FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will conclude the 2002-03 regular-season campaign this weekend (Feb. 20 & 22) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. FSU will visit the Northern Michigan Wildcats this Thursday (Feb. 20) for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest at NMU’s Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich. The Bulldogs will then face the nationally-ranked Michigan Tech Huskies this Saturday (Feb. 22) with tipoff slated for 3 p.m. (EST) in MTU’s Student Development Complex Gymnasium at Houghton, Mich. The Huskies are ranked first in the latest (Feb. 11) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Top 25 Poll.

A Look At FSU - The Bulldogs, who are presently 10-14 overall and 6-10 in league action, rank tied for fourth place in the GLIAC North Division standings to date. The top three teams in each division and the next two best overall records will qualify for the GLIAC Tournament, which begins Saturday, March 1, at four campus sites. Five teams have already clinched tournament berths. Grand Valley State and Ashland presently have seven conference wins while FSU, Northwood, Lake Superior State and Hillsdale currently have six league apiece entering the final week of play. FSU has split its last four games to date.

Last Week - Ferris dropped a 70-64 league decision to the Grand Valley State Lakers last Monday (Feb. 10) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU then defeated the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 78-65 in its regular-season home finale last Saturday (Feb. 15). Freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) scored a game-high 19 points to lead FSU versus SVSU. Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) added 15 points, senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) registered 14 points and sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) tallied 11 points. Anderson scored 20 points and had eight rebounds against GVSU while Thomas totaled 19 points, Carlton Epps produced 10 points and Springs dished out 11 assists.

Last Season - Ferris State concluded the 2001-02 campaign with a 4-22 overall mark, which included a seventh-place 1-17 GLIAC North Division finish.

The Bulldog Tradition - The 2002-03 campaign marks the 75th 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 877-821 (.516) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won nine GLIAC titles, made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and reached the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris, which last won the GLIAC Tournament championship in 1997-98, captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Head Coach Bill Sall - A 1994 Calvin graduate, first-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 MIAA championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four.

Nearing The Top - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, presently ranks seventh on FSU’s career scoring leaders list. Anderson, who has scored 10 points or more in 58 of his last 61 games, currently has 1,566 career points and needs 147 more to tie Jarvis Walker (1,713; 1985-89) for sixth place on Ferris’ career scoring leaders list. The 6-10 Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (139), is third on the school’s career made free throw chart (477-716) and needs seven more to tie Jesse Mangham (484; 1966-72) for third place. He established FSU single-season records in made free throws (179) and blocks (50) during the 2000-01 season. Anderson, who has led FSU in scoring 13 of the last 17 games to date, presently has 606 career rebounds and is 44 short of tying Gerald Woodberry (650; 1985-87) for eighth place on Ferris' career list. Anderson is averaging 20.0 points per game in his last six outings.

Preseason All-America Honoree - Adam Anderson was named to the 2002-03 Street & Smith’s Division II Preseason Honorable Mention All-America Team for the second consecutive season. Anderson, a 2000-01 Daktronics NCAA-II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection, was among 31 individuals receiving preseason accolades and joined MTU’s Matt Cameron, Hillsdale’s Matt Mlynarchek and Josh Morgan of Gannon as GLIAC-member representatives. He has reached double-figure scoring 78 times in 103 career games.

Senior Trio Recognized - The FSU men’s basketball team honored seniors Adam Anderson, Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) and Brian Monahan (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Pioneer) prior to last Saturday’s game as part of the school’s Senior Day activities. Anderson has scored 1,566 points, grabbed 606 rebounds and has a school-record 139 blocked shots to date. Guernsey has presently registered 223 points and 187 rebounds while Monahan currently has 431 points, 176 rebounds and 200 career assists.

Bulldog Bites - Saturday’s game at Michigan Tech will be FSU’s 1,700th all-time contest ....... Ferris State registered its first 10-win campaign since the 1997-98 season (21-12) with last Saturday's win over Saginaw Valley State. The Bulldogs' six league wins to date this campaign are its most since the 1997-98 team finished 10-8 in GLIAC action ..... FSU's Senior Day attendance (865) was its second-best total in the four-year history of the new Jim Wink Arena .......... Willie Thomas has scored 10 points or more in 12 of his last 13 contests to date. He has 66 made three-point field goals this campaign and is presently tied with Marcus Wallace (66; 2001-02) for third place on Ferris' single-season list. He is six treys short of tying Joe Blankenship's (72; 1992-93) school single-season record ........ Carlton Epps, who has posted double-digit scoring performances in 14 of his last 18 outings, attained his 500th career point versus SVSU ...... Sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) currently has seven double-figure scoring games in his last 13 appearances ....... Brian Monahan recorded his 200th career assist versus SVSU while freshman forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) matched his personal career-high with six rebounds against GVSU ...... Adam Anderson's current 37 blocks this season ranks fifth on the school's single-season list. He is presently averaging 8.0 rebounds per game in his last seven appearances ........ Dennis Springs' current 149 assists to date this campaign is the school's top mark since Jeff Byrd (132; 1989-90). Springs, who leads the conference in assists (6.2 apg), needs 12 more to tie Jarvis Walker (161; 1986-87) for third place on FSU's single-season leaders list ....... Junior forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) needs seven points to register his 200th career point.

On The Road - FSU is 335-290 (.536) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 158-195 (.448) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. Ferris is 4-8 (.333) on the road this season.

Against The Opponents - FSU will travel to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this week.

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 61-36 advantage and has won two of the last three series’ contests heading into this Thursday’s 98th encounter. However, FSU posted a 74-63 victory in the team’s last meeting (2/1/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. NMU is currently 13-11 overall and 9-7 in GLIAC action after last Saturday’s (Feb. 15) 74-68 league road win at Lake Superior State. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish third in the 2002-03 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by junior forward Billy Hill (15.2 ppg). The Wildcats have lost four of their last five games to date under 16th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 14-12 overall in 2001-02 and placed fifth (7-11) in the GLIAC North Division.

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 46-43 lead entering this Saturday’s 90th series meeting. MTU has won nine consecutive games and defeated Ferris 98-82 in the last meeting between the teams (1/30/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. Michigan Tech is presently 24-1 overall and 16-0 in league play heading into this Thursday’s (Feb. 20) GLIAC home game versus Grand Valley State following last Saturday’s (Feb. 15) 79-62 league victory at Northwood. The Huskies, under ninth-year head coach Kevin Luke, were 27-3 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and compiled a first-place 16-2 GLIAC North Division record. MTU, which is led in scoring by senior center J.T. Luginski (18.3 ppg), was picked to finish first in the 2002-03 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Michigan Tech has won its last 15 outings to date.

Between The Lines - Between The Lines, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, continues to be aired across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Ira Childress and produced in the studios of the University’s cable Channel 7. FSU men’s basketball head coach Bill Sall will make appearances throughout the season. The show is also aired locally on the University's cable Channel 7 every Tuesday (7 p.m.), Wednesday (8:30 p.m.) and Sunday (7 p.m.).

GLIAC Tourney - The 2002-03 GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals will be held Saturday, March 1, at four campus sites to be determined. The top two teams in each division will host quarterfinal-round contests with parings announced this Sunday (Feb. 23). The tourney semifinals/finals will be held Friday-Saturday, March 7-8, at the campus site of the highest remaining seed.