The Scoop
The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team will open up the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. at University of Sioux Falls. The Golden Eagles are looking to make their first ever NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals and continue their best season in program history. The winner of Wednesday's game will go on to face the winner of St. Cloud State University and Wayne State College (Neb.) Sat., Feb. 24 at 8 p.m.

Previewing the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston comes into the season with a 10-18 (7-15 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles are looking to continue their season as they head into Wednesday. Minnesota Crookston is led by the league's leading scorer in Harrison Cleary (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.). Cleary comes in tallying 24.1 points per game. He is shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. Cleary is seventh in the nation in scoring and is second nationally shooting at a 95.7 percent clip from the foul line. The sophomore became the second player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points in NSIC play last weekend, joining Joe Hasz. He is currently in the Top 30 all-time in scoring in conference play. In addition, Cleary has scored 1,316 career points overall in less than two full seasons.

In addition to Cleary, Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) enters Wednesday tallying 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) comes in averaging 11.0 points per game. In the post, Gable Smith (R-Jr., F/C, Lodi, Wis.) is the nation's top shot blocker with 3.9 blocks per game. Smith is second nationally in all NCAA Divisions to only Marshall's Ajdin Penava with 114 blocks. He has 109 blocks overall on the season. In addition, Smith is averaging 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

The Golden Eagles are notching 75.0 points per game and are allowing foes to score 74.7 points per game. Minnesota Crookston is shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 79.2 percent from the charity stripe.

Previewing the Cougars
Sioux Falls comes into the weekend with a 19-9 (12-2 NSIC) mark. The Cougars split with the Golden Eagles this season as they fell in non-conference play 79-74 to the Golden Eagles and won 68-6 at home in conference play.

The Cougars are led by guard Trevon Evans, who is tallying 21.3 points per game. Forward Drew Guebert has been strong on the year for USF with 19.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. After the pair, the production for USF falls off. Guard Aaron Rothermund is tallying 6.2 points per game and shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. Fellow guard Drew Maschoff is notching 6.0 points per game, while Zach Wessels is averaging 6.0 points per game as well.

USF is notching 79.6 points per game and allowing 74.2 points per game to their foes. The Cougars are shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and 73.2 percent from the foul line.

Previewing the Huskies
St. Cloud State enters Wednesday's game with Wayne State with a 21-7 (17-5 NSIC) record. The Huskies look to Gage Davis to lead the way. Davis is averaging 19.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Jon Averkamp has also been a big threat for St. Cloud State with 17.9 points per game. Averkamp has been hitting at a 58.2 percent clip from beyond the arc this season. Brindley Thiesen is also a threat from outside at 42.0 percent, while he is notching 13.2 points per game. Sean Smith brings athleticism to the post with 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

The Huskies are averaging 78.9 points per game and are allowing 68.4 points per game. St. Cloud State is shooting an amazing 50.1 percent from the field. They are hitting at a 38.8 percent clip from beyond the arc and a 72.6 percent clip from the line.

Previewing the Wildcats
Wayne State comes into Wednesday's tilt with St. Cloud State with a 14-16 (9-13 NSIC) record. The Wildcats look to Kendall Jacks with 13.9 points per game, while Trevin Joseph is notching 13.5 points per game. Vance Janssen comes in averaging 9.3 points per game and is shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Jacks is also a major threat from beyond the arc at 40.0 percent.

The Wildcats are notching 74.7 points per game and are allowing 73.2 points per contest to their opponents. Wayne State is shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from beyond the arc and 72.8 percent from the stripe.

NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament
First Round
Date: Feb. 21, 2018
Time: 8 p.m.
Opponent: University of Sioux Falls
Site: Sioux Falls, S.D., Stewart Center (2,000)
Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/siouxfalls/
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/siouxfalls/
Radio: 1260 KROX AM (Tape Delay After WBB)
Last (USF): Sioux Falls won 68-56 Jan. 13, 2018
Series: Sioux Falls leads 5-2 in NCAA Division II history

Officials (Wed.): Doug Votava, Josh Johnson, Brad Yorkovich
Second Round (if win)
Opponent: St. Cloud State University or Wayne State College
Date/Time: Feb. 24, 8 p.m.
Site: Sanford Pentagon
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/nsic/bball/
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nsic
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
Series (SCSU): St. Cloud State leads 24-3
Last (SCSU): St. Cloud State won 71-55 in St. Cloud Jan. 6
Series (WSC): Wayne State leads 25-7
Last (WSC): Wayne State won 85-74 in Crookston Feb. 3

Third Round (if win)
Date/Time: Feb. 26, 2:30 p.m.
Site: Sanford Pentagon

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 28-84 Season at UMC: Fourth Season

Sioux Falls Cougars
Head Coach: Chris Johnson
Record at USF: 175-131 Season at USF: 10th Season

St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Matt Reimer
Record at SCSU: 71-49 Season at SCSU: Fourth Season

Wayne State Wildcats
Head Coach: Jeff Kaminsky
Record at WSC: 24-35 Season at WSC: Second Season

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
So. PG 0 Harrison Cleary, 6-1, Oak Creek, Wis. 24.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG
Jr. SG 1 Alan Hodge, Jr., 6-0, Dallas, Texas 14.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Fr. 3G 2 Ben Juhl, 6-1, Clive, Iowa 11.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Jr. SF 13 Darin Viken, 6-1, Fosston, Minn. 2.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Jr. PF 24 Gable Smith, 6-7, Lodi, Wis. 8.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.9 BPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. G/F 10 Gabrys Sadaunykas, 6-4, Vilnius, Lithuania 1.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Jr. F 30 Josh Collins, 6-6, Minneapolis, Minn. 5.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG
So. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau, 6-10, Castellon, Spain 3.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 BPG

Sioux Falls
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 11 Zach Wessels, 6-2, Austin, Minn. 6.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Jr. SG 4 Trevon Evans, 6-0, Wichita, Kan. 21.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG
R-Fr. 3G 42 Aaron Rothermund, 6-2, Papillion, Neb. 6.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Sr. SF 14 Tom Aase, 6-6, Austin, Minn. 2.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. PF 23 Drew Guebert, 6-8, Apple Valley, Minn. 19.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 15 Drew Maschoff, 6-4, Ankeny, Iowa 6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG
R-Fr. F 5 Teathloach Pal, 6-8, Fridley, Minn. 4.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG
R-Fr. F 44 Austin Slater, 6-8, Andover, Minn. 3.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Jr. G/F 22 Justin Taylor, 6-5, Chicago, Ill. 3.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG

St. Cloud State
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 12 Adam Heede-Andersen, 6-0, Copenhagen, Denmark 3.7 PPG, 3.3 APG
Jr. SG 10 Brindley Theisen, 6-2, St. Cloud, Minn. 13.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG
R-Jr. 3G 20 Gage Davis, 6-4, Bolingbrook, Ill. 19.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.7 APG
Sr. SF 24 Jon Averkamp, 6-6, Germantown, Wis. 17.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Jr. PF 40 Sean Smith, 6-8, Athens, Ga. 11.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG

Wayne State
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 34 J.J. Zumbrennen, 6-0, Elkhorn, Neb. 1.8 PPG, 0.3 RPG
Jr. SG 10 Vance Janssen, 6-2, Blair, Neb. 9.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. 3G 2 Trevin Joseph, 6-3, McDonough, Ga. 13.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. SF 1 Kendall Jacks, 6-4, Bettendorf, Iowa 13.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Sr. PF 22 Jordan Cornelius, 6-7, Sisseton, S.D. 7.9 PPG, 4.4 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 Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert of Sioux Falls?

3. Can Harrison Cleary have a big game for the Golden Eagles?

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 seventh-best scorer in all of NCAA Division II with 24.1 points per game. Cleary became the second player in school history to reach 1,000 points in NSIC play, joining Joe Hasz. The Oak Creek, Wis. native has notched 1,316 points in less than two years for the Golden Eagles. He is looking to continue his season and to continue to climb up the ranks.

#TopShotBlockers
Minnesota Crookston redshirt junior Gable Smith has always been a shot block machine with a school-record 232 blocks. Smith has 109 blocks on the 2017-18 season. His total leads Division II currently and is second among all NCAA players currently. He is only behind Marshall's Adjin Penava with 114 blocks. He is currently ahead of Mohamed Bamba by three blocks. Smith has also been strong offensively 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57.3 percent from the field on the season. Smith will look to have a big game both offensively and defensively against Sioux Falls. 

#Number1
Minnesota Crookston junior guard Alan Hodge, Jr. has been averaging 19.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Hodge had a period during the season where he was struggling to score at points. He has been able to find the hoop more in recent games and has also become a major factor on the boards. He will look to have a big game Wednesday for the Golden Eagles. 

#CrownJuhl
Golden Eagle freshman Ben Juhl has had a strong start to his young career. The Clive, Iowa native is tallying 11.0 points per game this season. Juhl has played some of his best basketball recently as the freshman is averaging 14.2 points per game in the last five contests. Juhl tallied 21 points against Wayne State and 20 points versus U-Mary. He will look to have a big game against Sioux Falls Wednesday.