Independent file photo SMSU’s Turner Moen tries to drive past a Wayne State College defender during their game on Dec. 31.

MARSHALL – The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team (11-5, 7-3 NSIC) plays at the R/A Facility for the first time in 2018 with a pair of home games versus teams from the NSIC North Division.

•SMSU will face the University of Minnesota Crookston (8-8, 5-5 NSIC) on Friday beginning at 8 p.m.

•SMSU closes the weekend with a 7 p.m. match-up versus Bemidji State University (6-9, 3-7 NSIC) on Saturday.

•SMSU begins the weekend in second place in the NSIC South Division standings and fifth place overall.

•UMC opens the weekend fourth in the NSIC North standings and tied for seventh overall, while BSU is currently sixth in the NSIC North standings and 12th overall.

•SMSU is 2-0 versus teams from the NSIC North Division in conference play this season and are a combined 27-15 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.

BROADCAST INFO

•This Friday’s game will be televised live regionally on Midco Sports Network as part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s “Game of the Week”.

•All SMSU games will be broadcast all season on 105.1 FM KARL.

•Live statistics and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA CROOKSTON

•Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota Crookston meet for the 35th time on Friday with SMSU leading 31-3.

•The teams first met during the 1994-95 season with UMC earning an 87-78 win in Marshall, which is its lone win ever in Marshall.

•SMSU is 16-1 all-time in games in Marshall.

•SMSU leads the series 28-1 since UMC joined the NSIC in 1999-2000.

•SMSU has won the last 20 games overall with UMC’s last win coming on Jan. 16, 2004 in Crookston.

•SMSU won last season’s lone meeting, 77-74 in Crookston.

•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-0 all-time versus UMC.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BEMIDJI STATE

•Southwest Minnesota State and Bemidji State meet for the 94th time on Saturday with SMSU leading 52-41.

•The teams first played during the 1968-69 season.

•SMSU leads 32-15 in games played in Marshall.

•BSU won last season’s only meeting, 96-86 in Bemidji.

•BSU has won six of the last eight overall since Feb. 18, 2011.

•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 4-6 all-time versus BSU.

SCOUTING

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON

•UMC is 8-8 overall, 5-5 NSIC, and is currently fourth place in the NSIC North standings.

•UMC lost two road games last weekend to Minnesota Duluth (75-71) and St. Cloud State (71-55).

•Harrison Cleary leads the team averaging 24.3 ppg with 41 3-pointers. He leads the conference in scoring at 24.2 and averages an NSIC best three 3-pointers per game.

•Cleary also ranks second in Division II in free throw pct. (95.9) and sixth in points per game. He ranks first in Division II in field goal attempts and second in field goals made.

•Gable Smith is scoring 8.2 ppg with a team-high 6.8 rpg and leads the NSIC in field goal percentage (64.1). He also ranks first in Division II in total blocked shots (64) and blocked shots per game (4.0).

•Alan Hodge is averaging 16.5 ppg and has connected on 41 3-pointers.

•UMC is shooting 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is minus-1.9 in rebound margin.

•Dan Weisse is in his fourth season as head coach with a record 25-72. He was an assistant at MSU Moorhead for three seasons before coming to UMC.

SCOUTING

BEMIDJI STATE

•BSU is 6-9 overall, 3-7 NSIC, following losses last weekend on the road to St. Cloud State (77-72) and Minnesota Duluth (62-57). BSU plays at Sioux Falls on Friday night.

•Sahrif Black is averaging a team-high 13.6 ppg and 5.0 rpg with 39 assists.

•Jai’Vionee Green is scoring 12.7 ppg and grabbing 4.2 rpg.

•Green and Christian Pekarek lead the squad with 23 3-pointers.

•Logan Bader is averaging 10.5 ppg and leads the team with 5.2 rpg.

•BSU is shooting 45 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and is minus-1.0 in rebound margin.

•Mike Boschee is in his sixth season at BSU with a record of 70-84. He was head coach at Central College (Iowa) for nine seasons with a record of 115-115.

Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications