March 26, 2024

Ferris State men’s basketball team falls to top-seeded Minnesota State in NCAA DII National Tournament Elite Eight

The Ferris State University men’s basketball team’s special season came to an end Tuesday, with the team losing 98-70 to top seed Minnesota State University in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA DII National Tournament.

“We’re happy about the Elite Eight. But we allow ourselves to dream the biggest dreams, and that’s winning the national championship,” Coach Andy Bronkema said after the game. “One team gets to do that, and it wasn’t us. So, we’re going to analyze that a little bit and feel rough about it. But when the dust settles, we’re going to be proud of this year. What a year for Ferris State, and what a year for these guys.”

The Bulldogs finish the season with a 28-8 record. The game marked the third Elite Eight appearance for the men’s team, which won the national title in 2018.

Minnesota State at one point in the second quarter had a 34-point lead, and guard Kyreese Willingham led all scorers with 25 points.

“Credit to Minnesota State,” Bronkema said. “I thought we started each half pretty well. But it was pretty much a buzzsaw we ran into. They made a lot of shots; they made a lot of plays. We just couldn’t get the usual momentum that we typically get in games, where we’ve gone on big runs of our own.”

DeSean Munson led Ferris State in scoring with 11 points, followed by Deng Reng with 10 points.
The Ferris State women’s team remain in the tournament after advancing to the Final Four by defeating University of Tampa on Monday in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Wednesday's national semifinal game will be carried live by CBS Sports Network. In addition, the live local radio broadcast will air on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Bronkema said the men’s team will be supporting the women’s team as it looks to extend its postseason run.
“I just love the women’s team,” he said. “I’ve admired them so much for their talent, and of course Kurt (Westendorp) is an amazing coach. It’s not just that the women’s basketball team is on this historic run together, it’s how we share the spotlight. There is no jealousy. That’s pretty sweet. We’re going to be pulling for them."

He said teams supporting each other is part of the Ferris State Athletic Department’s culture.

“It doesn’t stop at the basketball teams,” he said. “This is an officewide, department-wide thing. When you’re down, you got somebody in the office ready to pick you up and when somebody else is down, you pick them up. It’s the expectation we’ve developed because we’ve wanted to. We want to be great and we’re surrounding ourselves with those types of people. That’s what Ferris State is all about right now. That’s a beautiful thing.”