MBB Begins New Year with Summit Opener

The Roos open their return to the Summit League with a road trip to North Dakota for a pair of games on Jan. 2 & 3. It will be the first time that Kansas City takes on the Fighting Hawks as conference opponents.
Kansas City looks to open conference play with a win for the third-straight year. Last season, the Roos began Western Athletic Conference play with a 90-86 triple overtime thriller over Seattle U.
The Roos will hope for the return of Marvin Nesbitt Jr., who has missed the last five games due to injury protocol. His availability has not been confirmed, but the Roos would be aided by his presence. Nesbitt Jr. averaged 13 points and nearly eight rebounds in the four games he has appeared in this year.
In each of the past five games that he appeared in, Brandon McKissic has led Kansas City in the scoring column. The Ferguson, Mo. native is averaging 18.3 points per game since his 24-point performance against Kansas State on Nov. 30.
The Roos have proven to be an efficient shooting team through non-conference play, connecting on 55.3 percent of their field goal attempts. That mark is good for third in Division One and leads the Summit League by over 8 percent.

Last Time Out: L, 46-62 at Saint Louis (12/23/20)

Kansas City led for the majority of the first half, but an 11-3 Saint Louis run to end the half gave the Billikens the lead for good.
Josiah Allick nearly posted a double-double, dropping 13 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
Brandon McKissic led the Roos in scoring for the fifth time this year, pouring in 18 points.
The Roos shot a season-low 39.6 percent from the field.
Only seven Roos saw the court, and only five scored in the game.
Zion Williams played all 40 minutes, followed closely by McKissic and Allick with 39 minutes apiece.

Last Time vs. North Dakota: W, 73-70 (12/5/12)

North Dakota jumped out to an 18-9 advantage in the first ten minutes, but the Roos came back to take a 37-33 lead into the half.
A 25-foot jumper by Aaron Anderson to tie the game up at the buzzer fell short, giving KC the victory.
All five Roo starters scored in double digits.
Fred Chatmon posted a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 boards.
Kansas City dominated on the glass, pulling down 41 rebounds to the Fighting Hawks' 28.

Series History vs. North Dakota: KC Leads, 4-1

North Dakota took the first meeting between the two squads in a 61-56 win on Nov. 14, 2008, but since then it has been all Kansas City, winning the last four.
Each of the five meetings between the two teams has been decided by eight points or less. The largest margin of victory came on Dec. 18, 2010, a 69-61 Roo victory.
The Roos are 2-0 all-time against the Fighting Hawks when playing in North Dakota.

North Dakota Scouting Report

The Fighting Hawks look to Filip Rebraca for much of their scoring. The junior forward averages 16.1 points per game and is the only Hawk to average double digits.
Rebraca also leads the Fighting Hawks on the boards, pulling down 6.4 per game. Seybian Sims and Tyree Ihenacho are not far behind, averaging 5.5 and 5.4 rebounds, respectively.
Ihenacho will also lead North Dakota's passing game, averaging a team-high 4.1 dimes per game.
In order to stop the Roos, the Fighting Hawks will need to make KC miss shots. The Roos lead the Summit with a .553 field goal percentage, while UND gives up a Summit-worst .486 shooting mark.

University of Missouri Kansas City Athletics