MANKATO, Minn. --- No. 17 Minnesota State begins play in the NSIC Tournament Wednesday as it hosts the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. The opening tip is set for 8 p.m.

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
2/26	Minnesota Crookston	Mankato, Minn.	8 p.m.

Against Minnesota Crookston: Wednesday's game between the Mavericks and the Golden Eagles will be their 19th encounter. MSU owns an 18-0 record against UMC, including an 82-55 win in Crookston earlier this season.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 14-0 record against the Golden Eagles, including a 7-0 record in Taylor Center.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State finished its regular season with a 25-4 record, including a 19-3 NSIC record, en route to winning its second straight NSIC regular season championship. The Mavericks extended their season-long winning streak to nine games as they defeated the Sioux Falls Cougars (103-101) and the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (78-66).

MSU saw four players average at least 18 points per game last weekend including senior Tanner Adler and junior Assem Marei, who averaged 18.5 points per game. Marei also posted 9.5 rebounds per game. Junior Zach Monaghan notched 18 points and eight assists per game, while senior Connor O'Brien tallied 18 points and eight rebounds per game, while shooting 70.6% from the field.

Five Mavericks are averaging at least 11 points per game including Marei who currently leads MSU with an average of 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Monaghan improved his season average to 15.6 points per contest and is averaging 8.3 assists per game as well.

Minnesota State is currently on a nine-game winning streak with five of the wins coming on the road. During that stretch, the five MSU starters have averaged at least 11.8 points per game, with Monaghan leading the way with 19.7 points and 9.6 assists per game.

Concerning the Golden Eagles: The Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles enter the NSIC Tournament with a 4-22 record, including a 1-21 NSIC record. UMC has lost its last 20 games, including a pair of losses this past weekend to St. Cloud State (78-66) and Minnesota Duluth (84-54).

Brandon Burns is averaging 10.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while Tyler West is averaging 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

As a team, UMC is averaging 63.2 points and 30.0 rebounds per game. The Golden Eagles are shooting 42.2% from the field.

The Golden Eagles are coached by Jeff Oseth, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He owns a 59-262 record.

Minnesota State History: The 2013-14 season marks the 92nd campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men's basketball. The Mavericks are 1,240-850 (.593) in 2,090 games since the program's inception in the 1920-21 season. MSU capped its 33rd and final season as a member of the NCC in 2008 and owned a 283-267 (.515) record in 550 league games played. In the NSIC, MSU owns an 93-35 (.726) record to go with three regular-season championships and one tournament championship.

The Mavericks made their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. MSU owns a 14-10 record (.583) in NCAA Tournament play and most recently defeated Arkansas Tech (81-65)  and Harding (86-65) in the first two rounds of the 2013 NCAA Central Region Tournament, before falling to Winona State (76-73 OT) in the regional finals.

On Top Once Again: Minnesota State capped off a 19-3 NSIC record, en route to winning its second straight NSIC regular season championship. Since joining the conference back in the 2008-09 season, the Mavericks have won four regular season titles.

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