SEWARD, Neb. – After playing its first four conference games at home, the Concordia University men’s basketball team now looks ahead to a pair of GPAC road contests this week. The next two foes are a combined 10-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs will be at No. 2 Morningside on Wednesday before heading to Mount Marty on Saturday. Head coach Ben Limback’s squad had not yet played in a true road game yet this season.
This Week
Wednesday, Dec. 11 at No. 2 Morningside (10-0, 5-0 GPAC), 8 p.m.
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Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mount Marty (12-2, 5-1 GPAC), 4 p.m.
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Concordia (7-2, 2-2 GPAC) fell for just the second time this season in this past weekend’s 77-57 loss to sixth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan. Three days earlier, the Bulldogs allowed an 18-point lead to slip away, but recovered and held off Doane, 83-77, in double overtime. Carter Kent led the way with 22 points in the victory over the Tigers, a program Concordia has beaten in five of the past six matchups. Point guard Brevin Sloup returned to lineup versus Dakota Wesleyan after being sidelined against Doane. Guard Justin Wiersema also moved back into the starting lineup last week.
Limback finally had the use of the five starters he planned on having when the season began. Wiersema sat out five games after starting the first two of the 2019-20 campaign. Last week he put up 16 points against Doane and 10 more versus Dakota Wesleyan. Now the Bulldogs will try to get the trio of Kent, Sloup and Tanner Shuck going again. Concordia went just 6-for-32 (.188) from 3-point range in the latest defeat. Sloup (17.0), Kent (12.9) and Shuck (12.1) each average more than a dozen points per game. However, all three are shooting 34 percent or less from beyond the arc.
Concordia will attempt to snap a seven-game skid versus Morningside, the defending GPAC regular-season champion. The Mustangs topped the Bulldogs three times last season, including the 97-74 decision in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. Concordia has not beaten Morningside since defeating the Mustangs twice during the 2015-16 season. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs split last season’s two meetings with Mount Marty (road team won both matchups). Going back further, Concordia is 8-2 over its last 10 versus the Lancers.
Morningside has had the look of a team capable of contending for a national title. Head coach Jim Sykes’ squad kept its unbeaten record intact last week by knocking off Midland, 92-66, and Briar Cliff, 81-72. The Mustangs boast a veteran team led by one of the nation’s top big men in Tyler Borchers (sat out most recent game versus Briar Cliff), who is shooting 68.5 percent from the floor. Morningside ranks 10th nationally in scoring margin at plus-17.7 as a well-rounded squad. Borchers and company are shooting 53.1 percent from the field while limiting opponents to 41.2 percent shooting.
Mount Marty has been one of the biggest surprises in the GPAC and in all of NAIA Division II. The Lancers are the real deal under head coach Todd Lorensen, who has found a nice mix between holdovers and transfers. A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Chris King has added plenty of scoring punch and is averaging 20.3 points per game. Another senior guard in Colby Johnson has teamed up with King for a prolific backcourt. Mount Marty is averaging 90.4 points per game while making more than 13 treys per game. The Lancers have not experienced a winning season since going 16-14 in 2005-06.
Projected Lineups
Concordia (7-2, 2-2 GPAC)
G – Brevin Sloup, Sr., 5-9 (17.0)
G – Justin Wiersema, So., 6-3 (7.4)
G – Carter Kent, So., 6-2 (12.9)
F – Tanner Shuck, Sr., 6-4 (12.1)
F – Chuol Biel, Sr., 6-8 (7.1)
Morningside (10-0, 5-0 GPAC)
G – Zach Imig, Jr., 6-3 (14.8)
G – Alex Borchers, Sr., 5-10 (10.8)
F – Trystan Cummins, Sr., 6-5 (4.6)
F – Matt Hahn, Sr., 6-3 (8.6)
F – Tyler Borchers, Sr., 6-7 (16.8)
Mount Marty (12-2, 5-1 GPAC)
G – Jordan Johnson, Sr., 6-0 (12.6)
G – Chris King, Sr., 6-1 (20.3)
G – Colby Johnson, Sr., 6-2 (17.6)
G – Keegan Savary, Jr., 6-2 (3.4)
F – Jonah Larson, So., 6-6 (5.1)