PREVIEW: Nationally-Ranked Bulldogs Host Hillsdale & Visit SVSU In GLIAC North Play This Week

This Week's Action: The Ferris State University men's basketball team begins a busy stretch of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with a pair of contests this week. FSU first hosts Hillsdale on Thursday (Jan. 29) evening starting at 8 p.m. (ET) inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs then visit Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Jan. 31) with tipoff set for 3 p.m. (ET) in University Center, Mich.

Media Coverage: Both games will be broadcast locally by Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network. Rob Bentley and Sandy Gholston will call the action. In addition, a live audio broadcast will be accessible from FSU for both games along with an HD pay-per-view video webcast for Thursday's home tilt. For a full listing of links, including live internet stats, please visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Follow On Twitter/Facebook: In addition to internet coverage, Bulldog fans can also follow all games this season via Twitter and Facebook with updates. Please visit www.facebook.com/FerrisMBBALL or www.twitter.com/FerrisMBBALL to follow the periodic posts and tweet-by-tweet coverage with scoring updates.

Great Win Streak: Ferris State ran its win streak to 15-straight games last Thursday (Jan. 22) with an 84-78 home win over Northwood before the streak was snapped on Saturday (Jan. 24) in a narrow 69-67 setback to Lake Superior State at Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs are off to a 11-1 start in GLIAC play to date and enter the week tied for first place with Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC standings.  FSU's win streak overall was 16 games in a row counting an impressive 82-68 road triumph over NCAA Division I Bowling Green State on Dec. 21, which counted as an exhibition tilt for the Bulldogs.

League Home Split: Ferris State split two league home games last week inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena. On Thursday, the Bulldogs built an 18-point lead in the second half against Northwood and then held off a late NU run to finish with an 84-78 triumph in league play. The Bulldogs then suffered their first league loss of the year on Saturday as defending GLIAC North Division Champion Lake Superior State posted a 69-67 win. FSU fought back from a 15-point deficit with 10 minutes to play and had an opportunity to win the game on the final possession. More than 1,000 fans were on hand for both games.

Historic Wins: Ferris State has recorded several historic wins since the New Year began. FSU posted its first-ever road win at Findlay on Jan. 2 when FSU beat the Oilers 79-73 at Croy Gymnasium. The Bulldogs then topped Wayne State in Detroit for only its second win in the Motor City in 20 years on Jan. 4 by an 85-69 score before pulling off another historic performance with a Upper Peninsula sweep over Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan on Jan. 15 & 17, which marked only the third time in the last 25 years in which FSU had swept both teams on the road in the same trip.

Second-Year Coach: Second-year FSU head coach Andy Bronkema was elevated to the head coaching position prior to the 2013-14 campaign after six years as an assistant coach under former Bulldog head coach Bill Sall, who is now the head coach at fellow GLIAC member Northern Michigan.

The Records: Ferris State (15-3, 11-1 GLIAC) had won 15 regular-season contests in a row this season prior to the LSSU setback and the total was at 15 games overall couting an impressive 82-68 exhibition win at NCAA Division I Bowling Green on Dec. 21. The Bulldogs' 15-game stretch included eight home wins and seven road triumphs and was the school's best since a school-record 18-straight games in 1988-89.
   
Hillsdale (9-7, 7-5 GLIAC) had dropped four-straight games prior to a memorable 59-58 win at home over Northern Michigan last Saturday (Jan. 29) with a dunk in the closing seconds. HC is 5-2 on the road this year under eighth-year head coach John Tharp.

Saginaw Valley State (15-3, 11-1 GLIAC) had won 13-straight outings prior to a 66-58 home loss to Michigan Tech last Saturday (Jan. 24). The Cardinals, who visit Grand Valley State on Thursday night before hosting FSU, bounced back to beat Grace Bible in non-league play 101-68 on Monday (Jan. 26) and are now 10-3 at home this year under third-year head coach Randy Baruth.

The Head Coach: Ferris State – Andy Bronkema (Cornerstone), 2nd season, 25-19 (.568) - (0-1 vs. HC, 2-0 vs. SVSU).  Bronkema took over the Bulldog program last season following six years as an assistant coach, including the previous three as the program's top assistant. A collegiate standout at NAIA Division II Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., Bronkema was voted All-Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) three times and twice garnered NAIA Honorable Mention All-America laurels. He was a multi-sport prep standout at McBain (Mich.) High School.

Nationally-Ranked: Ferris State is presently listed 22nd overall in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 Poll, which is regarded as the primary ranking source in D2 hoops. Additionally, the Bulldogs are ninth in the country in the Massey Online Computer Rankings to start the week and are listed 16th in this week's Division II Media Poll sponsored by the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). FSU is also third in the D2 Midwest Region Media Poll.

Rankings Notebook: The last four weeks have marked the first time the Bulldogs have been ranked in the NABC poll since the 2010-11 campaign when the Bulldogs claimed the GLIAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen. FSU was listed as high as 23rd in the country that season in the March 1 poll before going on its postseason run .... Overall, this week represents the 28th time in school history in which FSU has been found in the NABC National Poll. The Bulldogs were twice ranked as high as first in the nation in 1988-89 and have been found in the top 10 a total of 13 different times in school annals ..... This year also marks only the fourth season in the last 25 years in which the Bulldogs have been ranked nationally in the poll. After earning the number one ranking in the final regular-season poll of the 1988-89 campaign, FSU was not ranked again until making an appearance in the final three polls in 2004-05 when Ferris State also advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. FSU was ranked once in 2005-06 and appeared in three polls in 2010-11 prior to the past four weeks.

Two Weekends Ago: Ferris State registered only its third road sweep of Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan in the Upper Peninsula in the last 25 years with back-to-back wins two weeekends ago to start GLIAC North play. FSU surged ahead down the stretch to beat Michigan Tech 63-51 on Thursday (Jan. 15), which was its first road triumph over the Huskies in Houghton in five years. FSU then came back late to beat former FSU head coach Bill Sall and the Northern Michigan Wildcats by a 61-58 count on Saturday (Jan. 17) inside the Berry Events Center. FSU had not swept the two teams on the road since 2009. Ferris State also accomplished the feat in 2005, but prior to that year had not done so since the 1988-89 campaign.

Last year: The 2013-14 season, under head coach Andy Bronkema's directon for the first time, marked the 12th consecutive year to date in which FSU has finished with double-digit victories. A strong incoming recruiting class this year joined a Bulldog squad that returned nearly every key piece from last season after losing only a single senior.

Bulldog History: The Ferris State men's basketball program has a long track record of success that includes more than 1,000 all-time victories, 13 GLIAC Championships and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. FSU has also reached the GLIAC Postseason Tournament eight of the last 10 years, which ranks as one of the conference's top showings over the past decade. The Bulldogs have won four league championships and twice reached the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen since 2004.

Series History: Ferris holds a 61-46 all-time series' mark against Hillsdale going into Thursday's 108th series meeting, but has lost nine of the last 10 meetings overall. The Bulldogs had won five-straight games prior to the current stretch. FSU is 6-13 in the last 19 series' encounters versus HC, including a thrilling 84-83 overtime setback at Wink Arena in 2012 (2/22/12). A year ago, Hillsdale won the lone meeting 72-59 in Big Rapids (1/4/14).

Ferris maintains a 54-35 lead heading into Saturday's 90th series meeting with SVSU. The Bulldogs have won 18 of the last 27 series' encounters overall and topped the Cardinals twice last season. Prior to a year ago, FSU had beat SVSU three times in 2010-11 before splitting two games in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. In 2012-13, the Bulldogs prevailed 50-47 in University Center (1/26) before the Cardinals earned a 75-67 win in Big Rapids (2/23).  FSU was a 90-68 winner on the road in last year's first matchup (2/22/14) before pulling out a 78-66 win in the season finale at home (3/1/14).

Player Of The Week: Ferris State junior center Jared Stolicker (Middleville/Thornapple-Kellogg) claimed GLIAC North Division Player of the Week recognition after the Bulldogs' recent home wins over Walsh and Malone. The 6-10 Stolicker averaged 15 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 blocked shots per game to help FSU complete a season sweep over the GLIAC South Division. A Middleville native, Stolicker scored nine points, had a game-high 12 rebounds and swatted six shots in nationally-ranked FSU's 82-65 home win over Malone on Thursday (Jan. 8) evening. He then scored a game-high 21 points with nine boards and a school-record seven blocked shots in Saturday's (Jan. 10) 77-62 triumph over Walsh as the Bulldogs improved to 7-0 at home this year. For the week, Stolicker totaled 30 points, 21 rebounds and 13 blocks while adding both an assist and a steal. He also shot 59% from the floor, including an eight-of-10 (80%) showing on Saturday, along with 10-of-13 (76.9%) at the line.

Bulldog Overview: Expectations are high for the Ferris State men's basketball squad this with FSU returning 10 letterwinners from a year ago. The Bulldogs opened their second season under head coach Andy Bronkema, who led Ferris State to wins in three of its final four contests a year ago as FSU finished the 2013-14 season on a high note.

Among Bronkema's top returnees this season are six key players who all started at least nine games a year ago, including a pair of three-year regulars in senior point guard Dietrich Lever and senior wing Drew Lehman. Also back as part of an experienced unit will be senior wing Matt Poches along with junior post Jared Stolicker, junior wing Josh Fleming and junior point guard Jibreel Jackson. FSU also inked a talented and deep recruiting class in the offseason, which will help provide depth this season.

The other returnees back include senior post players Matt Stoll and Dan Chilcote along with junior wing Matt Sinnaeve in addition to redshirt junior wing James Chappell, who returned from an injury after playing only three games a year ago and has made a big impact in the starting lineup.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was chosen to finish sixth, but received a first-place vote in the 2014-15 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division Preseason Poll. Michigan Tech and Findlay were voted divisional favorites for the 2014-15 GLIAC Men's Basketball season.

Record-Setting Win: Ferris State set a new GLIAC all-time record for largest victory margin in a conference game with a decisive 115-46 win over Ohio Dominican on Dec. 14 at FSU's Jim Wink Arena. The 69-point triumph was the most decisive win ever in a conference game and topped a 51-point win for Ashland over Hillsdale in 2002, which was the previous record. FSU led by as many as 71 points in the game.

The Region In Rankings: The Bulldogs are the lone GLIAC school ranked in the top 25 nationally this week.  In total, four teams from the Midwest Region are ranked among the nation's top 25 this week in the NABC rankings, including Indianapolis (#1), Bellarmine (#6), Wisconsin-Parkside (#20) and Ferris State (#22). Lake Superior State, Saginaw Valley State and Michigan Tech all earned votes.

Tremendous Start: The Bulldogs' 15-game win streak was the school's best since winning 12 in a row in the second half of the 2010-11 campaign. This year also marked only the sixth time in the program's 80-plus year history in which FSU had won 10 of its initial 12 games in a season and first since '04-05. Finally, this season represented only the third time FSU captured 10 wins through the initial 12 games in the last 40 years as the first three times all came prior to the mid-1970's.

In addition, Ferris State's 11-0 GLIAC start was its best since posting a perfect 16-0 GLIAC record in 1988-89.

Did You Know: Heading into this weekend's action, the Ferris State men's and women's basketball teams own one of the best combined overall record of any school in the GLIAC at 17-7 in league action to date this year. Along with the GLIAC Championship football and volleyball teams this past fall, the Bulldogs are a combined 44-8 against the conference in the four sports combined this 2014-15 athletics season.

Bulldog Success: In head coach Andy Bronkema's first year as the program's top assistant in 2010-11, the Bulldogs won the GLIAC North Division Championship and reached the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen. FSU followed up the memorable campaign by winning a share of a second-straight GLIAC North Division crown in 2011-12. The Bulldogs made five-straight league tournament berths in Bronkema's tenure as an assistant.

Successful Run: Ferris State's last divisional title came in 2011-12 and was FSU's second-straight and fourth in the past decade. FSU also won back-to-back GLIAC North crowns in 2003-04 and 2004-05.  The Bulldogs' 24 victories in 2010-11 were the program's most since reaching the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen with a 24-7 mark in 2004-05 and the Bulldogs' 16 league regular-season wins tied for the most in school history along with the perfect 16-0 GLIAC record recorded in 1988-89.

Change Of Fortune: Ferris suffered five-straight losing seasons from 1998-99 to 2002-03, but has since captured four GLIAC North Division titles, made nine GLIAC Tournament appearances, advanced to three NCAA-II Tournaments and claimed two conference tournament runner-up finishes over the last 12 seasons.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris' 2014-15 roster includes four seniors, seven juniors, no sophomores and six freshmen. Fourteen of the 17 players on the Bulldogs' roster hail from Michigan with two from Illinois and one from Ohio.  The bulk of the Bulldogs' lineup consists of wing-type players.

Home Sweet Home: The Bulldogs are now 8-1 this season to date inside Wink Arena where FSU has been one of the league's best home teams in recent years. Overall, the Bulldogs play 14 regular-season home games this season, including 11 GLIAC contests. Five of Ferris State's remaining 10 regular-season games are at home.

Home Court Edge: Ferris State, which owned a 10-1 league mark at home in 2012-13, currently has won 49 of its last 64 games at Wink Arena dating back to the 2009-10 campaign.

FSU History: Ferris State's impressive basketball tradition includes 13 GLIAC titles, nine NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and a berth in the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris, which last won the GLIAC Tournament championship during the 1997-98 campaign, captured a then league record four consecutive conference titles from 1986-90.

The Coaching Staff: In addition to full-time assistant coach Jim Lake, FSU's Andy Bronkema also has three other familiar faces serving as assistants on his second staff in Bill Killian, volunteer asssistants Jordan Sweeney and Chris Young along with student assistant Raymoan McAfee. A FSU professor, Killian has been involved with the program for the last 12 years in his second stint and his association with Ferris basketball dates back to the late 1980's. McAfee wrapped up his collegiate career last season as a two-year letterwinner while Sweeney is serving as a volunteer assistant for the second year. Young, in his first season at FSU, played collegiately at the University of Michigan before enjoying a long career overseas while McAfee was a two-year letterwinner in the FSU program.

Sunny 97.3: A majority of FSU's 2014-15 games will be aired live thru a continued broadcast partnership between FSU Athletics and Sunny 97.3 FM.  Rob Bentley will call the action starting with the "Bulldog Pregame" show a half-hour prior to tipoff.  Sunny 97.3 and the Bulldog Sports Network will again nearly all home and away basketball contests after this weekend's trip with the broadcasts streamed live online at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Bulldog Sports Network: Fans can follow all the action of Ferris State Basketball live online via the Bulldog Sports Network multimedia portal again this season.  A live audio and video pay-per-view webcast in HD will be offered for nearly all home games with free audio for road contests.  The package also includes live stats, live chat and a live blog/chat at select times. Visit www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com for more info.

Home Ticket Information: Single-game tickets for the 2014-15 home campaign are currently on sale now.  Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance this season. For more info on ticket sales, please contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888 or visit www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

More Media Coverage: Ferris State Basketball will be featured throughout the year as part of the "Bulldog Sports Update", which will air Monday thru Friday at 7:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunny 97.3 FM.  Additionally, head coach Andy Bronkema and selected student-athletes will make periodic weekly appearances during the season on the Ferris Sports Update TV show, which is available across Northern Michigan on Fox 32 along with Comcast Xfinitiy in Michigan and other sources, including online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.