The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team gets set to hit the road for the first time of 2019. The Golden Eagles will do battle with the Northern State Wolves on Friday, Jan., 11 at Wachs Arena, home of the Wolves. Tip-off is set for 7:30 P.M. Minnesota Crookston will travel back up north for a battle with highway-75 rival MSU Moorhead on Saturday Night in Nemzek Fieldhouse. Tip-off with the Dragons is slated for 5:30 P.M. in Moorhead, Minn.
• HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE. The Golden Eagles have one of the best offenses in the NSIC. Minnesota Crookston averages 79.2 PPG on the season, which sits in 7th in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles have scored over 100 points twice and over 90 points three times on the season.
• BENCH PLAY. The Golden Eagle bench has been a key contributor during the team's three-game winning streak. In the 21-point victory over Bemidji State,
Chase Johnson tallied eight points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Malcolm Cohen scored 14 points in the victory over St. Cloud State last Friday.
• ROAD WARRIORS. The Golden Eagles will look to get two key road victories in venues that haven't been kind to the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles have only beaten the Wolves just once since both teams entered the NSIC and have beaten the Dragons just once in Nemzek Fieldhouse since 2008-09.Â
• THEY CALL HIM H. Junior Guard
Harrison Cleary is having another outstanding year for the Maroon and Gold. Cleary is coming off of a weekend where he scored 28 points in a 76-57 victory over St. Cloud State and 29 points in a 96-88 victory over Minnesota Duluth. Cleary was also named has one of five Division II men's basketball players to watch in the second half of the season by NCAA.com.
• MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Redshirt Junior guard
Malcolm Cohen has been a key contributor off the bench for head coach
Dan Weisse. Cohen scored 14 points in the key home conference victory over St. Cloud State last Friday night, including a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first half. Cohen will look to continue his momentum this weekend against the Wolves and Dragons.
• SPANISH SPARKPLUG.
Javier Nicolau, a Junior from Castellon, Spain played a key role in the Golden Eagles sweep last weekend. Nicolau came off the bench both weekends and had eight rebounds and two points on the weekend. Nicolau had valuable minutes that won't always show up in a box score. Nicolau will need to have another solid weekend.
• PLAYING GOOD BALL AT THE RIGHT TIME. Conference Play didn't start out the best for the Golden Eagles, who sat at 1-4 in the conference before their Dec. 30th game with Bemidji State. Including that late December win over the Beavers, the Golden Eagles haven't lost and have clawed their way back to .500 in conference play. With all three wins coming at home, the Golden Eagles will look to extend their win streak this weekend on the road.
• THREE BALL. The three ball has been of vital importance for the Golden Eagles as they come into the weekend in second in the NSIC in three-point shooting percentage at 42.1 percent. The Golden Eagles are averaging 9.7 three-pointers per game. Minnesota Crookston has been led by
Harrison Cleary from beyond the arc, as he is shooting 52.7 percent to lead the way.
Ben Juhl comes in shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc, while
Darin Viken is hitting at 54.2 percent clip.Â
Chase Knickerbocker comes in shooting 40.2 percent from behind the three-point line on the 2018-19 season.
Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 38-90 Season at UMC: Fifth Season
Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Paul Sather
Record at NSU: 173-85 Season at NSU: Ninth Season
MSU Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach: Chad Walthall
Record at MSUM: 127-32Â Season at UMD: Ninth Season
Minnesota Crookston at Northern State University
Date: Fri., Jan. 11
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Video:Â
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/northern/
Live Stats:Â
https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: NSU leads 36-2
Last Meeting: Northern State won 88-75 in Crookston, Minn. Dec. 8, 2018
Trends: Northern State has won the past 13 games against Minnesota Crookston. The last Golden Eagles win was Feb. 4, 2012, 88-73 in Crookston, Minn.
Minnesota Crookston at MSU Moorhead
Date: Sat., Jan. 12
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Video:Â https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
Live Stats:http://web.mnstate.edu/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm
Series Record: MSU Moorhead leads 32-7
Last Meeting: Minnesota Crookston won 108-88 Dec. 7, 2018 in Crookston, Minn.
Trends: Minnesota Crookston has won the past two games in the series.
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 22.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.9 APG
RFr. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 5.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Sr. SF 25 Chase Knickerbocker (6-7 210, Annandale, Minn.) 11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Sr. PF 30 Josh Collins (6-6 230, Minneapolis, Minn.) 6.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG
R-Sr. C 24 Gable Smith (6-7 225, Lodi, Wis.) 4.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.4 BPG
Top Bench Players
So. SG 2 Ben Juhl (6-1 186, Clive, Iowa) 10.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG
R-Jr. G/F 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 8.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Sr. G 13 Darin Viken (6-1 200, Fosston, Minn.) 3.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 3.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Jr. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau (6-10 220, Castellon, Spain) 2.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Projected Starters
R-Sr. G 0 Ian Smith (5-10 165, Champlin Park, Minn.) Â Â Â Â 12.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.0 APG
Sr. G 3Â Andrew Kallman (6-4 175, Chaska, Minn.) 7.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.5 APG
Sr. G/F 15 Bo Fries (6-4 195, Langford, S.D.) 10.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.4 APG
Jr. G 21 Gabe King (6-5 185, Irene, S.D.) 10.0 PPG 4.1 RPG
Sr. F 23 Justin Decker (6-7 225, Huron, S.D) 11.2 PPG 4.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
RFr. G 2 Mason Stark (6-2 160, Chandler, Ariz.) 6.5 PPG 1.8 RPG
RFR. F 24 Parker Fox (6-8 210, Mahtomedi, Minn.) 10.9 PPG 5.4 RPG
Jr. F 33 Cole Dahl (6-7 195, Newfolden, Minn.) 5.1 PPG 1.9 RPG
Projected Starters
Jr. G 1 Johnny Beeninga (6-1, Maple Grove, Minn.) 11.6 PPG 2.8 RPG 2.7 APG
Sr. G 5 Travaun Coad (6-1, Reading, Pa.) 13.4 PPG 5.1 RPG 2.3 APG
Fr. G 11 Siman Sem (6-4, Fargo, N.D.) Â Â Â Â Â 7.3 PPG 3.1 RPGÂ
Fr. G 13 Gavin Baungartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 16.1 PPG 5.0 RPG 2.3 APG
Fr. C 35 Jesse Bergh (6-10, Audubon, Minn.) 4.9 PPG 4.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 2 Bryce Irsfeld (6-0, Browerville, Minn.) 9.8 PPG 2.6 RPG 3.3 APG
Fr. F 12 Wyatt Hanson (6-5, Stanley, N.D.) Â Â Â Â 3.7 PPG 2.5 RPG
Sr. G 15 Britton Bussman (6-4, Milnor, N.D.) 3.8 PPG 1.3 RPG
Sr. F/C 41 Addison Park (6-6 Sioux Falls, S.D.) 14.8 PPG 4.9 RPG 2.3 APG
NORTHERN STATE WOLVES. The traditional conference power, Northern State comes into this weekend with just one conference loss and just three overall. At 7-1 in the conference, NSU sits in first place in the North division in the NSIC. The Wolves currently have the second best scoring margin in the NSIC, at 11.5, right behind Wayne State College. The Wolves average 79.0 PPG while holding their opponents to just 66.5 PPG. NSU has shot 49.6% from the field on the season.
FOXTROT. Redshirt Freshman Parker Fox has given head coach Paul Sather and his team a major spark off the bench. Fox is averaging just under 11 PPG this season in his first season wearing a Wolves jersey. Fox scored a season and career high 21 points the in an 85-72 win over the Golden Eagles the first time these two teams met in Crookston on December 8th, 2018. Fox has also been solid cleaning up opponent misses this season, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.
NEWFOLDEN RAISED. Northern State Junior Cole Dahl is having a solid season in his third year in Aberdeen. The native of Newfolden, Minn., is fourth in three-point makes this season with 20. Dahl has played in all 14 games this season for NSU.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE. The Wolves play in one of the toughest venues for opponents in all of Division II. Wachs Arena seats 8,000 spectators. NSU has led NCAA Division II in men's and women's basketball attendance for nine straight season. This season, nearly 15,000 Northern State fans have filled into Wachs Arena to watch their beloved Wolves. The Wolves are 4-1 in their home building this season, with the only loss being to Truman State.
MSU MOORHEAD. The Dragons are arguably one of the hottest teams in the NSIC. The Dragons have won five out of their last six, and four in a row, including a thrilling 99-95 overtime win over Upper Iowa last Saturday in Fayette, Iowa. The Dragons average 87.4 PPG, good for first in the conference. Their scoring margin of 10.2 sits right behind NSU at third in the conference. MSUM is currently in second place in the North Division at 5-3 and 11-5 overall.
MR. DO-IT-ALL. Gavin Baumgartner has done a little bit of everything through his first 16 games of the season. Baumgartner leads the Dragons in scoring, steals and three-point percentage. Baumgartner doesn't see the bench much, averaging 31.0 MPG.
SIMAN SAYS. Siman Sem, a freshman from Fargo, N.D. has been solid in his first season as a Dragon. Sem is averaging 7.3 PPG and averaging 3.1 RPG on the season. Sem has 13 blocks on the year.
SOUTH PARK? MORE LIKE ADDISON PARK. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native has been coming off the bench the past five games, but his impact has been the same. Since coming off the bench, Park has led his team in scoring twice, including scoring 26 in a loss to UMary. On the season, Park is averaging 14.8 PPG and 4.9 RPG, while shooting 50 percent from beyond the three-point line this season.
#5STORYLINES
1. Can Minnesota Crookston get a win on the road?
2. Can the Golden Eagles get a signature win in tough venues?
3. Can Minnesota Crookston defend the three-point line?
4. Can
Josh Collins keep up his play on the defensive end?
5. Who will step up off the bench forÂ
Minnesota Crookston?
