MANKATO, Minn. --- The No. 14 Minnesota State men's basketball team continues NSIC action this weekend on the road as it takes on Winona State Friday (8 p.m.) and Upper Iowa Saturday (6 p.m.).

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
1/24	Winona State	Winona, Minn.	8 p.m.
1/25	Upper Iowa	Fayette, Iowa	6 p.m.

Against Winona State: Friday's game between the Mavericks and Warriors represents the 126th meeting between MSU and WSU. The Mavericks lead the all-time series with a 82-43 record. Earlier this season, the Warriors defeated the Mavericks 78-75 in Taylor Center.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 10-14 record against the Warriors, including a 4-7 record in Winona.

Against Upper Iowa: Saturday's game between the Mavericks and the Wildcats represents the 16th encounter between them. The Mavericks lead the all-time series against UIU with a 14-1 record, including a 95-56 win in Taylor Center earlier this season.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 14-1 record against the Peacocks, including a 6-0 record in Fayette.

Concerning the Mavericks: Last weekend, the Mavericks completed a perfect 2-0 homestand as they defeated the Augustana Vikings (84-77) and the Wayne State Wildcats (76-57). With the wins, MSU moved into a tie with Winona State atop the NSIC standings.

Junior Assem Marei led the Mavericks in scoring last weekend with an average of 15 points, to go along with 11 rebounds per game. Seniors Connor O'Brien and Gage Wooten each averaged 14 points per game, while junior Zach Monaghan averaged 11 assists per contest.

On the season, Minnesota State is averaging 86.3 points and 41.3 rebounds per game, and has limited its opponents to an average of 68 points per game. As a team, MSU is shooting 50.1% from the field and 41.3% from behind the three point line.
Marei currently leads the MSU offense with an average of 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He is also 31st in the nation with a 60.8 field goal percentage.

Monaghan is averaging 13.5 points and 7.9 assists per game. His 150 assists are currently the most in NCAA Division II.
 
Concerning the Warriors: Winona State is entering the weekend in a tie with MSU atop the NSIC standings. The Warriors currently own a 15-4 record, including a 10-2 conference record. This past weekend, WSU fell to Southwest Minnesota State (73-71) and to Sioux Falls (76-69).

Taylor Cameron is currently leading the WSU offense with an average of 13.3 points per game. Kellen Taylor is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game.

As a team, the Warriors as shooting 48.1% from the field, including a 38.9% mark from behind the arc. WSU is also averaging 38.3 rebounds per game.

Winona State is coached by Mike Leaf, who is in his 16th season and currently boasts a 357-135 overall record.

Concerning the Peacocks: Upper Iowa enters the weekend the owner of an 8-10 overall record, including a 6-6 mark in league play.  Last weekend the Peacocks went 1-1 as they fell to Sioux Falls 84-78, before defeating Southwest Minnesota State 96-75.

Joey Woods is currently leading the Peacock offense with an average of 15.9 points per game. Josh Weeber is averaging 13.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as well.

As a team, UIU is averaging 82.9 points and 35.2 rebounds per game. It is also shooting 44.2% from the field and 38% from behind the three point line.

The Peacocks are coached by Brooks McKowen who is in his first season as head coach of the UIU men's basketball team.

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