#5StoryLines
1. Can Derrick Redd, Jr. have a strong game in order to help UMC advance?

2. Will Jim Warmack continue his strong play of late?

3. Can UMC upset No. 4 Augustana to advance to the Sanford Pentagon?

4. Will Riley Rice continue to be an impact player off the bench?

5. Can Kobe Critchley have a big game for the Golden eagles against Augustana?

#Tidbits

- The UMC men's basketball team enters the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament with a 3-23 (1-21 NSIC). The Golden Eagles will be the No. 8 seed in the NSIC North and will take on the No. 1 seed in the NSIC South, Augustana University. Minnesota Crookston has been led on the season by C.J. Polk, who is averaging 12.3 points per game. In addition to Polk, Derrick Redd, Jr. comes in averaging 11.2 points per game, while freshman Kobe Critchley is averaging 9.2 points per game.

- The Golden Eagles have just two players in Derrick Redd, Jr. and Jim Warmack, who played in games last season, while Gable Smith and A.J. Walton both redshirted. The other 10 players on the team are newcomers. UMC is currently starting four players who are in their first seasons playing NCAA Division II basketball. The upside is that UMC has just one senior and four-of-five starters who are either freshmen or sophomores with C.J. Polk, Kobe Critchley, Gable Smith and Nate Lorenz. In addition, key  bench players Chase Knickerbocker and Jim Warmack have their best years in front of them, while junior college transfers Xavier Hall and Ben Grygiel will still have one year to play for UMC.

- Minnesota Crookston has had several players who have continued to get better and have a bigger impact for the Golden Eagles. Against MSU Moorhead and Northern State, Riley Rice, Darin Viken and Aaron Hollcraft all played bigger roles for the Golden Eagles.

- Kobe Critchley has been an impact freshman for the Golden Eagles. Critchley is averaging 9.2 points per game on the 2015-16 season. Critchley has scored in double figures in 14 games during his freshman season.

- Gable Smith has been a blocking machine for the Golden Eagles in his first season playing with UMC after
 redshirting his initial season. Smith is leading the NSIC with 51 blocks this season. In addition, he holds the school record for block in a career with that mark.

- The Golden Eagles fell 90-62 to Augustana earlier this season. The Vikings were led by 17 points and 14 rebounds from Daniel Jansen. Casey Schilling added 15 points. Minnesota Crookston looked to 20 points from C.J. Polk.

- The UMC offense has shown a lot of improvement in Coach Weisse's second season. UMC is averaging more than 10 points a game more over last season as they have increased their scoring average from 58 to 65.1. In addition, the Golden Eagles are a better three-point shooting team, as they are hitting at a 33.2 clip up from 32.2 percent. They are also an improved shooting team overall, improving from 38.7 to 40.3 percent as a team.

- Augustana comes in as the No. 4 team in the nation. The Vikings come in with a 24-2 mark overall and 21-1 in conference play. The Vikings have been led by Daniel Jansen, one of the nation's top players. Jansen comes in averaging 20 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Casey Schilling has also been a great player,a veraging 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Alex Richter comes ina veraging 13.9 points per game. The Vikings are averaging 91.3 points and giving up 72 points per game. The Vikings are shooting 42.5 percent from beyond the arc.