SEWARD, Neb. – After four in a row at home to open the 2024-25 season, the ninth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team is preparing to hit the road for the first time. The Bulldogs hope to bounce back from their 95-88 home loss when they visit Dordt in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad (3-1, 0-1 GPAC) has the middle of this week off from competition.
This Week
Saturday, Nov. 23 at Dordt (6-0, 0-0 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: De Witt Gymnasium (Sioux Center, Iowa)
By the numbers
· In terms of national rankings, Concordia reached another high-water mark during Limback’s 12-year tenure when it jumped to No. 9 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Nov. 13. The program had not been ranked in the NAIA top 10 since the beginning of the 2005-06 season when it checked in at No. 6 (NAIA D-II) at a time when the NAIA was split into two divisions. The highest ranking for the program on record was No. 2 during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons that were presided over by Concordia Athletics Hall of Famer Grant Schmidt. The Bulldogs have cracked the NAIA top 25 for the fourth-straight season under Limback. It should be noted that there was not a postseason poll after the 2021-22 season when Concordia advanced to the NAIA national quarterfinals.
· During the opening weekend of conference play, every GPAC team went up against a league opponent with the exception of Dordt. The teams that emerged as winners were Dakota Wesleyan, Midland, Morningside, Northwestern and Waldorf. A new league member this season, Waldorf won its inaugural GPAC game by an 80-72 score at Hastings. The Broncos shared the 2023-24 GPAC regular season title along with Concordia and Northwestern. Morningside was only one game behind those three squads in a tightly packed bunch at the top of the heap.
· After taking a 47-38 lead to the half last week versus Morningside, the Bulldogs struggled mightily to find the stops they needed against the potent Mustangs (5-0, 1-0 GPAC). The visitors from Sioux City, Iowa, made 18-of-23 shots (.783) from the floor in the second half and managed to overcome a career-high 34 points from Tristan Smith. Three Morningside players poured in at least 20 points: Joey Skoff (26), Aidan Vanderloo (21) and Daniel Brocaille (20). Smith was joined in double figures by teammates Noah Schutte (14), Hayden Frank (12) and Lukas Helms (11). Free throw shooting was also a factor as the Mustangs went 23-for-29 and the Bulldogs went 14-for-23 in that department.
· In all four games this season, senior Tristan Smith has put his supreme athletic ability on display. The latest outing saw Smith go off for a career-high 34 points in addition to 13 rebounds. He made 14-of-16 shots from the floor. The Elizabeth, Colo., native was named First Team All-GPAC last season and has racked up career tallies of 972 points, 503 rebounds, 120 assists, 87 blocks and 69 steals. Those numbers would be even more significant if not for the injury Smith endured as a sophomore when he missed 15 games. Smith is closing in on becoming the 36th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
· The combo of Smith and Noah Schutte in the frontcourt will be a pain for every Concordia opponent this season. The Laurel, Neb., native Schutte is in the midst of his ‘COVID season’ after earning NAIA Third Team All-America status in 2023-24. Schutte will soon be chasing down 2,000 career points. On the program’s all-time lists, Schutte ranks fifth in scoring (1,893) and sixth in rebounds (747) while playing in 119 games. Schutte averaged at least 20 points per game in both 2022-23 and 2023-24 and will be a candidate to be GPAC Player of the Year.
· The loss to open league play does not mean that Concordia can’t contend for the GPAC regular season title in 2024-25. The 2021-22 team that won GPAC regular season and tournament titles struggled to a 65-48 loss at Briar Cliff in the conference opener and last season’s co-GPAC regular season championship squad started 0-2 in the GPAC before getting on a roll. In the middle of November, the Bulldogs sport conference rankings of fifth in scoring offense (84.3), sixth in field goal percentage offense (.494), seventh in scoring defense (75.0) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (.466).
The opponent
A program that prefers an up-tempo pace just like Concordia, Dordt continues to receive votes in the NAIA national poll. The Defenders rank third among GPAC teams in scoring average at 90.0 points per game. Under Head Coach Brian Van Haaften, Dordt has qualified for three-straight national tournaments. The Defenders have opened this year at 6-0 with nonconference wins over NCAA Division III opponents Loras College (Iowa) and Luther College (Iowa) and NAIA foes Mayville State University (N.D.), Viterbo University (Wis.), Dakota State University (S.D.) and William Woods University (Mo.). Dordt returned all five of its All-GPAC players from last season, including first team selections in guards Lucas Lorenzen and Luke Rankin. The Defenders were pegged third in the GPAC preseason poll and garnered one first-place vote. Before hosting the Bulldogs on Saturday, Dordt will welcome Waldorf to De Witt Gymnasium on Wednesday. In the three Concordia-Dordt matchups in 2023-24, the home team won in each instance (two Bulldog victories).
Next week
During the week of Thanksgiving, the Bulldogs will be in action for one home contest. Midland will visit Friedrich Arena on Nov. 26 for a 7:45 p.m. CT tipoff.