#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball is finally back at home this weekend after two straight weekends on the road. The Golden Eagles had a nice time on the road, going 2-1 with nice wins at Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State. It was the first time since February of 2019 that the Golden Eagles have won back-to-back games away from Lysaker Gymnasium. This weekend, the Golden Eagles host Wayne State College and nationally ranked Augustana as they look to get back into the thick of things in the NSIC North.

• DYNAMIC DUO. In order for the Golden Eagles to end the long losing streak against Southwest Minnesota State last Friday, the Golden Eagles needed to rely on the duo of Leonard Dixon and Uzo Dibiamaka. The two more than delivered at the R/A Facility. Dibiamaka and Dixon combined to score 38 points on 9-17 shooting from deep, while also combining for 12 rebounds and five assists. It was an outstanding game for the duo and it resulted in a gigantic win for the maroon and gold.

• THE FRESH PRINCE OF POWELL. Another player who had a huge game in Marshall on Friday night was Nathaniel Powell. The redshirt sophomore from Nottingham, England was just two rebounds away from his first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds. Powell was exceptional from the free throw line, finishing 6-8 from the charity stripe, including going 4-4 down the stretch to help Minnesota Crookston pick up their first ever win at Southwest Minnesota State.

• 20 MINUTE LOCKDOWN. The key to the victory on Friday night wasn't the 11 3-point makes or the terrific trio of Powell, Dibiamaka or Dixon. Instead, it was on the defensive side of the ball in the second half. Although the Mustangs scored 37 points in the final 20 minutes, Minnesota Crookston held the Mustangs to shoot just 30 percent from the field in the second half and held the dynamic duo of Jake Phipps and Kenny Byers to shoot just 10-35 combined from the field. Overall, it was one of the best defensive performances of the season for the Golden Eagles and they will look to carry that over this weekend against the Wildcats and Vikings.

• NO THREE'S FOR YOU.  The Golden Eagles biggest improvement this season has been holding teams to just two point field goals as opposed to makes from deep. This season, Minnesota Crookston is currently 7th in the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just a tick above 33 percent at 33.3 percent. The Golden Eagles have held opponents to less than 32 percent shooting from deep three different times this season, already matching the total from last season. The Golden Eagles have also not allowed opponents to shoot over 38 percent from deep from any spot beyond the three-point line this season. The highest percentage opponents shoot come from the right slot, where teams are shooting 37.7 percent from deep against the Golden Eagles on the season.
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• GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, E. What a sight it was for Golden Eagle fans to have Ethan Channel back in the lineup this past weekend. Channel, who hasn't been in the lineup since Jan. 2 at Bemidji State, made his return this past weekend and although he averaged five points in two games, he made some huge plays against SMSU, including two huge three-point makes on Friday night. Channel is a huge part to what the Golden Eagles do on both ends of the floor, so having No. 1 back is a great sign for a team trying to make a push in the North half of the NSIC.

• HISTORY WITH THE VIKINGS. It could be argued that one of the largest wins in program history came when Minnesota Crookston knocked off the No. 2 seeded Augustana Vikings in the first round of the NSIC Sanford Health Quarterfinals in 2019. It was a huge win, but this weekend is a chance for the maroon and gold to pull off an even bigger win. Augustana, who defeated nationally ranked Minnesota Duluth last Friday and blew past St. Cloud State on Saturday, will undoubtedly be ranked in the top 15 in at least one of the two national polls this weekend. It is a great opportunity for the Golden Eagles to top that 2019 victory and pick up a huge victory for the program.

• AMONG THE CONFERENCE BEST. Leonard Dixon is having a really nice season for the Golden Eagles. Heading into this weekend, Dixon is fifth in the NSIC with three-point makes from deep at 2.4, but could maybe become even higher by the year's end. He is also top-15 in rebounds per game, steals per game and blocks per game as well. Dixon is the straw that stirs the drink and when he plays well, it seems like the Golden Eagles play really good as well.
                          


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 64-131 Season at UMC: 8th Season


Wayne State College Wildcats
Head Coach: Jeff Kaminsky
Record at WSC: 76-82 Season at WSC: 6th Season


Augustana University Vikings
Head Coach: Tom Billeter
Record at AU: 445-247 Season at AU: 18th Season


NSIC Rankings

Scoring Offense: 16th
Scoring Defense: 8th
Scoring Margin: 14th
Free Throw Pct.: 15th
Field Goal Pct.: 15th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 4th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 16th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 5th
Rebounding Offense: 9th
Rebounding Defense: 15th
Rebounding Margin: 14th
Blocked Shots: 4th
Assists: 14th
Steals: 11th
Turnover Margin: 15th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 10th
Defensive Rebounds: 8th


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

WAYNE STATE. The Wildcats have won three out of their last four games, including a pair of double-digit victories over Northern State and St. Cloud State. The only blemish in their last four games was at the hands of top-15 Minnesota Duluth, their last time out. The Wildcats will be coming into Crookston playing really good basketball.

EAGER MR. EAGINS. The redshirt season a season ago for Justin Eagins is seeming to pay off. The native of Downers Grove, Ill., leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16.2 points per game, including a career-high 28 points on 11-15 shooting from the field in a two-point loss to Sioux Falls earlier this season. Stopping Eagins will be a key for the Golden Eagles this season.

NO JOKES WITH JANSSEN. Jordan Janssen, who won the NSIC South Player of the Year a season ago is picking up right where he left off in his redshirt junior season. The Lincoln, Neb., native, who was also named to the NABC Division II All-Central Region team a season ago, is currently averaging 16.1 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, both of which are top ten in the conference. Janssen also has four double-doubles on the season, but hasn't had one since Dec. 10 against Sioux Falls. Eagins and Janssen are a dangerous 1-2 punch for the Wildcats.

MOHR! Although he has started just four games on the season for WSC, junior guard Nate Mohr is seeing his playing time go up, rightfully so. The Glenwood, Iowa native is averaging 9.5 points per game, but scored 19 and 14 points against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth, respectively. Mohr's playing time is also going up as a result of his solid play; Averaging over 27 minutes per game in his last four games.

AUGUSTANA. Man, what a roll the Vikings are on. In fact, you could argue that the traditional NSIC power is not only one of the hottest teams in the NSIC, but the entire nation as well. The Vikings have won their last 11 out of 12 games and have wins over Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth and Northern State in that span. Their only loss during that stretch was to the high-flying Upper Iowa Peacocks. It's going to be a tough test for the Golden Eagles on Saturday night in Crookston.

GOOD LUCK STOPPING HIM. It seems like Tyler Reimersma has been playing for the Vikings for an eternity. The senior from Bloomington, Minn., was on the Vikings when the Golden Eagles upset the Vikings in 2019. This season, the 6-8 forward is making a case for the NSIC Player of the Year. Reimersma is the only player in the conference to average a double-double on the season, scoring 17.3 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Reimersma has had double-digit rebounds in six of his last seven games for the Vikings.

NO FUNK FOR FINK. The worst thing a team can do is to let Isaac Fink open from deep. The Springfield, Minn., native is a sharpshooter and can be absolutely lights out. Fink has had two games with seven makes from the field, a game with nine and a career-high 14 makes from the field. Fink has also been automatic in games this season from deep, making a three in every game this season and has a 7-9 and a 5-8 game from deep this season.

LEBRUN OR LEBRON? Dylan LeBrun is just one of those players that you have to have on your roster. He is a glue guy in every sense of the word. The senior from Flandreau, S.D., is one of four Vikings scoring in double-figures at 10.9 per game and currently is averaging 3.8 rebounds per game as well. LeBrun doesn't shoot the three all that often, but does have a game with five makes from deep this season in a win earlier against Northern State.