SEWARD, Neb. – After nine days without a game, the Concordia University men’s basketball team will get back to action this week. It’s time to get GPAC play started. The Bulldogs (4-0) will host Midland on Tuesday and then welcome Briar Cliff to town on Saturday. Head coach Ben Limback’s squad will attempt to pick up where it left off at the 20th annual Cattle Classic (Nov. 1-2) when it claimed victories over Dickinson State University (N.D.) and No. 9 Benedictine College (Kan.).
This Week
Tuesday, Nov. 12 vs. Midland (2-2, 0-0 GPAC), 8 p.m.
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Saturday, Nov. 16 vs. Briar Cliff (5-0, 0-0 GPAC), 4 p.m.
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The results to this point have been evidence of an improved Bulldog outfit that is teaming with experience. The only real negative thus far have been injuries to key players such as Justin Wiersema, Grant Wragge and Tanner Wubbels. However, Concordia employs a dependable core trio of scorers in Brevin Sloup (18.8), Tanner Shuck (12.8) and Carter Kent (10.3). Together they have helped the Bulldogs outscore their opponents, on average, 80.8 to 64.0. The backcourt has gotten an additional jolt from transfer Sam Scarpelli (9.0 ppg), who provides more quickness to the bunch.
Concordia has found different ways to win games having scored 90 or more points in two of the first four games with the other two being much more competitive. Kent scored the game-winning basket in the final seconds to lift the Bulldogs to the 66-65 win over Benedictine, which won 31 contests in 2018-19. Concordia hopes its early success on the defensive end is a sign of things to come for a program that needed better play on that end to take a big step forward. Through four games, its opponents are averaging 64.0 points while shooting 38.2 percent from the floor.
Shuck (1,174 career points) has moved into the top 20 of the program’s all-time scoring list. He could wind up in the top 10 before his senior year comes to an end. He’s currently knocking on the door of the likes of Eli Ziegler (1,194), Brent Cumber (1,210) and Josh Dahlke (1,221). Sloup should eventually join Shuck in the 1,000-point club. Sloup sits at 801 career points over his 87 games as a Bulldog.
Midland is eyeing to bounce back after enduring a 10-19 season in 2018-19. Head coach Oliver Drake’s squad gets a big boost with the return of star 6-foot-8 forward Ryan Williams, who sat out virtually all of last season due to injury. Through four games this season, Williams is averaging 23.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The Warriors have defeated both Kansas Wesleyan University and Dakota State University (S.D.) and has been beaten by Bethany College (Kan.) and York College. The home team won both of last season’s Concordia-Midland matchups.
Briar Cliff has perennially been one of the GPAC’s top teams. It reached the NAIA national quarterfinals last season while going 22-9 overall. Head coach Mark Svagera’s program did suffer some major losses from graduation with Erich Erdman and Jay Wolfe moving on. Those departures are likely the reason the Chargers appeared at No. 5 in the GPAC preseason poll (receiving votes nationally). Despite the losses, Briar Cliff is averaging more than 100 points per game (103.2) with Jackson Lamb leading the way individually (25.8 ppg). The Chargers are shooting a lot of threes (33.2/game) and making them at a 43.4 percent clip.
Two games will remain on the November slate after this week: Nov. 23 at Nebraska Christian College and Nov. 26 at No. 4 Morningside.