@MarianUHoops BASKETBALL NOTES
NACC
Standings
*As of Jan. 13
Marian
Lakeland
Aurora
Edgewood
MSOE
Concordia Wis.
Rockford
Benedictine
Concordia Chi.
Wis. Lutheran
Dominican
NACC OVR
8-1 9-4
7-2 11-3
7-3 10-5
6-3 8-6
5-3 10-3
5-4
7-6
4-6 8-7
3-6 5-9
2-7
5-8
2-7 4-9
1-8 1-12
Around the
NACC
GAME 14-16: CUW/LAKELAND/BENEDICTINE
ABOUT THE EAGLES
Benedictine University has hit a bit of a rough patch since starting 2-2 in league play,
having dropped four of its last five NACC games, including a 90-76 defeat on the road
to Concordia Wisconsin last Saturday. The Eagles rank first in the NACC in field goal
percentage (47.1), but have also allowed opponents to shoot at a high-46.9 percent clip,
which ranks ninth in the league.
Junior forward Tim McGinty lead four players in double figures with 15.8 points per game
to go along with a team-high 6.2 rebounds per contest. Michael Blaszczyk ranks second on
the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg, followed by Michael Woolf and Tahron Harvey, who turn in
11.9 and 11.7 ppg, respectively. Harvey adds a team-best 3.3 assists per game.
SERIES HISTORY
The Sabres and Eagles will meet for the 12th time all-time on Saturday. Bendictine holds
the 7-4 edge in the series, but Marian has won two-of-three dating back to the 2011-12
season. The Sabres already have a win over the Eagles this year in an 82-74 decision inside
Sadoff Gymnasium back on Jan. 4. Sam Koslowski scored a career-high 32 points after
tying a school-record with eight three-pointers on 10 attempts to lead the way.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Sabres have scored 80 or more points in three consecutive games, going 2-1 in that
span. After falling to Aurora, 106-101, back on Dec. 20, Marian rebounded with an 82-74 win
over Benedictine (Jan. 4) and an 83-70 victory over Rockford (Jan. 11).
It marks the first time the Sabres have scored 80 or more points in three straight
games since Dec. 4-16, 2007. In those three games, Marian defeated Lakeland, Concordia
Wisconsin and Wisconsin Lutheran - all at home - on the way to a 15-11 overall record,
including an 11-6 mark in conference play.
Tuesday, January 14
* MSOE at Wis. Lutheran
* Benedictine at Rockford
* Marian at Concordia Wis.
* Concordia Chi. at Dominican
* Edgewood at Lakeland
7
7
7
7
7
MAGIC NUMBERS
When the Sabres score 70 or more points in a game this season they are 8-2. Since the
beginning of the 2012-13 season, Marian is 19-4 in games it has scored 70 points or more.
Since last season, the Sabres are 18-2 when tied or leading at halftime, including 7-0 this
season. Marian has two victories when trailing at halftime (MSOE & Wis. Lutheran).
Thursday, January 16
* Concordia Wis. at MSOE
* Lakeland at Marian
* Aurora at Concordia Chi.
* Dominican at Benedictine
7
7
7
7
Saturday, January 18
* Rockford at Concordia Wis.
* MSOE at Concordia Chi.
* Lakeland at Aurora
Maranatha at Dominican
* Marian at Benedictine
2
2
2
2
5
Monday, January 20
* Wis. Lutheran at Edgewood
Marian at Northland Int’l
TWO SABRES ECLIPSE 1,000-POINT PLATEAU
Senior forward Cody Veleke and senior guard Jeff Harris reached a milestone only
14 Sabres had before them. Veleke, who dons the #15 became the 15th member of the
1,000-point club when he led the Sabres with 24 points and 11 rebounds in an 84-82 overtime
victory at Wisconsin Lutheran on Dec. 5. It was his seventh career double-double.
Harris eclipsed the milestone just before halftime of a 76-61 victory over Concordia
Chicago at home Saturday, Dec. 14. Fellow senior Sam Koslowski is just 103 points away
from becoming the third Sabre this year to reach the mark. He needs to average just 8.6
points per game in the final 13 regular season games or would need just seven more games
if he maintained his 16.9 season average. If he does, Marian will have done what only three
known teams have accomplished since the 1996-97 season by having three or more players
reach the coveted milestone in the same season.
2
6 THE KEY TO VICTORY
* Denotes NACC contest
Marian is 7-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponents and holds a +3.3 margin
on the year. In those wins, the Sabres are +73 on the glass combined compared to -28 on
the short-end. Last season, the Sabres went 10-3 when out-rebounding their opponents
and finished the year with a -0.7 rebound margin.
Marian University Athletic Communications • Sadoff Gymnasium • 45 S. National Ave. • Fond du Lac, WI • 54935
@MarianUHoops BASKETBALL NOTES
LAST OF THE NACC UNBEATENS
The Sabres made it futher than any other team in the NACC
before losing its first conference game, going 6-0 before a narrow
106-101 defeat at Aurora back on Dec. 20. Now 7-1 to start NACC
play, this year’s squad owns the best league start in program
history since the league’s inception in 2006-07.
In only his second year at the helm, Head Coach Mark Boyle
led the 1989-90 team to a 10-0 start in the Lake Michigan Conference
on the way to a 13-1 regular season championship.
GRAND OPENING
Marian snapped a five-game losing streak in conference
openers and a three-game skid in conference home openers when
it defeated Dominican, 71-63, Saturday, Nov. 30. The previous
1-0 start in league play occurred back on Nov. 28, 2007 when the
Sabres went to River Forest and beat Concordia Chicago, 70-66.
The previous win in a conference home opener was back on
Dec. 5, 2009 when the Sabres beat Dominican, 81-68, behind 31
points from Logan Rankin (‘10).
FOR THE 41ST TIME
Marian University men’s basketball opened its 41st season in
program history when it defeated Martin Luther College by a score
of 79-70 back on Nov. 16. Men’s basketball played its first season at
Marian back in 1972-73.
WHAT IT REALLY “BOYLES” DOWN TO
Head Coach Mark Boyle, who is in his 26th season at the helm
of the Marian University men’s basketball program, has compiled
333 career victories and captured four conference championships
on the Sabre sidelines.
The Madison native took over the program in 1988-89 and led the
team to a Lake Michigan Conference tournament championship.
He arrived in Fond du Lac by way of UW-Green Bay, where he
served as assistant under legendary coach Dick Bennett for three
seasons. Boyle graduated from UW-Eau Claire.
Boyle is currently the longest-tenured college coach in the
state of Wisconsin.
COMING BACK FOR MORE
The Sabres feature 12 returners from their 2012-13 squad that
finished 15-11 overall, 10-6 in the NACC, which was good enough
for the fifth-best league mark. Five seniors highlight the slew of
retur ners, including captains Sam Koslowski and 2012-13 First
Team selection Cody Veleke.
The entire projected starting lineup remains intact with a mix
of youth and veteran leadership. Sophomores Alex Stecker
and Drew Binversie made immediate impacts as freshmen last
season, while junior Mike Keller is coming off his second straight
season as the defensive backbone for the Sabres.
Three seniors in James Bartelt, Jeff Harris and Elan Solvik
will lead a talented bench that could emerge as one of the deepest
in the NACC.
GAME 14-16: CUW/LAKELAND/BENEDICTINE
A PROGRAM FIRST
For the first time in school history, Marian had the opportunity to
compete against an NCAA Division I institution in UW-Milwaukee
in an exhibition contest back on Oct. 31.
The game took place at the Panthers’ home arena, the U.S.
Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. The Sabres led for the
first 10 minutes of the game before the Panthers imposed their will
with un-matched size and athleticism en route to an 80-52 victory.
Other Notable Division I vs. non-Division I match-ups that took
place:
• UW-Platteville men took on UW-Madison, Oct. 30.
• NAIA’s Viterbo men traveled to UW-Green Bay, Nov. 3.
• Rockford men played Northern Illinois, Nov. 2.
• Concordia Chicago men competed at UConn, Nov. 4.
• Wis. Lutheran’s women faced UW-Milwaukee, Nov. 3.
• Division II Winona State took on UW-Madison, Nov. 3
• UW-Stevens Point women visited UW-Madison, Nov. 7.
SCHEDULE
The 2013-14 schedule will be as challenging as ever with four
of Marian’s five non-conference games taking place on the road.
Following a season opening home match-up with Martin Luther,
which Marian needed double-overtime to get past a season ago,
the final four non-league bouts will be played away from the
friendly confines of Sadoff Gymnasium.
The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference has altered its
format, getting away from two divisions to a single division format
that features 22 conference games, which is six more than last
season. All 12 teams will play each other twice followed by a sixteam league tournament slated to begin the final week in February.
PRESEASON POLL
The Marian University men’s basketball team was picked to
finish third in the 2013-14 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
Preseason Poll, voted on by the league’s coaches and sports
information directors.
The Sabres, who turned in the fifth-best regular season record
a season ago with a 15-11 overall mark and a 10-6 league record,
earned 184 poll points, including three of the 22 first-place votes
handed out by the voters.
Aurora was the selected as the preseason favorite, garnering
223 poll points, including 12 first-place votes. Lakeland was picked
second with 211 poll points and seven first-place votes.
2013-14 NACC Preseason Coaches’ and SIDs’ Poll
1. Aurora (12), 223
7. Dominican, 120
2. Lakeland (7), 211
8. Edgewood, 84
3. Marian (3), 184
9. Rockford, 81
4. MSOE, 161
10. Wisconsin Lutheran, 51
5. Benedictine, 147
11. Concordia Chicago, 45
6. Concordia Wisconsin, 145
Marian University Athletic Communications • Sadoff Gymnasium • 45 S. National Ave. • Fond du Lac, WI • 54935