BRACKETOLOGY

By Tad Dorsey

2020-21 GPAC Standings

  • #15 Morningside went 2-0 in the past week to reclaim first place in the GPAC.  They defeated their crosstown rivals Briar Cliff 89-73 to finish off a season sweep.  The Mustangs defense was the big factor in the first half, holding BCU to just 26 points and 18% 3-point shooting to lead 36-26 at half.  The offense for Morningside got going in the second half, as they scored 53 points to put the game away. Will Pottebaum was 9-12 with 20 points and 6 rebounds.  Trey Brown was 7-8 with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Aidan Vanderloo was 5-10 (3-5 from 3) with 13 points.  The Mustangs also picked up a big win at Concordia, 95-77.  The Morningside offense came to life for this game, with 6 Mustangs contributing double-digit scoring efforts.  They led 49-40 at halftime.  They put the game away with a strong second half.  Brown posted his 6th consecutive double-double, going 6-9 (5-5 at the line) with 17 points and 10 rebounds.  Trey Powers was 6-6 (3-3 from 3) off the bench with 18 points.  Morningside goes to 11-2 in the GPAC, 15-2 overall.  They are at Dordt on Wednesday before hosting Midland on Saturday. 
  • #11 Dakota Wesleyan split a pair GPAC contests this week.  They fell 86-73 at Northwestern.  They struggled early, giving up a 12-0 run to fall behind 18-7.  The Tigers battled back to get back in the game in the first half, with key baskets by Sawyer Schultz, Nick Harden, and Koln Oppold leading a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 45-43 at half.  Northwestern regained momentum in the second half, going up double digits for most of the half.  Koln Oppold was 8-16 with 20 points.  Teegan Evers was 3-4 with 12 points of the bench.  DWU defeated Mount Marty 69-58 to close the week.  Early on the game was tied 17 all.  The Tigers would score the next 15 points to go up 32-17.  They lead 39-25 at half.  An opening three by Sawyer Schultz in the second half, combined with baskets by Mason Larson and Koln Oppold allowed DWU to go up by 18.  The Lancers could not get back in the game from there.  Nick Harden was 9-15 with 20 points and 4 steals.  Larson was 6-9 (3-6 from 3) with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Oppold was 5-11 (4-4 from the line) with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.  DWU is now 10-2 in the GPAC, 14-3 overall.  They are at RV Jamestown on Wednesday for their only game of the week. 
  • Dordt won a pair of GPAC matches.  They had a very impressive 87-68 victory over RV Jamestown.  After falling behind 16-11 early, Dordt used baskets by Jacob Vis, Garrett Franken, and Ben Gesink to go on a 10-0 run.  They would lead 44-35 at halftime.  The second half was impressive by Dordt, as they lead by double digits for most of the half.  Cade Bleeker was 6-10 (3-6 from 3) with 18 points.  Jacob Vis was 7-10 with 17 points and 4 rebounds.  Bryce Coppock was 3-6 (3-3 from 3) with 16 points and 4 assists.  The Defenders defeated Hastings 94-79.  After a back and forth first half which saw great shooting by Hastings to go up 44-38, the Defenders bounced back in the 2nd half.  A three-point basket by Jesse Jansma put Dordt in the lead.  It was part of an 11-0 run that turned the game around. The Broncos would not be able to recover.  Jansma was 4-8 (4-7 from 3) with 13 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals.  Ben Gesink was 7-12 (all threes) with 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jacob Vis was 8-10 with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Dordt is 10-4 in the GPAC, 15-4 overall.  Dordt hosts #15 Morningside on Wednesday and is at Doane on Saturday. 
  • Concordia split a pair of GPAC contests this week.  They defeated Mount Marty 86-76 at Mount Marty.  The Bulldogs were in control for most of the game, but the Lancers had some runs to make it interesting.  Concordia led 40-32 at halftime.  The Lancers had the lead down to 3 early in the second half, but the Bulldogs went on a run to put the game away late.  Carter Kent was 10-17 (4-6 from 3) with 29 points and 6 rebounds.  Justin Wiersema was 6-13 with 20 points and 8 rebounds.  Gage Smith was 5-10 with 15 points and 7 rebounds.  The Bulldogs dropped their first home game of the season, falling 95-77 against #15 Morningside.  The normally strong Concordia defense had a rough night, allowing a season high 95 points and 10-16 shooting from 3.  The Mustangs were up big for most of the game.  A late run from Concordia sparked by threes from Carter Kent and AJ Watson trimmed the lead to 73-66 in the 2nd half.  They could not get any closer.  Gage Smith was 5-16 (8-8 from the line) with 19 points and 8 rebounds.  Justin Wiersema was 7-12 (3-5 from 3) with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Concordia goes to 10-5 in the GPAC, 13-7 overall.  The Bulldogs host Briar Cliff on Saturday. 
  • RV Jamestown lost their only game of the week, falling 87-68 at Dordt.  An early three by Jack Talley put Jamestown up 16-11.  The Defenders responded with a 10-0 run.  The Jimmies found themselves down 44-35 at half.  Dordt dominated most of the second half, starting the half on a 28-9 run to put the game away.  Mason Walters was 9-11 with 18 points and 9 rebounds.  Jamestown falls to 8-4 in the GPAC, 12-5 overall.  They host #11 Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday before hosting Mount Marty on Saturday. 
  • Northwestern won a pair of GPAC games.  They defeated #11 Dakota Wesleyan 86-73.  After a back and forth first half, seeing Northwestern up 45-43, the Raiders offense broke it open in the second half.  They started the period on a 13-4 run to go up 58-47 with 16 minutes left.  The GPAC leading DWU Tigers could not keep up with the hot shooting in the 2nd half from Northwestern, as they remarkably shot 70% for the period.  Alex Van Kalsbeek was 9-10 with 19 points and 4 rebounds.  Craig Sterk was 6-10 with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Trent Hilbrands was 6-12 (3-4 from 3) with 19 points and 3 rebounds.  They were also victorious at Doane, defeating the Tigers 79-77.  Northwestern started fast, going up 13-0, and 22-4.  Doane responded with a 16-4 run, trimming the Red Raider lead to 45-38 at halftime.  The Tigers took a 56-53 lead with 12 minutes left.  With the game tied at 64, the Raiders went on a 12-4 run fueled by 5 points apiece from Grant DeMeulenaere and Alex Van Kalsbeek to go up 76-68.  Doane scored the next 9 points to go up 77-76 with 14 seconds left.  After a missed shot, Alex Van Kalsbeek got a rebound and put back plus the foul for the three-point play.  Trent Hilbrands stole the Doane inbound pass to seal the victory.  Craig Sterk was 11-18 (3-4 from 3) with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Van Kalsbeek was 8-10 with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.  Trent Hilbrands was 8-16 (5-10 from 30 with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Northwestern went to 8-5 in the GPAC, 13-5 overall.  They host Briar Cliff on Wednesday and are at Hastings on Saturday. 
  • Briar Cliff split a pair of GPAC games.  They fell 89-73 at #15 Morningside, ending a 5-game win streak.  The Chargers led 15-9 early.  Morningside responded with an 8-0 run.  A 3-point play by Jaden Kleinhesselink put the Chargers back up 23-22 with 5 minutes before halftime.  The Mustangs ended the half on a 14-3 run to go up 36-26.  The Mustangs were able to put the game away in the second half, despite 22 points from Ethan Freidel in the last 10 minutes of the game.  Freidel was 10-19 (9-15 from 3) with a season high 31 points and 5 rebounds.  The Chargers defeated Midland 90-85.  The Chargers took a 15-13 lead with 11:27 left on a three from Quinn Vesey.  Midland went up 40-35 late in the half, before a 10-2 run sparked by 8 points from Freidel put the Chargers up 45-42.  A late basket by Midland cut the halftime lead to 45-44.  The Warriors went up 52-47 early in the second half.  A three by Quinn Vesey had the Chargers back up with 11:46 left.  The sides would trade the lead for the remainder of the game.  A free throw by Jaden Kleinhesselink put BCU up 74-73 with 4:43 left, they led the rest of the way.  Kleinhesselink scored 12 of the last 16 points for BCU.  Kleinhesselink was 6-11 (2-3 from 3) with 19 points.  Quinten Vasa was 5-8 with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.  Quinn Vesey was 5-10 (5-6 from 3) with 17 points and 4 rebounds.  Briar Cliff is 8-6 in the GPAC, 11-8 overall.  They are at Northwestern on Wednesday and at Concordia on Saturday.
  •  Mount Marty lost both of their GPAC games this week.  The Lancers fell 86-76 against Concordia.  The Lancers kept it close for most of the first half.  They trailed 40-32 at the half.  They remained competitive in the second half but could not get over the hump.  Jailen Billings was 8-14 (5-5 form the line) with 22 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.  Tyrell Harper was 8-15 with 17 points and 6 rebounds.  The Lancers also fell 69-58 against #11 Dakota Wesleyan.  A late 24-10 run by the Tigers to close the first half was enough to put away Mount Marty.  It was 39-25 at halftime.  The Lancers attempted to battle back in the 2nd half, but they could not get back in the game.  Jailen Billings scored 15 points.  Harper scored 13 points and 9 rebounds.  The Lancers fall to 4-10 in the GPAC, 7-12 overall. They host Hastings on Wednesday before playing at Jamestown on Saturday.   
  • Midland lost their only game of the week, falling 90-85 against Briar Cliff.  The first half was very tight, with both teams shooting well.  It was 45-44 Chargers at the break.  Midland battled in the second half, going up 52-45 following an 8-0 run to start the half.  The Chargers battled back and took the lead.  A three by Bo Sandquist put the Warriors up 69-66 with 8:09 left.  Briar Cliff regained the lead at 74-73 with 4:43 left.  A layup by Emanuel Bryson tied the game at 80 with 2:26 left.  The Chargers scored the next five and maintained the lead.  Bo Sandquist was 5-10 (5-9 from 3) with 19 points.  Laurence Merritt was 7-18 with 19 points.  Midland falls to 2-11 in the GPAC, 4-12 overall.  Midland is at #15 Morningside on Saturday. 
  • Doane lost both of their GPAC games this week.  They fell 89-65 at Hastings.  They struggled to stay in the game, as Hastings’ shooting was too much for Doane to compete with.  Anthony Laravie was 6-11 with 17 points and 5 rebounds.  Alec Oberhauser was 5-12 with 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Doane competed with Northwestern in a hard fought 79-77 loss.  Doane was down 18 early.  Doane responded with an 18-6 run to get within 28-22 with key baskets from Tyler Sullivan and Ben Moxness.  Doane trailed 45-38 at halftime.  A three-point basket by Joe Burt with 123:46 gave Doane the lead for the first time.  Another jumper by Jaxon Harre had Doane up 54-53.  The Tigers trailed 76-68 with 2:46 left.  Doane responded with a 9-0 run, taking the 77-76 lead with 14 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Burt.  The Tigers forced a miss on Northwestern’s final possession, but the Raiders got the rebound and scored a 3-point play to win the game.  Laravie was 6-17 with 17 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds.  Burt was 5-7 with 14 points and 4 rebounds.  The Tigers fall to 2-13 in the GPAC, 5-15 overall.  Doane hosts Dordt on Saturday.  
  • Hastings split their two games, earning their first conference victory of the season.  The Broncos defeated Doane 89-65.  It was a very impressive effort from the Bronco offense, as they shot 50% from the field.  It was close at halftime, with Hastings up 37-31.  In the second half Mason Hiemstra hit a three to go up 10.  From there Doane was unable to get back in the game.  Dashawn Walker was 10-15 (6-7 at the line) with 26 points and 8 rebounds.  Karson Gansebom was 10-12 (5-6 from 3) with 26 points and 4 rebounds.  They fell 94-79 against Dordt.  Dordt built a 31-23 lead early on.  Karson Gansebom hit a pair of free throws followed by three triples to put Hastings up 39-36 with 2:28 left in the half.  A buzzer beating three by Mason Hiemstra had Hastings up 44-38 at halftime.  Dordt’s offense caught fire in the 2nd half, as the opened a 20-9 run to go up 58-49.  Dordt was able to close out the game from there.  Gansebom had a career high 37 points, going 12-18 (7-10 from 3).  Braden Kizer also scored a career high 14 points on 5-8 shooting.  Hastings goes to 1-12 in the GPAC, 5-13 overall.  Hastings is at Mount Marty on Wednesday and hosts Northwestern on Saturday. 

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

  1. Morningside (+1)– Impressive week has them back in first
  2. Dakota Wesleyan (-1) – Back-to-back losses drop the Tigers.
  3. Dordt (+2) – Big opportunity as they host Morningside this week
  4. Concordia (-1) – Rough loss to Morningside knocks them down
  5. Northwestern (-) – Very good win over Dakota Wesleyan
  6. Jamestown (-2) – Offensive issues from the Jimmies, I expect them to bounce back
  7. Briar Cliff (-) – Can be a threat when they’re making threes.
  8. Mount Marty (-) –  Big week as they try to stay in control of the last GPAC tournament spot
  9. Midland (-) – Competitive in the loss against BCU
  10. Hastings (+1) – First conference win in dominant fashion over Doane
  11. Doane (-1) – Rough loss against Hastings


Games of the Week:

#11 Dakota Wesleyan (10-2 14-3) at RV Jamestown (8-4 12-5) Jan 20th 7pm CT

Both teams looking to bounce back from rough stretches

#15 Morningside (11-2 15-2) at Dordt (10-4 15-4) Jan 20th 8pm CT

Both teams are playing great basketball right now

Briar Cliff (8-6 11-8) at Concordia (10-5 13-7) Jan 23rd 4pm CT

Fighting for seeding in the GPAC tournament. 

GPAC Stat Leaders

Points Per Game

  1. Mason Walters (JAM) 24.12ppg (12th nationally)
  2. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 19.50ppg
  3. Trey Brown (MOR) 17.35ppg
  4. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 17.25ppg
  5. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 16.94ppg
  6. Garrett Franken (DOR) 16.16ppg
  7. Jailen Billings (MMU) 16.00ppg
  8. Anthony Laravie (DOA) 15.95ppg
  9. Nick Harden (DWU) 15.93ppg
  10. Karson Gansebom (HAS) 15.89ppg

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

  1. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 72.6% (6th nationally)
  2. Mason Walters (JAM) 64.1% (20th nationally)
  3. Trey Brown (MOR) 63.2%
  4. Craig Sterk (NWC) 60.5%
  5. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 57.8%
  6. Karson Gansebom (HAS) 51.5%
  7. Garrett Franken (DOR) 50.8%
  8. Koln Oppold (DWU) 49.7%
  9. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 47.4%
  10. Jaden Kleinhesselink (BCU) 46.9%

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

  1. Aidan Vanderloo (MOR) 57.4% (16th nationally)
  2. Quinn Vesey (BCU) 44.3%
  3. Koln Oppold (DWU) 44.1%
  4. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 43.7%
  5. Will Cordes (JAM) 43.0%
  6. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 42.6%
  7. Conner Groves (BCU) 41.8%
  8. Bryce Coppock (DOR) 41.6%
  9. Marc Kjos (JAM) 41.1%
  10. Sawyer Schultz (DWU) 40.5%

Assists per game

  1. Marc Kjos (JAM) 4.71apg
  2. Nick Harden (DWU) 4.50apg
  3. Jay Small (NWC) 4.17apg
  4. Zach Imig (MOR) 4.12apg
  5. Jake Rueschhoff (MID) 4.07apg
  6. Jesse Jansma (DOR) 4.05apg
  7. Koln Oppold (DWU) 3.88apg
  8. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 3.72apg
  9. Quinten Vasa (BCU) 3.68apg
  10. Allante’ Pickens (JAM) 3.13apg

Rebounds per game

  1. Mason Walters (JAM) 13.24rpg (2nd nationally)
  2. Trey Brown (MOR) 10.59rpg (11th nationally)
  3. Gage Smith (CUNE) 9.00rpg
  4. Koln Oppold (DWU) 8.44rpg
  5. Garrett Franken (DOR) 7.63rpg
  6. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWU) 7.56rpg
  7. Zach Imig (MOR) 7.00rpg
  8. Craig Sterk (NWU) 6.78rpg
  9. Mason Hiemstra (HAS) 6.77rpg
  10. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 6.72rpg

Steals per game

  1. Nick Harden (DWU) 2.21spg
  2. Elijah Pappas (MMU) 1.83spg
  3. Zach Imig (MOR) 1.77spg
  4. Justin Wiersema (CUNE) 1.70spg
  5. Anthony Laravie (DOA) 1.50spg
  6. Quinn Vesey (BCU) 1.47spg
  7. Mason Hiemstra (HAS) 1.47spg
  8. Jake Rueschhoff (MID) 1.47spg
  9. Conner Groves (BCU) 1.42spg
  10. Marc Kjos (JAM) 1.29spg

Blocks per game

  1. Mason Larson (DWU) 1.63bpg
  2. Trey Brown (MOR) 1.12bpg
  3. Jacob Vis (DOR) 1.05bpg
  4. Camden Bialas (DOR) 0.90bpg
  5. Alex Van Kalsbeek (NWC) 0.89bpg
  6. Brock Schrom (JAM) 0.88bpg
  7. Mason Walters (JAM) 0.88bpg
  8. Quinten Vasa (BCU) 0.84bpg
  9. Craig Sterk (NWC) 0.83bpg
  10. Ace Zorr (DWU) 0.75bpg
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