SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in five seasons, the Concordia University Men’s Basketball program will make an appearance in Hawaii. First on the list of priorities, the Bulldogs will finish the week of final exams. Once the semester is complete, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad will fly to Hawaii for a pair of nonconference games at the Big Island Holiday Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii at Hilo. As part of the event, Concordia will take on NCAA Division II San Francisco State University on Dec. 17 and NAIA member Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) on Dec. 18. The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-2 GPAC) will attempt to add to their active four-game win streak while on the island.
Upcoming – Big Island Holiday Classic (Dec. 17-18)
Sunday, Dec. 17 vs. San Francisco State (5-4), 6 p.m. HT (10 p.m. CT)
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (Hilo, Hawaii)
Monday, Dec. 18 vs. No. 19 Olivet Nazarene (8-2), 2 p.m. HT (6 p.m. CT)
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (Hilo, Hawaii)
NOTE: The next game scheduled for Max Country radio broadcast coverage is Dec. 30 at St. Ambrose.
By the numbers
· Since falling twice to begin conference play, Concordia has recovered nicely by winning four straight versus GPAC foes: 104-86 over Midland, 99-78 over Jamestown, 82-54 over Mount Marty and 86-82 (overtime) over Briar Cliff. All GPAC squads now take a break from conference play, allowing for the opportunity for holiday trips. At the break, the Bulldogs (4-2 GPAC) reside in fourth place in the GPAC standings, situated behind Hastings (6-0), Morningside (5-1) and Northwestern (5-1). According to Massey Ratings, five GPAC squads are among the top 30 in the NAIA: No. 10 Northwestern, No. 12 Morningside, No. 13 Concordia, No. 27 Hastings and No. 30 Dordt. Led by dynamic guard Reggie Thomas, the Broncos have emerged as an early surprise within the conference. Hastings earned a significant road win this past weekend in eking it out, 80-78, at Dordt. Most teams in the league have completed roughly 30 percent of the GPAC regular season slate.
· The victory at Mount Marty marked the third-straight game that the Bulldogs won by a margin of at least 18 points. Concordia was ready for this one after it had dropped back-to-back trips to Yankton, S.D. The latest series meeting was pretty well decided in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 42-21 lead to the break. Tristan Smith put together a monster game with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks. He was joined in double figures by teammates Lukas Helms (17) and Noah Schutte (11). Schutte added five rebounds and four assists without a turnover while playing not far from his hometown of Laurel, Neb. Hayden Frank led the bench group with seven points while Jaxon Stueve swiped four steals. The shooting percentages told the story as the Bulldogs shot 53.4 percent compared to 37.5 percent for Mount Marty (2-8, 0-6 GPAC).
· Concordia figured it was in for a battle this past weekend in its trip to the Newman Flanagan Center. Briar Cliff (9-4, 3-3 GPAC) began this season at 8-0 and received votes in each of the past two NAIA coaches’ polls. Somehow, the Bulldogs found a way despite turning it over 25 times and shooting a modest 7-for-24 from 3-point range. Concordia followed the lead of Schutte (34 points, 11 rebounds) and Smith (14 points, 11 rebounds) as both standouts produced double-doubles. Brad Bennett chipped in 12 points and Zac Kulus registered 10 points off the bench. The Bulldogs held a 39-25 advantage on the boards and managed to limit Charger leading scorer Matthew Stilwill to five points. Concordia started overtime on a 5-0 run that included a trey from Jaxon Weyand. The Bulldogs have won four-consecutive series meetings versus Briar Cliff.
· It’s difficult to imagine there are many NAIA players nationally playing at a higher level than Schutte. The 34-point effort at Briar Cliff marked the fourth time that Schutte has tallied at least 30 points in a single game (see list below). His career high remains the 38 points he poured in last season at Northwestern in the GPAC quarterfinals. This past week, Schutte moved into the top 15 of the program’s all-time lists in rebounds and scoring. He currently ranks 14th in rebounds (540) and 15th in points (1,357). On the season, Schutte boasts GPAC rankings of second in rebounds per game (9.1), fourth in scoring average (22.2) and fifth in field goal percentage (.590). Schutte’s incredible consistency and efficiency should make him a candidate for GPAC Player of the Year and NAIA First Team All-America accolades.
o 38 – at Northwestern (2/22/23)
o 36 – at Dakota Wesleyan (2/18/23)
o 34 – at Briar Cliff (12/9/23)
o 32 – at Texas Wesleyan (12/28/22)
· The Elizabeth, Colo., native Tristan Smith has been everything Concordia hoped he would be after he suffered an injury last December and was sidelined for roughly half the season. This 2023-24 campaign, Smith is averaging 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 56.4 percent from the floor. He’s also reached double figures in each game and has notched three double-doubles. The younger brother of former Bulldog Gage Smith, Tristan came off the bench for the 2021-22 team that reached the NAIA national quarterfinals. He then earned a starting role last season and again this season. As a sign of the respect he’s earned, Tristan was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC in 2022-23 despite the injury.
· Concordia hopes to continue to be road warriors as it carries on with a string of six-straight contests away from Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs have won four of their first five road games with the only defeat coming by a four-point margin at nationally ranked Northwestern. After the two neutral site games in Hawaii, Concordia will play at St. Ambrose University (Iowa) and at Jamestown. At long last, the Bulldogs will be back in front of the home fans on Jan. 6 with Dakota Wesleyan set to visit Seward on that date. Concordia will play at home five times in January and three times in February.
· The 2019-20 Bulldogs were the program’s most recent team to play in Hawaii. As part of the Malika Sports Classic in Honolulu in December 2019, Concordia went 1-1 with two down-to-the wire contests. The Bulldogs fell to MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 65-60, before bouncing back with a 59-57 win over Menlo College (Calif.) the next day. The 2019-20 squad went on to win the GPAC tournament title and advance to the national tournament. There were four Concordia players who averaged in double figures that season: Brevin Sloup (15.8), Tanner Shuck (13.4), Carter Kent (12.6) and Justin Wiersema (10.8).
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Brad Bennett, 6-1 (9.1)
G – Jaxon Weyand, 5-11 (2.8)
F – Lukas Helms, 6-6 (7.0)
F – Noah Schutte, 6-4 (22.2)
F – Tristan Smith, 6-5 (18.1)
The opponents
San Franciso State competes as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division II). The Gators finished the 2022-23 season at 16-13 overall (12-10 CCAA mark). Now in his seventh season leading the program, Head Coach Vince Inglima oversees a squad that has started 5-4 in 2023-24. Offensively, San Francisco State has averaged 74.7 points while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent from 3-point range and 68.1 percent from the foul line. There will be a height advantage for the Gators, whose roster features seven players who stand at least 6-foot-5. The program returned one all-conference player from last season, Jonah Roth, an honorable mention selection. The team’s leading scorer thus far has been Jailen Daniel-Dalton at 13.9 points per game. He is a transfer from Gavilan College. San Francisco State is the only D2 opponent on Concordia’s schedule.
San Francisco State Projected Starting Five
G – CJ Bellamy, 5-9 (4.8)
G – Tyjean Burrell, 6-2 (11.4)
F – Jailen Daniel-Dalton, 6-6 (13.9)
F – Caleb Oden, 6-5 (7.6)
F – Jonah Roth, 6-9 (10.9)
Olivet Nazarene has made three-straight trips to the NAIA national tournament under the direction of sixth-year Head Coach Nick Birkey. He owns an impressive 130-31 record since taking over the program prior to the 2018-19 season. The Tigers return NAIA Second Team All-American guard Tyler Schmidt, who is averaging a team high 22.8 points per game. A member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, Olivet Nazarene stands at 8-2 while coming off an 81-78 home loss to Roosevelt University (Ill.) this past weekend. Like the Bulldogs, the Tigers like to get up and down the court. They rank eighth nationally in scoring average at 92.3 points per game. While in Hawaii, Olivet Nazarene will play another GPAC team in Hastings (Dec. 19). Ranked 19th in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll (Dec. 13), the Tigers lost in the first round of the 2023 national tournament, falling to Madonna University (Mich.).
Olivet Nazarene Projected Starting Five
G – Landon Pflederer, 6-1 (14.6)
G – Tyler Schmidt, 6-4 (22.8)
G – Caleb Swearingen, 6-5 (9.1)
F/C – Griffin Andricks, 6-6 (9.5)
F – Sam Emich, 6-6 (16.3)
Pre-New Year’s
After wrapping up play at the Big Island Holiday Classic, Concordia will enjoy an extended break for Christmas. The Bulldogs will close the calendar year 2023 by playing at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, on Saturday, Dec. 30.