What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State men's basketball team opens the 2010 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health championships Wednesday night at 7 p.m., against Southwest Minnesota State.  The Mavericks enter the weekend ranked eighth in the nation.

What's in a Win:   A win Wednesday would mark the 1,153rd win in program history...It would also mark the 191st win for head coach Matt Margenthaler...A win Wednesday would mark the ninth victory over Southwest Minnesota State for head coach Matt Margenthaler...It would also mark the 31st victory in 41 tries in school history against the Vikings...A win Wednesday would move MSU's all-time record in the NSIC tournament to 3-1. 

The Mustang Minute: Southwest Minnesota State enters the 2010 NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament as the #8 seed.  The Mustangs played to a 15-11 record this season, including a 10-10 mark in the NSIC.
   
SMSU is averaging 69.8 points per game this year, while giving up 67.1.  As a team, the Mustangs are shooting 42.8 percent from the floor, 36.9 percent from the free throw line and 69.6 percent from the free throw line.  As a team, they own a +4.9 rebounding margin over their opponents.
   
Junior forward Scott Roehl leads the Mustangs in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game and a team-high 8.2 rebounds.  Redshirt freshman Jordan Miller is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game. The Mustangs are coached Brad Bigler who is in his first season with the program.

MSU-SMSU Noteables:  Under head coach Matt Margenthaler Minnesota State is 8-4 against the Mustangs...Minnesota State swept the regular-season series winning 82-64 in Mankato (12/5) and 81-64 in Marshall (2/20)...Southwest Minnesota State ended MSU's season in the semifinals of the NCAA Central Region tournament with a 77-69 victory...Among active players, junior guard Jefferson Mason leads MSU in scoring against the Mustangs, averaging 16.5 points per game in two games...Senior center Travis Nelson is averaging 13.8 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds against the Mustangs in five career games...Senior guard Jesse Clark has played in seven career games against SMSU and is averaging 4.0 assists per game against the squad.

To view the full release, click HERE

To view the full NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Bracket, click HERE