FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team travels to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this weekend (Feb. 5-8) for two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contests. The Bulldogs will visit Michigan Tech this Thursday (Feb. 5) for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) outing at MTU’s Student Development Complex Gymnasium in Houghton, Mich. Ferris will then battle Northern Michigan Sunday (Feb. 8) with tipoff set for 3 p.m. (EST) in NMU’s Berry Events Center at Marquette, Mich.

Ferris Still On Top: FSU is presently 8-11 overall and holds a first-place tying 8-2 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. Three of Ferris’ final eight outings this campaign are at home. The Bulldogs have won five of their last six outings to date this season.

Showdown Set: Both Ferris and MTU lead the GLIAC’s North Division with identical 8-2 league records entering Thursday’s showdown. Michigan Tech, which has claimed at least a share of the last three divisional crowns, is 14-3 overall and ranked 16th nationally in the latest (Jan. 27) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Top 25 poll. FSU and MTU hold a three game lead over third-place Northern Michigan (5-5) heading into this weekend’s action. NMU is presently 11-8 overall.

Bulldogs Beat Northwood: The Bulldogs posted a 78-56 league home triumph over Northwood last Thursday (Jan. 29) in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. Junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) totaled a game-high 30 points while sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) and freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) both registered 12 points. Senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) added 11 points.

Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark and a fourth-place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish. Both Ferris’ overall record and league finish represented the program’s best marks since the Bulldogs finished 21-12 overall and claimed the 1997-98 GLIAC Tournament championship.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2003-04 campaign marks the 76th 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 886-833 (.515) 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 captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, second-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. Sall has a current 24-34 (.414) career mark.

On The Road: FSU is 344-302 (.533) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 162-206 (.440) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. Ferris has posted a 3-6 (.333) road mark to date this season.

A Look At The Roster: Ferris’ 2003-04 roster includes two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen. Seven of the 14 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. Twelve players hail from Michigan while two are from Ohio.

Between The Lines: “Between The Lines”, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, airs across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Phill Mooney 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.) and Wednesday (8 p.m.).

FSU 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 and more. The Bulldogs’ 2003-04 yearbook is also available online.

GLIAC Games On The Air: Ferris’ 2003-04 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected league contests can also be accessed live this season via the internet by clicking the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

A Look At FSU: Ferris returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season, including senior co-captains Willie Thomas and Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach). The Bulldogs’ biggest loss was 6-10 center Adam Anderson, who is presently playing in Egypt. The two-time team MVP was also a three-time All-GLIAC pick.

FSU Picked Fourth: Ferris was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 17 points in the balloting by the GLIAC’s head coaches. Northern Michigan was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite with five first-place votes and 35 total points while Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 25 points and five first-place votes.

Ahead Of The Pace: Ferris surpassed last season’s total of seven league wins with its victory over Northwood. The Bulldogs compiled a fourth place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish in 2002-03, which represented the school’s best performance since a fourth place 10-8 league mark in 1997-98.

Looking Ahead: Ferris returns home to host Saginaw Valley State Thursday, Feb. 12, in an 8 p.m. (EST) league tilt at Wink Arena. FSU then travels back to the Upper Peninsula to square off against Lake Superior State Saturday, Feb. 14, at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The GLIAC contest is set for a 3 p.m. (EST) tipoff.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris has led or been tied at halftime in 15 of its 19 games this season. Fourteen of Ferris' 19 opponents this campaign had a .500 record or better prior to the contest. The Bulldogs have posted a 2-5 mark to date versus teams ranked in the latest (Jan. 27) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings ........ Willie Thomas presently has 140 career made three-point field goals and needs three more to tie Joe Blankenship (143; 1991-93) for second place among the school’s all-time leaders. Thomas, who has posted 17 consecutive double-figure scoring outings to date, currently has 71 treys this campaign and is one away from matching Blankenship’s (1992-93) school single-season mark of 72 three-pointers ....... Carlton Epps recorded his 800th career point versus Northwood and currently has 813 career points to date. He is 84 points shy of tying Aaron Nauta (897; 1996-00) for 25th place on the school's all-time scoring list ............ Ferris’ win over Northwood snapped a five-game series losing streak ....... The Bulldogs finished the month of January with a 5-2 (.714) mark. FSU previously registered only a 4-38 (.095) record in January games from 1998-03 ....... The Bulldogs sank 16-of-16 (100.0%) free throw attempts against Northwood, which was two shy of tying the school's single-game record performance (18-18) set last season (11/26/02) against Calvin ....... Ferris has registered more three-point baskets than its opponents in nine of its last 10 games to date ....... The Bulldogs have presently attempted 20 or more free throws in three of their last five contests after failing to record more than 20 attempts in their initial 14 games this season ..... Ferris’ 5-1 league start this campaign marked only the second time in school history and first since 1988-89 the Bulldogs won five of their initial six conference games.

Keep Climbing: Dennis Springs presently has 269 career assists and needs four more to tie Kurt Stevens (273; 1982-86) for seventh place among the school’s all-time leaders. He currently has 114 assists in 18 outings (6.3 apg) this season, which ranks first in the GLIAC’s overall statistical rankings to date. Springs presently has 477 career points and is 23 away from notching his 500th career point.

A Look At The Opponents:

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 47-43 lead entering this Thursday’s 91st series meeting. MTU has won 10 consecutive series’ contests and defeated Ferris 81-53 in the last meeting between the teams (2/22/03) at Houghton, Mich. Michigan Tech is presently 14-3 overall and 8-2 in league play following last Saturday’s (Jan. 31) 83-77 league victory at Lake Superior State. The Huskies, under 10th-year head coach Kevin Luke, were 29-3 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and compiled a first-place 17-1 GLIAC North Division record. MTU, which is led in scoring by junior forward Josh Buettner (22.1 ppg), was picked to finish second in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Michigan Tech has won six of its last seven outings to date this campaign.

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 61-37 advantage heading into this Sunday’s 99th encounter. However, FSU has won two consecutive meetings and posted a 77-66 victory in the last meeting (2/20/03) at Marquette, Mich. NMU is currently 11-8 overall and 5-5 in GLIAC action going into this Thursday’s (Feb. 5) conference home game versus Grand Valley State after last Saturday’s (Jan. 31) 65-62 league road win at Saginaw Valley State. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish first in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior forward Billy Hill (11.2 ppg). The Wildcats have won three straight games to date under 17th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 15-14 overall in 2002-03 and placed second (10-8) in the GLIAC North Division.