What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State men's basketball team travels to Sioux Falls this weekend to participate in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Holiday HoopsFest.  The Mavericks face conference rival Northern State Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Sioux Falls Arena and face Winona State Sunday at 3 p.m., in the Elmen Center on the campus of Augustana College.  Neither game will count as a league game, but they will count toward the all-important regional rankings.

What's in a Win:  A win Saturday would mark the 1,130th win in program history...It would also mark the 170th win for head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win against Northern State would push Margenthaler's career-record against the Wolves to 3-3 and mark the program's 10th win in 15 tries against NSU...It would also mark the 19th neutral court victory for Minnesota State under Margenthaler.

What's Up With The Wolves:  Northern State enters the weekend with a 3-0 record having defeated Jamestown (93-74), Mount Marty (73-44) and Presentation (71-53).  Redshirt freshman forward Collin Pryor leads the Wolves in scoring as he averaged 13.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest.  Sophomore guard Momcilo Latinovic is averaging 9.7 points per contest.  The Wolves are coached by Don Meyer who is in his 10th season with the Wolves and owns a 913-310 overall record.

MSU-Northern State Notables:  MSU owns a 9-5 record against Northern State all-time and head coach Matt Margenthaler is 2-3 in his career against the Wolves...Last year, the two teams split their two games as Northern State defeated MSU, 79-69, in the regular season, while MSU downed the Wolves in Winona during the NSIC Tournament, 88-85 (ot)...Senior center Travis Nelson scored 15.5 points per game last year against the Wolves while shooting .611 from the floor...Junior guard Marcus Hill is averaging 10 points a game in his career against the Wolves while senior guard Jesse Clark is averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 assists per game against NSU.

Wondering About Winona:  The 15th-ranked Warriors enter the weekend owners of a 3-0 record with wins against UW-Stout (83-66), Clarke (106-60) and Cardinal Stritch (84-68).  WSU plays Minnesota, Crookston, Saturday at 2 p.m before facing off with the Mavericks Sunday.  Senior guard David Johnson leads the team averaging 20 points per game, while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.  Sophomore guard Jon Walburg is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14 points per game.  The Warriors are coached by Mike Leaf who is in his 12th season with the program and owns a 291-98 record.

MSU-Winona State Notables:  MSU is 76-37 all-time against Winona State...Head coach Matt Margenthaler is 3-8 in his career against the Warriors...The Warriors have won the last seven games in the series, including a 100-85 victory in Mankato, last winter...Senior center Travis Nelson scored 23 points last year in his only game against Winona State as he connected on 9-of-11 shots (.818)...Junior guard Marcus Hill is averaging 8.0 points per game in three career games against the Warriors to go with 3.3 assists per contest...Senior guard Jesse Clark is averaging 3.3 points in his four career games against the Warriors while senior forward Curt Greeley is averaging 4.7 points per game against WSU.

On the Air:   Fans can follow Minnesota State men's basketball all season long on the Radio Mankato family of stations.  Tune into  AM 1420 KTOE Saturday at roughly 2:40 p.m. for the pregame show featuring MSU Athletic Hall of Distinction member Casey Lloyd.   Sunday's  game against Winona State will air on AM 1420 KTOE beginning at 2:40 p.m. Former MSU standout Kory Kettner will add commentary to the broadcast.  Fans can also listen to the games on the world wide web at www3.mnsu.edu/athletics

Minnesota State History: The 2008-09 season marked the 87th campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men’s basketball. The Mavericks are 1,129-813 (.582) in 1941 games since the program’s inception in the 1920-21 season. 2008 capped MSU’s 33rd and final season as a member of the North Central Conference, and MSU owned a 283-267 (.515) record in 550 league games played. In the NSIC, MSU owns a 14-6  record (.700).  Minnesota State has captured 18 conference championships throughout its history, including four NCC titles (1975-76, 2005-06, a shared title in 2006-07 and 2007-08). The Mavericks have also made six previous appearances in the NCAA Tournament, going 7-7 (.500) in those trips.

Maverick MultiMedia:  Fans who can not make  it to the Taylor Center to watch the Mavericks do have a variety of ways they can follow the exciting Maverick action on the floor.  Fans can listen to the game on the internet at www3.mnsu.edu/athletics. Livestats can be located underneath the multimedia tab along with video streaming from Penn Atlantic.

Two Reminders For Everyone:  MSU's NSIC lidlifter against Southwest Minnesota State will begin at 4 p.m.  Also, some preseason schedules had MSU's tilt with Cardinal Stritch scheduled for 7 p.m., on Dec. 17, but the game will be played at 7 p.m., on Dec. 18. 

What Lies Ahead:  Minnesota State opens a five-game homestand – which will encompass the entire month of December – Dec. 1 against Bethany Lutheran beginning at 7 p.m.

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