If the 2020-2021 Northland College Men's Basketball season was an exercise is adversity, hope abounds for a more 'normal' season during 2021-2022 as the LumberJacks released their competition schedule today.
 
"It wasn't even a day-by-day thing last season," said Northland Men's Basketball Head Coach Scott Sorenson. "It literally became an hour-by-hour situation. Quarantines, practices moved, games rescheduled, opponent Covid testing issues…you name it, we dealt with it. To the credit of our guys, they stayed flexible and resilient. Do I think we will go through this season unscathed with no issues? The odds are against it. But I can say that we are doing everything we can to play and be as safe as we can in doing so."
 
In preparation for the grind that is the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference calendar, the LumberJacks have once again put together an extremely challenging schedule that includes multiple higher-level NCAA competitions. Games against Division I opponents North Dakota State (December 2) and St. Thomas (December 14), as well as Division II programs Minnesota-Duluth (November 16) and Bemidji State (November 20), will give Northland a chance to match-up against some of the best competition possible.
 
"It's a philosophy I wholeheartedly believe in," Sorenson said. "Playing the best teams available is a fantastic way for our guys to see the level they have to reach in order for us to reach our goals. We try to make it happen every season. It's good for us competitively, recruiting-wise, and from an exposure standpoint. We hope to keep having these opportunities each year."
 
The biggest difference between this season's schedule and the past for the LumberJacks is the return to Friday and Saturday back-to-back competitions for UMAC games. In anticipation of the change, Sorenson purposefully scheduled multiple non-conference back-to-back games to get his squad ready for conference play. The season-opening weekend features Northland on the road for Saturday & Sunday showdowns against Carthage and Carroll (November 6 & 7). Other consecutive day competitions include a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Iowa for non-conference games versus Central and Simpson (November 27 & 28), as well as participating in the St. Norbert Holiday Tournament upon return from winter break (December 29 & 30).
 
"We believe we have some solid depth with this year's squad, and that depth will likely prove critical to our success," stated Sorenson. "Playing back-to-back most weekends during conference play will test every team's depth. Even more so, learning how to bounce back from playing a game the day before is something our guys need to do. It can be the difference between making the playoffs and not."
 
Other notable games include the Jacks' home opener on November 10 against UW-Stout and the UMAC conference openers on December 10 & December 11 against Martin Luther and Bethany Lutheran.

2021-22 Schedule
 
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.