Every North Dakota fan or alum will tell you that there is nothing better than beating NDSU. Though we all know that the University of North Dakota has the superior athletic program(!), NDSU fans like to claim that their football success and NCAA Tournament appearance makes it more of a discussion. So, it always feels good to beat NDSU. In this case, it felt especially good to beat a good NDSU team by 18 points, scoring a blistering 1.25 PPP.
UND won this game by simply being excellent offensively. They made 24/39 shots from two-point range, and got to the line an astounding 41 times (making 33 of them, which is no small thing for a team that has struggled at the line the past couple of seasons). (It should also be noted that NDSU made 36 trips to the free throw line themselves).
The star was Troy Huff, who was fantastic again. He followed up his 39 points, 9 rebound performance against Wisconsin with 32 points and 10 rebounds in this game. He was 8/12 from the floor and 13/17 from the foul line. He had three steals. He led the team in scoring and rebounding, and was efficient from downtown (3/6). So far, has looks like every bit the Big Sky POY contender that everyone thought he would be, and then some.
Aaron Anderson once again was his efficient self, scoring 18 points despite taking four field goal attempts. (He was 10/12 from the FT line). Jaron Nash scored 12 points, Chad Calcaterra had 11 off the bench, and Jamal Webb was creating plays for other guys. They got production from their bench, which is another thing that hasn't always been there for UND.
Defensively, UND shut down guys who weren't named Taylor Braun (the NDSU star scored 34 points). All other Bison players were 17/43 from the floor, and 8/14 from the stripe.
UND moves to 2-1 on the year, but this is a win they will feel good about it, especially since NDSU beat them by 20 in Fargo last season. This game, along with the play of Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington, has shown us that the Big Sky is going to be very competitive at the top. North Dakota finished last season strong, and they appear to have picked up right where they left off.
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ReplyDeleteHave you considered adding a BigSky Basketball message board to your site? There isn't a place to talk about the conference as a whole, and I think your site would benefit from it.
ReplyDeletei would say ndsu has the better athletic program to date. score was a little closer than 18. FT let it get away the last 2 min or so. UND looked very good. not sure what ndsu's deal was. their lack of perimeter shooting could be their down fall. both teams could make the dance which would be a great story
ReplyDeleteMoo U does not have the better athletic department. They have a stellar football program, while everything else is average at best. UND has an excellent hockey program, and their basketball and volleyball programs are certainly better than the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (NDSU). UND's football program will also soon be revived. I admittedly commend NDSU on their football program, but that is the only thing they have going for them.
ReplyDeleteNdsu had a 5 year head start. UND is now better than the bison in MBB and nearly all women's sports, leaving football as the one sport where ndsu is clearly dominant. If, in your mind, football is the entire athletic program, then there will be no convincing you.....
ReplyDeleteOther than football and a nickname, UND is a notch above.
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