Men's Basketball | 1/22/2026 2:17:00 PM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball will continue on their unforeseen three-match road trip on Friday and Saturday on the road at Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State, two of the hottest teams in the conference. The Golden Eagles lost to Wayne State College on Wednesday night on the road in a double postponed game.

·   TOUGH TIME FROM DEEP. Minnesota Crookston struggled from long range in their loss to Wayne State College. Sure, they made one more three than Wayne State College from deep, but finished just 7-24 from the three-point line, good for just 29 percent. It's the seventh time this season that the Golden Eagles have shot below 30 percent from long range, which is one pace to match last season's total of 10. The Golden Eagles make a lot of three-pointers, but at times have struggled percentage wise at different times this season.

• GOOD INSIDE THE ARC. On the flipside of that stat from long range, Minnesota Crookston has done a decent job of knocking down shots from inside the arc. The Golden Eagles have shot 40 percent or higher in four straight games, including 49 percent against Augustana, which is a season-high against a Division II opponent.

·  SECOND CRACK AT THE RIM. The Golden Eagles have seemingly outrebounded their opponents this season on the offensive side of the basketball. Minnesota Crookston currently has 206 offensive rebounds this season, compared to just 170 for their opponents. Five Golden Eagles have 20 or more offensive rebounds this season, led by Kazadi Mukoma, Jr. and his 26 offensive boards. If the pace stays the way it's going, the Golden Eagles will have finished with more offensive rebounds than their opponents for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when they finished with just five more offensive rebounds than their opponents.

·   THE SPENCER STAR.  Spencer Swenson could be the next Golden Eagle star. The fun thing about #1 is that he makes an impact on both ends of the floor. The freshman from Sauk Rapids, Minn., is averaging 16 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, two assists and 1.7 blocks per game in his last three games.  In fact, Swenson has at least one block in seven straight games, including a career high four in a win over Winona State two Fridays ago.

·    NEEDED THAT PERFORMANCE. J.D. Roberts and Swenson look like they could be identical on the floor. They have a similar stature, they can stretch the floor and they use their athleticism well. Roberts was good on Wednesday night against Wayne State College, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and an assist. It was the first double-digit performance for Roberts in more than a month, spanning nine games. Roberts will hope that performance carries over into two opponents that are top notch in the NSIC.

·   NSIC TEAM? Is it okay if the SID makes a push for Donez Lindsey to make an all-conference team? Hopefully it is, because it is well deserved. Lindsey leads the Golden Eagles in points, three-point makes, field goals made, assists and minutes played. The star from Stockton has just one game this season where he didn't eclipse 10 points, which was a nine point output in a loss to UMary. Lindsey gives the Golden Eagles a fantastic building block for the future and potentially a spot on the all-conference team at the end of the year.

• AVOID THE WHISTLE. Amidst their three game losing streak, one can look at the free throw disparity and see why the Golden Eagles have lost three in a row. In their three losses, Minnesota Crookston has lost the free throw battle by 29 combined attempts, including losing the free throw battle by 14 against Augustana. In fact, in that loss to Augustana, the Vikings had more free throw attempts (28) in the second half than field goal attempts (22). The Golden Eagles would like to avoid sending their opponents to the line and if they do, could result in a strong finish.

• WIN THAT BATTLE.  Speaking of the three-point line, the Golden Eagles have won the battle at the three-point line in seven straight games, dating back to a loss right before Christmas break to Augustana. That's a good battle to win against your opponent and the Golden Eagles will look to continue that this Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 16-78 Season at UMC: 12th Season (Fourth as Head Coach)

Sioux Falls Cougars
Head Coach: Chris Johnson
Record at USF: 309-234  Season at USF: 18th Season 

Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs
Head Coach: Brad Bigler
Record at SMSU: 273-204  Season at SMSU: 17th Season

Minnesota Crookston @ Sioux Falls
Date: Friday, Jan,. 23
Time: 7:30 PM
Place: Sioux Falls, S.D. / Stewart Center
Watch: https://www.nsicnetwork.com/usfcougars/
Stats: https://usfcougars.com/sidearmstats/MBBall/summary
Series Record: USF leads the all-time series 12-3
Last Meeting: 71-64 win for the Cougars in Sioux Falls last season


Minnesota Crookston @ Southwest Minnesota State
Date: Saturday, Jan. 24
Time: 7 P.M.
Place: Marshall, Minn. / R/A Facility
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/smsumustangs/
Stats: https://smsumustangs.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: SMSU leads all-time series, 33-3
Last Meeting: 77-62 win for SMSU last season in Marshall

#HEADLINES

1. Five days on the road

2. Can the Golden Eagles avoid big runs by opponents

3. Continue to lean on the freshmen

4. Golden Eagles are the opponent for SMSU's famed 'Tropical Night'

5. Have to rebound effectively

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Projected Starters
So. F 23 Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) 3.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. F 10 Kazadi Mukoma, Jr. (6-8, Grand Island, Neb.) 13.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Fr. G 2 Donez Lindsey (6-0, Stockton, Calif.) 14.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-Jr. G 15 Alijah Washington (6-4, San Bernardino, Calif.) 12.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Jr. G/F 21 J.D. Roberts (6-6, Parkville, Mo.) 4.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 3 GD Deng (6-4, Des Moines, Iowa) .8 PPG, 2.0 RPG
So. G 11 Caiden Swenby (6-3, Fertile, Minn.) 2.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG
So. G 20 Hunter Lorenson (5-11, Lake City, Minn.) 4.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Fr. F 1 Spencer Swenson (6-8, Sauk Rapids, Minn.) 10.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG
R-Jr. G 5 Chandler Meeks (6-1, Omaha, Neb.) 12.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG
 
Sioux Falls Cougars
Projected Starters
R-So. G 0 Taylen Ashley (6-1, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 16.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Fr. G 2 Brogan Madson (6-1, Mankato, Minn.) 18.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG
So. F 20 Brandon Hrncir (6-8, Farmington, Minn.) 14.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG
R-Jr. F 22 Kyle Ingwerson (6-6, Omaha, Neb.) 14.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Fr. C 25 Bryon Laue (6-10, Castlewood, S.D.) 3.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. F 8 Camden Davis (6-5, Hudson, Iowa) 5.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Jr. F 23 Gerard Bosch (6-7, Barcelona, Spain) 4.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG
So. G 24 Jacoby Mehrman (6-4, Harrisburg, S.D.) 7.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs
Projected Starters
Jr. F 0 Aeron Stevens (6-7, Plainview, Minn.) 11.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Sr. G 1 Jakob Braaten (6-0, Byron, Minn.) 15.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG
So. G 3 Landon Pokorski (6-1, Gretna, Neb.) 5.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Sr. G 13 Mason Lund (6-7, Rice, Minn.) 10.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG
R-Fr. F 15 Micah Schlaak (6-7, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 12.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 2 Mekhi Shaw (6-0, Eau Claire, Wis.) 11.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
So. F 4 Calvin Buss (6-6, West Bend, Wis.) 2.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Fr. F 8 Brayson Boike (6-8, Dawson, Minn.) 4.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG

KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls is by far one of the hottest teams in the conference. USF got off to a 2-8 record this season, but have rattled off eight wins in a row and haven't lost since Dec. 14 when they fell in overtime to Concordia-St. Paul. The Cougars have won six straight games against the Golden Eagles.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR. USF is undoubtedly led by four of their five starters and rely on them to do a bulk of the scoring. As a team, the Cougars average over 86 points per game, with 62 of those points per game coming from Brogan Madson, Taylen Ashley, Brandon Hrncir and Kyle Ingwerson. The four of them combine for 72 percent of the Cougars' total offense.

GET TO THE LINE. Freshman Brogan Madson has been one of the top freshmen this season in the Northern Sun and he has led a dynamic Cougar offense with over 18 points per game. The Mankato native ranks first in the NSIC and eighth in the entire nation with 139 free throw attempts. The next closest in the NSIC in free throw attempts is Luke Winkel with 116 on the season.

SCORE WITH THE CLOCK STOPPED. That's exactly what USF does extremely well. Sure, they are helped by Madson and his ability to get to the free throw line, but as a team, the Cougars get to the free throw line 19 times per game, five more times than their opponents per game.

Southwest Minnesota State. Preseason expectations have carried out onto the floor this season for the Mustangs, as they have a 12-5 record through 17 games and are 10-2 through 12 NSIC games this season, with their only losses in conference play coming to Augustana and Sioux Falls.

ONE UP ON FRIDAY'S OPPONENT. We talked about earlier that Sioux Falls has four scorers in double-figures; Southwest Minnesota State has five players averaging double-figures this season. SMSU is led by Jakob Braaten and his 15.7 points per game. The five Mustangs in double-figures make up 80 percent of the Mustangs offense this season.

LOCK YOU UP.  Southwest Minnesota State has made a reputation of being one of the best defensive teams in the Northern Sun and that has carried over into this season. SMSU gives up 67.4 points per game on the season, which is 34th nationally and second in the NSIC. The Mustangs are on pace to have the 34th best defense in the nation, which would be their 'worst' national ranking since 2021, when they finished 86th nationally in points allowed per game.

MOVE THE FEET.  A big reason for their outstanding defense this season is that the Mustangs simply don't foul. SMSU, on average, fouls just 13 times per game, which is the third lowest nationally and by far, the lowest in the NSIC. SMSU does everything extremely well on the defensive end, which equates to one of the best defensive teams in the nation.