SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana University men's basketball will play its final home games in the month of January this weekend with a pair of games against two of the top teams in the NSIC North Division. The Vikings (12-4, 7-3 NSIC) will take on MSU Moorhead (13-3, 8-2 NSIC) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 before hosting Northern State (11-5, 7-3 NSIC) in the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
Saturday's doubleheader will be streamed live on ESPN3 via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. The doubleheader is a part of the 27-game NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase, which streams men's and women's national games of the wee, with one airing on ESPN3/WatchESPN and the other on American Sports Network. Will Haskett will handle the play-by-play while Robin Muller will provide the analysis.
 
NSIC PLAYER(s) OF THE WEEK
• Graduate forward Mike Busack was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Monday, Jan. 9
• Busack became the third Viking to earn player of the week honors from the NSIC this season
• Busack helped Augustana to a pair of road wins last weekend after averaging 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals
• Senior guard Adam Beyer was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Dec. 5
• Jordan Spencer earned player of the week honors from the NSIC on Nov. 28
• The player of the week honors marked the first career weekly honor from the NSIC for all three players
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Augustana went on the road last weekend and picked up a pair of big NSIC South Division wins
• The Vikings opened the weekend with an 85-70 victory at Minnesota State
• Jordan Spencer led a group of five players in double-figures at Minnesota State with 17 points to go along with seven assists and three steals
• The Vikings used a 15-0 run over the final minute of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half to build a 17-point lead
• Augustana held a four-point lead with 1:52 left in the first half before closing-out on a 7-0 run to take a 39-28 halftime lead
• The Vikings shot 48.5 percent from the field hitting 32 of 66 shots, including 10 of 22 from 3-point range
• On Saturday, Augustana completed the weekend road sweep with an 84-76 win at Concordia-St. Paul
• Augustana had four players in double-figures, led by Mike Busack who put up 19 points and seven rebounds
• Steven Schaefer matched his career-high with 17 points hitting 6 of 8 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range
• Augustana attempted a season-high 33 3-pointers at CSP and finished the night hitting 13
 
ABOUT AUGUSTANA
• Augustana is averaging 82.6 points per game and has out-scored its opponents by 12.3 points per game
• Augustana currently leads the NSIC and ranks 34th in the country with a +12.4 scoring margin
• Augustana is allowing just 70.3 points per game, the second-fewest in the NSIC
• Augustana is shooting 49.1 percent from the field as a team, including 42.0 percent from 3-point range
• Augustana is averaging 37.2 rebounds per game and owns a +5.9 rebound margin on the season
• The Vikings rank second in the NSIC and 40th in the country averaging 16.9 assists per game
• Augustana is averaging 7.2 steals per game which leads the NSIC
• The Vikings rank sixth in the NSIC averaging 3.2 blocks per game. The Vikings have 51 total blocks on the season
• Junior guard Jordan Spencer leads the Vikings averaging 15.5 points per game to go along with 7.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game
• Spencer leads the NSIC and ranks third in the country with 116 total assists in 2016-17
• Spencer ranks sixth nationally averaging 7.3 assists per game
• Senior guard Adam Beyer is averaging 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Vikings
• Beyer is shooting 56.2 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range
• Mike Busack entered the weekend averaging 14.5 ppg and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game
 
ABOUT MSU MOORHEAD
• MSU Moorhead enters the weekend with a record of 13-3 on the season, including 8-2 in NSIC action
• The Dragons sit at the top of the NSIC North Division at 7-1 in division play in 2016-17
• MSUM enters the weekend averaging 88.6 points per game and has out-scored its opponents by 10.1 points per contest
• The Dragons are shooting 51.1 percent from the field as a team, including 42.3 percent from 3-point range
• MSUM is averaging 16.1 made free throws per game and is shooting 77.4 percent from the stripe
• MSUM averages 35.9 rebounds per game and owns a +3.3 rebound margin on the year
• The Dragons are averaging 14.3 assists, 8.4 turnovers, 3.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game
• Aaron Lien leads the Dragons in scoring averaging 18 points per game
• Tanner Kretchman is averaging 16.6 points per game and has hit a team-high 43 3-pointers for the Dragons
• Chad Walthall is in his seventh season as the head coach at MSUM. He owns a career record of 270-124
 
ABOUT NORTHERN STATE
• Northern State enters the weekend with a record of 11-5 on the season, including 7-3 in NSIC play
• The Wolves play at Wayne State on Friday night
• Northern State enters the weekend averaging 88.1 points per game and has out-scored opponents by 7.6 ppg
• The Wolves have shot 51.2 percent from the field, including 43.4 percent from 3-point range
• NSU has shot 75.5 percent from the free throw line as a team and averages 20 made free throws per game
• NSU averages 37.4 rebounds per game and has out-rebounded opponents by 8.1 boards per game
• The Wolves average 13.8 assists, 12.8 turnovers, 3.8 steals and 2.9 blocks per game
• Mack Arvidson leads Northern State in scoring at 18.3 ppg and has hit a team-high 63 3-pointers
• Logan Doyle is averaging 14.3 points per game and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game for the Wolves
• Paul Sather is in his seventh season as the head coach at NSU. He owns a career record of 209-137
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Friday night's game between Augustana and MSU Moorhead will be the 23rd all-time meeting between the two schools
• Augustana is 13-9 all-time against MSU Moorhead and has won five straight games over the Dragons
• In opposite divisions, Augustana have played twice each of the last two seasons, meeting in the NSIC Tournament Championship game in 2015 and 2016
• The Vikings picked up a 94-86 win over the Dragons on Feb. 6 in Moorhead, Minnesota last year before winning the NSIC Tournament Title at the Sanford Pentagon with an 89-76 victory
• Augustana and MSU Moorhead first met during the 1967 season, an 86-73 Viking win
• The last time the two teams met at the Sioux Falls Arena, the Vikings won 97-80 in front of 3,867 fans on Feb. 7, 2015
• Saturday's game between Augustana and Northern State will be the 70th all-time meeting
• Augustana is 37-32 all-time against Northern State since the two teams first met on Jan. 27, 1923
• Northern State snapped Augustana's school record 19-game winning streak last season defeating the Vikings 90-81 in Aberdeen last season. The loss knocked Augustana out of the top spot in the NABC National Poll
• The Vikings went on to win 15 straight games en route to the program's first National Championship following the loss at Northern State
• Augustana has won 13 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams
• The last time Augustana and Northern State played at the Sioux Falls Arena, the Vikings defeated the Wolves 98-87 on Feb. 6, 2015