Next Game: at South Dakota State
The University of North Dakota will travel to the Mount Rushmore State on Thursday for men's basketball action at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Frost Arena. Fans can follow all the action on the Midco Sports Network, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network (100.3 FM/790 AM).

Series History vs. SDSU
This will be the 197th all-time meeting between North Dakota and South Dakota State, with UND holding a 106-90 lead in the series. North Dakota owns the overall series, while South Dakota State has dominated the Division I era by winning 12 of the 13 meetings, including 11-straight.

Turn Back the Clock
It has been a long time since UND last won a game against SDSU at Frost Arena, going all the way back to Feb. 11, 1995, when the Sioux defeated the Jackrabbits, 84-72, in Brookings. Since then North Dakota has lost its last 19 against the Jacks at Frost.

On Feb. 11, 1995, the No. 1 movie at the box office was Billy Madison, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was "Creep" by TLC, and Coach Sather was just wrapping up his junior year as a college student at Northern State.

Last Time Out
North Dakota found itself down 17 points (71-54) with under seven minutes remaining and used a 14-0 run to come within two at 74-72, but ultimately fell 79-74 to Kansas City inside the Swinney Center on Saturday night.

Ethan Igbanugo led the Fighting Hawks with a career-high tying 18 points while shooting 50.0 per-cent (6-of-12) from the field. Igbanugo also dished out two assists and was responsible for one block.

Paul Bruns and Brian Mathews were on double-double watch late in the second half, both finishing with 16 points. Bruns grabbed eight rebounds and was a perfect 7-of-7 at the charity stripe to go with a steal and one block. Mathews' 16 points was one shy of a career-high and he finished 12-of-13 at the charity stripe, while also grabbing seven boards and adding a block.

Most Recently for SDSU
The Jackrabbits remained unbeaten in Summit League play on Saturday, winning 93-75 on the road at Western Illinois. SDSU shot over 60.0 percent from the field and hit 90.9 percent of its free throw attempts. 

Five Jackrabbits finished in double figures, led by Baylor Scheierman with 17 points, followed by Zeke Mayo and Douglas Wilson with 15 points apiece. Scheierman sank all three of his three-point attempts, while May finished at 3-of-6 from beyond the arc with a team-high six assists. 

Mid Major Top 25 Poll
South Dakota State is 17-4 and a perfect 9-0 at home this season. Their performance throughout the year has earned them the No. 11 ranking in the Mid Major Top 25. Following the victory at Western Illinois on Saturday, the Jackrabbits have now won eight straight.

1.) Loyola Chicago 224 (8)
2.) Murray State 203
3.) San Francisco 196
4.) Saint Mary's 182
5.) UAB 174
6.) Belmont 170
7.) Louisiana Tech 163
8.) Ohio 161
9.) Iona 155
10.) New Mexico State 132
11.) South Dakota State 129
12.) North Texas 128
13.) Grand Canyon 113
14.) Chattanooga 100
15.) Oakland 98
16.) Drake 75
17.) Missouri State 74
18.) Liberty 64
19.) Vermont 50
20.) Towson 41
21.) Santa Clara 31
22.) Wagner 29
23.) Hofstra 26
24.) Princeton 23
25.) Oral Roberts 22

Ouch!
North Dakota is on track to have the least wins on the road in its Division I history. The Fighting Hawks are currently 0-10 on the road this season and would need three road wins to be better than they were in 2017-18 (2-13) and 2008-09 (2-9) on the road. This season, UND's last Division I wins were back-to-back with the Fighting Hawks defeating Montana inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Nov. 15 and then taking down Troy 74-72 in the opening game of the Paradise Classic on the campus of Florida Atlantic on Nov. 19. The last win for North Dakota was a 110-65 rout of North Central (Minn.) on Dec. 14.

Despite the struggles this season, things seem to be starting to trend in the right direction for North Dakota with the last four losses coming by single digits and the Hawks falling by an average of 5.25 points in those contests. In three of the four most recent games, the Hawks battled back to erase second-half deficits of 16 points (vs. Western Illinois), 14 points (at Oral Roberts) and 17 points (at Kansas City).

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 2-6 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 8-28 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 (L2)
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)

Attacking the Glass
As a team, North Dakota ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (36.5) and total rebounds (729) this season. When it comes to being aggressive on the offensive glass, NoDak shines with 227 boards to sit second in league play. The only team in the Summit League with more offensive boards this season is Western Illinois with 249.

Ballin' with Bentiu
Bentiu Panoam currently leads the team with 32 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 13 collegiate starts. He currently leads all freshmen in the Summit League, averaging 14.1 points per game and 15.9 points per game as a starter. In the conference, Bruns ranks 14th out of all Summit League players with 14.1 points this season and is seventh in games played in the conference with 16.9 points per game.

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 14 double-digit scoring performances and four 20-point performances this season. He has made a team leading 43 made trifectas and averages 2.2 made triples per game to rank second in the Summit League in that category.

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 Jan. 20, 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 35 makes from deep and is a 34.3 percent three-point shooter.

Defensive Danielson
Brady Danielson has played in more games than any other player on the active roster, playing in 77 games and starting nine 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 Jan. 20, 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 Jan. 20, Tsartsidze was second on the team in rebounds with seven, while being responsible for three assists and six points in the game. On Jan. 13, 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 165. His 14 total blocks this year currently sits tied for sixth in the Summit League.

Tsartsidze averages 5.9 offensive rebounds per game to rank fifth in the conference in that category and his 117 total rebounds currently sits sixth in league play.

Let's Go Igbanugo
Ethan Igbanugo put together back-to-back highlight reel performances last week, helping North Dakota erase second-half deficits of 14 (at Oral Roberts) and 17 (at Kansas City). On Thursday at Oral Roberts, Igbanugo was second in scoring for NoDak with 17 points, 13 of them coming in the second half alone. Against the Golden Eagles, Igbanugo also led the team defensively with two steals and a block. On Saturday at Kansas City, Igbanugo led the Fighting Hawks with a career-high tying 18 points while shooting 50.0 percent while also rejecting one shot.

Igbanugo has always been known as a sharpshooter and that has continued this season, with knocking down 25 trifectas on 76 attempts to rank third on the team in made triples. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is currently 32.9 percent. He knocked down a career-high five shots from deep against Dixie State on Dec. 18.

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.

Mathews Knocks Them Down
Freshman Brian Mathews is seeing additional minutes with Mitchell Sueker out with a season-ending injury, and he is making the most of it. On Saturday, Mathews erupted for 16 points at Kansas City to tie for second on the team in scoring in the game. Of his 16 points, 12 of them came at the free throw line where Mathews shined, going 12-of-13 in the game to go with seven rebounds and two assists.

Mathews' season-high scoring output was a 17-point performance against North Central (Minn.) on Dec. 14. In that game Mathews knocked down seven of his eight shots from the field and corralled five boards.

Needing Nero
Last week Caleb Nero saw his first action since going down with an injury at San Jose State on Dec. 3. In limited action, Nero recorded eight points at three rebounds against the Golden Eagles and 5 points and two boards against the Roos. Despite not playing in the nine games before Jan. 20, 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 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.

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 fourth 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.

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 Thursday. On the team, Bentiu Panoam has the most active consecutive starts currently with 32, followed by Paul Bruns with 13. The next most common starter based on active streaks is Tsotne Tsartsidze with nine, trailed by Matt Norman with six and Brady Danielson with two.

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 the Midco Sports Network 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.