Next Game: at San Jose State
The University of North Dakota men's basketball program will travel to California to battle San Jose State on Friday night. The Fighting Hawks and Spartans will square off inside the Provident Credit Union Event Center at 9 p.m. (CT). Fans can watch all the action on the Mountain West Digital Network, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network (100.3 FM/740 AM).

Series History vs. SJSU
This will be the fifth meeting between UND and SJSU in the series. The Spartans hold a 3-1 advantage in the series, with the previous two games in San Jose being decided by eight points each. SJSU took the second game of the series by a tally of 87-79 on Nov. 29, 1975, and then narrowly won the second game in overtime by a score of 90-82 on Dec. 1, 1977. The first game ever between the two programs took place on Dec. 15, 1973, in Grand Forks with UND falling in a 61-60 decision. The Fighting Hawks took the most recent contest on Dec. 9, 1978, in Grand Forks, winning 82-70. 

Last Time Out
North Dakota only trailed for nine seconds in a 72-55 victory over Presentation inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Tuesday night. Caleb Nero poured in a team-high 18 points, followed by Paul Bruns netting 15 points in his first collegiate start. Brian Mathews cleaned the glass for UND with a team leading eight boards. In the game, North Dakota forced 16 turnovers and only lost the ball on eight occasions. UND finished with a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers and knocked down 10 triples in the game.

Most Recently for SJSU
San Jose State defeated South Dakota, 61-52, inside the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Tuesday evening. The Spartans led by as many as 19 points and finished on a 15-9 run to put the game out of reach. Omari Moore led SJSU with 18 points, while Tibet Gorener added 14. The Spartans held a 24-14 edge in points in the paint over the Coyotes, while also holding a 24-15 advantage in points off turnovers. San Jose State is a perfect 3-0 at home this season.

Familiar Faces
Saying Tim Miles and Paul Sather are familiar with each other would be an understatement. Miles was an assistant for Northern State from 1989-95 and Sather played for NSU from 1990-94.

After graduating from Northern State, Sather was a graduate assistant at Wayne State College and then an assistant coach at  Northern State, while Miles was the head coach at Southwest Minnesota State and then North Dakota State when NDSU was still in Division II.

Miles knows quite a bit about UND, as he coached for North Dakota State from 2001-07, a span where North Dakota went 2-4 vs. NDSU. Most recently, Miles picked up a win over North Dakota on Nov. 11, 2017, when the Huskers upended the Hawks 92-70 in Lincoln.

Sather was named the head coach of North Dakota on May 30, 2019, and helped UND return the favor on Dec. 21, 2019, beating the Huskers 75-74 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Fred Hoiberg was the head coach of the Huskers that time.

Miles and Sather seem to nearly miss each other on every occasion, with the only contest between the two as head coaches coming in an exhibition on Nov. 9, 2015, when Nebraska defeated Northern State by a tally of 95-42 in Lincoln. This Friday's contest will be the first official game between the two as head coaches.

Fearless Freshman
Freshman Paul Bruns has played a key role in the success of the team so far this young season and it has paid off with him earning his first collegiate start on Tuesday vs. Presentation. Against the Saints, Bruns knocked down five shots for 15 points, including three triples to go with one shot rejection.

Bruns does not shy away from strong competition, leading the team with 13 points against Milwaukee, 18 points at Florida International and 16 points at Kansas State. The Jefferson, S.D., native has a team leading 13 made three-pointers this season and leads the team in average steals per game with 1.4.

Narrow Victories
North Dakota won its first two games this season by an average of 2.0 points. The Fighting Hawks overcame a 14-point deficit on Nov. 15 to defeat Montana 79-77 in the final seconds inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. After leading by 14 in the second half, UND held on for a 74-72 win over Troy in the opening game of the Paradise Classic on Nov. 19.

Follow Us
Receive live updates during all UND men's basketball games by following @UNDmbasketball on Twitter. Fans can also watch in-game highlights, postgame interviews, and much more through UND Insider on Twitter (@UNDInsider) or online at FightingHawks.com.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE.