Next Game: at Kansas City
The University of North Dakota will visit Kansas City on Saturday for Summit League men's basketball action at 7 p.m. (CT) inside the Swinney Center. Fans can follow all the action on Roo Sports 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. KC
This will be the eighth all-time meeting between North Dakota and Kansas City, with the Roos holding a 5-2 lead in the series. Both teams went 1-1 last year in the series in Grand Forks with North Dakota picking up a 52-45 win on Jan. 2, 2021, and Kansas City winning the game the next day by a tally of 77-53.
 
Last Time Out
North Dakota battled back from a 14-point deficit early in the second half and tied the game on five occasions in the final minutes but fell 80-76 to Oral Roberts inside the Mabee Center on Thursday night.
 
Paul Bruns put together his 13th double-digit performance for North Dakota to lead the team with 18 points. Ethan Igbanugo was next in scoring for UND with 17 points, 13 of them coming in the second half alone. Igbanugo also led the team defensively with two steals and a block.
 
Most Recently for KC
Kansas City came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to upend North Dakota State 80-77 inside the Swinney Center on Thursday evening. The Roos used a 21-0 run over 8:11 to gain the lead at 64-57 and held on to complete the comeback.
 
Arkel Lamar led the Roos with a career-high 24 points and six rebounds. Marvin Nesbitt Jr. was second in scoring for KC with 18 points, six boards and three steals.
 
I-29 Bound
UND will be traveling plenty up and down Interstate 29 in the coming years as members of The Summit League and the men's basketball program will look to continue its success over the rivals located along that stretch. UND owns winning records against four of the other five The Summit League teams that are located on I-29: North Dakota State, Omaha, South Dakota and South Dakota State, but is 2-5 against Kansas City.
 
Since joining the league in 2018-19, however, I-29 was a tough place to find wins for UND, as the Fighting Hawks are 8-27 against Division I opponents along the stretch. On the other hand, the Hawks are 16-10 against conference foes not positioned on I-29.
 
Last Win Over I-29 Schools
Kansas City - Jan. 2, 2021 (L1)
North Dakota State - Jan. 16, 2021 (L1)
Omaha - Feb. 20, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota - Feb. 14, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota State - Dec. 15, 2011 (L11)
 
Rallying with Rebounds
As a team, North Dakota ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (36.6) and total rebounds (695) this season. When it comes to being aggressive on the offensive glass, NoDak shines with 220 boards to sit second in league play, trailing Western Illinois by only six rebounds offensively this year.
 
Ballin' with Bentiu
Bentiu Panoam currently leads the team with 31 consecutive starts and has dished out a team-high 39 assists. Panoam has been filling the position of point guard most recently after Caleb Nero went down with an injury against San Jose State on Dec. 3. Panoam's best performance of the season is an 18-point output against Western Illinois on Jan. 13.
 
Early last season, Panoam provided a spark off the bench for the Fighting Hawks and worked his way into a starting role, earning his place in the starting lineup for the final 13 games of the season. He decided to exercise his COVD-19 extra year of eligibility and is playing for the Fighting Hawks once again in 2021-22.
 
In 2020-21, the Anchorage, Alaska, native netted double-figure performances in five of his last six starts, recording back-to-back 20+ point games in that stretch. Panoam recorded a new career-high with 25 points against South Dakota and set a new career-high in made triples with five at Omaha.
 
Fearless Freshman
Freshman Paul Bruns has played a key role for UND this season and has 12 collegiate starts. He currently leads all freshmen in the Summit League, averaging 13.9 points per game and 15.9 points per game as a starter.
 
Bruns had a highlight-reel performance at North Dakota State on Dec. 22, pouring in a season-high 27 points and pulling down 11 boards for the first double-double of his career. He has 13 double-digit scoring performances and four 20-point performances this season. He has made a team leading 42 trifectas and leads the team with 13.9 points per game.
 
The Jefferson, S.D., native ranks eighth in The Summit League in total minutes played this year with 565. Bruns also sits tied for fourth in the league in average steals per game with 1.3, which is also a team high.

Stormin' Norman
Sophomore transfer Matt Norman worked his way back into the starting lineup and led NoDak with a career-high 27 points against Western Illinois on Jan. 13, netting 20 points alone in the second half.
 
After adding 11 points at Oral Roberts on Thursday, Norman now has eight double-digit performances as a Hawk and three 20-point performances, including a 23-point game in 110-65 victory over North Central on Dec. 14, burying seven shots from beyond the arc and dishing out a career-best six assists in the victory.
 
Norman currently ranks second on the team in made triples with 34 makes from deep and is a 34.7 percent three-point shooter.
 
Defensive Danielson
Brady Danielson has played in more games than any other player on the active roster, playing in 76 games and starting eight of them. Despite being best known for his defense, Danielson threw in a season-high 10 points and corralled seven rebounds at Omaha on Jan. 6.
 
At Oral Roberts on Thursday, Danielson paced the team on the glass with a career-high 11 boards and dished out a career-best five assists. He also netted six points and drew one charge.
 
This season alone, Danielson has drawn a team-high 12 offensive fouls. He drew a season-high three charges against Dixie State on Dec. 18.
 
Last season, Danielson appeared in 25 games off the bench and averaged 13.0 minutes per game while putting in just under two points per game and just over one rebound per game. He dished out a career-high four assists at Minnesota last season.
 
In his career, Danielson erupted for 18 points at Oregon State, while making a career-best six field goals.
 
Finding A Groove
Sophomore transfer Tsotne Tsartsidze is coming into his own at post and had a highlight reel performance against Dixie State, rejecting a career-best four shots and just missing out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
On Thursday, Tsartsidze was second on the team in rebounds with seven, while being responsible for three assists and six points in the game. Last Thursday, Tsartsidze cleaned the glass against Western Illinois with a career-high 13 rebounds to go with seven points, while also pacing the offense with three assists.
 
On Dec. 22 against the Bison, Tsartsidze knocked down a career-best seven shots for a new career high of 18 points. Tsartsidze has eight double-digit scoring performances this season and is third on the team in total points scored this year with 153. His 14 total blocks this year currently sits tied for fifth in The Summit League.
 
Let's Go Igbanugo
Ethan Igbanugo has always been known as a sharpshooter and that has continued this season, with him currently third on the team for made triples this season, knocking down 23 trifectas on 72 attempts. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is currently 31.9 percent. He knocked down a career-high five shots from beyond the arc against Dixie State on Dec. 18.
 
Most recently, Igbanugo erupted for a season-high 17 points at Oral Roberts on Thursday night, pouring in 13 points in the second half alone. He also led the team defensively with two steals and one block.
 
The Lakeville North Product appeared in every game last season with 16 starts, averaging 27 minutes per game. He was a cool customer from downtown, leading the team in made triples with 40 and hitting a three in every game except one.
 
Igbanugo poured in a career-high 18 points against North Dakota State late last season, while averaging 8.3 points per game. The Lakeville, Minn., native also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe against Purdue Fort Wayne during the 2019-20 season.
 
Nero the Hero
At Oral Roberts on Thursday, Caleb Nero saw his first action since going down with an injury at San Jose State on Dec. 3. In limited action against the Golden Eagles, Nero knocked down three shots for eight points, pulled in three rebounds and dished out an assist. Despite note playing in the nine games before Thursday, Nero remains second on the team in points per game with 12.1 and leads the team in both assists per game (2.8) and in free throw percentage (85.2 percent).
 
Nero appeared in all 26 games last season and started 13 of them. The Tulsa, Okla., native proved to be a leader off the bench last season, leading all players off the bench with 8.7 points per game and 22.9 minutes per contest. He also led all guards on the team with a shooting percentage of 41.8 percent from the field and was second on the team in crunch time with an 83.3 percentage from the charity stripe.
 
In his career, Nero has piled up 25 games where he has netted double digits in points and has 17 games where has dished out three assists or more. In the season finale last season, Nero poured in 11 points in 21 minutes while grabbing three rebounds against Oral Roberts in the Summit League Quarterfinals.
 
Heat Check
North Dakota proved the three-point threat exists on Dec. 14 against North Central University, breaking the school record for made triples in a game with 17. The previous UND record for made shots beyond the arc in a single game was 16, which was tied three times, most recently on Dec. 17, 2019, in a 109-50 victory over Northland College inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
 
The Fighting Hawks are familiar with shots from deep and that has not changed this season, with the kelly green and white firing off 501 shots from beyond the arc and knocking down 163 of them for an average of 32.5 percent made from three-point land. In the record-breaking game vs. NCU, the Hawks finished 17-of-31 from deep for an average of 54.8 percent.
 
North Dakota has hit at least one triple in every game dating back to March 1, 2018. The last time the Hawks did not make a three came on Feb. 24, 2018, when UND went 0-for-8 from downtown at Northern Colorado in a 79-66 loss. North Dakota has hit at least one three in each of the last 112 games played.
 
Keeping Things Even
North Dakota had five returners in 2021-22 and eight newcomers and so far, they are keeping things close as a team. The Fighting Hawks have scored 1,339 points this season with the newbies pouring in 765 of them and the returners amassing 574 points. In total, the newcomers have scored 57.13 percent of UND's total points this season, while the returners have accounted for 42.87 percent of North Dakota's made shots.
 
Shaking Things Up
North Dakota has utilized eight different variations of its starting lineup so far this season and may try its ninth different starting lineup on Saturday. On the team, Bentiu Panoam has the most active consecutive starts currently with 31, followed by Paul Bruns with 12. The next most common starter based on active streaks is Tsotne Tsartsidze with eight, trailed by Matt Norman with five and Brady Danielson with one.
 
Playing the Stretch Without Sueker
North Dakota will be playing down the stretch with a key piece of the offense missing with Mitchell Sueker out with a season-ending injury. Sueker battled through injuries and recently played in limited action at Denver on Jan. 8 where he scored eight points. Despite the missed time with injury, Sueker ranks fourth on the team in total points this season with 149.
 
Prior to injury, Sueker continued his hot streak from the end of last year and has seven double-digit scoring performances in 2021-22, averaging 9.9 points per game.  He remains third on the team in free throw makes this season with 32 and is an 80.0 percent free throw shooter. Last season, Sueker drained 56-of-67 at the charity stripe to lead the team with an 83.6 percentage at the free throw line. In his career, the Marshall, Minn., native is 202-260 at the stripe, good for a free throw percentage of 77.7 percent.
 
Sueker averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last year and has career-highs in points (32), rebounds (12) and assists (5). His best free throw performance came against Kansas City last year when he went 11-for-12 at the line in the 52-45 win.
 
Rolling with the Changes
North Dakota has already had three games rescheduled due to COVID-19 protocols and is constantly dealing with a changing schedule. The Hawks already made up their previously scheduled Dec. 30 matchup with the Coyotes on Monday, Jan. 10, and fell in a 75-68 decision.
 
The two upcoming rescheduled home games are against South Dakota State and St. Thomas in games that were originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 1 and Jan. 15, respectively. The Hawks will now host the Jackrabbits at 7 p.m. (CT) on Monday, Jan. 31, and the Tommies on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Noon (CT). Both games will be aired on the Home of Economy Radio Network, with the Jan. 31 game being carried on Midco Sports and the Feb. 22 contest being streamed by UND Insider.
 
If rescheduled games are still unable to be made up due to COVID-19 protocols, those will be considered a "no contest".
 
For seeding purposes regarding The Summit League Basketball Championships, if teams have played a different number of League games due to no contests, winning percentage will be used as the first criteria to determine seeds. St. Thomas is not eligible for the Summit League Tournament this season, so the top eight teams in the conference will earn bids to the Summit League Basketball Championships at the conclusion of the regular season.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE.