What Lies Ahead:  The ninth-ranked Minnesota State men's basketball closes its five-game homestand Friday evening when its hosts Cardinal Stritch at 7 p.m.  The game marks the first ever meeting between the two institutions.

What's in a Win:  A win Friday would mark the 1,136th win in program history...It would also mark the 177th win for head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win against Cardinal Stritch would mark the 123th win for MSU in the Taylor Center and the 11th straight win in the building...It would also be MSU's 25th win in the calendar year of 2009...A win would push MSU's record to 10-0, marking the fourth time in school history that MSU has started 10-0.

Wondering About the Wolves?: Cardinal Stritch is an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division II team out of Milwaukee, Wis., and enters the week owners of an 8-2 record.  The Wolves – who entered the NAIA Division II poll at #23 this week – play at St. Cloud State, Thursday, before coming to Mankato.  
   
Junior forward D'Amico Brandon leads the team in scoring at a 19.6 point per game average as he is shooting .580 from the floor, .488 from the three-point line and .793 from the free throw line.  Senior forward Trey Tripplet is third on the team at a 17.2 point per game average and leads the team in rebounding (7.3), while senior guard Kody Braddix is second on the team in scoring at 18 points per game.
   
The Wolves are averaging 85.5 points per game while allowing just 74.0.  As a team, CSU is shooting .478 from the floor and .417 from the three-point line and own a +4.2 rebound edge (36.1-31.9.)
   
Drew Diener is in his first season as the coach of the Wolves.

On the Air:   Fans can follow Minnesota State men's basketball all season long on the Radio Mankato family of stations.  Tune into  Oldies 100.5 FM Friday at roughly 6:40 p.m. for the pregame show featuring MSU Athletic Hall of Distinction member Casey Lloyd.   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 1,135-813 (.583) in 1947 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 17-6  record (.697).  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.

What Lies Ahead:  Following the game against Cardinal Stritch, Minnesota State will enjoy 12 days off without competition before returning to action against Minnesota, Crookston, on Jan. 2 at 6 p.m.  MSU continues the four-game roadtrip Jan. 3 at 6 p.m., against MSU Moorhead.   

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