ROUNDBALL DAILY

NCAA Tournament Profile: North Dakota Fighting Hawks

North Dakota forward Josh Collins (2) celebrates their win over Weber State in the finals of the Big Sky tournament in Reno. Nev., Saturday, March 11, 2017 (AP Photo/Lance Iversen)
.

After watching North Dakota State and South Dakota State earn NCAA glory over the past few years, the Fighting Hawks (formerly known as the Fighting Sioux) have found their way into the Dance.

North Dakota went 14-4 in the Big Sky during the regular season, and won three straight in the tournament, including a thrilling, come-from-behind, overtime triumph over Weber State in the title game.

The Hawks (it’s still weird to type) are led by 6-0 senior guard Quentin Hooker, who averages 19.1 points and 3.6 assists per game, and 6-3 sophomore guard Geno Crandall, who’s put up 15.6 ppg and 4.3 apg.

They put up a lot of points, averaging 80.5 per as a team, which ranks 29th nationally. North Dakota’s non-conference performance would suggest that this team doesn’t have much of a shot to pull an upset, but hey, it’s March. Who knows.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *