The best combination of men's and women's college Basketball in the Red River Valley is home on the campus of Moorhead State. You may take that as a backhanded slam against the Green & Gold U but it isn't meant that way. The Dragons have just been that good on both halves of their program in recent years and may find a way to be even better this year.
For the second year in a row, the Dragons women's Basketball team will be without a highly accomplished player due to graduation. Jacky Volkert didn't continue on in any of the foreign professional leagues but she was a key cog on the team as they won far more often then they lost in recent years, culminating in a legitimate chance at the sweet 16 last season. Unlike a year ago they'll also be without their second-leading scorer, Kiley Borowicz, who stepped away due to ongoing health issues. Borowicz was also the top three-point shooter by a margin of more than 100 attempts over Volkert. It's not all gloomy for the women though, not be a long shot.
On the guy's side, it's a similar story. There will be a bit of a retooling without the leading scorers from last season, Addison Park & Travaun Coad. Each of the next three point-producers is back coming off double-digit scoring seasons with Johnny Beeninga being the only senior on the team this go around. Another key difference this season is the volume of young players that they will have. Beyond Beeninga, there are only two juniors on the roster, Kaedrick Williams & Joe Sevlie.
So maybe you're asking yourself why I think this will be a more successful season for Moorhead State then NDSU will have or then they had last year. I'm getting to that.
It starts with a couple former Bison players who jumped the river. The first, Jake Mertens, barely had a cup of coffee in North Fargo before deciding that it wasn't for him while Sarah Jacobson sat out last season and then left the program. Not to speak for them but considering that they were free agents and could have chosen any of the myriad D2's in the region, I would assume they're more happy on the Eastside. The value of being in the right spot is hard to quantify but as higher-end talents making the choice to play there, I think it bodes well for both teams.
Another reason to be optimistic about them is that each half has proven to be more than competent going back several years. None of their accomplishments may eclipse or equal what the Bison men should do this year, or even what the Dragon women did last year but I still think there is a great chance for the combination of the two to reach new heights this Winter.
In the end, it will come down to how they do in a handful of games, whether I'm proven to be very wrong or not.
For the guys, how they fare against all the teams considered ahead of them will be the difference between a decent season and a good one. That six-game sub-set is what to most watch for, with January 31 against Mankato possibly being the toughest test of all this season.
Back to the women, they have an unusual schedule that includes playing in three early-season events this year. They will start in Aberdeen for a couple games then play at home in their own tournament before going all the way to the islands for a Thanksgiving in Hawaii. It's unconventional but may be a great way for them to come together as a team & have some fun in the sun to cap it off. The guys will also take part in a Basketball classic as well, but they'll only have to go as far as Missouri for theirs.
The women have been the team to beat in recent years, what with their double-digit winning streaks the previous two seasons. So their toughest test will be living up to their own program's success. I went on the record that coach Nelson should have been a contender for the Bison women's team before that job even opened up but the fact that she stayed with what she has already built, may mean that she has a good feeling of what will be available to her this year & beyond.
I don't claim to know what the expectations are for the teams outside of Nemzek. The bar will always be lower because people don't pay as much attention to that level of sports, deserved or not, which makes it easier to exceed expectations. With what has been done in recent years though, that may not be the case with Moorhead's Basketball. All in all, I think it will be an interesting season to watch & monitor for both the men & women. The guys were one win short of the old 20 win standard last season & I think have a great chance to exceed that this year.
For the women, going north of 25 wins will most likely be required to make it into the NCAA bracket again. It's possible, I'm not going to say it's not but there are major questions that will need to be answered, both early & along the way. With the pre-season conference player of the year (Megan Hintz) and their selection as the favorites to win the league, the pressure is still on them to perform. Pressure not shared by the men who were picked as the fifth-best team with no additional, individual accolades. Pressure can be a positive, it depends on the response of each team to it as to whether it is or not.
Whether 2019/2020 can outdo 2018/2019 is anyone's guess. It would be a tall task and despite what I said initially, is unlikely. But I suggest not sleeping on them because it is also well within the realm of possibility, even with limited empirical data to back up my hunch. To me, the unknown of it all is part of what will make this a fun Winter at Nemzek!