The Scoop
The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team is heading into the final weekend of the regular-season. The Golden Eagles still have their fate in their hands as they come into the weekend trying to figure out what seed they will get in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament. Minnesota Crookston is within one game of fourth. They could be anywhere from the No. 4 seed in the NSIC North to the No. 6 seed.

Previewing the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston comes into the final weekend of the regular-season with a 10-16 (7-13 NSIC) record. The Golden Eagles picked up a win over MSU Moorhead Sat., Feb. 10 as they set the program record for wins in a season with 10. 

Minnesota Crookston is led by stand-out sophomore Harrison Cleary (G, Oak Creek, Wis.). Cleary is the top-scorer in the NSIC and the fifth-best scorer in NCAA Division II with 24.8 points per game. He is second in the nation in free throw shooting percentage as he is hitting from the foul line at a 95.5 percent clip. Cleary has scored 1,262 points in under two seasons with Minnesota Crookston. In addition, Cleary is 32nd all-time in scoring in the conference with 992 points. He need seven points to surpass Zach Monaghan of Minnesota State in conference scoring and eight points to reach 1,000 points in league play.

In addtion to Cleary, Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) comes in averaging 14.5 points per game for the Golden Eagles. Hodge is shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. In addition to Hodge, Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) comes into the weekend tallying 10.7 points per game. Juhl is shooting 33.7 percent from behind the three-point line. In the post, Gable Smith (R-Jr., F, Lodi, Wis.) leads the charge for the Golden Eagles. Smith is notching 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds. Smith is the nation's best shot blocker with 3.8 blocks per game. The junior is third in the country in all divisions with 100 blocked shots. He is just six behind Marshall's Ajdin Penava and two behind Texas' Mohamed Bamba. 

In addition, University of North Dakota Josh Collins (Jr., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) comes in tallying 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds, while Javier Nicolau (So., F/C, Castellon, Spain) is averaging 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Minnesota Crookston is averaged 75.6 points per game. The Golden Eagles are allowing opponents to score 74.4 points per game. Minnesota Crookston is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles are hitting at a 79.0 percent clip from the charity stripe.

Previewing the Beavers
Minot State enters the weekend with a 17-9 (11-9 NSIC) record. The Beavers are currently third in the NSIC North standings. Minot State is led by one of the top players in the conference in Tyler Rudolph, who is averaging 20.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. David Akibo, a 6-7 forward, has moved to the bench in recent games. Akibo is tallying 12.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. At point guard, senior Luis Ricci Maia has been one of the best in the NSIC. Ricci Maia is dishing out 6.3 assists per game, to go with his 11.7 points per game. Nathaniel Moore has also been a potent offensive threat for the Beavers with 10.2 points per game.
Minot State is averaging 77.9 points per game, while allowing opponents to tally 72.8 points per contest. The Beavers are shooting a commanding 48.7 percent from the field. They are a 38.2 percent shooting team from beyond the arc, while they are hitting at a 76.1 percent clip at the charity stripe.

Previewing the Marauders
U-Mary comes into the final weekend of the regular-season with a 5-19 (3-17 NSIC) record. Guard Keith Hunter leads the way for the Marauders with 14.3 points per game, while Trevor Zacher is averaging 11.5 points per game. In the post, Matthew Kreklow leads the way with 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Point guard Jaylan White guides the offense for U-Mary. He is dishing out 3.9 assists per game to go with 8.7 points per game.

The Marauders are averaging 70.3 points per game, while allowing 77.7 points per contest to their foes. U-Mary is shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Marauders are hitting at a 73.6 percent clip from the charity stripe.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 28-82 Season at UMC: Fourth Season

Minot State Beavers
Head Coach: Matt Murken
Record at MINOT: 78-89 Season at MINOT: Sixth Season

U-Mary Marauders
Head Coach: Joe Kittell
Record at MARY: 36-48 Season at MARY: Third Season

Date: Feb. 16, 2018
Time: 8 p.m.
Opponent: Minot State University
Date: Feb. 17, 2018
Site: Minot, N.D. (MSU Dome, 10,000)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/minotstate/mbball/
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/minotstate/
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: University of Mary
Site: Bismarck, N.D. (McDowell Activity Center, 1,300)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mary/mbball/
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umary/
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
Officials (Friday): Chad Bjornson, Reggie Jackson, Aaron Lenes
Officials (Saturday): Darin Perius, Chad Bjornson, Cody Baxter
Last (MINOT): Minot State won 80-77 in Crookston Jan. 20
Series: Minot State leads the series 10-2 over Minnesota Crookston
Last (MARY): U-Mary won 69-64 Jan. 19 in Crookston
Series: U-Mary leads the series 18-5 over Minnesota Crookston

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
So. PG 0 Harrison Cleary, 6-1, Oak Creek, Wis. 24.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.8 APG
Jr. SG 1 Alan Hodge, Jr., 6-0, Dallas, Texas 14.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Fr. 3G 2 Ben Juhl, 6-1, Clive, Iowa 10.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Jr. SF 13 Darin Viken, 6-1, Fosston, Minn. 2.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Jr. PF 24 Gable Smith, 6-7, Lodi, Wis. 8.3 PPG,. 7.0 RPG, 3.8 BPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. G/F 10 Gabrys Sadaunykas, 6-4, Vilnius, Lithuania 1.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Jr. F 30 Josh Collins, 6-6, Minneapolis, Minn. 6.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG
So. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau, 6-10, Castellon, Spain 3.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG

Minot State
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 11 Luis Ricci Maia, 5-11, Franca, Brazil 11.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.3 APG
Sr. SG 0 Nathaniel Moore, 6-1, Milwaukee, Wis. 10.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Sr. 3G 3 Brandon Green, 6-3, Bowie, Md. 3.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG
So. SF 21 Trevor Rothstein, 6-7, St. Michael, Minn. 4.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Sr. PF 24 Tyler Rudolph, 6-6, Bismarck, N.D. 20.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 15 David Akibo, 6-7, London, England 12.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG
Sr. G 20 Russ Davis, 6-4, Chandler, Ariz. 8.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Fr. F 10 Dorian Aluyi, 6-6, Chicago, Ill. 2.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG
R-Fr. G 5 Max Cody, 6-1, Melbourne, Australia 2.6 PPG, 0.5 RPG

U-Mary
Projected Starters
So. PG 0 Jaylan White, 5-11, St. Charles, Iowa 8.7 PPG, 3.9 APG
Jr. SG 2 Keith Hunter, 6-3, Oakland, Calif. 14.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Sr. SF 14 Trevor Zacher, 6-5, Beulah, N.D. 11.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Sr. PF 24 Michael Gorder, 6-6, Eagan, Minn. 2.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
R-Fr. C 44 Matthew Kreklow, 6-9, Maple Plain, Minn. 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 32 Tom Kubank, 6-7, Adelaide, Australia 8.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG
R-Fr. G 11 Connor Hellebust, 6-3, Bismarck, N.D. 5.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Fr. F 4 Wyatt Carr, 6-5, Hazen, N.D. 5.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG

#5StoryLines
1. Can the Golden Eagles get consistent shooting and limit the opponent defensively for a full 40 minutes?

2. Can Minnesota Crookston slow down Minot State's Tyler Rudolph?

3. Can the Golden Eagles slow down U-Mary's Keith Hunter?

4. Will Gable Smith continue to be a pest in the paint with his blocked shots? 

5. What will the Golden Eagles get off the bench in terms of production?

#RisingUpTheRanks
Minnesota Crookston sophomore guard has had a phenomenal start to his young career. Harrison Cleary is currently the fifth-best scorer in all of NCAA Division II with 24.8 points per game. Cleary is closing in on 1,000 points in conference play in his career. He has 992 career NSIC points, good for 32nd all-time. He needs seven points to surpass Zach Monaghan of Minnesota State and eight points to reach 1,000 points in conference play. Cleary has 1,262 career points overall. He will look to continue his great start to his career this weekend.

#TopShotBlockers
Minnesota Crookston redshirt junior Gable Smith has always been a shot block machine with a school-record 223 blocks. Smith eclipsed 100 blocks in a season in their last game against MSU Moorhead. He currently leads NCAA Division II in blocked shots with 3.8 blocked shots per game. Smith is third in the entire NCAA for blocked shots with 100. He is behind only Ajdin Penava of Marshall and Mohamed Bamba of Texas. Smith is six behind Penava and two behind Bamba. He will continue to build on his shot blocking numbers this weekend.

#Number1
Minnesota Crookston junior guard Alan Hodge, Jr. has gotten back to basics and is playing some of his better basketball recently. Hodge tallied 18 points in Saturday's win over MSU Moorhead. The junior averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game as he has helped the Golden Eagles out in any way possible. The junior will look to continue to make an impact this weekend against Minot State and U-Mary.

#CrownJuhl
Golden Eagle freshman Ben Juhl has had a strong start to his young career. The Clive, Iowa native is tallying 10.7 points per game this season. Juhl has played some of his best basketball of late as the freshman is averaging 12.6 points per game over the last five games. Juhl will continue to look to make an impact this weekend.