Keep winning and the outsiders will have no choice but to pay attention. Such is the case for the 2023-24 Concordia Men’s Basketball team, which has had to earn its way onto the national radar with its unique roster makeup.
The string of three-straight GPAC road games continues this week as the Bulldogs are set to head to Crete and Sioux Center. Concordia enters the week tied atop the GPAC standings at 12-4 in league play.
Brad Bennett scored 20 of his career high 26 points after halftime and the return of Tristan Smith helped the Bulldogs dominate the boards as part of a 95-79 Super Bowl Sunday win at Dakota Wesleyan.
It's been a grind for the first-place Bulldogs, who have now won seven times in a 17-day stretch. The latest victory came at home over Dordt, 89-84, in another down-to-the-wire battle. Noah Schutte led the way with 21 points.
The layout of this week will be unusual as the Bulldogs will host Dordt on Monday night and then take a bit of a break before heading to the Corn Palace on Super Bowl Sunday. Concordia enters the week tied for first place in the GPAC.
The outcome remained in doubt until the final horn went off on Saturday (Feb. 3) as the Bulldogs wrapped up a thrilling week with an 84-81 win over No. 12 Northwestern. Concordia did so while celebrating 100 years of the program's history.
With circumstances seemingly favoring No. 19 Morningside, the Bulldogs showed their mettle and earned a signature road win, 99-88, on Wednesday (Jan. 31). Concordia shot 58.6 percent while winning at Morningside for the first time since February 2016.
After posting three-straight double-doubles while leading the Bulldogs to a 3-0 week, Tristan Smith has been named the GPAC Player of the Week. Smith is averaging 17.9 points and 9.5 rebounds on the season.
With the CIT trophy secured for another year, the Bulldogs now shift focus to a week of significance within the GPAC. Coach Limback's squad will be at Morningside before hosting Northwestern for a program 100-year celebration.
Late fireworks from the likes of CIT MVP Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith boosted the Bulldogs to a 75-69 win over Concordia Wisconsin in the CIT championship on Saturday (Jan. 27). Schutte and Smith both notched double-doubles.
A senior class led by Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup steadied the men's basketball program and led it to the national tournament for the first time since 2005. The highlight of the campaign was a GPAC tournament title.
At long last, the Bulldogs are headed back to the national tournament after a 15-year hiatus. The GPAC tournament champions earned a No. 7 seed and a matchup with No. 2 seed Ottawa.
Brevin Sloup doesn't have to hide the pride he has for his hometown Seward. It works both ways. Now starring as the Bulldog point guard, Sloup inspires plenty of pride from the Seward community.
Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup return to provide scoring punch for a new-look Bulldog men's basketball team in 2018-19. Head coach Ben Limback's squad will also be reliant on a large group of newcomers.
A new-look Bulldog men's basketball team opened official practice on Monday (Sept. 24). Junior Tanner Shuck says that the group of newcomers has brought a jolt to energy to the 2018-19 team.
Mike Works proved to be the missing piece for a Concordia men's basketball program that broke through with national tournament appearances in 1991 and 1992. Works is now headed for the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame.
From 2003 to 2007, Jon Ziegler piled up points like no Bulldog ever had. His journey to the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame included his signature 47-point game versus Sioux Falls and a national championship game appearance.
A sophomore class headed by Jake Hornick and Clay Reimers allowed Concordia to surpass the expectations of outsiders in 2017-18. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-3 record before finishing at 17-13 overall.
Concordia is 5-1 behind a sophomore group that has already shown tremendous growth since last season. Four second-year players have pushed their way into the starting lineup for the rising Bulldogs.
With Chandler Folkerts and Eli Ziegler having moved on, it's time for the next wave of stars to emerge for the Concordia men's basketball program. Several sophomores are candidates to fill their big shoes.