They had just finished another battle with a major Division I opponent. Yet despite giving up a second-half lead and losing to California by 14 points last Saturday, North Dakota State's men's basketball players were ready for their next challenge.
"It was five minutes after that game and there wasn't a player in our locker room who wasn't saying 'let's get back to the conference,'" said NDSU head coach Saul Phillips.
The non-conference season against high-profile Division I opponents is over. The conference grind starts tonight at the Bison Sports Arena when NDSU hosts Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne.
The game marks the first Summit League game in Fargo - the first of 16 conference games that round out the rest of NDSU's schedule.
"I have never been a big fan of thinking the non-conference schedule prepares you for this or it prepares you for that," Phillips said. "The simple goal is to just get better."
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For NDSU (1-1 Summit League, 7-6 overall) and the nine other Summit League teams, gauging improvement is a tough task - especially for those playing against major Division I opponents.
Summit League teams posted a 46-52 non-conference record. Against high-profile Division I opponents, league teams had a 6-28 record.
What could be considered major upsets were IUPUI's 89-77 win over Massachusetts, Centenary's 70-66 win over Texas Tech, Oral Roberts' 74-59 win over Oklahoma State and Oakland's 68-62 win over Oregon.
While NDSU went 2-4 against high-profile teams, IPFW went 0-5 - with lopsided losses at Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State and Marquette.
"It's important to put your players in those types of situations against a caliber of athlete you won't see in the Summit League," said IPFW head coach Dane Fife. "It's probably an 85 percent chance that you're going to lose those games. But you get to play against bigger, stronger players and in front of bigger crowds."
And a bigger paycheck. Playing at high-majors can generate a guarantee of as much as $30,000 per game.
"Let's just say, we are making a rather lofty sum," Fife said.
"Because they probably played in the most guarantee games of any conference team, their record is very, very deceiving," Phillips said of IPFW's 5-8 overall record. "Fortunately, we know that."
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That's because during the last two seasons, NDSU and IPFW have each won two home games playing each other during their transitions to Division I. They, along with South Dakota State, joined the Summit League this year.
While NDSU isn't eligible for the Summit League tournament until next season, IPFW is eligible this season. With a 2-0 conference record, IPFW is off to a good start of becoming one of eight teams to qualify for the postseason tournament.
"The great thing is, down the stretch, you have something to play for," said Fife, whose team is coming off a disappointing 69-62 Monday loss at previously-winless Ball State.
The Bison, meanwhile, feel good about their performance at last weekend's California Golden Bear Classic. Prior to the title game against Cal, the Bison beat Bucknell 68-60.
"That was our best defensive effort of the year, by far," said Phillips, who said he saw improved outings from backup guards Josh Vaughan and Fred Coleman.
The Bison will need more from Vaughan and Coleman. Backup point guard Austin Pennick broke his finger during a Tuesday practice and could be sidelined for four weeks.
- The story: NDSU men host IPFW in their first ever Summit League home game at Bison Sports Arena.
- When: 7 p.m. tonight
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- Radio: WDAY (970-AM)
Readers can reach Forum reporter Kevin Schnepf at (701) 241-5549
Schnepf's NDSU media blog can be found at www.areavoices.com
A focus on the Summit Kevin Schnepf 20080103
