FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team concludes its four-game homestand against Northwood this Thursday (Jan. 29) in a 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to all FSU home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. A family pass can be purchased for $15. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student identification card.

Ferris At The Top: FSU is presently 7-11 overall and holds a first-place 7-2 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. Four of Ferris’ final nine outings this campaign are at home. The Bulldogs have won four of their last five outings to date this season.

Bulldogs Post Sweep: The Bulldogs outscored visiting Gannon 18-4 in the final 4:36 of last Thursday’s (Jan. 22) contest en route to a 74-67 league home win. FSU then beat Mercyhurst 80-66 in Saturday’s (Jan. 24) battle of the league’s divisional leaders at Wink Arena. Junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) posted a game-high 23 points versus GU while senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) added 18 points and freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) chipped in 10 points. Thomas tallied 24 points, junior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) scored 14 points and sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) contributed 10 points along with a personal career-high six steals versus MC. Springs also had nine assists in both games.

Heritage Day: Ferris State celebrated its 76-year history by holding Heritage Day against Mercyhurst. Selected representatives from the school’s six NCAA Division II National Tournament qualifying teams (1983, ‘87-90, ‘98) and nine GLIAC Championship squads (1973-74, ‘82-83, ‘87-90, ‘95) in addition to three NAIA National Tournament teams were recognized at halftime.

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 885-833 (.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 23-34 (.404) career mark.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 16-35 (.314) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 11-30 (.268) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign.

On The Road: FSU is 343-302 (.532) 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.

Way To Start: Ferris matched last season’s total of seven league wins with its victory over Mercyhurst. The Bulldogs compiled a fourth place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish in 2002-03, which represented the school’s best performance since posting a fourth place 10-8 league mark during the 1997-98 season.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris has led or been tied at halftime in 14 of its 18 games this season. Thirteen of Ferris' 18 opponents this campaign had a .500 record or better prior to the contest. The Bulldogs have posted a 3-5 mark to date versus teams ranked in this season’s initial (Jan. 21) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings ........ Willie Thomas presently has 137 career made three-point field goals and needs six more to tie Joe Blankenship (143; 1991-93) for second place among the school’s all-time leaders. Thomas, who has posted 16 consecutive double-figure scoring outings to date, currently has 68 treys this campaign and is four away from matching Blankenship’s (1992-93) school single-season mark of 72 three-pointers ....... Junior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) recorded his 500th career point against Mercyhurst .......... Freshman forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) tallied both a personal career-high three blocked shots and eight rebounds against Gannon ...... Ferris’ victory over GU snapped a five-game series’ losing streak ........ The Bulldogs improved to 4-2 (.667) overall this month with last weekend’s sweep. FSU previously posted a 4-38 (.095) mark in January games from 1998-03 ....... Ferris has registered more three-point baskets than its opponents in eight of the last nine games to date ....... The Bulldogs have presently attempted 20 or more free throws in three of their last four 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.

Continuing To Climb: Dennis Springs presently has 263 career assists and needs 10 more to tie Kurt Stevens (273; 1982-86) for seventh place among the school’s all-time leaders. He currently has 108 assists in 17 outings (6.4 apg) this season, which ranks first in the GLIAC’s overall statistical rankings to date. Springs is currently averaging 8.4 assists per game in his last five outings this campaign.

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.

Up Next: Ferris will travel to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for two league games next weekend (Feb. 5 & 8). The Bulldogs will visit Michigan Tech Thursday, Feb. 5, for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) tilt in Houghton, Mich., and then battle Northern Michigan Sunday, Feb. 8, in a 3 p.m. (EST) game at Marquette, Mich.

A Look At The Opponent:

Northwood: Ferris holds a 39-19 advantage heading into this Thursday’s 59th meeting. The Timberwolves hold a five-game series winning streak and beat Ferris 82-72 in the last meeting (2/8/03) at Midland, Mich. NU is currently 10-8 overall and 4-5 in GLIAC action after dropping a 65-61 conference home decision last Saturday (Jan. 24) to Hillsdale. NU, which was picked to finish third in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior guard Dallas Logan (20.9 ppg). The Timberwolves have won four of their last five games to date under seventh-year head coach Bob Taylor. Northwood was 10-16 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and placed tied for sixth in the GLIAC North Division with a 6-12 mark. The Timberwolves’ assistant coach, Lewis Garner, compiled 1,437 points and 342 rebounds during his FSU career (1971-75) while attaining honorable mention All-America accolades in 1974. He also served as a Bulldog assistant coach from 1990-94.