Ferris State and Grand Valley State have one of the most intense rivals in NCAA Div. II athletics. In the 2023-24 basketball season, it extended beyond the GLIAC and into the NCAA Tournament when the Bulldogs advanced to the Elite Eight at the Lakers' expense. 

Ferris State's 49-46 win in a postseason rock fight sent the Bulldogs to St. Joseph, Missouri, site of the 2024 Women's Elite Eight. A win over Tampa landed the Bulldogs in the national semifinals. Grand Valley State, which claimed a second straight GLIAC championship in 2023-24, was left a game shy of the Elite Eight for a second straight season. 

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The Lakers' pursuit of a breakthrough as well as its push to become the first GLIAC women's basketball program to claim three straight titles since Ashland University is among the headlines of the upcoming campaign. And, like the former GLIAC member Ashland, GVSU has designs on winning a national championship. 

On the men's side, both Ferris State and Northern Michigan return potential Players of the Year around whom they will build. The Bulldogs and Wildcats represented the GLIAC in last season's NCAA Tournament, meeting in a 1st Round encounter that Ferris State took, 81-65. That kick-started the Bulldogs' push to the Elite Eight. 

Ferris State will tip off the 2024-25 season as the lone GLIAC men's basketball team ranked in the NABC preseason Top 25, though Lake Superior State fell just beyond the rankings among others receiving votes. The Lakers went on a run to the Sweet 16 and took Ferris State to the brink in a hard-fought regional final. Look for the two to renew this budding rivalry in the GLIAC slate. 

On the women's side in the WBCA Top 25, Grand Valley State is No. 3 while Ferris State checks in at No. 15. 

Get to know more about GLIAC basketball ahead of the campaign. 

GLIAC Men's Basketball

Ferris State heads into the season as the presumptive front-runner, returning top scorer Ethan Erickson from last season's 28-win team. The Bulldogs should be prepared for a fight atop the GLIAC, however, including from the 2024 NCAA Tournament team Northern Michigan. 

The Wildcats lost 2023-24 GLIAC Player of the Year Max Weisbrod, who transferred to Northern Iowa in the offseason. However, look for NMU swingman Dylan Kuehl to build on an impressive sophomore season. 

Kuehl averaged 15.8 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, and almost a blocked shot per outing. Kuehl was also a solid distributor as one of five Wildcats who averaged more than two assists a game in 2023-24. Along with fellow returning starter Brian Parzych, Northern Michigan will lean on its perimeter play to set the tone in 2024-25. 

Ferris State Builds Off Elite Eight Run 

Having 1st Team All-GLIAC selection Erickson back in the fold provides Ferris State with an important pillar as it pursues another national championship. The Bulldogs claimed the NCAA Div. II crown in 2018, interrupting Northwest Missouri State's run of four titles in five seasons. 

Getting to the top of the mountain in 2024-25 will require some new contributors to step up, as Ferris State coach Andy Bronkema is replacing essentially the entire starting five. Leading scorer Erickson came off the bench a season ago; how his role evolves with the new-look roster will provide one of the more fascinating storylines of the GLIAC season. 

Reece Hazelton, who started in 10 games and averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game a season ago, is one of the key veterans who should take on a more prominent role this season. Jimmy Scholler, the team leader in steals per game and tops in rebounding among returning Bulldogs, is another returning player to watch. 

Showtime for the Lakers

A pair of 1st Team All-GLIAC selections return to power Lake Superior State, a potential Elite Eight team in 2025. The inside-outside duo of guard Tyson Edmondson and forward Kingsley Perkins led Lake Superior State in scoring with 13.4 and 13.2 points per game. The two were also the Lakers' defensive statistical leaders, pacing the team in steals and blocked shots, respectively. 

Both are versatile playmakers able to rebound and distribute the ball effectively, too. Along with the table-setting ability of returning point guard Devin Womack, Lake Superior State may have one of the best three-man corps in the nation. 

Don't be surprised to see Lake Superior State make a push for both the GLIAC title and the Elite Eight. 

Watch Out for Wayne State? 

Exhibition games may not be entirely indicative of what to expect in the regular season, but Wayne State's exhibition win over Div. I opponent Detroit Mercy should not be dismissed. The Warriors finished on the wrong side of .500 a season ago but were routinely competitive in defeat. To wit, Wayne State lost 79-75 and 64-62 decisions in consecutive games during the conference season. 

Combo guard Carmelo Harris averaged 12.9 points per game in 2023-24 and knocked down 57 3-pointers, both team-highs. He was second on the team in assists behind backcourt mate Tamario Adley, who also returns in 2024-25. With Ray Williams Jr. also back in the frontcourt, Wayne State features one of the most seasoned starting rotations in the GLIAC. 

If you're looking for a dark-horse contender to emerge in the conference race, keep an eye on Wayne State. 

GLIAC Women's Basketball 

Grand Valley State is favored to pull off a three-peat in the GLIAC and with good reason. The Lakers return a corps of proven playmakers on both sides of the ball, including 2024 WBCA All-American Rylie Bisballe. 

GVSU embarks on 2024-25 able not long to become the GLIAC's first three-peat champion since Ashland, but with the pieces necessary to bring a national championship to the league. Ashland was the last team to win the crown under the GLIAC banner, doing so in 2017. 

National Championship Potential at GVSU 

Setting the foundation for GVSU is the All-American Bisballe, a dynamic and versatile difference-maker who led the Lakers in scoring (13.6 points per game), field-goal percentage (50.9), rebounding (7.2), blocked shots (1.1) and was among the team leaders in steals and assists. 

Bisballe setting the tone on both sides of the ball made GVSU No. 34 nationally in scoring offense (73.3 points per game) and more importantly, the second-stingiest defensive team in the nation at 49.2 points per game yielded. 

Guard Nicole Kamin, who led GVSU in steals, helps power a tenacious defense that finished 2023-24 plus-5.06 in per-game turnover margin. 

The Lakers are eyeing a three-peat 🔥🏀

GVSU won the GLIAC championship in 2023 & 2024 and capped off their 24’ season with 31 wins & a trip to the Regional Finals. What can they accomplish in ‘25? Can they add a new photo to the wall? 👀#GLIAChoops | @GLIACsports | @gvsuwbb pic.twitter.com/03cs01syMg

— FloHoops (@FloHoops) October 9, 2024

Ferris State Ready to Play Spoiler Again 

While Grand Valley State won the GLIAC a season ago, and is picked to finish atop the conference again in 2025, Ferris State ultimately upended the Lakers en route to the Elite Eight. The Bulldogs return from a run to the national semifinals in 2024 to once again contend for the GLIAC and NCAA championships. 

Guard Kenzie Bowers steps in as a veteran leader in the backcourt to complement Kadyn Blanchard. Bowers played some of her best games in 2023-24 against Ferris State's toughest competition, including a 12-point effort in the Bulldogs' win over Ashland. Blanchard, meanwhile, averaged 12.9 points per game and knocked down 1.6 3-pointers per game. 

Versatile wing DeShonna Day and post player Mya Hiram are two potential breakout players. 

More GLIAC Names to Know 

Grace Bradford, Lake Superior State 

Double-double averaging forward Grace Bradford offers up one of the most well-rounded games of anyone in the GLIAC. She can mix it up in the paint, evident in her 10.9 rebounds per game a season ago, but also steps outside with 47 made 3-pointers in her first two seasons as a Laker.

Sheridan Flauger, Parkside

Veteran guard Sheridan Flauger has improved her production each year she's been at Parkside. Last year, she earned All-GLIAC honors for her solid combo-guard play that produced averages of 11.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. 

Isabella Lenz, Michigan Tech 

Averaging 13.8 and 12.8 points per game in the last two seasons, Isabella Lenz has established herself among the most reliable scorers in the GLIAC. She's also one of the best passers, averaging north of 3.5 assists in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Lenz has hit 107 3-pointers in her three-season career, and if she gets her average beyond the back to her sophomore-year output of 41.2 percent, look out. 

Jacy Weisbrod, Northern Michigan 

GLIAC basketball may lose on talented Weisbrod, but another returns to Northern Michigan with Jacy Weisbrod back for the Wildcats. Upon transferring in from Northern Colorado, Weisbrod made an immediate impact with averages of 12.7 points and four rebounds per game. She's also one of the top 3-point shooters in all of college basketball, having knocked down 42.4 percent on her 217 attempts in 2023-24, good for 92 made triples to lead the conference.  

Jacy Weisbrod went off in 2024 🔥🏀

Weisbrod knocked down 92 three pointers last year- the most in the GLIAC & 6th best in D2. She also managed to hit at least one 3 in every game! The Wildcats start the ‘24-‘25 season this Friday 🏆#GLIACHoops | @GLIACsports | @NMU_WBBall pic.twitter.com/7lZ6pexDkN

— FloHoops (@FloHoops) November 5, 2024

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