SEWARD, Neb. – The urgency increases as the calendar flips to February, marking the final month of the regular season. The importance of this week’s slate heightened following this past Saturday's 96-89 overtime upset loss at Waldorf. Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball will have opportunities to bounce back this week as it travels to play Doane before hosting first-place Morningside on Saturday. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad sits at 15-8 overall (9-6 GPAC) with five games remaining in the regular season. The program will celebrate its all-time All-Americans as part of Saturday’s festivities.
This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Doane (11-12, 5-10 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Haddix Center (Crete, Neb.)
Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Morningside (17-5, 14-1 GPAC), 5:45 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--All-America Recognition
By the numbers
· In the NAIA’s official ratings percentage index updated on Monday (Feb. 2), the Bulldogs appeared at No. 64 (with a strength of schedule of 100th). The top RPI teams in the GPAC are Morningside (30th) and Northwestern (39th). A new set of ARC ratings is scheduled to be released on Tuesday. Prior to the loss at Waldorf, Concordia was listed as one of the last teams in the national tournament field by NAIA Hoops Report, which periodically releases its own bracket projections.
· Last week’s loss was unexpected based on the conference standings. Waldorf entered the game at 1-13 in conference play. The Warriors pulled off the 96-89 overtime surprise behind a starring performance from Nick Graves, who went for 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting from the floor. Waldorf shot 50.0 percent (36-for-72) as a team and made 12 treys. It was enough to overcome four Bulldog double-figure scorers: Brooks Kissinger (28), Dane Jacobsen (18), Logan Wilson (18) and Jaxon Stueve (10). At the end of regulation, Concordia missed an opportunity to take the lead at the free throw line and then survived a Warrior shot at the buzzer. In their up and down run, the Bulldogs have twice defeated Northwestern (18-5 overall) but have fallen to three of the teams in the bottom four in the standings.
· The Ashland, Neb., native Kissinger has been a constant. His 28-point effort at Waldorf marked the 16th time this season he has reached 20 points. Last week, 1011 (KOLN) TV out of Lincoln visited campus to discuss Kissinger’s rise to stardom as a junior. That news feature can be watched HERE. As the news outlet reported, Brooks will be joined on next season’s roster by his younger brother Cal and brother-in-law Derek Tonjes. The pipeline from Ashland-Greenwood High School has been fruitful (Dane Jacobsen is also an alum). Among GPAC players this season, Kissinger ranks third in scoring average (21.3), fifth in rebounds per game (6.5), eighth in field goal percentage (.584) and 16th in assists per game (3.4).
· Slowly, Concordia is working Tate Odvody back into the mix. He logged five minutes at Waldord while making his first appearance since the win at MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) on Dec. 19. Odvody then missed the next nine games due to injury. A transfer from NCAA Division II Colorado Christian University, Odvody is averaging 10.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 13 outings this season. At various times this season, the Bulldogs have also played without the likes of Dane Jacobsen, Brooks Kissinger, Hayden Frank and Zac Kulus. Three players have started all 23 games: Jacobsen (played only three minutes versus Dordt), Jaxon Stueve and Logan Wilson. A return to full strength could provide a boost down the stretch.
· Both the Concordia men’s and women’s basketball programs have invited their past All-Americans to be in attendance and be recognized on Saturday. In the history of the men’s basketball program, 23 players have earned at least one NAIA All-America award (according to available records). The All-Americans coached by Limback during his CUNE tenure have included Chandler Folkerts, Carter Kent, Noah Schutte, Brevin Sloup and Tristan Smith. Limback himself was tabbed an Honorable Mention All-American for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Additionally, women’s head coach Drew Olson garnered honorable mention status in 2002-03. Smith became the first player in program history to be named to the first team. For a complete listing of past All-Americans, click HERE.
· Among GPAC squads, Concordia sports team rankings of first in field goal percentage defense (.466), first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.341), second in scoring defense (77.1), fourth in scoring offense (84.7), fourth in field goal percentage offense (.502), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage offense (.373), seventh in rebound margin (-0.2) and seventh in free throw percentage (.715). The Bulldogs remain at No. 3 in the conference in terms of net efficiency, behind only Northwestern and Morningside. Nationally, Concordia ranks 59th in net efficiency.
· Morningside has won 14 straight GPAC regular season games and has the opportunity to clinch the outright conference title this week. The current top five in the standings are Morningside (14-1), Northwestern (10-5), Mount Marty (10-6), Concordia (9-6) and Briar Cliff (9-6). As part of Wednesday’s action, Morningside will host Dordt. In last week’s NAIA coaches’ poll, the GPAC was shut out of the top 25, however, Morningside and Northwestern landed in the receiving votes category.
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Dane Jacobsen, 6-3 (12.4)
G – Brooks Kissinger, 6-3 (21.3)
G – Zac Kulus, 6-0 (10.3)
G – Jaxon Stueve, 6-4 (12.0)
F – Logan Wilson, 6-7 (7.0)
Head Coach Ben Limback, 13th season (247-149 at CUNE)
The opponent
Doane will be fighting for its postseason life down the stretch of the regular season. The Tigers (5-10 GPAC) are currently situated in ninth place, one game behind Midland for eighth. Though Doane sits near the bottom of the standings, it has shown an ability to pick teams off in Crete having earned home wins over Northwestern, Dordt and nearly Morningside (79-78 loss on Jan. 24). This past Saturday, the Tigers were beaten at surging Northwestern, 93-67. Statistically, Doane has been one of the GPAC’s top defensive teams, ranking first in scoring defense (75.0) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.471), among league teams. Head Coach Ian McKeithen relies heavily on the starting five – four of which average at least 32 minutes per game. The team’s leading scorer is freshman guard Trevon Beckman, who is averaging 14.5 points per outing. The Tigers are 2-6 in league games since the calendar moved to 2026. Back on Dec. 3, Concordia handed Doane a 90-59 defeat. The result extended the Bulldogs’ series win streak to eight.
Doane Projected Starting Five
G – Trevon Beckman, 6-1 (14.5)
G – Casen Chaney, 6-1 (13.9)
G/F – Justus Gardiner, 6-5 (11.2)
F – Jonan Claussen, 6-6 (11.0)
F – Jack Wilson, 6-6 (12.3)
Head Coach: Ian McKeithen, 10th season
Morningside is on the verge of winning the GPAC regular season title as it owns a four-game lead over second-place Northwestern with five games to go in the regular season. Head Coach Trent Miller and the Mustangs reloaded after graduating three first/second team all-conference players in the likes of Joey Skoff, Brendan Buckley and Aidan Vanderloo. Postseason honors are likely to come the way of the likes of Alex Wilcoxson, Daniel Brocaille and Caleb Dreckman, the team’s top three scorers. Back in November, Morningside dropped its conference opener at Midland before proceeding to win 14 in a row within GPAC play. The Mustangs have frequently overwhelmed opponents with their efficiency – they average 86.2 points while shooting 55.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. The starting five for Morningside includes Tate Odvody’s younger brother Tyson, a 6-foot-8 post player. On Jan. 7 in Sioux City, the Mustangs defeated Concordia, 91-87, in a shootout that saw both teams shoot 55 percent or better. Morningside has had the Bulldogs’ number, winning four in a row and seven of the past eight in the series.
Morningside Projected Starting Five
G – Alex Wilcoxson, 6-1 (16.3)
F – Daniel Brocaille, 6-5 (16.3)
F – Caleb Dreckman, 6-7 (15.4)
F – Kaden Van Regenmorter, 6-4 (12.5)
C – Tyson Odvody, 6-8 (9.7)
Head Coach: Trent Miller, 5th season
Next week
Another midweek bye is coming up as the Bulldogs will be off the night of Feb. 11. Concordia will be headed to Sioux City, Iowa, for a matchup with Briar Cliff on Saturday, Feb. 14.