Men's Basketball | 12/18/2024 11:17:00 AM
#TIDBITS
Golden Eagle men's basketball will look to avoid the Grinch this weekend as they look to get their Holidays started on a high note. It won't be easy, however; the Golden Eagles have never won in Wachs Arena in 25 tries and they close out 2024 with a game in Nemzek Hall at MSU Moorhead, a top-10 team in the latest NABC and CSC National polls. It will be a challenging week, but the Golden Eagles will look for a strong start and stronger finish this weekend.
· BREAK THAT WALL DOWN. The Golden Eagles have a golden (pun intended) opportunity to go into Northern State and Wachs Arena and get a W. Putting the win in the left-handed column has alluded the Golden Eagles dating back to 2000, but man, there have been some extremely close calls in that stretch. Some of the Golden Eagle losses to the Wolves in Aberdeen have been a 77-76 loss in 2001, a 80-77 loss in 2012, a five-point loss in 2017 and a 72-70 loss in 2019, when the Golden Eagles led by two possessions with less than a minute left. Minnesota Crookston will look to earn their first win in Aberdeen and it would give the Golden Eagles a very merry win.
• 1-22. In Bryan Beamish' first win over the Northern State Wolves on the bench at Minnesota Crookston last season, it was his teams' defense that propelled the Golden Eagles to that thrilling victory in Crookston. Minnesota Crookston held the Wolves, who had the likes of Josh Dilling (now at Northern Kentucky) and Jacksen Moni (now at North Dakota State), to just 1-22 shooting from long range and 45 percent from the field. Minnesota Crookston will look to get back to that defensive identity this Friday night in South Dakota.
· NEW YEAR, SAME J-MITCH. Speaking of last season's win over the Wolves, the Golden Eagles had balance all across the board in terms of scoring. One of the catalysts to that win was now redshirt senior
Jordan Mitchell. Mitchell finished the game with 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds, including four offensive boards. Mitchell was efficient as well, shooting 6-10 from the field in that win. Mitchell will look for a similar impact this season in the first of two meetings with Northern State.
· CONSISTENCY IS KEY. Micah Garrett started out the season with a pair of double-digit scoring games and then was held below the 10 point threshold in three straight games. Since that three game stretch, No. 13 has been outstanding. The junior from Portland has scored in double-figures in five straight games and is averaging 15 points per game in his last two games, including a career-high 16 against St. Cloud State. The Golden Eagles have relied on Garrett to score and he has done that over the last handful of games.
· GREAT SHOT SELECTION. Junior
Andrew Stokes is turning out to be a pretty solid Northern Sun player. The native of Illinois has started the Golden Eagles last four games and has taken the starting role and has run with it. Stokes is averaging 14.3 points per game in that stretch and is shooting 62 percent in that stretch, as well, one of the best in the NSIC during the four game stretch. Overall, Stokes is fourth on the Golden Eagles in shooting and leads the maroon and gold in shooting percentage. Stokes is also shooting North of 80 percent at the charity stripe, including a career-high 7-7 against St. Cloud State.
· LET IT FLY YOUNG FELLA. When
Landon Dimler lets a shot go, everyone in the gym, yours truly included, feels like it has a chance to go in. That was evident last Saturday against the Marauders of UMary. Dimler finished with a career-high 10 points in 20 minutes, while burying two shots from deep. Dimler has been such a consistent player off the bench this season and should be an impact player for years to come for the Golden Eagles.
• ANALYTICS GAME. Minnesota Crookston has made it a point of emphasis this season to try and be more efficient from long range. So far, through 10 games, they have done that. This past Saturday, the Golden Eagles were able to hit 11 shots from long range and have 34 makes from long range in their last four games and 34 in four conference games. The Golden Eagles have shot 225 shots from long range through 10 games, which is on pace with last season, when they shot 223 through the first ten games. The Golden Eagles finished with a season-high 33 points from the three-point line last weekend.
Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 10-54 Season at UMC: 11th Season (Third as Head Coach)
Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Record at NSU: 100-44 Season at NSU: 6th Season (18th Season as HC)
MSU Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach: Tim Bergstraser
Record at MSUM: 59-14 Season at MSUM: 3rd Season
Minnesota Crookston @ Northern State
Date: Friday, December 20
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Aberdeen, S.D. / Wachs Arena
Watch:
https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/
Stats:
https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record:NSU leads 45-3
Last Meeting: 83-68 win for the Wolves in Aberdeen
Minnesota Crookston @ No. 6/9 MSU Moorhead
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: Moorhead, Minn. / Nemzek Hall
Watch:
https://nsicnetwork.com/msumdragons/
Stats:
https://www.msumdragons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: MSUM leads 37-10 all-time
Last Meeting: 76-49 win for the Dragons last year in Moorhead
Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (2-8)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 3
Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 15.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.6 APG
R-So. G 5
Chandler Meeks (6-1, Omaha, Neb.) 10.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Jr. F 25
Andrew Stokes (6-5, Westchester, Ill.) 9.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Jr. G 13
Micah Garrett (6-3, Portland, Ore.) 10.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG
R-Jr. F 10
Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 9.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 33
Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 3.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Jr. G 1
Christian Bowen-Webb (6-2, Atchison, Kan.) 5.8 PPG
Fr. F 23
Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) .8 PPG
Fr. G 12
Landon Dimler (6-5, Mankato, Minn.) 4.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Northern State Wolves (1-9)
Projected Starters
So. F 1 Tobi Obiora (6-7, Bilthoven, Netherlands) 8.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG
R-Fr. G 2 Ethan Russell (6-6, Aberdeen, S.D.) 5.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Fr. G 3 Marcus Burks (6-4, Lakeville, Minn.) 10.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Jr. G 4 James Glenn (6-4, Altoona, Iowa) 12.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG
So. G 11 Kwat Abdelkarim (6-3, Lincoln, Neb.) 9.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 15 Braeden Vanbockern (6-3, Harrisburg, S.D.) 5.3 PPG, .8 RPG
Jr. G/F 21 Kaleb Mitchell (6-10, Fountain, Colo.) 8.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG
So. G/F 23 Devon Brooke (6-4, Queen Creek, Ariz.) 3.1 PPG
MSU Moorhead Dragons (9-1)
Projected Starters
Jr. F 1 Sam Hastreiter (6-7, Lincoln, Neb.) 7.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Sr. G 4 Jacob Beeninga (6-0, Maple Grove, Minn.) 18.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Jr. G 5 Logan Kinsey (6-6, Blaine, Minn.) 15.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG
Jr. F 25 Jacob Jennissen (7-1, Sauk Centre, Minn.) 10.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG
Fr. F 13 Shaun Wysocki (6-6, Rochester, Minn.) 7.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 10 Eddie Beeninga (6-1, Maple Grove, Minn.) 2.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG
So. G 11 Levi Birkholz (6-1, Lake Mills, Wis.) 3.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG
R-Fr. F 32 Adam Jenkins (6-9, Moorhead, Minn.) 3.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG
KNOW THE OPPONENTS
Northern State Wolves. Northern State, a perennial power in the Northern Sun, has struggled this season. The Wolves are 1-9 on the season and have yet to get a win over an NCAA Division II program. The Wolves have lost six in a row, including being swept by future NSIC program, the University of Jamestown. This is a big game for both teams, but especially the Wolves, who look to get the train back on the track.
WE GOT K-MITCH. The Golden Eagles have their own J-Mitch, but the Wolves have their K-Mitch. Kaleb Mitchell, a junior from Fountain, Colo., has been fantastic this season after transferring from Adams State. Mitchell is fourth on the team in scoring, but he has started two games in the NSIC and leads his team with 13.0 points per game in the conference, including 18 in a heartbreaking loss to Bemidji State. Mitchell has played well in NSIC play and will be a tough guard this Friday.
BURKS TAKES IT TO THE BANK. In a tough season for NSU, Marcus Burks has been a very bright spot for Saul Phillips. Burks is averaging 10.6 points per game on the year, second on the Wolves and has scored in double-figures in four straight games, with a career-high three, three-point makes last time out against Jamestown.
HAND ME THE PHILLIPS. Roaming the Wolves bench for the last handful of years has been Saul Phillips. Northern State was the first D-II stop for Phillips after getting his start at North Dakota State and leading the Bison to the NCAA Tournament, and then spending years at Ohio University. Phillips is now at Northern State and has done a fantastic job with the Wolves, where he sees a sellout every single home game in Wachs Arena.
MSU Moorhead. The Dragons are off to another fantastic start this season and should be in the run for a Central Region title this season. There is still a long way to go, but the Dragons are 9-1 on the year and ranked top-10 in both polls. MSUM is riding a four game win streak, but have had some close calls as of late, including a two point win at St. Cloud State and a seven point win at Bemidji State. The Dragons host Minot State on Friday in the battle of two top-15 teams.
UNCONVENTIONAL. It's not that the Dragons are a bad three-point shooting team, they still shoot 36 percent from long range, which ranks near the top half of the conference, it's just that they can beat you near the tin. MSUM shoots an effective 47 percent from the field. The Dragons are an outstanding offensive team while ranking dead last in the NSIC in three-point attempts at just 17 per game. The Dragons do it in kind of an old-fashioned way and it's led them to an outstanding start.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. Jacob Beeninga has been playing at an elite level for a long time. This year, he's playing like the conference player of the year. Beeninga ranks second in the Northern Sun with 18.8 points per game, while also being in the top-10 in assists per game. The senior from Maple Grove, Minn., has double-figures in all but one game this season and finished with 33 points against St, Cloud State. Beeninga will be at the top of the scouting report this weekend.
KIND LIKE KINSEY. Logan Kinsey has proven to be an outstanding second scorer to Beeninga this season. The junior from Blaine, Minn., is averaging over 15 points per game on the season and 18.5 points per game in the last six Dragons games. Kinsey has taken more than 10 shots in all six of those games as well. If the Dragons can get that other scoring punch alongside Beeninga, like Kinsey has proven this season, they are an even more dangerous team.
