The start of conference play is upon us. Last weekend, the Golden Eagles hosted the Dragons of Minnesota State University Moorhead for the NSIC North opener. The rivalry has grown between the two programs over the years, and that was evident at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium.
After losing two games to the Golden Eagles a season, the Dragons flipped the script this season, taking both games this past weekend. The Dragons showed their depth and their ability to shoot the three-ball this past weekend.
This weekend, the Golden Eagles will look to do something they have never done: earn a victory inside Wachs Arena. The Wolves of Northern State come into this weekend with three-straight impressive victories and are 4-0 and No. 7 in the nation. The Wolves also have a player of the year candidate in junior Parker Fox.
BISHOP STRONG
The Golden Eagles family is dealing with a major loss to its family. Former KROX announcer Matt Bishop passed away in December after a long battle with cancer. Matt loved announcing Golden Eagle games and will always be a part of the Golden Eagle family.

CHANCE AT HISTORY
To say the Wolves have had the Golden Eagles number would be an understatement. Since 2001, the Golden Eagles have defeated Northern State just once, which came in 2009 in Crookston. The Golden Eagles have been close to winning inside Wachs Arena, losing by three in 2012, by five in 2016 and by two in the 2018 season. No doubt about it, the Golden Eagles have had their chances to defeat Northern State inside Wachs Arena, but have fallen short. Maybe luck will be on the Golden Eagles side this weekend as they travel to Aberdeen.
DON'T TURN THAT CHANNEL
Newcomer Ethan Channel (Jr., G, Beaverton, Ore.) is starting to find a rhythm in the starting lineup at Minnesota Crookston. Channel collected his first double-double in Friday's loss with a 14 point, 10 rebound outing. Channel then followed that up with a career-high 17 points with a career-high 31 minutes played on Saturday. Channel also shot the ball well over the weekend, going 12-19 from the field. Channel is currently second on the team in scoring at 9.8 PPG.


A TRIO FOR LEO
Channel isn't the only Oregonian on this year's roster for the Golden Eagles. Demascus, Ore., native Leonard Dixon is another player who seemed to find his footing this past weekend. Dixon earned his first two career starts this past weekend and proved head coach Dan Weisse made a good decision. Dixon scored a career-high 13 points while also pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds, including 3-6 from downtown. Dixon has made a three-pointer in every game this year and has given the Golden Eagles that threat from deep, something they were missing a season ago.


BALANCE 
Through four games, the Golden Eagles have shown balance on the offensive side. The Golden Eagles currently have six guys averaging eight points per game on the season, led by Georges Darwiche's 11.5 points per game. The Golden Eagles have also shot the ball well from deep, currently with three players with six three-point makes, including Darwiche, Dixon and Ibu Jassey Demba.

FULL 40
Head coach Dan Weisse will tell you that he liked a lot of what the Golden Eagles did this past weekend. If he could change some things, one of them might be putting together two halves. On Friday, the Golden Eagles trailed by just two heading into the halftime break, but allowed the Dragons to shoot 69 percent from the field and 7-12 from deep. The Golden Eagles lost that game despite shooting 51 percent from the field. On Saturday, Minnesota Crookston got down by as many as 21 in the first half, but clawed back to within nine in the second half with chances to claw back into the game even more. If the Golden Eagles can put together two halves in the future, they might find more success in the future.

FIRST TIME ON THE ROAD
For the first time in almost ten months, the Golden Eagles will head out on the road this weekend when they head to Aberdeen. A season ago, the Golden Eagles won five true road games for the first time in school history. One of the emphasis for Weisse has been playing better on the road, so we will see if the Golden Eagles can continue that momentum this weekend at Northern State.

Game Information
Friday, Jan. 15
Minnesota Crookston at No. 7 Northern State
Wachs Arena
Live Stats – https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/
 
 
Sunday, Jan. 16
Minnesota Crookston at No. 7 Northern State
Wachs Arena
Live Stats – https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/


2020-21 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 14th
Scoring Defense: 14th
Scoring Margin: 14th
Free Throw Pct.: 14th
Field Goal Pct.: 9th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 11th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 10th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 7th
Rebounding Offense: 10th
Rebounding Defense: 12th
Rebounding Margin: 15th
Offensive Rebounds: 10th
Defensive Rebounds: 11th
Blocked Shots: 9th
Assists: 13th
Steals: 5th
Turnover Margin: 15th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 16th 





Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 1 George Darwiche (6-1 188, Bucharest, Romania) 11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
R-Jr. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 9.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Jr. G 11 Ethan Channel (6-4, 190, Beaverton, Ore.) 9.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Jr. F 3 Leonard Dixon (6-7, 200, Demascus, Ore.) 8.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-So. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, 155, West Fargo, N.D.) 2.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Jr. F/C 23 Morgan Carter (6-7, 215, Porthcawl, Wales) 2.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Fr. G 12 Josh Dilling (6-4, 180, Oshkosh, Wis.) 8.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
So. C 21 George Blaj-Voinescu (6-8, 210, Brasov, Romania) 2.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Fr. G/F 22 Quintin Winterfeldt (6-4 195, Waupun, Wis.) 4.3 PPG
 
Northern State University
Projected Starters
So. G 1 Tommy Chatman (6-4, 190, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 6.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. G 2 Mason Stark (6-2, 170, Chandler, Ariz.) 16.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG
Sr. G 3 Andrew Kallman (6-4, 174, Chaska, Minn.) 8.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Jr. F 23 Jordan Belka (6-7, 195, Rogers, Minn.) 10.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Jr. F 24 Parker Fox (6-8, 210, Mahtomedi, Minn.) 16.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. G 11 Augustin Reede (6-2, 175, Aberdeen, S.D.) 4.5 PPG
So. F 5 Cole Bergen (6-7, 220, Aberdeen, S.D.) 4.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Sr. G 10 Roko Dominvic (6-4, 190, Split, Croatia) 4.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG



STUDY THE OPPONENT

Northern State
 
This weekend will be the best test for the Golden Eagles by far. The Wolves come into this weekend ranked No. 3 in the nation and have a player of the year candidate in Parker Fox. The Wolves have one of the best coaches in the nation as well in Saul Phillips. The Wolves are undoubtedly a National Championship contender.

WALK IN THE PARK
 
Mahtomedi native Parker Fox makes it look like exactly that, a walk in the park night in and night out. Fox is a player of the year candidate and is arguably the best player in the NSIC. The junior is averaging 16.5 points per game as well as 8.5 rebounds per game. In four games against the Golden Eagles, he is averaging 19.3 points per game, including 26 points in Crookston a season ago.

HOUSE OF STARK
 
Mason Stark might fly under the radar due to the fact of Fox. This season, he's proving that he should maybe get some more recognition. The junior from Chandler, Ariz., is averaging 16.5 points per game, including 27 in the win against Bemidji State in Friday night's win. The crazy thing is in Saturday night's 39-point win over the Beavers is Stark only scored five points.

BACK HOME
 
Cole Bergan is a native of Aberdeen, but originally committed to Northern Colorado to play for the Bears. Bergan transferred back home to play for Phillips and the Wolves. So far, it seems like he made the right choice. Bergan scored 12 points in the last game against Bemidji State while pulling down six rebounds. Bergan is starting to come into his own at NSU.

WHAT TO WATCH
1. Can Minnesota Crookston pull off the upset?

2. How will the Golden Eagles defend Parker Fox?

3. Can Dan Weisse beat his former boss, Saul Phillips?

4. Can the Golden Eagles win in Aberdeen for the first time ever?

5. How will the Golden Eagles bounce back after losing two to Moorhead?