The Ferris State men’s basketball team will host two GLIAC opponents this weekend, Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin-Parkside.
After a 16-1 start to the season, the Bulldogs (21-6, 11-5 in GLIAC) have split their last 10 games, going 5-5 in that span.
They will look to turn things around with just four games left before the conference tournament starts on Wednesday, March 5. Ferris will play the Pride (6-18, 3-13 in GLIAC) on Thursday, Feb. 20.
In their first matchup, Ferris beat Purdue Northwest by a score of 93-83.
The Bulldogs will continue to play at home on Saturday, Feb. 22, and look for revenge against the Rangers (14-10, 11-5 in GLIAC). Wisconsin-Parkside handed Ferris their first GLIAC loss on the road earlier this season with a 78-66 win over the Bulldogs.
In their first matchup versus the Pride, Ferris had a lot of success between their two big men, senior forward Reece Hazelton and junior center Nathan Claerbaut. The two combined for 38 points and 13 rebounds.
Claerbaut says establishing an inside presence will be key versus the Pride.
“It is always our goal to work inside out,” Claerbaut said. “We want to get the ball into the paint early, establish our presence inside with our size to open up the floor for our team.”
They were also able to dominate the glass as a team, grabbing 41 rebounds compared to Purdue Northwest’s 28.
The Bulldogs will need to contain junior guard Collin Albert. In the first meeting, Albert scored 21 points efficiently and averaged 15.7 on the year.
The matchup versus Wisconsin-Parkside is a major one with large GLIAC tournament implications. Ferris and the Rangers hold the same record in the conference and a loss for the Bulldogs would move them down in the standings. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the tournament, but seeding is still uncertain.
In the earlier meeting between the two teams, Ferris struggled with the intensity of Wisconsin-Parkside’s defense and put up just 66 points.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over 15 times and shot 15 three-point shots even though their season average is 23.9.
The Rangers were able to suffocate the Ferris offense, and the Bulldogs will look to bounce back in this contest.
Taking care of the ball versus Wisconsin-Parkside is going to be a major point of emphasis for the Bulldogs, according to junior guard Tyler Hamilton.
“Turnovers are bound to happen but they killed us in that first game against them,” Hamilton said. “We know we want to play fast and play our game but we have to cut down on them to close out our season.”
The Rangers held a balanced attack against Ferris in the first game with five players scoring in double digits, but they are led by six foot-five junior guard Jack Rose. Rose averages 16.9 points per game and has had seven straight games with 10 plus points.
Containing Rose and navigating the tough Ranger defense will play a large role in determining the game’s outcome.
A major key to the Bulldogs’ potential success lies in senior guard Ethan Erickson. Erickson, the school’s all-time three-pointers made leader, is averaging 16.9 points per game this season and is coming off of a season-high 31 points versus Northern Michigan last week.
Erickson is looking to build off that outburst and carry it into the last few games of the season.
“A game like that definitely gives me a ton of confidence and good momentum as we close out the season,” Erickson said. “We also had such a good shooting game as a team, we are going to look to build off of that for sure.”
Ferris has two home games and two away games as they close out the season in preparation for a NCAA tournament run.