BRACKETOLOGY

By Tad Dorsey

2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS

SCHOOLGPACOVERALL
18 Dakota Wesleyan9-113-2Lost 1
8 Morningside9-213-2Won 3
Jamestown8-312-4Lost 1
Concordia9-412-6Won 1
Dordt8-413-4Won 6
Briar Cliff7-510-7Won 5
RV Northwestern6-511-5Won 1
Mount Marty4-87-10Lost 4
Midland2-104-11Won 1
Doane2-115-13Lost 6
Hastings0-114-12Lost 3
  • #18 Dakota Wesleyan has gone 3-1 since the last update.  They defeated Dakota State 69-60 on the road to close out 2020.  It took as comeback effort, as DSU went up 41-26 late in the first half.  The Tigers used a 28-8 run in the second half to finish the win. Koln Oppold has a quality performance, going 7-14 (2-3 from 3) with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.  The Tigers were victorious at Doane, winning 80-73.  It again took a late run for DWU to win.  In a back and forth first half, Dakota Wesleyan led 36-35 at half.  DWU closed the game with a 14-3 run to remain unbeaten in conference play.  Oppold led the way again, going 7-15 and 7-8 at the line, scoring 21 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.  Ace Zorr was 6-10 with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  The Tigers extended their win streak to 13 games with a 70-64 home win over Concordia.  The first half saw several runs by both teams, with the Tigers closing it on a 8-2 run to go up 33-32 at halftime.  Another late run fueled the Tigers.  Koln Oppold hit a pair of FTs to put DWU up for good, and a Jeffery Schuch layup helped to secure the victory.  Schuch was 9-13 with 20 points and 5 rebounds.  Nick Harden scored 17 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.  The Tigers winning streak ended against Midland, as they fell 84-75 in Fremont.  The Warriors took a 9-point lead in the half, before a 12-2 Tigers run capped by a Nick Harden buzzer beating layup put DWU up 39-38 at halftime.  The Warriors second half shooting in the second half got them up 10 with 3:28 left.  The Tigers attempted a 4th straight late run to win, with back-to-back threes by Koln Oppold and Sawyer Schultz to get within 3 with 1:13 left.  The Warriors closed the game from there.   Oppold was 10-16 (4-7 from 3) with 27 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.  DWU goes to 9-1 in the GPAC, 13-2 overall.  They are at RV Northwestern on Wednesday. 
  • #8 Morningside was 2-0 last week.  The Mustangs defeated Doane 96-73 in Crete.  A big first half, led by Trey Brown, saw Morningside leading 46-29 at the break.  The second half saw Morningside’s offense continue to score, as they put the game away.  Brown was 9-14 (4-4 FTs) with 22 points and 11 rebounds.  Zach Imig was 5-7 with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.   Morningside also defeated Hastings 88-69.  Morningside won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Hastings 59-32.  This is tied for Morningside’s second most rebounds in program history.  This rebounding combined with solid defense and shooting allowed Morningside to run away with the victory.  Aidan Vanderloo started his second game of the season and tied his career high with 19 points on 7-11 shooting, 5-8 from 3.  Brown was 3-5 (6-7 FTs) with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Imig was 5-11 with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.  Morningside improves to 9-2 in the GPAC, 13-2 overall.  The Mustangs host Briar Cliff on Wednesday. 
  • Jamestown went 2-1 since the last report.  They defeated Hastings 98-80.  The first ten minutes were competitive, seeing 14 lead changes.  A basket by Brock Schrom had Jamestown up 23-22 midway through the half, and they lead the rest of the way.  The Jimmies closed the first half on a 5-0 run to go up 50-43 at halftime.  After Jamestown got up 12 with 12:25 left, the Broncos rallied to get within 4 with 7:18 left.  Threes by Marc Kjos and Will Cordes, as well as a bucket from Schrom put the Jimmies back up 12.  The Jimmies tied a team record with 21 made threes in the game.  Mason Walters broke the team record for rebounds in a game with 22 boards, he was also 8-12 with 16 points.  Will Cordes was 8-15 (all threes) with 26 points and 5 assists.  Cordes was one three off of tying the team record for threes in a game. The Jimmies won a defensive struggle at Midland, 49-47.  The Jimmies led for the vast majority of the game.  Midland did not lead until there was 3:24 left when they took a 45-43 lead with a three. Mason Walters converted a pair of free throws and scored a basket with 17 seconds left putting the Jimmies up 47-45.  Midland tied it with 4 seconds remaining.  Cole Woodford scored a running buzzer beater to secure the victory.  Walters was 9-17 with 22 points and 12 rebounds.  The Jimmies fell 81-70 at Concordia.  The teams exchanged runs in the first half.  Concordia was up 6 late in the half, before baskets by Walters and Allante’ Pickens cut it to 38-36 Bulldogs at halftime.  The Bulldogs extended the lead to 13 midways through the half, before a Kjos three got the Jimmies back within 6.  The Bulldogs then pulled away.  Walters posted 22 points and 13 rebounds.  Jamestown goes to 8-3, 12-4 in the GPAC.  They are at Dordt on Thursday. 
  • Concordia fell 70-62 against Peru State to close out 2020.  The game can be summarized in saying Concordia was 8-41 from 3 and 8-33 from the floor after halftime.  It’s hard to win when shots are not falling.  Justin Wiersema was 7-15 with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.  Carter Kent was 7-16 with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.  Concordia was victorious at Northwestern, winning 81-74 in overtime.  In a tight game, the Bulldogs trailed 57-51 in the 2nd half, when they went on a 10-0 run.  It was led by Thomas Young with 5 points.  Trailing 74-72 late in regulation, the Bulldogs turned to Sam Scarpelli to score and force overtime.  In overtime, Carter Kent scored 8 points to lead the Bulldogs to the win.  Kent scored 17 points and 4 rebounds.  The Bulldogs fell to #18 Dakota Wesleyan 70-64 on the road.  It was another tight affair.  The game was deadlocked at 60 with 2 minutes left, when the Bulldogs suffered a 5-minute drought without a made field goal.  The Tigers free throws late locked up the victory.  Justin Wiersema led the Bulldogs, going 6-9 (3-5 from 3) with 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals.  The Bulldogs defeated Jamestown 81-70 to close the week.  Carter Kent scored 20 points, to become the 32nd Bulldog to reach 1,000 career points.  This included the go ahead three early in the first half, which gave the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.  Kent finished 8-14 with the 20 points.  Gage Smith was 8-11 with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.  Justin Wiersema was 7-10 with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Concordia goes to 9-4 in the GPAC, 12-6 overall.  They are at Mount Marty on Wednesday. 
  • Dordt was 3-0 this week.  They defeated Midland 78-63.  After falling behind 26-18 in the first half, the Defenders went on an 8-0 run to tie it.  Dordt led 33-30 at halftime.  The Defenders led for the entirety of the 2nd half.  With Dordt up 2 late, Jesse Jansma hit a three to give the Defenders a 5-point lead.  Dordt went up 60-50 following another three by Cade Bleeker.  Jansma led the way going 4-8 with 15 points and 9 rebounds.  Bleeker, Jacob Vis, and Bryce Coppock each scored 14 points.  The Defenders defeated Dakota State 92-76 on the road.  Dordt never trailed in the matchup after starting the game on an 8-0 run.  Jansma was 6-10 with 20 points and 5 assists.  Garrett Franken was 7-13 with 18 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Dordt closed out the week with a 94-83 win against Mount Marty, extending their win streak to six games.  After an early Lancers lead, the Defenders went up 28-27 on a basket by Jacob Vis.  The game remained tight throughout the first half, with a three by Garrett Franken breaking a tie, giving Dordt a 47-44 lead at half.  Dordt went up 59-55 with 4 points by Jansma, two on free throws and two on a basket midway through the second half.  Dordt would keep that lead.  Franken was 10-16 with 27 points and 12 rebounds.  Coppock was 5-7 with 15 points.  Dordt improves to 8-4 in the GPAC, 13-4 overall.  They are hosting Jamestown on Thursday. 
  • Briar Cliff was 4-0 since the last report.  The Chargers defeated Dakota State 79-75 in OT to close 2020 out.  The Chargers overcame a 61-54 deficit with 1:30 left.  A driving layup by Jaden Kleinhesselink cut the led to 2 with 21 seconds left.  Conner Groves stole the inbound pass and scored to tie the game and force overtime.  The Chargers got five points from Kleinhesselink and four points from Quinten Vasa to secure the OT victory.  Vasa was 8-13 with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Groves was 5-9 (4-8 from 3) with 16 points.  The Chargers defeated Mount Marty 94-75.  The Chargers used a pair of Nick Hoyt threes to spark a 10-0 first half run to go up 25-16 with 9:43 before halftime.  The Chargers extended that lead, going on a 20-3 run before halftime to go up 53-35.  The Lancers got the lead down to ten, before a three by Ethan Friedel put BCU up 62-49 with 14:22 left.  The Lancers would never get back within single digits.  Andrew Gibb was 5-5 (3-3 from 3) with 17 points.  Kleinhesselink was 6-14 with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.  BCU defeated Hastings 104-75.  With Hastings up 6, the Chargers went on a 9-2 run to go up 37-34 with 4:18 before half.  The Chargers would lead 46-41 at halftime.  Hot shooting early in the 2nd half, including 3 threes by Kleinhesselink, put the Chargers up 63-44.  It was not close after that.  Quinn Vesey scored a career high, going 10-12 (7-9 from 3) with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals.  Jaden Kleinhesselink posted a season high, going 11-14 (5-6 from 3) with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.  The Chargers defeated Doane 83-70, extending their win streak to five.  An early 9-0 run put BCU up 31-16 with 10:58 before half.  The Chargers closed the half on an 8-0 run to go up 52-33 at halftime.  Doane would battle back, cutting the lead to 8 with 4:47 left.  Briar Cliff hit free throws late to secure the game.  Vesey was 6-8 (3-4 from 3) with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Kleinhesselink was 5-10 with 17 points and 7 rebounds.  The Chargers improve to 7-5 in the GPAC, 10-7 overall.  Briar Cliff is at #8 Morningside on Wednesday.
  •  RV Northwestern was 2-1 since last report.  They defeated Presentation 98-64 in an uncompetitive matchup to close out 2020.  They used an early 21-2 run to put the game away immediately.  Trent Hilbrands was 9-16, 7-14 from 3 with 25 points.  The 7 threes is a career high.  The Red Raiders fell 81-74 in OT to Concordia.  This was the first home loss of the season for NWC.  Northwestern used a basket from Alex Van Kalsbeek to go up 55-48 with 7 minutes left in the game.  Concordia rallied to take the lead, before baskets by Hilbrands and Van Kalsbeek tied the game at 61 with 2:07 left.  A three-point play by Noah Slagter had Northwestern up 64-62 with 42 seconds left. The Bulldogs scored to force OT.  After a pair of Bulldogs threes had the Raiders down 6, a three from Hilbrands cut it to 77-74.  Concordia would secure the victory from there.  Hilbrands was 8-17 with 23 points.  Van Kalsbeek was 8-14 with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists.  The Raiders closed the week with a 69-56 win at Mount Marty.  After leading 30-23 at halftime, Northwestern allowed an 11-3 run, putting the Lancers up 34-33.  The Raiders used a 7-0 fueled by four points from Craig Sterk and a three from Hilbrands to go up 40-34.  They led the rest of the way.  Craig Sterk was 8-15 with 21 points and 12 rebounds.  Hilbrands scored 19.  Northwestern goes to 6-5 in the GPAC, 11-5 overall.  Northwestern hosts #18 Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday. 
  • Mount Marty was 0-3 this week.  They lost 94-75 at Briar Cliff.  The Lancers could not keep up with the hot shooting of the Chargers.  Jailen Billings was 9-19 with 23 points.  Jonah Larson was 4-6 with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  The Lancers also fell 69-56 against RV Northwestern.  The Lancers competed in the first half and made it a close game late.  Northwestern secured the win with good defense in the second half.  Billings again led the Lancers with 14 points.  Mount Marty fell 94-83 against Dordt.  The Lancers were within 47-44 at halftime, before Dordt started the 2nd half on a big run.  The Lancers could not stay in the game.  Billings led Mount Marty going 6-12 from 3 and scoring 26 points.  Jailen Billings surpassed 1,000 career points this week.  Mount Marty falls to 4-8 in the GPAC, 7-10 overall.  They host Concordia on Wednesday. 
  • Midland was 1-2 this week.  They fell 78-63 against Dordt.  The Warriors were within 33-30 at halftime.  They kept it competitive throughout the second half.  A basket from Emanuel Bryson cut the Dordt led to 66-61 with 2:56 left.  Dordt would counter with a 12-0 run to ice the game. Laurence Merrit was 7-14 with 20 points and 5 steals.  Bryson was 7-20 with 17 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.  Midland fell 49-47 against Jamestown.  After Jamestown opened the game up 14-4, the Warriors fought back in the first half, cutting the lead to 23-22 at halftime.  Midland again fell behind 40-30 in the second half, and again they battled back.  The Warriors took a 45-43 lead with 3:24 left.  Jamestown went up 47-43 with 17 seconds left.  Jake Rueschhoff tied it with jumper with 4.1 left, before the Jimmies ended the game with a buzzer beater.  Josh Lambert was 7-14 with 14 points and 3 rebounds.  The Warriors upset #18 Dakota Wesleyan, winning 84-75.  Midland used an early 18-3 run, featuring a 5-5 effort from Merritt, to go up 32-22 with 8:31 left in the first half.  A late DWU run had them up 39-38 at halftime.  The second half was back and forth.  Midland went up 74-63 with 2:10 left on FTs by Jake Rueschhoff.  The Tigers cut the lead to 73-70 within the final minute. A three by Laurence Merritt with 42 seconds left put Midland up 76-70, securing the victory.  Merritt finished 11-18 (6-9 from 3) with 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Bo Sandquist was 9-10 from the line, scoring 18 points and 5 rebounds.  Midland goes to 2-10 in the GPAC, 4-11 overall.  They are at Briar Cliff on Saturday. 
  • Doane was 0-3 this week.  They fell 80-73 against #18 Dakota Wesleyan.  Doane competed well with the top team in the GPAC standings.  Doane led 70-66 with 4:42 left before DWU went on a 14-3 run to seal the victory.  Anthony Laravie was 8-14 with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Zach Witters was 6-10 with 16 points.  Doane also fell 96-73 against #8 Morningside.  After Doane took a 19-13 lead behind 7 points from Jaxon Harre, the Mustangs went on a 24-2 run to go up 37-21.  Doane could not get back in the game. Harre led the Tigers, going 7-11 (3-5 from 3) with 17 points and 6 rebounds.  The Tigers fell 83-70 against Briar Cliff.  The Chargers shooting in the first half was to much for Doane to compete with, falling behind 52-33 at halftime.  The highlight of the game for Doane was Anthony Laravie breaking the school record for career threes with his 258th three with 5:57 left in the first half.  Laravie was 6-15 (3-7 from 3) with 16 points.  Zach Witters was 7-14 with 16 points and 3 steals.  Doane falls to 2-11 in the GPAC, 5-13 overall.  They are at Hastings on Wednesday. 
  • Hastings was 1-3 since the last report.  They defeated Presentation 87-65, ending their 8-game losing streak.  A three by Ben Juhl put Hastings up 8 with 1:42 left in the half.  A late three by Shane Chamberlain had Hastings up 45-34 at halftime.  Hastings used a 16-2 run in the second half to ice the game.  Mason Hiemstra posted a career high 17 rebounds, also having 11 points and 9 assists.  Karson Gansebom was 10-17 with 24 points and 5 rebounds.  Hastings lost 98-80 at Jamestown.  Hastings competed well, but they could not cool down the hot shooting Jimmies.  They were down 75-65 midway through the second half, when they went on a 6-0 run.  They battled back with three baskets from Hiemstra.  Following the run, Jamestown iced the game with a 23-9 run.  Hiemstra scored a career high 28 points, going 10-18, also grabbing 5 rebounds.  Ben Juhl had 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.  Hastings fell 104-75 against Briar Cliff.  The first half was very tight.  The score was tied at 34 late in the half, before BCU went on a 12-7 run to go up 46-41 at halftime.  Mason Hiemstra’s three with 18:35 left had Hastings down 49-44.  The Chargers responded with a 14-0 run to effectively seal the game.  Juhl scored a season high 30 points on 13-22 shooting.  The Broncos fell 88-69 against #8 Morningside.  Morningside built a 10-point lead early and Hastings struggled to stay in the game.  A layup by Dashawn Walker cut the lead to 30-24 with 3:29 left in the first half, Hastings couldn’t get closer.  Hiemstra was 8-19 with 21 points.  Hastings is 0-11 in the GPAC, 4-12 overall.  They are hosting Doane on Wednesday. 

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

  1. Dakota Wesleyan (-) – Keeping a tight lead in the standings following their first conference loss.
  2. Morningside (-)– Moved Aidan Vanderloo into the starting lineup, interested to see how that turns out
  3. Concordia (+1) – Big win over Jamestown
  4. Jamestown (-1) – Rarely will you see Jamestown score 49 points and win the game!
  5. Dordt (-) – Playing very well, one of the hottest teams in the GPAC
  6. Northwestern (-) – Rough OT loss to Concordia
  7. Briar Cliff (-) – 5 wins in a row
  8. Mount Marty (-) –  Rough losses to three solid teams
  9. Midland (+1) – Great effort in upsetting DWU
  10. Doane (-1) – Played the top 2 teams in the conference
  11. Hastings (-) – Ended the 8 game losing streak, still looking for that first conference win

GPAC Stat Leaders

Points Per Game

  1. Mason Walters (JAM) 24.50ppg (14th nationally)
  2. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 19.44ppg
  3. Trey Brown (MOR) 17.47ppg
  4. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 17.06ppg
  5. Mason Hiemstra (HAS) 16.67ppg
  6. Garrett Franken (DOR) 16.53ppg
  7. Nick Harden (DWU) 16.46ppg
  8. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 16.44ppg
  9. Anthony Laravie (DOA) 15.83ppg
  10. Jesse Jansma (DOR) 15.82ppg

FG% (minimum 75% games played, and 5 FG made per game)

  1. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 71.3% (8th nationally)
  2. Mason Walters (JAM) 63.3%
  3. Trey Brown (MOR) 61.8%
  4. Craig Sterk (NWC) 60.4%
  5. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 58.6%
  6. Garrett Franken (DOR) 50.9%
  7. Koln Oppold (DWU) 49.7%
  8. Karson Gansebom (HAS) 47.7%
  9. Jesse Jansma (DOR) 47.2%
  10. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 47.0%

3PT FG% (Min 75% of games played and 1.5 3PT FG per game)

  1. Aidan Vanderloo (MOR) 56.1% (19th nationally)
  2. Keegan Van Egdom (NWC) 51.0%
  3. Koln Oppold (DWU) 45.3%
  4. Nick Hoyt (BCU) 44.2%
  5. Quinn Vesey (BCU) 42.4%
  6. Sawyer Schultz (DWU) 42.1%
  7. Conner Groves (BCU) 42.0%
  8. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 42.0%
  9. Will Cordes (JAM) 41.6%
  10. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 41.4%

Assists per game

  1. Marc Kjos (JAM) 4.92apg
  2. Nick Harden (DWU) 4.54apg
  3. Jay Small (NWC) 4.44apg
  4. Jake Rueschhoff (MID) 4.21apg
  5. Jesse Jansma (DOR) 4.06apg
  6. Koln Oppold (DWU) 4.00apg
  7. Zach Imig (MOR) 3.80apg
  8. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 3.65apg
  9. Quinten Vasa (BCU) 3.53apg
  10. Allante’ Pickens (JAM) 3.36apg

Rebounds per game

  1. Mason Walters (JAM) 13.50rpg (#4 nationally)
  2. Trey Brown (MOR) 10.67rpg
  3. Gage Smith (CUNE) 9.17rpg
  4. Koln Oppold (DWU) 8.80rpg
  5. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 7.81rpg
  6. Garrett Franken (DOR) 7.77rpg
  7. Mason Hiemstra (HAS) 7.13rpg
  8. Zach Imig (MOR) 6.93rpg
  9. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 6.82rpg
  10. Mason Larson (DWU) 6.67rpg

Steals per game

  1. Nick Harden (DWU) 2.08spg
  2. Zach Imig (MOR) 1.80spg
  3. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 1.77spg
  4. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 1.67spg
  5. Quinn Vesey (BCU) 1.53spg
  6. Anthony Laravie (DOA) 1.50spg
  7. Jake Rueschhoff (MID) 1.50spg
  8. Conner Groves (BCU) 1.47spg
  9. Marc Kjos (JAM) 1.39spg
  10. Koln Oppold (DWU) 1.33spg

Blocks per game

  1. Mason Larson (DWU) 1.67bpg
  2. Trey Brown (MOR) 1.20bpg
  3. Jacob Vis (DOR) 1.06bpg
  4. Mason Walters (JAM)  0.94bpg
  5. Brock Schrom (JAM) 0.88bpg
  6. Craig Sterk (NWC) 0.88bpg
  7. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 0.81bpg
  8. Camden Bialas (DOR) 0.77bpg
  9. Quinten Vasa (BCU) 0.77bpg
  10. Ace Zorr (DWU) 0.73bpg
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