Brekke makes a difference
A big reason for UND's success lately in men's basketball has been the play of 6-8 redshirt freshman Brandon Brekke.
He's been in the starting lineup for the last games. The Sioux are 5-1 in those games.
Brekke was named the Great West Conference player of the week after leading the Sioux to two conference wins last week. He averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during UND wins against Texas-Pan American and Houston Baptist. Brekke had a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds in the 91-82 victory over Texas-Pan American. That effort was his second straight double double. He added 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in the 83-73 victory over Houston Baptist two days later.
Brekke is the only Great West player averaging a double double in league play (13.3 ppg and 10.0 rpg) this season.
Now, UND's challenge will be to win on the road. If the Sioux can produce on the road, starting Saturday at South Dakota, the final month of the season will be interesting.
A reminder: We'll have another live chat on Sioux athletics Wednesday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sioux men's hockey is off this week, and Brad Scholssman is taking a few days off as well.
National signing day for football is Wednesday so that likely will be the main topic of the day. But we'll attempt to answer all questions. So far, the live chats have gone exceptionally well. We'll keep doing them every Wednesday.
Tough, tough, tough, tough loss
There isn't a silver lining in UND's 107-96 four-overtime loss against Utah Valley on Thursday night at the Betty.
Yes, UND is a transitioning Division I program that plays a lot of freshmen.
But the Sioux should have been able to close out the game against Utah Valley. The Sioux led by 11 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. To that point, UND's defense was tough as it's been all season. With 6 1/2 to go, Utah Valley had scored 39 points. In UV's four previous games against D-1 teams, the Wolverines had averaged around 85 points.
UV just kept grinding away. Kept playing.
The Sioux kept playing, but missed free throws - 22 in all. And the most stinging part was UND's inability to hold a 7-point lead in the final 37 seconds of the third overtime.
 As disappointing as the loss is, the Sioux program is taking steps forward. But a win against Utah Valley would have been one of the program's more notable wins since making the D-1 move.
But it was back to work Friday at the Betty. The players were in the weight room at 10:30 and two coaches hit the road for a recruiting trip to Canada.
Time to get excited?
There hasn't been much buzz surrounding UND men's basketball the past couple of seasons. The Division I transition has been hard for the men's basketball program -Â perhaps harder than for any other UND athletic program
But the 8-9 Sioux are playing better these days and their true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are showing signs that UND basketball may again be entertaining to watch.
A big test will come Thursday night against Utah Valley, a team that is big and balanced. The Wolverines beat Oregon State of the Pac 10 this season.
The Sioux have a chance to make some noise in the Great West. That's refreshing, especially after how quiet it's been around the Betty the last two seasons.
Also, thanks to those who participated in Wednesday's live chat at www.gfherald.com There were more questions than we could answer in the hour-long Cover-It-Live chat regarding Sioux athletics. We'll be back again next Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
New voice for Sioux football?
UND likely will be looking for a new play-by-play radio announcer for Sioux football.
Dan Hammer, who has called Sioux games the last seven seasons, said Tuesday he is returning to television. Hammer accepted the position of sports director of "Valley News Live," the joint KVLY-KXJB television newscasts.
Hammer has been the sports director of Radio Fargo-Moorhead the last four years. He has been the voice of Sioux football for the last seven, but his new television duties will make it difficult for him to continue to call Sioux games.
"At this stage, I think both UND and I recognize that with my new responsibilities and hours, it's going to be very difficult for me to remain as the voice of the Sioux," Hammer said. "I'd love to keep doing it, but that's 11 weekends I'd be tied up."
Hammer has a lot of TV experience. He spent 21 years at KVLY before leaving in 2002 for Radio Fargo-Moorhead.
Hammer starts his new TV duties Monday.
Sioux lose O-Line coach
UND will be looking for a new offensive line coach.
Rod Carey took a similar position at Northern Illinois on Wednesday.
"It's a good move for Rod," Sioux coach Chris Mussman said. "I'm happy for him."
Northern Illinois beat UND 23-17 in September in DeKalb. After the season, former NIU coach Jerry Kill left for Minnesota, taking a handful of assistants with him.
The search for a new O-line coach at UND will begin sometime after the recruiting season ends.
Back to blogging; Cover It Live; etc.
Break time is over. Some Tuesday notes:
- It's been a tough season for both UND basketball teams. But if the Sioux men and women play like they did Sunday and Monday, who knows?
-  The Sioux men, by far, played their best game of the season in their win against Longwood. Troy Huff could be a difference-maker before his career his over. The freshman had a breakout game, 15 points and 13 rebounds. If the Sioux play the same way against South Dakota on Saturday, it could be an entertaining January and February.
- The Sioux women are 3-11 but have cleared the toughest part of their schedule. If the Mothershed twins can score like they did in UND's convincing win against Western Kentucky on Monday, the Sioux could win another Great West title and finish with a winning record. That, however, is a big if.
- Sioux sophomore center Shyla Kuehl has been dismissed from the women's basketball team. No reasons were given by Sioux coach Gene Roebuck, other than to say she is no longer with the team and didn't quit. Kuehl had not played much this season.
- Check out the Decade of Dominance special section in Thursday's Herald. Hockey beat writer Brad Schlossman reviews Sioux hockey in The Ralph since the program moved there in 2001. There are some good behind-the-scences stories that never reached the Herald.
- Finally, we're going to begin a weekly Cover It Live chat with readers Wednesday at www.gfherald.com  starting at 3 p.m. This is a big week in UND athletics; the Gophers will be in town Friday and Saturday for hockey; and South Dakota will be at The Betty on Saturday for men's and women's basketball. Brad Schlossman, Tom Miller and myself will be in on the chat. And it's national signing day for football recruits also is approaching, so that's another good topic. Cover It Live, Wednesday, 3 p.m. at www.gfherald.com
