MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team will take its six-game winning streak on the road this weekend as it squares off with Minnesota Duluth on Friday and St. Cloud State on Saturday. Tip-offs are scheduled for 8:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m., respectively.
Minnesota State History: The 2017-18 season marks the 96th campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men's basketball. The Mavericks are 1,330-883 (.600) in 2,213 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 a 153-57 (.728) record to go with four regular-season championships and two tournament championships.
The Mavericks made their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2016. MSU owns a 16-13 record (.551) in NCAA Tournament play, including an 85-81 win over MSU Moorhead and an 82-60 loss to Northwest Missouri State in the most recent trip to the tournament.
Against the Bulldogs: Friday's game between Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth marks their 74th meeting with MSU leading the all-time series with a 42-31 record. Last season, the Mavericks defeated the Bulldogs 56-51 during their only meeting at Taylor Center. Head Coach
Matt Margenthaler owns a 19-5 record against UMD, including a 5-4 road record.
Both senior
Charlie Brown and junior
Cole Harper recorded eight points against the Bulldogs last season. Harper also hauled in six rebounds, while sophomore
Cameron Kirksey notched six points and three blocks. As a team, MSU shot 41.5% from the field against UMD. The Mavericks also held a 35-31 advantage in rebounds.
Jake Wilson led the UMD offense last season with 14 points, while Luke Harris and Logan Rohrscheib each recorded 13 points. As a team, Minnesota Duluth shot 35.3% from the field against MSU.
Against the Huskies: Saturday's game between Minnesota State and St. Cloud State marks their 177th meeting with SCSU leading the all-time series with a 90-86 record. Earlier this season, the Huskies defeated the Mavericks 72-64 in Taylor Center. Head Coach
Matt Margenthaler owns an 18-16 record against the Huskies, including a 6-8 road record.
Sophomore
Kevin Krieger recorded a double-double against SCSU in their first encounter as he tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior
Charlie Brown added 16 points as well. As a unit, MSU shot 45.3% from the field.
Jon Averkamp posted a game-high 19 points against the Mavericks, while Sean Smith notched a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, SCSU shot 45% from the field and held a 40-35 advantage in rebounds.
Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State enters the week sitting atop the NSIC standings with a 14-2 league record, to go along with an 18-4 overall record. MSU has won its last six outings, including wins against Minnesota Crookston (80-78) and Bemidji State (87-70) last weekend at Taylor Center.
A total of five Mavericks are averaging more than 11 points per game this season, including sophomore
Kevin Krieger who leads MSU with 16.2 points per game. Senior
Charlie Brown is posting 15.2 points and 4.0 assists a game, and senior
Chris Kendrix is averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.
As a team, the Mavericks are shooting 48.2% from the field, including a 44.0% clip from long range which is the third best average in NCAA Division II. MSU has also passed out 287 assists and forced 271 turnovers. The Mavericks also rank 29th in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage with an average of 76.0%.
The Mavericks are led by
Matt Margenthaler, who is in his 17th season at Minnesota State. He owns a career record of 369-147 (.715).
Concerning the Bulldogs: Minnesota Duluth enters the weekend the owner of a 9-12 overall record, including a 5-10 NSIC record. UMD has lost its last three outings, including a pair of losses to Augustana (85-65) and Wayne State (88-86) on the road last weekend.
As a team, UMD is shooting 42.6% from the field, including a 35.5% showing from three point range. The Bulldogs have also passed out 248 assists and have forced 206 turnovers.
Brandon Myer leads UMD with an average of 20.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. Logan Rohrscheib is posting 13.9 points per game as well.
Matt Bowen is in his sixth season as head coach at Minnesota Duluth. He owns a 64-99 record at UMD.
Concerning the Huskies: St. Cloud State enters the weekend the owner of a 15-6 record and sits in third place in the NSIC standings with an 11-4 conference record. SCSU has won its last four outings, including a pair of road victories against Wayne State (82-58) and Augustana (80-63) last weekend.
As a unit, SCSU is averaging 77.8 points and 35.8 rebounds per game. The Huskies are also shooting 48.5% from the field, including a 35.5% showing from three point land.
Four Huskies are averaging more than 11 points per game this season, including Jon Averkamp who leads SCSU with 19.5 points per game. Gage Davis is averaging 18.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as well.
Head Coach Matt Reimer is in his fourth season at St. Cloud State. He owns a 65-48 record at SCSU.
