Storylines
• No. 13 Augustana College men's basketball (11-1, 5-1 NSIC) returns to action this Friday and Saturday with a pair of NSIC road contests.
• The Vikings open the New Year taking on Sioux Falls (6-6, 3-3 NSIC) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2, at the Stewart Center.
• Augustana will then travel to Marshall, Minn., to take on Southwest Minnesota State (8-4, 4-2 NSIC) at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
• Augustana is 30-27 all-time against Sioux Falls and has won 20 of the last 22 meetings over the Cougars.
• Augustana swept USF last season, winning 96-77 on the road on Dec. 7 and 94-53 at home on Jan. 24.
• Augustana will look to snap a two-game losing skid to SMSU as the Mustangs swept the season series last year.
• Augustana is 14-11 all-time against SMSU, including 4-6 in games played in Marshall.
• Augustana returns to action after a 12-day layoff.
• The Vikings were last in action on Saturday, Dec. 20, a 93-75 win over Wayne State.
• Augustana is off to its best start since opening the 2009-10 season 13-1.
 
Mayor's Cup
• Augustana and USF will be playing for half a point in the First Dakota National Bank Mayor's Cup Challenge on Friday.
• The Mayor's Cup Challenge is an annual head-to-head competition between the Augustana and USF athletic departments and their fans which pits 16 common, equally weighted sports to determine which school and their fan base can claim bragging rights for that year.
• Augustana has won the point-based competition two straight seasons.
• The 2014-15 First Dakota National Bank Mayor's Cup Challenge is currently tied at 3-3.
• For more information on the First Dakota National Brank Mayor's Cup Challenge, visit SFMayorscup.com.
 
Last time out
• Augustana went into the holiday break at 11-1 (5-1 NSIC) after the Vikings defeated Wayne State 93-75 on Dec. 20 in Wayne, Neb.
• Five players scored in double-figures, led by Adam Beyer's career-high 20 points, as the Vikings won their fourth straight game.
• The Vikings finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field and hit a season-high 12 3-pointers.
• Augustana never trailed in the game, marking its third straight win without trailing in a game.
• Augustana scored a season-high 56 first-half points at Wayne State and hit the 90-plus mark for the fourth time this season.
• Beyer knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers in the win while going 8 of 11 from the field.
• Casey Schilling picked up his fifth double-double of the season (14th career) with 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Wildcats.
• Jordan Spencer added 15 points, five assists and four rebounds while Alex Richter pitched in with 13 points hitting three 3-pointers.
 
About Augustana
• Augustana enters the weekend averaging 83.5 points per game while allowing just 66.6.
• Augustana ranks second in the NSIC and 20th in the NCAA with a +16.9 scoring margin.
• Augustana is shooting 47 percent from the field, including 35.6 percent from 3-point range.
• The Vikings averaged 17.2 made free throws per game and are shooting 73.8 percent from the free throw line.
• Augustana leads the NSIC averaging 40.4 rebounds per game and ranks first in the league and eighth in the country with a +11.1 rebound margin.
• The Vikings rank third in the NSIC averaging 16.2 assists per game.
• Daniel Jansen leads the team and the NSIC averaging 18.5 points per game to go along with 7.3 rebounds per contest.
• Jansen is shooting 46.6 percent from the field, including 33.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Casey Schilling is averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game which ranks third in the NSIC.
• Alex Richter is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and is averaging 15.3 points per game.
• Richter has hit 18 3-pointers on the season and is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.
• Jordan Spencer enters the weekend averaging 10.7 points per game and ranks third in the NSIC dishing out 5.2 assists per game.
 
About USF
• Sioux Falls sits at 6-6 on the season, including 3-3 in NSIC play.
• The Cougars won three straight games heading into the holiday break.
• USF is averaging 69.2 points per game while allowing 71 points per contest.
• The Cougars are shooting 44.9 percent from the field, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range.
• USF has shot 66.5 percent from the free throw line.
• USF is averaging 37.7 rebounds per game and owns a +6.4 rebound margin.  
• Charles Ward leads USF in scoring and rebounding averaging 17.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Mack Johnson enters the weekend averaging 15.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and has hit a team-high 27 3-pointers on the season.
• USF is coached by Chris Johnson who is in his seventh season.
• Johnson owns a career record of 138-92, including 122-77 at USF.
 
About SMSU
• Southwest Minnesota State enters the weekend at 8-4 on the season, including 4-2 in the NSIC.
• The Mustangs host Wayne State on Friday night.
• SMSU is averaging 78.6 points per game while allowing 72.7 points per game.
• The Mustangs are shooting 49.7 percent from the field, including 43 percent from 3-point range.
• SMSU is shooting 72.5 percent from the free throw line.
• SMSU averages 34.7 rebounds per game and has dished out 14.5 assists per contest.
• Joey Bartlett leads the Mustangs with 14.5 points per game and a team-high 26 3-pointers.
• Cole Martin and Mitch Weg are both averaging 11.9 points per game for SMSU.
• Weg leads the team grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
• Brad Bigler is in his sixth season as the head coach at SMSU.
• Bigler owns a career record of 91-67.