BLOG 37: GLIAC standings continue to tighten for Ferris, many others

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State University basketball player Justin Keenan goes up in traffic for a shot while he is being defended during a game earlier this season (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – It’s almost difficult to believe, but the standings of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are becoming tighter by the game.

The Ferris State University men’s basketball team, after falling 80-65 at home to Northwood last Saturday, has dropped another game behind North Division-leading Lake Superior State. The Lakers are ahead of the pack at 9-3. They are followed by another set of Lakers (Grand Valley State) at 8-4 and Ferris is third at 7-5. But, the Bulldogs can’t afford to rest this weekend – in spite of the fact they are playing two teams below them in the standings. If we’ve learned nothing else, we’ve learned anyone can beat anyone in the North Division.

Michigan Tech, Ferris’ opponent on Saturday in Houghton, is one game in back of Ferris while Northern Michigan, the Bulldogs’ opponent on Thursday in Marquette, is three back. NMU may currently be in last place, but don’t think the Wildcats are not a dangerous team with some good players. This NMU squad is capable of beating any team in the North Division. The sixth team in the division, Saginaw Valley, is 5-7 (sandwiched in between Tech and Northern).

A quick look at the South Division shows Findlay continues to dominate all competition in the GLIAC. The Oilers, the No. 1-ranked NCAA Division II team in the nation, is 16-0 overall and 12-0 in the league’s standings. Northwood and Hillsdale are 6-6, Ashland is 5-7, Wayne State is 4-8 and Tiffin is on the bottom at 1-16 overall and 0-12 in the conference.

With the top eight teams going to the league tournament, the door is still open with a lot of solid basketball teams competing for a limited number of spots in the GLIAC Tournament.

The Bulldogs want to stay in that mix, but to do so they must prove they can win big road games after mostly holding serve on their home court.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com