What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State men's basketball team, ranked #4 in the latest NABC Division II Coaches poll returns to the friendly confines of the Taylor Center this weekend for a pair of games against Concordia University and St. Cloud State.  Both games are slated to begin at 8 p.m.

Promotions: Friday and Saturday, Toppers will hand out free pizza to MSU students between the men's and women's game as long as the supplies lost.  All Boy and Girl Scouts wearing their uniforms will receive free admission to Saturday's game, which is sponsored by Sodexo.

What's in a Win:  A win Friday would mark the 1,142nd win in program history...It would also mark the 181st win for head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win over the Golden Bears Friday would mark the 10th win in program history against CU and the eighth time the Mavericks have done so under head coach Matt Margenthaler....A win Friday would be Minnesota State's 22nd win as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference...Finally, a win Friday would mark the 123rd win for the Mavericks in the Taylor Center and the 12th consecutive victory in the building which would tie for the second-longest winning streak in the buildings history.

Getting To Know the Golden Bears:  Concordia University enters the weekend with a 7-7 record, including a 4-3 record in the NSIC.  Last weekend, the Golden Bears earned a pair of wins over Bemidji State (110-76) and Minnesota Duluth (90-58).
   
The Golden Bears are averaging 80.4 points per game while giving up 73.1.  As a squad, CU is shooting .482 from the floor, .413 from beyond the arch and .701 from the free throw line.  For the season, Concordia owns a +5.6 rebound margin.
   
Senior forward Craig Heiman leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game.  Senior guard Mike Cunningham is second on the team at 11.7 ppg, while sophomore forward Brent Bartz is third in scoring at 11.4 points per game and leads CU with 7.6 rebounds per game.
   
The Golden Bears are coached by Kelly Boe who is in his fourth year with the program and owns a 57-43 career record with the program.

MSU-CU Noteables:  Minnesota State head coach Matt Margenthaler is 7-1 all-time against Concordia...The Mavericks have won the last three meetings between the two schools... Concordia has never won in Mankato... Seniors Curt Greeley and Jesse Clark will suit up for the fifth time in their career against CU, the most of any active player on the Mavericks...Clark is averaging 4.0 ppg and 4.75 assists against the Golden Bears while Greeley is averaging 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds against CU...Senior center Travis Nelson leads all active Mavericks against Concordia with 21 points and 9.5 rebounds...CU head coach Kelly Boe used to serve as an assistant coach under Matt Margenthaler.

Husky Happenings:  St. Cloud State enters the week with a 12-2 record, including an 8-1 mark in the NSIC, good for a tie for second in the league. 
   
The Huskies, who swept Minnesota Duluth (65-45) and Bemidji State (80-69) last weekend are averaging 81.2 points per game while shooting .481 from the floor, .353 from the arch and .706 from the free throw line.  The Huskies own a +4.6 rebound margin over its opponents on the season.
   
Senior center Matt Schneck leads the Huskies in scoring averaging 17.8 points per game and a team-high 10.8 rebounds per game.  Junior guard Taylor Witt is second on the team in scoring at17.6 points per contest while sophomore guard Brett Putz is third at 11.4.
   
The  Huskies are coached by Kevin Schlagel who is in his 13th season with the program and owns a 249-114 career record.   

MSU-SCSU Noteables:  Minnesota State is 77-84 all-time against St. Cloud State State...Head coach Matt Margenthaler owns an 8-10 record against the Huskies in his career...The two teams split the regular-season series last year, with each squad winning on its own home court...Minnesota State has won the last four games in Mankato...Seniors Curt Greeley and Jesse Clark will suit-up for the ninth time in their career against SCSU this weekend...Clark is averaging 6.9 points per game in his career – which features five starts against SCSU – to  go with 3.4 assists per game while Greeley is averaging 2.5 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per contest...Senior center Travis Nelson is averaging 19.7 points per game in three career games against the Huskies.

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 Friday at roughly 7:40 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.  Saturday's game will start at the same time and will be aired on FM 100.5 KXAC.  Fans can also listen to the games on the world wide web at www3.mnsu.edu/athletics

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