DWU men back in Branson

BRANSON, Mo. -- DWU is in the midst of arguably one of its greatest three-year spans in school history and has found a new formula to continue the success this season.

 After graduating three seniors a season ago, the starting lineup needed to be revamped in order to keep pace in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, which sent three teams to Branson, Mo., last year. Since day one, the starting five has included one senior, two juniors and two freshmen for the majority of the season. The Tigers began the season ranked No. 25 in the Coaches' Top-25 Preseason Poll. After starting the season 7-2, DWU leapt to No. 10. The Tigers strung together their best run of the season, winning seven games in a row during December. A few weeks later, they won six games in a row and found themselves at No. 7 in the NAIA, their highest ranking of the season.

 A tough three-game stretch slowed the Tigers at the end of the season after losing to two top-20 opponents on the road and to Concordia University at home. However, DWU finished the season with an impressive win over then-No. 20 Northwestern College. In the GPAC quarterfinals, the Tigers squared off against Concordia, a team who beat DWU twice during the regular season.

 Freshman Ty Hoglund, of Dell Rapids, S.D., had a career night, as he went off for 37 points and helped push the Tigers into the semifinals. The Tigers met Northwestern College in the GPAC semifinals just 10 days after defeating them at the Corn Palace on senior night. This time DWU was not as fortunate, as they fell to the Red Raiders for the second time in Orange City, Iowa.

 The Tigers received an at-large No. 4 bid to the national tournament, where they face the No. 5 seed College of Idaho. This marks the second meeting between the teams; they also met during the 2014-15 national tournament quarterfinals. DWU holds the only victory in the all-time series with an 88-80 win. The lone senior, Tate Martin, of Mitchell, S.D., has helped the Tigers to a 20-win season for the third year in a row and earned All-GPAC First-Team honors for the second straight season. He was also named the GPAC Player-of-the-Year. Martin led the team in assists and finished the regular season second nationally with 282 total assists and 8.8 assists per game. He broke school records for most assists in a season, surpassing Lynn Frederick's 227, and assists in a career, passing Frederick's 618. Martin currently has 282 assists on the season and 828 assists in his career. He broke the 1,000-point mark earlier this season, following a victory over York College on Dec. 29, 2016. He ended the regular season with 1,241 points, sitting at 35th in DWU history. Martin led the team in double-doubles with 11.

 Jason Spicer, of Sioux Falls, S.D., found his groove during his junior campaign, while receiving his first All-GPAC First-Team selection. Spicer led the way for the Tigers, averaging 21.5 points per game and one block per game. He came in ninth in the NAIA in field goal percentage at 63 percent and 10th in total scoring with 689 points. Spicer became one of the most prolific passers at the forward position with 134 assists on the season, ranking 32nd nationally. He dished out 4.2 assists and ripped down 7.2 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories. The 6-foot-6 forward currently has 994 points in his career, looking to join the 1,000-point club during the national tournament. Spicer has scored 20 or more points in 19 games this season, including a career-high 30 points against the University of Jamestown and 29 points on six different occasions.

 Freshman phenom Ty Hoglund has emerged as the most impressive freshman in the GPAC after winning Freshman Player-of-the-Year. Hoglund has a history of accolades. After averaging 26.5 points per game his senior season, he was named South Dakota Gatorade Player-of-the-Year and South Dakota Mr. Basketball in 2015-16, and now is continuing his success at the collegiate level. He is second on the team with 18.5 points per game and leads the team with 1.3 steals per game. Hoglund is on pace to break 1,000 points by the end of his sophomore season, as he is currently just shy of 600 points.

 Finding his way into the All-Conference honors for the first time is Trae Vandeberg, of Madison, S.D., who was named All-GPAC Second Team. Vandeberg found playing time as a sophomore and started a few games, but he has emerged as a critical piece to the Tiger starting lineup this season. He leads the team in rebounds with 7.5 per game and averages 16 points per game. He also ranks 29th nationally in defensive rebounds per game with 6.2. Vandeberg finished with seven double-doubles on the season.

 The Tigers have turned heads all season with a high-octane offense, leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio with about two assists for every turnover. They come in second in total assists, assists per game and field goal percentage. DWU ranks sixth in total scoring offense per game, averaging just under 91 points per game. They rank seventh in free-throw percentage, total scoring offense and total 3-point field goals made, while shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range, good for 10th in the NAIA.