Minnesota Crookston Set for Big Weekend at Home Against Bemidji State Thursday, Head to Northern State on Saturday


#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball will continue playing on an odd schedule and have a split weekend again. For the second time this season, the Golden Eagles will have a split schedule, but this time will play once at home on Thursday night against Bemidji State and then head to Aberdeen to take on Northern State on Saturday. The Golden Eagles will look to get back in the win column and rack up some wins as the season winds down. That will hopefully start this Thursday against their Highway-2 rivals, Bemidji State.

·   IRON MAN. Reid Grant is quickly establishing himself as an outstanding player in the NSIC and a player that the Golden Eagles quite simply need to have on the floor. Grant is currently averaging 37.3 minutes per game, which would be the highest by a Golden Eagle since Harrison Cleary averaged over 38 minutes per game in back-to-back years in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Grant and backcourt partner Blaize Sagna are 1-2 in minutes per game and play the most together out of any duo in the Northern Sun. Grant and Sagna have led the Golden Eagles this season and will continue to do so down the stretch.

• DEFENSIVE STOPPER. The Golden Eagles have a bunch of length with guys like Jordan Mitchell, De'Antray Hughes, Myles and Mario Adams and Aguek Deng. Deng has really shown off his length and athleticism and then some this year. Deng currently leads the NSIC in blocks and blocks per game and is top-five in rebounds per game. The last Golden Eagle to lead the conference in blocks and blocks per game was Gable Smith in 2017-18, who was also 12th in rebounding that season. Smith also won the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year that season. Is Deng on a similar path to Smith? Only time will tell, but what a year the Des Moines, Iowa native has had on the defensive side of the ball.

·  ALL ABOUT THAT BLAIZE. If anyone had one word for the year Blaize Sagna is having, it would be magnificent. Magnificent might not do justice to the year Sagna is having, but hey, we try our best. Sagna has been outstanding, dynamic, efficient, electric; quite frankly, any of those words will do. Sagna currently leads the NSIC in scoring with 22.3 points per game and is top seven in three point makes, free throw makes, minutes played, three point attempts and field goal attempts. Sagna is on track to lead the NSIC in scoring and would be the first Golden Eagle to do that since Cleary did it twice in his four seasons as a Golden Eagle. That's some pretty quality company for No. 1 to be in.

·   MARK IT DOWN, MITCHELL.  The Golden Eagles have had a solid interior defense this season and the length and athleticism has been a key factor in Jordan Mitchell. The redshirt junior from the Buckeye state has made some key plays (see closing seconds against Winona State) and has been a consistent lineup fixture, playing in 21 of the possible 22 games this season. In his last three games, Mitchell is averaging four points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and has ten assists in his last four games.

·   LID ON THE RIM. Earlier this year, the Golden Eagles knocked off Northern State for the first time in almost a dozen years. It was maybe one of the most complete games for the Golden Eagles, who locked the Wolves down offensively. Minnesota Crookston held the Wolves to shoot just 1-22 from deep, which was their second lowest of the season (0-26 vs Missouri Western). NSU shoots the second most threes in the conference, but if the Golden Eagles can pour a water bucket on their three-point shot, the Golden Eagles have to like their chances on Tuesday.

·   THE ADAMS FAMILY. The Golden Eagles have had the opportunity to play some young guys and throw them into the fire that is the Northern Sun. Two of those young guys are twins Myles and Mario. The pair have seen their minutes increase since the first of the year and have earned valuable time for the future. Myles played 20 minutes last weekend against St. Cloud State and played valuable minutes down the stretch, where Mario iced the win against Concordia-St. Paul with a dunk. They have continued to see their playing time increase and are turning into valuable rotation pieces for the maroon and gold.

• HOME COURT ADVANTAGE. On Thursday, the Golden Eagles will look to avenge their heartbreaking loss to the Beavers on the second day of December. Fortunately, the Golden Eagles will be at home and man, they love playing the Beavers at home. In the last six games inside Lysaker Gymnasium between the two programs, the Golden Eagles have won five of six games by an average of 7.2 points, including wins of 10, 16, 19 and 21. The Golden Eagles play well on their home floor and are playing a Beavers team that has lost six out of their last seven games and historically has struggled in Crookston the last 10 years.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 8-42 Season at UMC: Eighth Season (Second as Head Coach)


Bemidji State Beavers
Head Coach: Mike Boschee
Record at BSU: 142-170  Season at BSU: 12th Season


Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Record at NSU: 98-38  Season at NSU: 5th Season


Bemidji State @ Minnesota Crookston
Date: Thursday, Feb. 8
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: BSU leads 36-11
Last Meeting: 63-62 win for the Beavers in Bemidji earlier this year
Officials: Lucas Pearson, Brayden Schildberger and Nate Moeller


Minnesota Crookston @ Northern State
Date: Saturday, Feb. 10
Time: 6 P.M.
Place: Aberdeen, S.D. / Wachs Arena
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/
Live Stats: https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: NSU leads all-time series, 44-3
Last Meeting: 71-64 win for the Golden Eagles earlier this year in Crookston
Officials: Ethan Johnson, Jordan Rheault and Kaden Keuneman


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (6-16)
Projected Starters
Jr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 14.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.5 APG
Jr. G 1 Blaize Sagna (6-3, London, England) 22.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG
R-Jr. F 13 Aguek Deng (6-9, Des Moines, Iowa) 6.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.0 BPG
Jr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 5.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 5.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. F 2 De'Antray Hughes (6-7 New Orleans, La.) 4.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG
R-Fr. G 12 Peter Fuchs, Jr. (6-4, Wausau, Wis.) 6.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Fr. G 11 Myles Adams (6-6, Rosemount, Minn.) 2.3 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Fr. G 24 Mario Adams (6-6, Rosemount, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Bemidji State Beavers (11-12)
Projected Starters
Sr. F 0 Dalton Albrecht (6-7, Grafton, N.D.) 16.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG
So. G 4 Brayden Williams (6-2, Owatonna, Minn.) 7.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Jr. G 3 BJ Davis (6-0, Nashville, Tenn.) 9.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG
So. G 21 Johnny Tennyson (6-3, St. Michael, Minn.) 5.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Jr. F 23 John Sutherland (6-7, Grand Rapids, Minn.) 20.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 24 Daxten Dayley (6-5, St. George, Utah) 5.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG
So. G 2 Tate Olson (6-5, New York Mills, Minn.) 4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG
Fr. G 11 John Pecarich (6-3, Brainerd, Minn.) 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Northern State Wolves (9-14)
Projected Starters
So. F 0 Michael Nhial (6-7, Fargo, N.D.) 8.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG
Gr. G 11 Augustin Reede (6-2, Aberdeen, S.D.) 11.1 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Jr. G 12 Josh Dilling (6-4, Oshkosh, Wis.) 18.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Jr. F 3 Andrew Bergan (6-8, Aberdeen, S.D.) 5.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. F 21 Jacksen Moni (6-10, Fargo, N.D.) 21.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 5 Isaiah Hagen (6-3, Orono, Minn.) 3.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Sr. G/F 24 Kobe Busch (6-5, Huron, S.D.) 1.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG


#HEADLINES


1. Another split weekend for the Golden Eagles

2. Crunch time in NSIC Play

3. Looking to avenge earlier season loss to Beavers at the buzzer

4. Looking for first ever season sweep of Wolves

5. Can the Golden Eagles force misses?


KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Bemidji State. The Beavers got off to a quick start this season but have struggled since the calendar has shifted to 2024. BSU has lost six out of their last seven games, but did get a really nice win at home on Tuesday against the Golden Eagles opponent on Saturday, Northern State. BSU will look to sweep the season series after a thrilling win over the Golden Eagles at the buzzer in early December.

DYNAMIC DUO. The duo the Golden Eagles have in the backcourt in Reid Grant and Blaize Sagna, the Beavers have that with John Sutherland and Dalton Albrecht. Sutherland and Albrecht are the top two leading scorers for the Beavers, while Albrecht is the only player in the Northern Sun to average a double-double. Albrecht and Sutherland proved the outstanding duo they are in Tuesday night's win over Northern State. Sutherland went for 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Albrecht went for 26 points and nine rebounds. Stopping them is way easier said than done.

FINISH THE POSSESSION. Bemidji State is really, really good when they win the rebounding battle. In Tuesday's win over Northern State, the Beavers outrebounded NSU by 11, adding to the fact that they win the game when they win the battle on the boards. BSU has lost the rebounding battle seven times this season and are 1-6 in those games. Winning the boards doesn't always lead to wins for BSU, but it's a good indicator they will be in it until the final buzzer.

DAVIS THE DYNAMO. BJ Davis could easily be considered an 'X-factor' for the Beavers this season. The Beavers need to have someone else besides Sutherland and Albrecht to make plays, and that has been Davis at times this season. The junior from the Music City has scored 20 points in three games this season, all of which game in a four game stretch. Davis scored eight points the last time these two teams met, including two big threes in the second half.

Northern State. The Wolves are winners of two out of their last three games, but fell on Tuesday night in Bemidji by 16. The Wolves have struggled on the road this season, sitting at 3-7, but as always, have been good at home, sitting at 6-6 on the year. Wachs Arena is a tough place to play and the Wolves have never lost to the Golden Eagles in Aberdeen. NSU will hope that trend continues on Saturday, as they look to avoid the season sweep of the Golden Eagles.

SHOW ME THE MONI. What a week it was for NSU star Jacksen Moni. The junior from Fargo helped the Wolves sweep both UMary and St. Cloud State last weekend by averaging 31 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 72 percent from the field. Those two performances earned Moni the D2CIDA National Player of the Week honors. Moni is top five in the NSIC in scoring and finished with 21 points the last time these two teams met in late December.

FARGO X2. Michael Nhial is another Fargo native that has found his home in Aberdeen and has had a nice season as a sophomore. The 6-7 wing is fourth on his team in scoring at just over eight points per game and is second with 5.5 rebounds per game. Nhial is averaging 11.5 points per game in the Wolves last two games and will look to continue the scoring punch he has added this weekend.

HIT SOME SHOTS. This might be an obvious statement, but the Wolves will more than likely need to make more than one three this weekend against the Golden Eagles. The Wolves were 1-22 from long range the last time these two teams met and got to the free throw line just four times. NSU has nine games this season with more than 10 three's, including 20 earlier this year. The Wolves are one of the best three point shooting teams, including the volume of three's that they take.