MANKATO, Minn. --- The 14th-rated Minnesota State men's basketball team continues NSIC play this weekend as it hosts the St. Cloud State Huskies Friday (8 p.m.) and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Saturday (6 p.m.).

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (CT)
1/3	St. Cloud State	Mankato, Minn.	8 p.m.
1/4	Minnesota Duluth	Mankato, Minn.	6 p.m.

Against St. Cloud State: Friday's game between the Mavericks and Huskies represents the 170th meeting between MSU and SCSU. The Huskies lead the all-time series with an 89-80 record. MSU won their only encounter last season 81-75 at St. Cloud.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns an 8-6 record against the Huskies in Taylor Center.

Against Minnesota Duluth: Saturday's game between the Mavericks and the Bulldogs represents the 70th encounter between MSU and UMD. The Mavericks lead the all-time series against UMD with a 39-30 record, including a 73-65 win at Minnesota Duluth last season.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 16-4 record against the Bulldogs, including an 11-2 record at Taylor Center.

Concerning the Mavericks: Recently, the Mavericks claimed their fifth NSIC victory as they downed the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears 67-58 at Taylor Center. MSU improved to 11-2 on the season, with a 5-1 record in NSIC play.

A total of four Mavericks tallied at least 10 points in MSU's win over CU, including senior Gage Wooten, who notched a career-high with 23 points, while shooting 8-of-10 from the field, to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.

Junior Zach Monaghan added 11 points and seven assists, while senior Connor O'Brien posted 11 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Senior Tanner Adler dropped in 10 points while junior Assem Marei brought down a game-high 12 rebounds.
On the season, Monaghan is leading the MSU scoring attack with an average of 13.5 points per game, while passing out a team-high 6.6 assists per game. Marei and Wooten are averaging 13.4 points per game to go along with 7.2 and 6.2 rebounds per game, respectively.

As a team, the Mavericks are averaging 85.9 points per game, to go along with an average of 42.0 rebounds per game. MSU is also shooting 59.9% from the field and 71.5% from the charity stripe.

Concerning the Huskies: St. Cloud State enters the weekend with an 8-2 record, including a 4-2 record in league play. SCSU had a three-game winning streak snapped as it fell to Minnesota Duluth 79-78 in Duluth.

Matt Craggs leads the SCSU offense with an average of 11 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Kevin Levandoski is averaging 10.9 points per game and has passed out a team-high 37 assists.

As a team, the Huskies are averaging 81.2 points and 35.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.5% from the field.

St. Cloud State is coached by Kevin Schlagel, who is in his 17th season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He currently owns a 329-151 record.

Concerning the Bulldogs: The UMD Bulldogs enter the weekend, the owners of a 5-5 record, including a 3-3 mark in NSIC play. UMD has won three straight games, including a 79-78 win over St. Cloud State in its last game.

Jordan Reetz leads the UMD offense with an average of 17 points per game, while Reece Zoelle has averaged 15.6 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game.

As a team, UMD is averaging 72.3 points and 31.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 45.3% from the field.

The Bulldogs are coached by Matt Bowen, who is in his second season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He currently owns a 13-24 record.

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