight 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 72-56 (.563) career mark. He is 67-48 (.583) overall since being appointed head coach prior to the 2002-03 campaign.

FSU Picked 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 Team Captains: FSU’s three senior players are serving as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos), Dennis Springs and forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley). Holt played his first two seasons at Northern Michigan before his transfer to FSU prior to last campaign. Both Springs and Shanahan are four-year letterwinners who were part of Bill Sall’s initial recruiting class at Ferris State.

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 13-4 against in-state foes this season .... Ferris has won 19 of its last 22 games held in the month of February dating back to the 2003-04 season .............. Twenty-three of Ferris’ 30 outings this year have been against teams with a .500 record or better entering the contest ....... Ferris’ win over Findlay in the GLIAC Tourney Semifinals (March 3) prevented the Oilers from ending the Bulldogs’ season for the second-straight year. UF topped FSU in last season’s regional final at Findlay, Ohio.

Great Turnaround: 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 67-48 (.583). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02.

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 also recognized both Nov. 22 and Dec. 5. Ferris received the 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 707 career assists to date and is 15th on the all-time NCAA Division II assists leaders list. Springs presently ranks 17th nationally in assists (5.7) along with 38th in steals (2.2) this season among the latest (March 6) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. He is also the GLIAC’s overall assists leader to date this campaign.

Another Great Year: Ferris’ 18 victories this year are the program’s third-most in the last 16 seasons. FSU’s most during the stretch was 24 wins last year (24-7) while the 1997-98 squad posted a 21-12 overall record. This campaign marks the third-straight season the Bulldogs have recorded a .500 record or better as Ferris was 14-14 overall in 2003-04.

Near The Top Again: This season marks the third-straight year the Bulldogs have finished either first or second in the GLIAC North Division. Ferris claimed back-to-back divisional titles in 2003-04 and 2004-05 with 14-4 and 13-5 conference marks, respectively. FSU’s 13-5 league ledger this season trailed only rival Grand Valley State’s first place 16-2 division record. The Bulldogs have currently won more league crowns (11) than any other conference member. Ferris had not won a GLIAC Championship since 1994-95 prior to its first title run in 2003-04 under head coach Bill Sall.

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