MANKATO, Minn. --- The 18th-rated Minnesota State men's basketball team begins a four-game road trip this weekend as it takes on Bemidji State on Friday (8 p.m.) and Minnesota Crookston on Saturday (6 p.m.).

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
2/14	Bemidji State	Bemidji, Minn.	8 p.m.
2/15	Minnesota Crookston	Crookston, Minn.	6 p.m.

Against Bemidji State: Friday's encounter between the Mavericks and the Beavers represents the 100th meeting between them. MSU holds the series lead at 65-34, including a 73-68 win in their last meeting last season.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 7-3 record against Bemidji State, including a 2-1 record in Bemidji.

Against Minnesota Crookston: Saturday's game between MSU and UMC represents the 18th game between the Mavericks and the Golden Eagles. MSU leads the all-time series 17-0, including a 2-0 mark last season.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 13-0 record against the Golden Eagles, including a 6-0 record in Crookston.

Concerning the Mavericks: MSU ended its regular season home schedule on a high note as put together another pair of wins as it downed Southwest Minnesota State (77-68) and Sioux Falls (109-64). The Mavericks have now won 14-of-15 games at Taylor Center this season, and their 109 points against Sioux Falls represented the third time this season they have eclipsed the 100 point plateau.

Junior Zach Monaghan led the way for the Mavericks this past weekend, as he averaged a team-high 23 points and 9.5 assists, in MSU's two wins. Junior Assem Marei averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while sophomore TJ Okafor added 7.0 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest. Against Sioux Falls, a total of seven Mavericks recorded at least 10 points in the game, including senior Tanner Adler, junior Zach Romashko, Okafor and freshman Mike Busack, all of whom came off the bench.

As a team, MSU is averaging 86.8 points and 40.7 rebounds per game. The Mavericks are also shooting 50.6% from the field, including a 41.7% showing from long range.

Marei leads the Mavericks with an average of 16.3 points and eight rebounds per game. Monaghan is currently averaging 15.4 points and eight assists per game.
 
Concerning the Beavers: The Bemidji State Beavers enter the weekend the owners of a 17-5 record and currently sit atop the NSIC North Division with a 14-4 NSIC record. BSU won its last two games this past weekend as it downed Minot State (83-60) and the University of Mary (90-77) at home. The Beavers are currently 11-2 in home games this season.

Brock Lutes leads the Beaver offense with an average of 20.5 points per game, while Zach Noreen has averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Maxie Rosenbloom has averaged 12.1 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game as well.

As a team, BSU is averaging 83.2 points and 35.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 52.1% from the field.

The Beavers are coached by Mike Boschee, who is in his second season at the helm of the men's basketball team. He owns a 35-17 overall record.

Concerning the Golden Eagles: The Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles enter the weekend the owners of a 4-18 overall record, including a 1-17 mark in NSIC play. UMC has lost 16 straight games, including a pair of losses last weekend to the University of Mary (67-62) and Minot State (87-64).

Brandon Burns is averaging 10.6 points per game, while Tyler West is averaging 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

As a team, UMC is averaging 63.8 points and 30.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 42.4% from the field.

Minnesota Crookston in coached by Jeff Oseth, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He owns a 59-258 overall record.

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