'Roos Set For Quarterfinal Tournament Match-Up with Bison Sunday Night
3/9/2013 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NDSU Head Coach: Saul Phillips (Wisconsin-Plattville, 1996)
Record at NDSU: 106-75 (6th year) Career Record: Same
UMKC Head Coach: Matt Brown (Shippensburg, 1994)
Record at UMKC: 64-121* (6th year) Career Record: Same
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Date / Time: March 10, 2013 - 8:30 p.m. CST
Site: Sioux Falls, S.D. / Sioux Falls Arena (6,300)
TV: Fox College Sports
Talent: Jay Elsen (p-b-p), Greg Stemen (analyst)
Radio: 810 AM
Talent: Steven Davis (p-b-p), Steven St. John (analyst)
Webcast: None
Live Stats: TheSummitLeague.org
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos
Series: Kansas City trails 10-4
Home: 3-4
Away: 1-6
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: NDSU won 71-34 in Fargo, 1/31/13
Brown vs. Opponent: 3-9
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THE GAME
Notables: The 'Roos head to the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. as the No. 6 seed, matching the highest seeding for the tournament under Matt Brown. The 'Roos come in after getting their third league road win of the year on Saturday at IUPUI. NDSU enters as the No. 3 seed and has won its last two contests after the return of leading scorer Taylor Braun.
Kansas City Last 5: 1-4, last time out: won at IUPUI, 48-44
NDSU Last 5: 3-2, last time out: won at Omaha, 84-57
QUICK NOTES
- Kansas City announced February 7 that it will be playing its final season in the Summit League and heading to the WAC starting July 1, 2013.
- This is the first time the 'Roos have played North Dakota State in the conference tournament.
- The 'Roos are 5-15 all-time in the conference tournament, and 0-3 under Matt Brown. The last time UMKC won a tournament game was in 2007 against Valparaiso, 84-76.
- Kansas City is the No. 6 seed in the league tourney for the fifth time, posting a 1-4 record in that role.
- This is Kansas City's third trip to Sioux Falls, falling to Oakland in 2010 (85-70) and IUPUI in 2011 (79-55).
- UMKC finished with more league road wins (3) than home wins (2) for the first time in school history.
- The win vs. IUPUI in the regular season finale was the first time since 2005 that UMKC has pulled off a sweep of the Jaguars.
- Estan Tyler (.436) ranks third in the league in three-point shooting, while Fred Chatmon's 7.5 rebounds per game this season rank fourth in the Summit League. Chatmon also ranks sixth in blocks (0.9 bpg) while Tyler is seventh in assists (2.9 apg).
- The 'Roos have used 18 different starting lineups this season, with all but one player starting at least two times.
- Six different players have sat out games due to injury this season and last weekend was the first time since November that every player on the roster was healthy enough to play.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
North Dakota State comes in with a 22-8 overall record and went 12-4 in conference games to finish third. The Bison have only lost to WIU twice, SDSU and Oakland.
They are led by junior guard Taylor Braun, who is sixth in the league in scoring at 14.8 points per game. He also pulls down 4.9 rebounds, coming back from an injury that held him out 10 games last week. Forward Marshall Bjorklund scores 11.7 points on a national-best .676 percent shooting, and a team-best 6.0 boards a game. Lawrence Alexander is averaging 10.7 points and has a team-best 114 assists.
As a team the Bison lead the conference in scoring margin at +11.9 points per game, and hold opponents to a league best 38 percent shooting. The Bison also hold opponents to only 55.4 points a game.
THE COACHES
Matt Brown is in his sixth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's basketball program, and has a 64-121* overall record at the helm. Brown joined the 'Roos as the eighth head coach in school history on April 12, 2007. He has coached eight players to All-Summit League recognition.
His most successful season came in 2010-11 when he posted his only winning record at 16-14 overall. The 'Roos also had the third-most home wins in school history, going 11-4 in Kansas City, and the third-most overall wins in program history that season.
Saul Phillips is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bison, posting a 106-75 overall record. He led NDSU to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and to the CBI last season.
THE SERIES
It will be the 15th meeting between the 'Roos and Bison, with NDSU holding a 10-4 lead in the series. Bison won 63-44 in Kansas City on Jan. 5. and 71-34 in Fargo on Jan. 31.
This will be the first meeting at a neutral site or at the Summit League Tournament between UMKC and NDSU.
Matt Brown is 3-9 vs. Saul Phillips, while Phillips has a 9-3 record against Kansas City.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- Kansas City would have won a Summit League Tournament game for the first time since 2007 vs. Valparaiso.
- Kansas City would have defeated the No. 3 seed for the second time ever (2007, Valpo).
- The 'Roos would have defeated a team with a winning record for the first time since taking out the Bison on Feb. 12, 2012.
AT THE SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kansas City is returning to the championships after missing last season. This is its third trip to Sioux Falls and fourth overall under head coach Matt Brown. He has a 0-3 record in the tourney, and is 0-2 in Sioux Falls.
UMKC is 5-15 all-time in the league tournament, last winning in 2007 against Valparaiso. It is the No. 6 seed for the fifth time, and has posted a 1-4 mark in that role. The 'Roos have never made it to the Championship game.
