Mankato, Minn. --- The No. 17 Minnesota State men's basketball team continues NSIC play this weekend on the road as it takes on the Wayne State Wildcats Friday (8 p.m.) and the Augustana Vikings Saturday (6 p.m.).

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
12/13	Wayne State	Wayne, Neb.	8 p.m.
12/14	Augustana	Sioux Falls, S.D.	6 p.m.

Concerning the Mavericks: Last weekend the Mavericks went 1-1 as they defeated the Upper Iowa Peacocks 95-56, before losing to the Winona State Warriors 78-75. MSU now owns an 8-2 record, including a 2-1 mark in NSIC play.

Junior Assem Marei notched a pair of double-doubles last weekend, including a 14-point, 10-rebound showing against Upper Iowa and a 15-point, 11-rebound performance against Winona State. Junior Zach Monaghan posted his second career double-double with 10 points and 11 assists against the Warriors as well.

Marei currently leads the Mavericks with an average of 15 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Five additional MSU players are averaging at least 11.3 points per game, including senior Gage Wooten, who is averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Senior Connor O'Brien is averaging 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and is leading MSU in blocks with 17.

As a team, the Mavericks are averaging 87.8 points per game, to go along with an average of 43 rebounds per game. MSU is also shooting 50.7% from the field and 73.2% from the charity stripe. The Mavericks are currently fourth in the nation in total assists (180) and total rebounds (430).

Concerning the Wildcats: The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 3-4 record, including a 0-3 record in league play. WSC is currently on a two-game losing streak with losses against Sioux Falls (85-75) and Southwest Minnesota State (80-61).

Aldo Aluong leads the Wildcat offense with an average of 14 points per game. Ty Bauschek  has passed out a team-high 21 assists, while averaging 12.4 points per game. Jared Bartling is averaging a team-high 4.1 rebounds per game .

As a team, the Wildcats are averaging 71.6 points per game, while shooting 45.9% from the field.

The Wildcats are coached by Brian Dolan, who is in his first season at the helm of the WSC men's basketball team.

MSU owns an all-time record of 14-3 against WSC, including a 2-0 record last season.

Concerning the Vikings: The Augustana Vikings currently own a 5-4 record, including a 2-1 mark in NSIC play. Last weekend, the Vikings fell to Southwest Minnesota State 85-84, before defeating Sioux Falls 96-77.

Daniel Jansen is leading the Viking offense with an average of 18 points, to go along with six rebounds per game. Casey Schilling is averaging 17.4 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game.

As a team, the Vikings are shooting 46% from the field and 71.8% from the line.

Augustana is coached by Tom Billeter, who is in his 11th season at the helm of the men's basketball program. His career record at Augustana stands at 171-128.

MSU owns a 58-47 all-time record against the Vikings, including a 2-1 record last season.

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