Saul Phillips was in attendance in the Minnesota state Class 2A basketball tournament when NDSU recruit and Sibley East center Marshall Bjorklund had 33 points and 23 rebounds against Braham. Phillips today called it "one of the finest high school basketball performances I’ve ever seen."

There is more. Bjorklund was named the Associated Press Minnesota Player of the Year on Wednesday. He averaged 25.4 points, 15.3 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while helping the Wolverines advance to the Class 2A state tournament. Over four years – he was promoted to varsity a few games into his freshman season – Bjorklund had 1,326 rebounds and 383 blocks.

He’ll be on campus in two months and the Bison can’t wait. At around 240 pounds, he’s physically ready for Division I ball.

With Bjorklund, NDSU was in the right recruiting place at the right time. He almost immediately dwindled his college choices to NDSU, Iowa State and Minnesota and NDSU’s agricultural academic program was a big draw for him. Moreover, he had shoulder surgery last summer therefore severely limiting his exposure with the ever-important AAU ciruit.

"He couldn’t run for five months," Phillips said.

Dennis Pilcher has been at Iowa Central Community College for 31 years, so you figure he knows a thing or two about JC prospects. He says NDSU commit Kurt Alexander has his best days in front of him.

The 6-foot-2 guard originally from Toronto, gave the Bison a verbal commitment on Tuesday, a decision that surprised Pilcher, who said the University of Illinois called on Monday. Alexander was getting a strong look from the University of Iowa staff until head coach Todd Lickliter was dismissed on Monday.

“Iowa was after him,” said Pilcher, in his 31st year at Iowa Central. “I think North Dakota State got a steal there.”

Alexander averaged 19.0 points in 31 games. He was 185 of 349 from the field for 53 percent including 25 of 64 (39 percent) from 3-point range. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds, second on the team, and a team-leading 1.4 steals and 2.7 assists.
D

Summit League commissioner Tom Douple was almost dancin’ at the NCAA opening round at the Metrodome when NDSU gave Kansas a scare. He probably had a little more hop after South Dakota State’s bombing of the TCU women in the NCAA women’s tournament in Lubbock, Texas.

It’s the same TCU program that bombed NDSU back in the infant stages of the Divison I transition. It was the only loss that year for the Bison, who played a significantly weaker schedule that season.

NDSU’s dalliance with the NCAA darlin’ status and SDSU’s win were big for The Summit League. If there were any complaints by other schools about letting NDSU and SDSU in the league because of the travel or whatever, they should be erased by now. Those two have done the Summit well this year and there could be much more to come with the Jackrabbits, who play Baylor Tuesday night on ESPN2.

Minneapolis

It’s an hour before game time and you can say about the fan base: there is more yellow and green in the Metrodome than blue. There was certainly a tournament feel at The Depot tailgate extravaganza this morning — it wasn’t Gopher packed but plenty of people nonetheless.

Welcome to NDSU vs. Kansas.

Not sure if Saul Phillips is getting his "way past big speech time" pre-game speech ready, but he didn’t look tight this morning. Players also look loose, but who knows what’s ticking inside.

KU starters: 5-11 G Sherron Collins, 6-3 G Brady Morningstar, 6-3 G Tyshawn Taylor, 6-8 F Marcus Morris, 6-11 C Cole Aldrich.

NDSU starters: 5-11 G Ben Woodside, 6-4 G Mike Nelson, 6-6 F Brett Winkelman, 6-7 F Michael Tveidt, 6-10 C Lucas Moormann.

Comments are on, feel free to watch TV, turn down the volume and put Scotty Miller on the play by play and follow along, as much as the NCAA will allow us to live blog anyway. Familiar voice on the PA, Dick Jonckowski, who is a big supporter of the Maris golf tournament every year. Word has it that he’s going to put a little emphasis on "Woooodside" upon a 3-pointer.

Good to see we have some overseas readers. Hate to do this, but I would put the Bison crowd at 2/3 of the folks in here, so if the Gopher ticket office estimated 15,500, that would make it about 10 thousand or so, including the governor, for the visiting team on the scoreboard.

Say this about the Kansas coaching staff: they have more expensive suits and guys with slicked-back hair. On to the game ..

17:29: Bison survived to the first time out, a crucial factor. Down 12-11, but shooting well. Two fouls on Tveidt hurts, however. Collins is good, tough and everything advertised so far. He already has 7 points.

10:53: Second foul on Moormann, looked rather touchy on a battle for a rebound. NDSU still hanging getting a 3 from Josh Vaughan. Bison balanced — the five players on the floor have 3 or 4 points. Collins, however, unstoppable with 13. I thought that was one of the keys for an NDSU upset — Bison needed Collins to have an off day.

6:47: Woodside 3 ties it at 25-25, KU up 27-25 at the media time out. Collins has 15 points, Woodside 10. KU bench not impressive, looked timid at times, and refs appear to be calling more holding calls out front, which is good for Woodside.

4:41: KU on a 7-0 run to take a 34-27 lead with Taylor going to the line for a three-point play. Good Jayhawk defense has sparked this spurt.

1:51: Great block by Flowers, leads to Winkelman 3 on other end and Bison get crowd back in the game at 38-34. KU calls time out.

Half: KU 43, NDSU 34. Collins hits field goal with 2 seconds with Nelson absolutely all over him. It’s Collins vs. Woodside so far — Collins has 17 and Woodside 16.

16:44: Great tip in by Tveidt, he’ll go the line after KU time out for three-point play attempt. KU had Bison on ropes at 47-36, but crowd, once again, back in the game for NDSU trailing 47-43.

15:21: Woodside misses makeable floater in lane, Aldrich comes back with his fifth dunk and it’s 49-44 and the under 16 media time out.

11:48: We have a ballgame. Woodside lightning quick drive and scores, going for three-point play after time out with Bison trailing 56-52. What’s that cliche .. the longer the underdog hangs around?

7:57: KU can’t stop Woodside, but Bison trail 62-57 with Woodside going to the line for two free throws after media time out. Woody with 27 points, Collins with 23.

Final: 84-74 (sorry, last couple entries got chopped for some reason)

Talked with former Bucknell University head coach Pat Flannery today about his team’s win over Kansas in the 2005 NCAA first round. Flannery just retired after last season and has a good grasp on the landscape of coaches, so you can take it on good account when he calls KU head coach Bill Self "one of the classiest guys in the business."

It’s the second testimonial I heard about Self this week. A friend in the J business from Peroria, Ill., who covered Self when he was at Illinois said "he’s friendly almost to a fault."

As for the game, Flannery said it’s crucial for No. 14 seeds like the Bison to hang with the No. 3 team in the first half. Avoid the early 10-point deficit. Bucknell was a 14 seed in ’05.

"You knock down a couple of shots and get to halftime and then you look at each other and say, ‘This is very doable.’ That’s the process of the game," Flannery said.

Flannery, whose Bucknell team lost to the Bison at the California Golden Bear Classic last year, said the Bison are capable because of their ability to shoot the 3 and their experience of playing teams like Wisconsin, Marquette, Texas Tech, USC and Cal.