SEWARD, Neb. – Before taking a break from the league schedule, the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team hopes to earn a pair of GPAC victories as it takes on Hastings and Waldorf this week. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad went 1-1 last week while enduring an 82-69 loss at No. 23 Morningside prior to an 87-74 home win over Briar Cliff. Concordia enters this week at 5-3 overall (2-3 GPAC) while still looking for its first road victory. The two opponents up next on the docket are a combined 4-16 this season.
This Week
Wednesday, Dec. 11 vs. Hastings (1-7, 0-4 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, Dec. 14 at Waldorf (3-9, 2-4 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Hanson Fieldhouse (Forest City, Iowa)
By the numbers
· Two mid-November losses were enough to drop the Bulldogs from the NAIA top 25 that was released on Nov. 27. Currently, Concordia is listed third in the “receiving votes” category of the poll. The ranked GPAC teams are No. 8 Northwestern, No. 17 Dordt and No. 23 Morningside. The Defenders and Mustangs are the two squads that defeated the Bulldogs during the season’s first month. Prior to those losses, Concordia had held NAIA national rankings of 11th (preseason) and ninth (Nov. 13). The No. 9 ranking represented the highest poll position for the program during Limback’s 12-year tenure. There will be a new NAIA poll released on Wednesday. Additionally, an official NAIA RPI rating was posted online on Monday and shows the Bulldogs at No. 33 in the NAIA with a strength of schedule rating of 17th. The two games against NCAA Division III opponents were not factored into the RPI calculation. Complete NAIA RPI data can be found HERE.
· Dordt (12-0, 4-0 GPAC) and Northwestern (10-0, 4-0 GPAC) remain undefeated while rolling through the opening month of the 2024-25 season. The Defenders began December by claiming conference wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 73-59, and Mount Marty, 100-73. In their only outing last week, the Red Raiders routed Waldorf, 101-80. The highest scoring teams in the GPAC have been the conference’s most successful squads to this point as Northwestern (96.1), Morningside (94.3) and Dordt (93.5) rank 1-2-3, respectively, in scoring average. Concordia (83.6) and Midland (82.6) are also averaging more than 80 points per game.
· Last week was representative of an up and down start to conference play for the Bulldogs. In the second matchup already this season with Morningside, Concordia dug a 16-point hole before getting back within one in the middle of the second half. A balanced scoring effort from the Mustangs got the job done and moved Morningside to 8-1 (4-1 GPAC) at the time. Noah Schutte (20 points and seven rebounds) and Tristan Smith (19 points and seven rebounds) combined for 39 points. Three days later, the Bulldogs protected the home court versus Briar Cliff and got double figures in scoring from all five starters: Schutte (22), Brad Bennett (19), Smith (16), Jaxon Stueve (16) and Hayden Frank (10). Smith added 12 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocked shots to his stat line. The Chargers made only 8-of-30 shots from the floor in the first half as Concordia built a double-digit lead. Lukas Helms did not play in the win over Briar Cliff.
· Schutte has totaled at least 20 points in three-straight games and enters the week needing 26 points to reach 2,000 for his career. With a current total of 1,974 points in 123 games as a Bulldog, Schutte recently passed Chandler Folkerts (1,963) for No. 3 on the program’s all-time scoring list. Only two players in school history have reached 2,000 points: Jon Ziegler (2,099) and Tom Raabe (2,016). In addition, Schutte ranks fifth in the program’s history with 777 career rebounds. In his prep days at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge High School, Schutte accumulated more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Schutte was named an NAIA Third Team All-American in 2023-24.
· By the time Wednesday night’s clash with Hastings goes final, Concordia will have played seven of its first nine games inside Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs are 5-1 at home this season and are 44-5 inside Friedrich Arena since the start of the 2021-22 season. The home victories this season have come against Central College (Iowa), Nebraska Wesleyan University, Bethel College (Kan.), Midland and Briar Cliff.
· Through the first eight games of the 2024-25 season, four Concordia players are averaging more than 20 minutes played per game, Smith (31.4), Schutte (29.3), Bennett (26.1) and Frank (25.4), with Stueve (18.6) and Helms (16.1) not far behind. Limback had used the same starting five for the first five games before inserting Frank into the lineup beginning with the win over Midland on Nov. 26. There are eight players who have played in all eight games.
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Brad Bennett, 6-1 (10.9)
G – Hayden Frank, 6-2 (8.6)
G – Jaxon Stueve, 6-4 (7.6)
F – Noah Schutte, 6-4 (18.4)
F – Tristan Smith, 6-5 (18.8)
The opponents
Hastings will roll out a very different lineup than the one it showcased in 2023-24 when it shared the GPAC regular season title, won the GPAC postseason championship and qualified for the national tournament. After last season, the Broncos said goodbye to GPAC Player of the Year Reggie Thomas (transferred to the University of North Dakota) and Second Team All-GPAC forward Tyrique McMurrin. Through eight games, Head Coach Todd Raridon’s squad has been led by transfer guard DaRon Hall, who is averaging 15.6 points per game. The lone win thus far for Hastings came at home by an 89-78 score over York University. The Broncos managed to win two of three matchups with Concordia last season (all three decided by margins of four points or less), including the meeting that took place in the GPAC tournament semifinals. This year’s Hastings team is averaging 70.5 points while allowing 81.3 points per game.
Hastings Projected Starting Five
G – Maverick Binder, 6-0 (7.4)
G – David Hageman, 6-3 (6.5)
G – DaRon Hall, 6-0 (15.6)
G – David Ogunlade, 6-1 (4.5)
F – Hunter Hill, 6-5 (4.0)
Waldorf is the newest member of the GPAC and officially replaced Jamestown this past summer. The Warriors experienced a transition in September when 13-year Head Coach Nigel Jenkins resigned his position. Formerly the Associate Head Coach, Demitrius Martin stepped into the role of Interim Head Coach. In Jenkins’ final season as head coach, Waldorf finished 2023-24 at 11-16 overall (6-6 league record). The Warriors have opened 2024-25 at 3-9 overall and have earned GPAC wins over Hastings, 80-72, and Doane, 56-49. Currently, Waldorf ranks 11th in the GPAC in both scoring offense (66.7) and scoring defense (82.8). The Warriors will present a sizeable frontcourt with three starters who stand at 6-foot-6 or taller. A senior center, Ugo Ejiofor is 6-foot-8 and tops the team with an average of 12.8 points per game. Waldorf was picked 11th in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Waldorf Projected Starting Five
G – Khalil Grayson, 6-3 (11.6)
G – Noah Miller, 6-0 (6.3)
F – Emmanuel Ferguson, 6-6 (3.6)
F – Gene Noble, 6-8 (4.0)
C – Ugo Ejiofor, 6-8 (12.8)
Next week
Next week will be final exam week on the Concordia campus and will allow for a break from conference play. After completing finals, the Bulldogs will be headed to the Phoenix area and will take on Arizona Christian University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) on Dec. 20-21.