NDSU was locked in from the get go in this one, bolted out a 13-0 lead and never looked back. The first 5 minutes of this game it looked like Concordia may never score, the Bison just smothered the Cobbers on the defensive end and I could be wrong but I don’t recall a shot even getting to the rim for Concordia prior to the first media timeout. Rocky Kreuser was once again the catalyst and highlight machine for this team as he not only scored 20 points, snagged 12 rebounds and shot 4-6 from the 3pt line, but he also had one of the most violent blocked shots I’ve ever seen in person in the first half and capped off his night with a steal and windmill dunk that brought the house down in the 2nd half. Grant Nelson also had his fair share of highlight reel dunks on his way to a 20 point, 9 rebound and 3 block performance. Nelson did have 4 of the teams 10 turnovers however, so he will definitely be looking to take better care of the ball as the competition level increases this season. Grad transfer Andrew Kallman had a real nice game with 8 points, a team leading 4 assists and a steal. He had the highest +/- on the team and is a great veteran player that has great court vision, makes the right plays, takes care of the ball and plays solid defense. He was again the first Bison player off the bench and will have an important role all season long. The backup PG battle continued from the exhibition and saw a pretty even split in minutes between Guy and McKinney. Guy was the first one to sub in and overall had a solid game. He had just 3 points, 2 rebounds and an assist as he did miss one open layup but he did not turn the ball over, made a couple nice passes and was better defensively than he was in the exhibition. McKinney had 9 points, 2 steals, a rebound and an assist and just one turnover. To me he currently is the better defender and his ability to attack the basket and finish is something I haven’t seen from Guy yet but I do believe Guy will be the better shooter of the two once he settles in. The minutes between those two may be back and forth all season unless somebody leaps ahead.
The Bison once again were not as effective as they would hope to be from behind the arc as they only shot 29.6%, that is a number they look to get into the mid 30s heading into their 3 game road trip. NDSU did continue the trend from last season to dominate on the glass with a 44 to 24 overall advantage while corralling 17 offensive rebounds. Their overall size and length are going to give opponents problems all season season long.
A couple of things to watch going forward for NDSU, Sam Griesel did not play the 2nd half as he was visibly uncomfortable on the bench and was noted on the broadcast he was taking some puffs from an inhaler, sounds like he just wasn’t feeling well so hopefully he’ll get back to 100% before hitting the road Thursday. Tyree Eady did not play in this game after also missing the exhibition, the quote from coach Richman I read said that Eady “made a mistake” a couple of weeks ago. Seems to be a disciplinary move from a decision he made off the court that has led to him not seeing the floor yet, we will see how long this benching lasts. This team is deep, could likely get a win without him Friday afternoon but he’s a valuable piece that they’d sure like to have on the court against UNLV and Arizona next week.
The Bison are back in action Friday afternoon at 4pm CST against Cal Poly who is also 1-0 after an opening night 86-53 win over NAIA Westcliff. The player to watch for the Mustangs is 6’8″ Junior Forward Alimamy Koroma who averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds last season and started the season with a team leading 17 points and 8 rebounds last night. NDSU should be slight favorites in this one even on the road. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.