North Dakota

Everything you need to know when Notre Dame men’s basketball hosts North Dakota

Published

1 year ago

November 18, 2024

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

Fire up that flat top. Throw some more cherry-flavored wood on the smoker. Make sure there’s plenty of propane available for the gas grill.

It’s time for Notre Dame men’s basketball to enjoy some home cooking.

The Irish are out of the gate at 3-0 after three games in 11 days. They have a chance to get to 5-0 with two winnable home games this week. That precedes four straight games away from home, starting next week in Las Vegas. That means win this week and win at home.

Notre Dame is a together group. Notre Dame is a confident group. Notre Dame believes that it can be even better than it’s shown three games in.

Time to continue to cook.

When does Tuesday’s game between Notre Dame and North Dakota begin? Is it on TV? Are tickets available?

☘ WHO: Notre Dame (3-0) vs North Dakota (2-1)

☘ WHERE: Purcell Pavilion (9,149).

☘ WHEN: Tuesday at 7 p.m.

☘ TV: None. The game can be seen on-line at ACC Network Extra (ESPN+).

☘ RADIO: WSBT (960 AM).

☘ TICKETS: Available.

☘ ONLINE: Follow every Notre Dame game with live updates from Tribune beat writer Tom Noie at X (formerly Twitter) at twitter.com/tnoieNDI.

Three pressing questions for Notre Dame

☘ Is scoring 80-plus points now the norm for these Irish?

☘ How about junior forward Tae Davis?

☘ Can power forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi bottle that eight-point, eight-rebound effort he offered at Georgetown?

Scouting the Hawks

In a game that featured seven ties and a staggering 23 lead changes, North Dakota scored 44 points in the second half Thursday at home to beat Utah Valley, 77-71. The Hawks have been idle since that win. … A school of 15,000, North Dakota is located in Grand Forks. … The Hawks returned two starters and 10 players off last year’s team that finished 18-14 overall, 10-6 and tied for second place in the Summit League. North Dakota was picked in a preseason coaches’ vote to finish sixth in the nine-team Summit League this season. It received one first-place vote. … North Dakota had a game at UTSA postponed on Saturday, Nov. 9 (rescheduled for Dec. 13) because of flight issues/weather in Texas. That means the teams (originally scheduled to play on Dec. 15) will play a unique hone-and-home series in Grand Forks and then San Antonio on Dec. 13 and 15. … The Hawks are in a stretch of seven of eight games away from home.

By the Numbers

0.68: North Dakota ranks 335^th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (0.68).

1: In its lone NCAA tournament game in program history in 2017, No. 15 North Dakota lost to No. 2 Arizona 100-82, in a West Regional first-round game.

4: North Dakota ranks fourth in the country for 3-point field goal percentage defense (.190 percent). Opponents are a combined 12-of-63 from 3 against the Hawks in the first three games.

2008: Year that North Dakota elevated all of its athletic programs to Division I.

2016-17: The Hawks’ 18 victories last season were their most since 2016-17 when they finished 22-10 as a member of the Big Sky conference.

Keep an eye on …

Treysen Eaglestaff, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound junior guard from Bismarck, North Dakota. Eaglestaff is averaging a team-high 20 points with 2.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.0 minutes per game. He scored a game-high 31 points in 34 minutes Thursday against Utah Valley. A first-team All-Summit League preseason pick, Eaglestaff can play point guard, shooting guard, wing guard and small forward. As a senior in high school in 2021-22, he was named Mr. Basketball in North Dakota.

Quoting the Hawks

“We have so much growth in front of us, and our goal is to be the best team we can be. We don’t want to just be satisfied by getting a win. Winning’s nice, but we have a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. If we stay with that truth, then we can get those things done.”

— North Dakota coach Paul Sather.

Series history

The teams have met once – on Feb. 2, 1941 – in the old Fieldhouse. Notre Dame won 46-38.

Scouting the Irish

Graduate student Matt Allocco scored 17 points with five rebounds and seven assists and Tae Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 84-63 win at Georgetown. Notre Dame led for the final 35:18 and by as many as 25. … Davis is averaging a career-high 16.3 points through three games while Allocco has 11 assists to one turnover in 90:21 minutes through three games. … Opponents are averaging only 68.45 ppg., against Notre Dame’s defense, which ranks eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring defense (66.6 ppg.) and third in field goal percentage defense (.352). … After ranking 86^th nationally last season in field goal percentage defense (.422), tied for 289^th in 3-point field goal percentage (.318) and 330^th in field goal percentage (.407), the Irish are at 30^th (.352), 58^th (.391) and 14^th (.534) nationally. … Notre Dame looks to start 4-0 for the first time since opening 5-0 in 2022-23.

By the Numbers

1: Notre Dame leads the ACC in rebounding margin through three games (+13.00).

20: Notre Dame finished with 20 assists against Georgetown, its most under Micah Shrewsberry.

14:24: Amount of time that Notre Dame has trailed through 120 minutes over three games. That doesn’t include the exhibition win at Fort Wayne when the Irish never trailed.

86.3: Average points for Notre Dame through three games. The Irish averaged 64.0 ppg., last season.

4,626: Average attendance after two home games for the Irish.

Keep an eye on …

Graduate student forward Burke Chebuhar, who went from DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) against Buffalo to nine points and three assists in 10 minutes against Georgetown. Despite averaging only 7.7 minutes per game, Chebuhar is averaging 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 80 percent from the field and from 3 this season.

Quoting the Irish

“As we’ve gotten better offensively, our defense hasn’t shifted at all. We want to play in the 80s. We want to hold you in the 60s. That’s the kind of effort it takes. There’s no drop-off when we sub defensively.”

— Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry

Looking ahead

Notre Dame remains at Purcell Pavilion for a game Friday (7:30 p.m. tip) against Elon before four straight away from home.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com

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North Dakota

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

On this day in 1943, two North Dakota army officers, Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz and First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson, were killed in separate medium bomber training crashes in Florida and Georgia.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

Army Plane Crashes Kill Two N. D. Men

Two North Dakota officers in the army air forces were killed Sunday in bomber crashes during training flights, Associated Press dispatches revealed Monday.

Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz of Harvey (Wells county) was killed with 10 others from the Avon Park, Fla., army bomber base when two medium bombers collided during a routine formation flight. Both planes crashed and there were no survivors.

First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson of Warwick (Benson county) was one of six killed when a medium bomber from MacDill field, Tampa, Fla., crashed near Savannah, Ga. Lieutenant Anderson was co-pilot of the plane.

None of the other victims of either accident was from the Dakotas or Minnesota.

Lieutenant Kuntz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Kuntz of Harvey, was graduated from the army air force navigation school at Hondo, Texas, as a second lieutenant last October, and received his wings as a navigator.

See more history at Newspapers.com

An ad featured in The Forum on March 2, 1943. Newspapers.com

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.

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North Dakota

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

Published

20 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Two North Dakotans are semifinalists for the Bismarck State College president’s job as North Dakota State University narrows its presidential candidate list.

Valley City State University also is searching for a new president, with an application period closing this month..

Kevin Black, chair of the State Board of Higher Education and co-chair of the North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee, said the committee reviewed over 60 applications. The committee is planning off-site interviews with candidates March 9-10 and campus visits with semifinal candidates March 23-27.

“We’re really excited about taking the next step and there’s some very quality people in there,” Black said.

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North Dakota

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

FARGO — One season ago, a Cinderella run for the West Fargo United girls hockey team came up just short in the state championship game.

United, the No. 7 seed, fell to Legacy/Bismarck in the 2025 final.

This time around, the team had momentum swaying in its favor, riding nine consecutive wins into Saturday’s title game against Grand Forks at Scheels Arena.

Led by goals from a pair of senior captains, United capped its redemption season with a 10th straight victory, fending off the KnightRiders 2-1 to claim the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament championship.

“It just means everything,” said United’s Payton Stocker, whose goal at the 12:31 mark of the second period gave her team a 1-0 lead. “We’ve worked so hard and throughout the season, it’s just been such a battle. Winning and coming out on top is just such a great feeling.”

West Fargo United captains react as they are presented the team’s 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena in Fargo.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Stocker was followed up in scoring by United captain Rachel Spanier. The defenseman fired a slap shot from the left point that beat Grand Forks goaltender Kylie Schmaltz to make it 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Reagan Wilson locked things down in net for United, finishing with 23 saves and picking up an all-tournament team nod.

“This is my first year of high school hockey,” the sophomore goaltender said. “I can’t believe coming in here and winning a state title with all of these girls. I just love them so much.”

While it was the senior duo of Stocker and Spanier finding the net for United on Saturday, contributions were seen across the board.

Sophomore Emma Hassler also put forth an all-tournament campaign with five goals and an assist for six points over the three-day stretch.

030226 WFGOUnited3.jpg — Grand Forks’ Dustee Balek’s shot is blocked by West Fargo United goalie Reagan Wilson in the North Dakota girls hockey state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Freshman Kaylee Augdahl finished the tournament with four points — including

a double-overtime winner

over Fargo North/South in Friday’s semifinals — and junior Liana Williamson added three assists.

“It wasn’t just us (seniors),” said Stocker, who joined Hassler and Wilson on the all-tourney team. “It was everyone collectively. Being seniors, it feels a lot better. It was a great feeling.”

United, the No. 5 seed this year, capped its season with a record of 17-9-0.

“These girls are awesome,” first-year United head coach Kennedy Blair said. “They’ve worked super, super hard since last April. Wake up early in the mornings, go into off-ice training, on-ice training and all that.

“This group of girls is really special. They’re a really close-knit group, and they trusted our coaching staff coming in as a first-year group.”

030226 WFGOUnited2.jpg — West Fargo United players pose for the camera as they wait for the 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Blair knows a thing or two about winning championships. She was a North Dakota state champion goaltender with the former Bismarck Blizzard co-op and also won an NCAA Division I national title with the Wisconsin women’s program in 2021.

Yet, she never imagined ending her first year as a high school varsity coach with a state championship.

“No, I didn’t,” said Blair, who also won North Dakota High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. “But I had belief in these girls that we could get to the state championship again.”

It’s the United co-op’s first-ever state title — which consists of West Fargo, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo Horace high schools.

Prior to Saturday, the last time a West Fargo girls program won the state title was in 2014 when it was still a standalone program competing as the Packers.

“It’s amazing considering United hockey has never won a championship game,” Wilson said.

Grand Forks, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, ended its campaign with a 21-5-0 record.

Ella Yahna’s fourth goal of the tournament — which came on a 2-on-1 rush with the assist from teammate Reese Meagher, put the KnightRiders within one shot with 8:17 remaining in the third.

Grand Forks, however, was unable to find the equalizer as its bid for a first state championship came up just short.

“I thought we came out in the first and we had a tough time,” Grand Forks head coach Kelly Kilgore said. “I felt we battled some nerves. I really liked our second period … We carried the play and tilted the ice a little bit back in our favor. The shots kind of started to really turn in our favor.”

Stocker said she wouldn’t have wanted to win a state title as a senior with any other group of teammates.

“(They mean) everything,” Stocker said. “We’re so tight and they’re all my friends. Leaving them is going to be hard. But they mean everything to me. We’re all so close and I love them a lot.”