SEWARD, Neb. – It’s a pivotal week of conference action for Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball. The Bulldogs will attempt to build upon a 3-0 week that included a home win over 17th-ranked Northwestern. Currently in second place in the GPAC standings, Concordia is set to travel to first-place Morningside on Wednesday before hosting third-place Briar Cliff on Saturday. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad stands at 12-4 overall (6-2 GPAC) and will take a four-game winning streak to Sioux City, Iowa.
This Week
Saturday, Jan. 7 at Morningside (10-5, 7-1 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center (Sioux City, Iowa)
Saturday, Jan. 10 vs. Briar Cliff (8-7, 5-3 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· In their final nonconference action of the regular season, the Bulldogs took part in the St. Francis Fighting Saints New Year’s Classic (Dec. 30-31). As part of its stay in Joliet, Ill., Concordia toppled two Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes, winning 89-81 over event host University of St. Francis and 83-70 over Governors State University. In the victory over St. Francis, freshman Jacob Duitsman notched a career high with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. In addition, Brooks Kissinger put up a combined 41 points and Dane Jacobsen totaled 34 points at the classic. Over the two contests, the Bulldogs shot 55.3 percent (63-for-114) from the floor while their opponents shot 48.8 percent (60-for-123). Concordia trailed at the half of both games (39-32 vs. St. Francis and 32-26 vs. Governors State).
· The two outings in the Chicago area kept the Bulldogs sharp for the resumption of conference play. Northwestern (13-4, 5-4 GPAC) has now dropped nine straight trips to Friedrich Arena after Concordia held off the Red Raiders, 85-82, on Jan. 3. The Bulldogs built a 51-37 lead at the break and held off Northwestern’s comeback efforts with the help of a game-high 29 points from Kissinger (11-for-16) from the field. Four teammates also reached double figures: Zac Kulus (12), Logan Wilson (12), Duitsman (11) and Jacobsen (10). The Red Raiders got a combined 50 points for their sophomore star duo of Jalen Langsy (27) and Jesse Van Kalsbeek (23). Northwestern fell despite shooting 56.4 percent (31-for-55) from the field. The season sweep of the Red Raiders will be a boost to Concordia’s national tournament profile.
· After playing a role off the bench his first two collegiate seasons, Kissinger has established himself as one of the GPAC’s top players and an All-American candidate. The Ashland-Greenwood High School product has hit the 20-point mark 10 times this season. Northwestern struggled mightily to contain Kissinger’s drive to the basket. His 29 points in the win were two shy of a career high. Among GPAC players, Kissinger ranks third in scoring average (20.5), fifth in rebounds per game (6.5), sixth in field goal percentage (.594) and 14th in assists per game (3.4).
· The minutes are increasing for the freshman Duitsman, who graduated from Lincoln Lutheran as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He’s played at least 20 minutes in four straight games and has responded with respective point totals over that stretch of seven, 16, six and 11. His role is likely to increase as he continues to gain experience. Duitsman finished his prep career with 1,068 points and led the Warriors to state tournament place finishes of second in 2024 and third in 2025. Duitsman is an Exercise Science major.
· After the departures of All-Americans Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith, the Bulldogs have reinvented themselves this season as more of a guard-oriented team. Concordia’s propensity to push the pace (along with its efficiency) has allowed it to average 85.4 points per game. The Bulldogs have options beyond Kissinger. Others averaging in double figures are Dane Jacobsen (13.0), Jaxon Stueve (11.9), Tate Odvody (11.1) and Zac Kulus (10.0). A high school teammate of Kissinger, Jacobsen has hit the ground running at point guard. He’s averaging 4.6 assists per game while limiting his turnovers to an average of 2.3 per game.
· Among GPAC squads, Concordia sports team rankings of first in field goal percentage defense (.454), first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.314), second in scoring defense (74.4), third in scoring offense (85.4), fourth in field goal percentage offense (.508), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage offense (.395), fifth in rebound margin (+0.2) and eighth in free throw percentage (.702). The Bulldogs continue to rank second in the league in net efficiency, behind only Northwestern. The rest of the GPAC’s top five in net efficiency are Dordt, Morningside and Mount Marty.
· Entering the week, Concordia (6-2 GPAC) stands one game behind Morningside (7-1 GPAC) atop the league standings. Briar Cliff (5-3) is currently in third place ahead of a scramble of teams with four GPAC defeats: Dordt (5-4), Northwestern (5-4), Mount Marty (5-4) and Midland (4-4). It’s now a dash to the finish line. The Bulldogs will play their final 12 GPAC regular season games between now and the Feb. 21 finale.
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Dane Jacobsen, 6-3 (13.0)
G – Brooks Kissinger, 6-3 (20.5)
G – Jaxon Stueve, 6-4 (11.9)
F – Tate Odvody, 6-4 (11.1)
F – Logan Wilson, 6-7 (7.6)
NOTE: Tate Odvody missed last week’s three games. If Odvody is unable to play, Zac Kulus is likely to step into the starting lineup.
Head Coach Ben Limback, 13th season (244-145 at CUNE)
The opponents
Morningside dropped its GPAC opener at Midland and has since won seven straight within league play. The Mustangs remain a GPAC title contender after parting with three All-GPAC seniors from last season’s conference tournament championship squad: Joey Skoff (first team), Brendan Buckley (second team) and Aidan Vanderloo (second team). Head Coach Trent Miller trots out a lengthy starting five that includes four players who stand at 6-foot-4 or taller. Senior forward Daniel Brocaille paces the team with an average of 16.8 points per game. As a team, Morningside averages 84.1 points while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor. In a key clash, the Mustangs edged Northwestern, 96-93, in Sioux City on Dec. 3. Under Miller, Morningside has made three consecutive NAIA national tournament appearances. It reached the national quarterfinals in 2024. The Mustangs took all three 2024-25 meetings from the Bulldogs. Morningside was pegged second in the GPAC preseason poll and received votes in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll (Dec. 17).
Morningside Projected Starting Five
G – Alex Wilcoxson, 6-1 (15.1)
F – Daniel Brocaille, 6-5 (16.8)
F – Caleb Dreckman, 6-7 (15.4)
F – Kaden Van Regenmorter, 6-4 (12.2)
C – Tyson Odvody, 6-8 (9.9)
Head Coach: Trent Miller, 5th season
Briar Cliff opened 2026 with a road win, 80-72, over Doane and is situated in third place in the GPAC standings. The Chargers most recently appeared at the national tournament in 2022 when they shared the conference regular season title with Concordia. Head Coach Mark Svagera’s program graduated prolific scorer Matthew Stilwill (1,584 career points) but did return Second Team All-GPAC guard Blake Sindelar. The senior from Howells, Neb., paces the team with an average of 18.6 points per game. In the post, 6-foot-7 Jaxson Wingert averages 18.5 points and 5.3 boards per game. Briar Cliff weathered a three-game skid to begin December (losses to Dordt, Mount Marty and Morningside). The Chargers have averaged 76.2 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor (compared to 77.5 points and 48.1 percent shooting by their opponents). The Bulldogs have won each of the past seven series meetings, but two of them were decided in overtime.
Briar Cliff Projected Starting Five
G – Wil Lugar, 6-5 (7.2)
G – Blake Sindelar, 6-4 (18.6)
F – Colby Collison, 6-4 (8.8)
F – Ryan Kleppe, 6-3 (5.4)
F – Jaxson Wingert, 6-7 (18.5)
Head Coach: Mark Svagera, 9th season
Up next
GPAC play will continue as Concordia will host Hastings on Jan. 14 before traveling to play at Dakota Wesleyan on Jan. 18. It should be noted that the game at DWU will take place on a Sunday due to a Saturday scheduling conflict at the Corn Palace.