We are just two weeks into the regular season and North Dakota has gotten off to a 3-1 start in the regular season and despite a rough outing down in Iowa City, you really couldn’t ask for much more from the Hawks. Here are some thoughts on how the season has gone so far.
Thoughts
- UND is an improved team from last year, but how improved are they?
There is enough of a sample size from this squad to clearly see that this is a better team from a year ago. Omot and Eaglestaff have improve their games and are still trying to adjust to being the main focus of the opponents defense. King has gotten better and better in each game and is showing an upgrade in the PG position. The bench has been solid with Brooks, Kuljuhovic, and Danielson. Mayar has shown some brief flashes but is still trying to get up to speed and T has stepped it up on the offensive side of the ball. Given that they just won a game with off nights from Omot and Eaglestaff, you really have to feel good about where UND is at.
Now that doesn’t mean that there are still some things that can limit how much they can improve if they don’t fix it. UND is struggling to hit 3s outside of Treysen right now and sometimes they settle for too many jumpers instead of attacking the rim at will. There is also been too many breakdowns on the defensive side of the basketball that do need to get cleaned up. There are still some pieces that are getting up to speed and this team is still learning to play together. With that said, not address some of these issues will lower the ceiling of what this team can do.
- While Eli King got the headlines, a case could be made for Amar Kuljuhovic being the biggest addition so far.
This isn’t a knock on King: he came in highly regarded as a P5 transfer from Iowa State and played AAU basketball with Omot and Eaglestaff, so there is some familarity there, and his last two games, where he averaged 13 ppg, 8 rebounds, and 3.5 apg, showed what he can bring to the table. This is just saying how big an impact Amar has had on this team.
You ask however, how can a guy off of the bench and only averaging 16 minutes a game be considered the biggest addition. It is what he is doing with those minutes. He has been grabbing rebounds at a high rate (leading the team with nearly 7 rebounds a game) and basically cleaning up everything around the rim (shooting 72% from the field and averaging 7 ppg) and just has been a solid backup center. He doesn’t try to do too much right now, which can be a challenge for some players who are trying to adjust to D1 life. He has given UND something that they haven’t had in a LONG time at the 5 and he will only get better as the season progresses.
- Omot and Eaglestaff have taken steps forward but are adjusting to life as the focal points
Last year, BJ and Treysen showed multiple flashes of what they could become as basketball players at UND and this year they look to have taken a jump in their production and showed that they are ready to be considered amongst the best that the Summit has to offer. Omot is giving UND 18.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg, along with some solid defense to go with it. Treysen has been a little more boom or bust but he had a huge game against Elon (26 points) and is shooting it just under 40% from 3 and has improved his field goal percentage from last year.
They are also learning about being the focal points of the opposing defense, which can be a difficult adjustment. They also can fall into the trap of setting for jumpers early instead of attacking the rim or getting a better shot later in the possession.
- The Bench is Solid
Amar isn’t the only player making an impact from the bench and this is where I would say UND has also made big strides in. UND struggled to have a solid bench outside of Brooks and Eaglestaff last year, but this year has already proven to be different. Along with the adformentioned Amar, Elijah Brooks has stepped in and provide good minutes as the 3rd guard in the lineup and can find unique ways to attack the basket. Brady Danielson, to the surprise of no one, has adapted to a bench role and just does what he has always done, give it his all on both sides of the basketball. How could it get better? Well, the development of one Mambourou Mara could go along way to doing that. He is raw and needs to learn the game at the D1 level but… his potential and athleticism is clearly off the charts and he showed some of that against Valley City. Maybe the reemergence of Brian Mathews could give UND even more depth at the forward/center spot.
- There are opportunites to really make a splash in the non-conference.
If we look back at last year, UND went 6-7 in non-conference, with 4 D1 wins. They currently sit at 3-1 with 2 D1 wins, so they are already halfway to both marks from last year. Now, UND has 2 non-d1 left on their schedule, so they will get to 5 wins for sure. There is a very good chance that UND will enter the conference season with a better record than last year. Could they get to 10 wins in non-conference? Certainly not out of the question: However, some tricky road trips are upcoming that could upset the apple cart. They also have one more opportunity to knock off a P5 school in Nebraska, which the last night they were in Lincoln… they did.
UND is at the UCA tournament this weekend, where they will play New Orleans and Eastern Michigan. Two great opportunities to pick up wins and keep the momentum going.