SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (0-0, 0-0 GAC) will open its 2023 campaign as hosts of the GAC/NSIC Challenge for the first time since 2021, welcoming Northern Sun affiliates Minnesota Duluth (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) and Minnesota Crookston (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) to Shawnee. Great American Conference foe East Central will also participant in the cross-conference showdown.
The Bison will take on Duluth on Friday at 8 p.m. (CT) before facing off against Crookston on Saturday night at 8 p.m. (CT). This is the first matchup in program history with either opponent.
Both games will can be watched on the Bison Sports Network and heard on the Bison Radio Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish.
For more information regarding ticketing and coverage, please visit the tournament homepage.
OPENING TIP-OFF
When the challenge took place in Shawnee two seasons ago, OBU grabbed two wins over Wayne State College (74-61) and Minnesota State-Moorhead (90-87). Since Oklahoma Baptist joined Division II, they have a 3-2 record against NSIC opponents. Inside the Noble Complex, that mark improves to 3-0.
ROSTER OVERHAUL
Head coach Jason and Eaker and staff put forth a roster overhaul in the offseason following a 13-16 year in 2022-23. The Bison brought in eight new faces, including five via the transfer portal and three freshman. Returning to the lineup are seven players: Ricky Brown, Ethan Scott, Joshua Udomouh, Ty Lippoldt, Barrett Legend, Byke Burrow, and Riley McGuirk.
Alcorn State transfer and graduate student Trevin Wade, the younger brother of former Bison standout Antonio Wade, highlights the new enrollees. Wade brings in the most experience on the squad, having played in 98 games with stops on nearly all levels of collegiate basketball (DI, DII, JUCO). As a member of the Braves last season, he averaged 4.8 ppg and tallied 124 points from the point guard position. He even dropped a season-high 16 points against University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and recorded three steals against Arizona State. His sophomore season at Georgia Highlands College (2019-20), Wade earned NJCAA DI All-American honors and was named the GCAA/Region 17 Player of the Year.
Two other transfers, Daniel Ransom and Nathan Wilson, are also primed to make an impact. Ransom, who spent the last two seasons at Cape Fear Community College earned an All-Region honor a year ago after averaging 13.2 ppg. He led the Sea Devils in rebounds (251, 9.3/gm) while reaching double figures in points 23 times. Furthermore, he posting 12 games with 10 or more rebounds. Wilson, also a junior, played for South Georgia Technical College last season. He picked up All-Region and All-Defensive team nods after averaging 9.3 ppg and 8.7 rebounds per contest. He led his team in blocks (52) and rebounds (243). These three transfers combined for 22 points (Trevin Wade - 12 pts) in last week's exhibition against Oklahoma State.
PROMISING FRESHMAN
This year's lineup features a handful of freshman talent such as Terry Coner Jr. and Efe Sekeroglu. The duo saw 13 and 16 minutes of action versus OSU, respectively, and turned in point totals of four and two. They also pulled down a couple rebounds apiece.
Coner Jr. hails from Pinson Valley High School where he was one of the most sought-out prep talents in Alabama. He scored over 1,000 points in his career and posted the following averages as a senior: 17.0 ppg, 5.1 rbg, and 2.8 apg. Sekeroglu, a native of Instanbul, Turkey, spent his high school career at Virginia Episcopal School. There, he averaged a double-double (13.5 ppg, 11.7 rbg) as a senior and pulled down 399 career rebounds. He also set a school record for 28 boards in one game.
Another first-year player, TJ Strong, led Edmond North to back-to-back state titles in Oklahoma. He racked up 458 points and 253 rebounds with the Huskies.
BACK FOR MORE
Second-year guards Ethan Scott and Joshua Udoumoh are back after putting on stellar freshman campaigns. Scott was a sharpshooter from behind the stripe, netting the most three-pointers on the team (55) at a 42.0 percent clip in 28 games (2 starts) of action. He scored a season-high 17 points twice, one of those in a contest against Arkansas-Monticello that featured five triples.
Udoumoh drew six starts in 29 games, averaging 15.3 minutes and 5.4 points per contest. He registered a 41.9 percent field-goal clip and 37.0 percent mark from range. He eclipsed double-figures in points seven times, highlighted by an 18-point performance in the GAC tournament. It the most points scored by an OBU freshman in the conference tourney since Jarius Hicklen dropped 20 points versus East Central in 2020.
VETERAN PRESENCE
With 29 games played and nearly 1,000 minutes of court time with the Bison, senior guard Ricky Brown is one of the oldest returnees. A season ago, Brown recorded the third-best points per game average (10.1 ppg, min. 26 games) for OBU, and ranked second in three point makes (52). He was quite efficient when shooting with clips of 51.2 percent from the floor and 39.4 percent from deep. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 180 pounds, Brown also ranked second in total rebounds (128)
On eleven occasions in 2022-23, Brown reached double figures in points and charted three double-doubles. His season-high in points (26) came against Southeastern Oklahoma State, a game where he drilled six three pointers. Additionally, in a February contest against East Central, Brown pulled down a career-high in rebounds (14).
The Valdosta, Georgia, native also got things done defensively with 32 steals and the second-most defensive boards on the team (89). He collected a career-high in steals (5) against Southeastern.
LAST TIME OUT
Oklahoma Baptist knocked off the rust last Wednesday in an exhibition at Oklahoma State where they fell 95-53 inside Gallagher-Iba arena. OBU fell behind early after OSU shot out to an 15-point (23-8) lead midway through the half and unfortunately, wouldn't recover. By the final buzzer, the Pokes had out-rebounded (47-40) and out-shot (56.3%-27.3%) the Bison while boasting a 60-28 advantage in the painted area.
Wade led the squad with 12 points, two assists, and a couple of steals in 26 minutes of action. Brown chimed in six points while Ransom paired the scoring total with four rebounds. In his collegiate debut, Strong pulled down a team-high six rebounds to go along with three points. Additionally, Scott scored five points while Legend Barrett grabbed five boards.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA DULUTH
Minnesota Duluth debuted at No. 12 in the first NABC Coaches national rankings following a 26-10 season that saw the program's first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. The Bulldogs were also projected to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) after garnering 195 points, including 13 first-place votes, in the NSIC Preseason Coaches poll. They've already competed in one game this season, an exhibition, which they won 86-69 over Division III University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
After falling to Minnesota State Moorhead in the NSIC tournament in 2022-23, the Bulldogs ran the table at the NCAA Central Regional. They defeated Central Oklahoma (62-56), Emporia State (84-79), and Southern Nazarene (62-52) before losing to Black Hill State (66-86) in the first round of the Elite Eight.
UMD returns all five starters, a rotation led by graduate student Drew Blair, the Bulldogs' leading scorer a season ago. Blair was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year after leading the conference in two different statistical categories (points, field goals made). He averaged 19.9 ppg at a 44.2 percent shooting clip and knocked down the 15th most threes in the country (92). Blair finished the year with 718 total points, the seventh-most in Division II, on 536 attempts (2nd in DII) and became the program leader in three-pointers (255). For his efforts, Blair earned D2CCA Central Region Second Team and All-NSIC First Team honors. Furthermore, he has 2,018 career points, 28 points away from breaking the UMD program record of 2,045.
Former All-NSIC Second Team selection Charlie Katona is also back after leading the team in rebounds (218) and ranking second in scoring (12.4 ppg). Joshua Brown, Austin Andrews, and Jack Middleton round out the returning starters. Brown (11.6 ppg) and Andrews (10.7 ppg) averaged over 10 points per game while Middletown made the second-most triples (57) on the squad.
Head coach Justin Wieck is in his sixth year at UMD and holds an all-time record of 96-42. Since taking over the program in 2018, Wieck has never had a losing season.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Minnesota Crookston was picked to finish last in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll after posting a 2-26 record in 2022-23. The Golden Eagles' only victories came over Presentation College (80-76) and Southwest Minnesota State (71-63). Head coach Bryan Beamish returns for his second year at Crookston, taking over a program who hadn't put together a winning season since 2018-19.
A season ago, UMN stood last in both scoring offense (66.9 ppg) and defense (83.8 ppg) in the NSIC. The squads scoring margin sat at negative 16.8, which was 285th of 290th ranked Division II schools. UMN looks to turned the tide with key players Blaize Sagna and Xzavier Jones returning to the lineup.
Sagna, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, led the Golden Eagles in scoring (15.9 ppg) with a 43.6 percent shooting rate a season ago. He knocked down 31 three pointers and sunk the most free throws (84-100) on the team. Sagna added a team-high 33 steals (17th in NSIC) to go along with 106 rebounds and 56 assists.
Jones averaged 13.4 points per contest while leading the squad in rebounds (137). He also dished out the most assists (63) and the second-most blocks (19). Jones scored in the double figures 21 times and recorded one double-double last year.
