What Lies Ahead:  The eighth-ranked Minnesota State men's basketball opens the 2010 calendar year with a pair of road games this weekend.  Saturday, the Mavericks travel to Minnesota, Crookston for a 6 p.m., contest against the Golden Eagles.  The second leg of the roadtrip concludes Sunday evening with a 6 p.m., tilt at Minnesota State Moorhead.

What's in a Win:  A win Friday would mark the 1,137th win in program history...It would also mark the 178th win for head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win against Minnesota, Crookston would mark the ninth win for the Mavericks against the Golden Eagles under head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win Friday would also mark the 18th victory for the Mavericks as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Golden Eagle Nuggets:  Minnesota, Crookston, enters Saturday's game with a 3-7 record, including an 0-4 record in the NSIC.  The Golden Eagles are averaging 68.8 points per game, while allowing 78.7.  UMC is shooting 45.4 percent from the floor and is averaging 31.5 rebounds per game.
   
UMC is led in scoring and rebounding by junior guard Akeem Cubie who is averaging 19.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Damarius Cruz is second on the team in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game.  Jeff Oseth is in his eighth year with the program and owns a 35-143 record.

MSU-UMC Noteables:  Minnesota State is 11-0 all-time against Minnesota, Crookston...MSU swept the season-series last year...The Mavericks are 8-0 against UMC under head coach Matt Margenthaler...Senior center Travis Nelson leads the team in scoring against UMC averaging 14.0 ppg in two games...He also averaged seven rebounds per game against the Golden Eagles...In four career games against UMC, senior guard Jesse Clark has averaged 3.75 assists per game against UMC, including 11 helpers in two games last year.

MSU Moorhead Minute:  Minnesota State Moorhead enters the week owning a 4-7 record, including a 1-3 record in league action - Including a 0-2 record at home in conference play.  The Dragons have been idle since Dec. 12, when they suffered a 7-71 loss at Dickinson State, the last win for MSUM came Dec. 18, with a 79-59 win over Jamestown. 
    MSUM is averaging 68.8 points per game and shooting 44.5 percent from the floor, including 40.1 percent from the three-point line.  For the season, the Dragons have owned a +2.8 margin on the boards.  Sophomore guard Jake Driscoll leads the team in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game and has a team-high 45 assists.  Sophomore guard Andrew Vanhavermaet is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg, while freshman Alex Novak leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game.
    The Dragons are coached by Stu Engen who is 300-220 in 19 seasons as a head coach.

MSU-MSUM Noteables:  Minnesota State is 55-27 all-time against MSU Moorhead...Maverick head coach Matt Margenthaler is 5-0 all-time against MSU Moorhead...The last time that MSU Moorhead defeated the Mavericks came on Feb. 20, 1982, when the Dragons downed MSU, 89-82 in Moorhead...Senior center Travis Nelson leads Minnesota State in scoring among active players against the Dragons, averaging 13.0 points per contest...He also leads MSU in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game.

On the Air:   Fans can follow Minnesota State men's basketball all season long on the Radio Mankato family of stations.  Tune into  AM 1230 KYSM the Fan Saturday at roughly 5:40 p.m. for the pregame show featuring MSU Athletic Hall of Distinction member Casey Lloyd.   Former MSU standout Kory Kettner will add commentary to home and select road broadcasts.  Fans can also listen to the games on the world wide web at www3.mnsu.edu/athletics

What Lies Ahead:  The Mavericks travel to Upper Iowa next Friday and Winona State next Saturday.

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