FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will host Aquinas in non-conference action Saturday, Nov. 20, at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (EST). Ferris will then square off against Calvin Tuesday, Nov. 23, in a 7:30 p.m. (EST) non-league home tilt.

Ticket Info: Individual game tickets to FSU regular-season 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 Wins Opener: Junior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) scored with two seconds remaining to lift Ferris to a 99-97 non-conference triumph over West Michigan opponent Cornerstone Tuesday (Nov. 16) in FSU’s 2004-05 season opener and first-ever Ferris Basketball Fan Fest at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs led 86-66 with 9:49 remaining in the contest before the Golden Eagles rallied and tied the contest with eight seconds left on a layup by Brandon Voorhees. The 5-6 Springs compiled 17 points, 12 assists and five rebounds for FSU while senior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) sank 10-of-15 field goal attempts and nailed six treys in finishing with a team-high 26 points. Senior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) added 17 points, senior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) chipped in 12 points and sophomore forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) netted 11 points for the Bulldogs.

A Look At The Bulldogs: Ferris State, which claimed the 2003-04 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division Regular-Season Championship, finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 14-14 overall record and a 14-4 league mark. FSU, which has won more GLIAC championships (10) than any other league member, posted its best overall record in 2003-04 since compiling a 21-12 ledger during the 1997-98 season. Three starters and eight letterwinners return this campaign.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, third-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 31-37 (.456) career mark.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2004-05 campaign marks the 77th 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 893-836 (.516) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won 10 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.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 21-36 (.368) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 15-30 (.333) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 season. FSU is 1-0 (1.000) at home this year.

A Look At The Roster: Ferris’ 2004-05 active roster includes three seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. Eight of the 14 players are guards while the remaining six are frontcourt players. Thirteen players hail from Michigan with one from Ohio.

Ferris Picked Second: Defending champion Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Wednesday (Nov. 10) by the league office. The Bulldogs totaled 32 points along with two first-place votes in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. Michigan Tech was selected as the North Division favorite as the Huskies recorded 35 points along with five first-place votes. Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 25 points and five first-place votes. Each of the league’s 13 head coaches ranked the teams in their respective divisions, but were not allowed to vote for their own team. The first-place team in the North Division received six points while the second-place team earned four points, etc. The first-place squad in the South Division picked up five points, the second-place team took four points, etc.

The FSU Staff: FSU head coach Bill Sall returns three of his assistant coaches from a year ago, including top assistant coach Cory Anderson. Anderson, who played for Ferris from 1996-98, is in his sixth season as a full-time assistant coach. Volunteer Assistant Coach Bill Killian also returns for his third season on Sall’s staff while Jim Lake is in his second season as a volunteer assistant. Sall added longtime West Michigan high school coach Dave Schlump, who formerly coached at Cedar Springs (Mich.), as a volunteer assistant.

GLIAC Games On The Air: FSU’s 2004-05 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

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.

Between The Lines: FSU head coach Bill Sall will make periodic appearances throughout the season on “Between The Lines,” a weekly half-hour television show devoted to Ferris State Athletics. The program, which is hosted by Shannon Vesper and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) and 8 p.m. (ET), respectively, on FSU’s Cable Channel 7.

Bulldog Bites: The Bulldogs have won four of their last nine season openers to date following their win over CU. The 2004-05 campaign marked the first time the Bulldogs had opened the season at home in eight seasons. FSU has currently emerged victorious in four of its last seven home opening contests ..... Ferris State has posted 36 winning campaigns and 41 non-losing seasons in its previous 76 seasons ........ FSU will play 15 home games this campaign, including five of its initial six contests ......... Dennis Springs moved into fourth place on FSU’s career assists leaders list with 12 assists against Cornerstone. He currently has 334 career assists to date and is 111 away from matching Tim Herman’s (1975-79) third-place FSU mark of 445 assists ......... Carlton Epps presently has 968 career points to date and is 32 away from becoming the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. He needs 22 three-pointers to match Aaron Nauta’s (1996-00) school record mark of 166 treys ....... Dennis Springs’ 12 assist performance versus Cornerstone represents the seventh time he has notched 10 or more assists in a single contest during his career. Six of the seven outings have came at home. The 5-6 Springs also recorded his 600th career point in Tuesday’s contest ......... Corey Epps needs 16 points to garner his 600th career point. He presently ranks seventh on Ferris’ all-time steals chart with 117 thefts in 81 career contests ....... Aquinas’ 2004-05 roster includes junior guard Tim O’Brien, who previously played at Ferris State from 2001-03. He scored 47 points and had 34 rebounds at FSU ....... Two FSU opponents are ranked in the 2004-05 Division II Bulletin Preseason National Poll including top-ranked Southern Indiana and Michigan Tech (seventh).

Largest Crowd Ever: Tuesday’s crowd of 1,413 fans was the largest crowd to ever witness a FSU home game in the new Wink Arena. The previous record of 1,025 was recorded in last season’s regular-season finale (2/28/04) versus Michigan Tech.

Looking Ahead: Ferris State will visit California (Pa.) Saturday, Nov. 27, for a 3 p.m. (EST) non-league contest in California, Pa. FSU then opens conference action Thursday, Dec. 2, versus Findlay at Wink Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EST).

A Look At The Opponents:

Aquinas: Ferris and Aquinas will square off for the 71st time Saturday with the Bulldogs holding a 54-16 series advantage. In the last meeting (12/3/02), the Saints recorded an 88-84 win at Grand Rapids, Mich. However, the Bulldogs have won eight of the last 11 meetings to date. Ferris last defeated the Saints in 1993-94 (11/26) 100-80 at the Calvin Thanksgiving Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. Aquinas improved to 5-1 overall this campaign under second-year head coach Dave Hammer after Tuesday’s (Nov. 16) 71-61 home win over Spring Arbor. The Saints, who are led in scoring by sophomore guard Jeff Jayson (19.8 ppg), compiled an 18-13 overall record last season and were 6-6 (fourth place) in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play.

Calvin: Ferris and Calvin will square off for the 81st time Tuesday with the Knights holding a 65-15 series advantage. In the last meeting (1/3/04), Calvin recorded an 85-77 win at the Calvin Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Knights have won three of the last four series’ meetings to date and are coached by ninth-year head coach Kevin Vande Streek, who led Calvin to the 1999-00 NCAA-III National Championship. Ferris last defeated the Knights in 2002-03 (11/26) by a score of 92-71 at Big Rapids. Calvin, which opens its season by hosting the Calvin Tip-off Tourney this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 19-20), registered a 19-10 overall record in 2003-04.