GRAND FORKS - It's one thing for the University of North Dakota to play a Big 12 team like Nebraska. But the Sioux are finding out it's another thing just to get there.
Today's UND game at Nebraska has been postponed until Monday night because of the blizzard. The Sioux were unable to leave Grand Forks on Saturday and aren't scheduled to arrive in Lincoln until tonight, weather and roads permitting.
Nebraska will be UND's second big-time opponent this season. The Sioux played Wisconsin in November, falling 85-53 to the Big Ten Badgers.
As UND moves forward in its Division I transition, the Sioux will continue to play guarantee games against teams from the BCS conferences to help the UND athletic department financially and to gain exposure for its basketball program.
"For us to help the entire athletic department, you have to play two or three games like this a year," Sioux coach Brian Jones said. "Men's basketball has the opportunity to raise money.
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"Ideally, two (guarantee) games would be the most I'd like to play. That's what a lot of other programs do.
"But with the recession and the economy, (BCS) teams aren't paying what they used to pay. So instead of getting it done in one or two games, now you may have to play three or four. It's the nature of men's athletics at the D-I level. You have to go out there and raise that money."
UND has yet to schedule guarantee games for the 2011-12 season but those contests are expected to fall into place, Jones said, as much of it depends on available dates.
Ideally, UND would like to play regional Big Ten and Big 12 programs, since the cost of travel would not be prohibitive.
The style of the two leagues is different, as UND expects to find out Monday night in Lincoln.
"The Big 12 is so much different than the Big Ten," Jones said. "The Big Ten is more of a physical, half-court game. The Big 12 is more of a long body, athletic type of game."
"They're bigger than they've been in the past," Jones said of the 10-2 Cornhuskers, who have five players standing 6-foot-10 or taller. "And their coach (Doc Sadler) is starting to get his players there. We may not have the physical bodies they have but we have speed that hopefully can compete with those things."
UND played two games against Big 12 opponents last season (Texas A&M and Iowa State). The previous two seasons, the Sioux played one game each year against BCS programs.
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"This is a great opportunity for our guys," Jones said. "Our guys aren't in awe of those games like they may have been in my first two years. All of these teams we're playing are talented, but the awe factor has worn off."
The Sioux have one main goal playing teams from the bright lights.
"We never want to be outworked," Sioux junior forward Patrick Mitchell said. "We just want to give ourselves a chance to be in the game at the end."
Wayne Nelson writes for the Grand Forks Herald, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
