Golden Eagles Host St. Cloud State Thursday, Travel to Minnesota Duluth on Saturday in NSIC Action


#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball is coming off of a really nice Thanksgiving week and weekend. The Golden Eagles gave thanks for three wins, including a conference-opening win against Highway-2 rivals Bemidji State last Tuesday night in Crookston. The Golden Eagles then followed that up with a nice weekend in Aberdeen, going 2-0 at the Dacotah Bank Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Northern State. In their three wins last weekend, the Golden Eagles gave up just 53.6 points per game, which was clearly a recipe for three wins.

• STRETCH OF EXCELLENCE. For any team at any level of basketball, it is almost impossible to shoot below 35 percent from the field and win. The Beavers, Saints and Mustangs made that evident when the Golden Eagles held them each to under that mark from the field this past week. The Beavers shot the best out of the three when they shot just 33.8 percent from the field, which was a season-low for the Beavers to this point. The three-game stretch of holding opponents to shoot 35 percent from the field marks the first time in program history that the Golden Eagles have done so. The Saints shot 29.8 percent from the field on Friday afternoon, marking the lowest opponent shooting percentage since the Golden Eagles held Oak Hills Christian College to shoot just 22 percent in 2016. The Golden Eagles have improved drastically on the defensive side of the ball and it is a huge reason for their three game winning streak.

• LIGHTS OUT FROM DEEP. In their win against the Beavers, the Golden Eagles were just 5-18 from deep, but hit some timely shots from deep to pull away from BSU. On Friday and Saturday in Wachs Arena, the Golden Eagles made 18 of their 41 shots from deep. They made eight from deep against Presentation on Friday, then followed that up with another season high performance of 10 makes from deep against Midwestern State. The Golden Eagles were able to stop runs from the Mustangs on Saturday with their three ball and will look to continue that this weekend against two traditional NSIC powers.

• COINCIDENCE? When looking at the stats, fans might notice that when Uzo Dibiamaka makes a shot from behind the arc, the Golden Eagles have won a majority of those games. Through seven games, the lefty from Australia has made a shot from deep in five of those games. In the five games that Dibiamaka makes a shot from deep, the Golden Eagles are 4-1 and are 2-1 when he makes more than one three per game.

• DEPTH MATTERS. Most times, the deeper a team can be, the better they will be. So far the Golden Eagles have eight players who are playing 10 minutes or more per game, led by Dibiamaka, who is the only Golden Eagle averaging 30 or more minutes per game on the season. Dibiamaka is currently seventh in the NSIC in minutes played. This is one of the more deeper teams that the Golden Eagles have had in recent memories and they will look to continue the solid bench play throughout the season.

• NO SECOND CHANCE. A big thing that the Golden Eagles have improved upon and has been really good this season has been on the glass. The Golden Eagles have won the rebounding battle in six of their seven games this season, including winning it in all three games last week. The Golden Eagles pulled down a whopping 50 against BSU in the conference opener, which was the third-highest in the conference this season and highest in the NSIC for any team against a Division II opponent. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Beavers 50-34, making it the largest rebounding margin for the Golden Eagles since they outrebounded Waldorf by 22 in 2019.

• NOTHING LIKE 2-0. When St. Cloud State comes to town, the Golden Eagles will look to do something they've only done once before in program history: start 2-0 in the NSIC. The last time the Golden Eagles started 2-0, they defeated Bemidji State at home and MSU Moorhead on the road in 2019-20. If the Golden Eagles can defeat the Huskies for the first time since January of 2019, they have to like where they sit in the NSIC. Also, the Golden Eagles have beaten St. Cloud State four times, all of which have come in Lysaker Gymnasium.

• YOU CAN TRUST ME, I'M B. Redshirt senior Brian Sitzmann has meant a lot to the Golden Eagles in his five seasons. He was a starter on the team that last made the NSIC Sanford Health Quarterfinals and has started 65 games, which currently sits sixth in program history and he will more than likely move into the top-five when the season is over. Sitzmann is currently fourth on this year's version of the Golden Eagles and is second on the team in assists. Sitzmann almost always has the toughest defensive assignment and is such a valuable piece to the Golden Eagle puzzle.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 62-121 Season at UMC: Eighth Season


St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Matt Reimer
Record at SCSU: 113-79 Season at SCSU: Seventh Season

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Justin Wieck
Record at UMD: 52-26 Season at UMD: Fourth Season

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
R-So. G 10 Uzo Dibiamaka (6-3, Adelaide, South Australia) 12.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.4 APG
R-Jr. G 1 Ethan Channel (6-4, Beaverton, Ore.) 11.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-Sr. G 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4, Savage, Minn.) 9.7 RPG, 3.1 RPG
R-Jr. F 11 Leonard Dixon (6-7, Demascus, Ore.) 11.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG
R-Jr. C 15 Zen Goodridge (6-8, Orlando, Fla.) 4.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, West Fargo, N.D.) 4.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Jr. F 23 Marcus Thompson (6-6, Brooklyn, N.Y.) 0.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG
R-So. C 13 Nathaniel Powell (6-9, Nottingham, England) 5.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG
R-So. G 3 Dylan Hushaw (6-2, Las Vegas, Nev.) 3.5 PPG 2.5 RPG
St. Cloud State
Projected Starters
So. G 4 Joe Mutimer (6-0, Melbourne, Australia) 5.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Sr. G 10 Ryan Bagley (6-3, Pocatello, Idaho) 12.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG
Jr. G 20 Caleb Donaldson (6-4, Bloomington, Ill.) 17.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Jr. G 22 Anthony Roberts (6-4, Chicago, Ill.) 19.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG
So. F 52 Josh Tomasi (6-10, Melbourne, Australia) 11.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 24 Matthew Willert (6-6, Buffalo, Minn.) 10.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Jr. G 42 Luke Taylor (6-6, Germantown, Wis.) 3.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG
R-Jr. F 1 Daniel Geistler (6-5, Norwalk, Iowa) 2.2 PPG
Minnesota Duluth
Projected Starters
So. G 1 Joshua Brown (6-4, Minneapolis, Minn.) 13.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Jr. G 3 Jack Middleton (6-5, Edina, Minn.) 10.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG
R-Jr. G 22 Drew Blair (6-5, Stevens Point, Wis.) 20.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG
So. F 24 Charlie Katona (6-6, Shakopee, Minn.) 12.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG
So. F 32 Austin Andrews (6-6, Eden Prairie, Minn.) 18.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 0 Joshua Strong (6-0, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 3.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG
So. G 2 Zach Lea (6-4, Chaska, Minn.) 1.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Sr. F 4 Jacob Shields (6-6, Houston, Texas) 3.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG
So. F 40 Lincoln Meister (6-9, Rochester, Minn.) 5.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG

NSIC Rankings

Scoring Offense: 15th
Scoring Defense: 8th
Scoring Margin: 14th
Free Throw Pct.: 15th
Field Goal Pct.: 10th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 2nd
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 6th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 8th
Rebounding Offense: 7th
Rebounding Defense: 14th
Rebounding Margin: 9th
Blocked Shots: 3rd
Assists: 15th
Steals: 11th
Turnover Margin: 16th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 9th
Defensive Rebounds: 5th

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

ST. CLOUD STATE. The Huskies are a perennial power in the NSIC. This year, the Huskies have gotten off to a little bit of a slow start, but they sure can score the ball. SCSU has scored over 80 points in four of their seven games this season and are 3-1 in those games, with the only loss coming to NAIA institution Clarke University in St. Cloud. SCSU is currently 3-4 on the season and 0-1 in the NSIC, with their loss coming to Minnesota Duluth last week.

ANT MAN ATTACK.  Dominating the headlines in the NBA has been Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Endwards, for good reason, because he's awesome. 45 minutes North of the Twin Cities sits another Anthony: Anthony Roberts. Roberts, the junior from the Windy City has been awesome this season for the Huskies. Roberts leads the NSIC in minutes played, at almost 38 per game and is top ten in scoring, blocks per game and rebounding. Roberts has scored in double-figures in every game this season, including a 28-point output against Clarke. Roberts is a star and the Huskies rely on him to do a ton of damage.

DOES ANTMAN HAVE A SIDEKICK? If he did, Caleb Donaldson would be the best candidate for the job. Donaldson, a fellow Illinois native has been just as impressive as his classmate. Donaldson is second on the team averaging 17.0 points per game, which also ranks top ten in the conference. He has scored double-figures in all but one game, including a season-high 29 points against the Mavericks of Minnesota State. Donaldson is dangerous at getting to the charity stripe, shooting 45 free throws on the season. Comparatively, he has shot just six shots from deep. The key to stopping the 6-4 guard is to keep him out of the painted area.

BATTLE OF THE BENCHES. One thing to watch this Thursday night in Crookston is the battle of the benches. The Husky bench is led by Joe Mutimer, who has also started four games and is averaging 5.1 points per game. Luke Taylor has started zero games, but has played in all seven and is averaging under four points a game. The Golden Eagles have gotten a lot of production from their bench this season, so it will be interesting to see which team can have the more productive bench on Thursday.

MINNESOTA DULUTH. After somewhat of a rebuild a season ago where the Bulldogs finished 6-7, they have come out in 2021 with their loudest bark. UMD is 7-0 on the season and has some very impressive wins, with wins over Nebraska-Kearney, a 34-point win over 2020 NCAA Tournament team Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. The Bulldogs look to be legit in the NSIC and should be contenders for the National Tournament as well.

STIFLING DEFENSE. The key to the hot start for the Bulldogs has been on the defensive side of the ball. Currently, the 7-0 Bulldogs have given up just 63.7 points per game to their opponents, including giving up just 48 points in a win to Northland College. East Central scored 84 points against UMD in the second game of the season, which is the most the 'Dogs have given up. UMD is currently third in the conference in defensive points per game, just behind Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana, who are first and second, respectively.

HAVE THEY PLAYED A CLOSE GAME? Well, the answer is simply no. So far, the smallest margin of victory for UMD was that eight point victory over East Central in the second game of the season. The Bulldogs have won six out of their seven games over double-digits with margins that read: 13, 23, 17, 34 and 13. Those are pretty impressive victories for the Bulldogs, who have a win margin of about 26, which ranks sixth in the nation.

AUSTIN POWERS. Sophomore forward Austin Andrews is really good. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is already having a breakout year for Head Coach Justin Wieck. Andrews already has four double-doubles on the season, which ranks him fourth in the nation and tied for first in the NSIC and is top ten in the nation in field goals made and total rebounds and is 33rd nationally in rebounds per game. Andrews is off to a roaring start in 2021.