SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Following a two-week break for Thanksgiving, the Augustana men's basketball team
(3-2, 0-0 NSIC) is set to hit the hardwood and open Northern Sun Conference play. Augustana will welcome in Wayne State (5-1, 0-0 NSIC) for a Saturday men's and women's doubleheader at the Sioux Falls Arena. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. for the women before the Viking men take the court at 5:30 p.m. All conference games, outside of the final home weekend (Feb. 22-23), will be played at the Sioux Falls Arena. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for Saturday's game can click here, and fans not in attendance can watch live video and stats on GoAugie.com/live.

Augustana head coach Tom Billeter is looking forward to the challenge of starting conference play in an always difficult league. "Wayne State is off to an excellent start," Billeter said. "They have a veteran team, play hard, play smart, and will be ready to play us Saturday at the Arena."

The story on Augustana's young season is their ability to get balance up and down the lineup. The Vikings have five players averaging at least 9.0 points per game and four more with at least 5.0 rebounds per game. The Vikings have also found balance on the court, averaging more than 27 points per game in the paint, but also making more than 8 threes per night. As a team, Augustana is averaging more than 73 points per game and allowing just 67. Through five games, the Vikings are shooting 41.8% while pulling down more than 38 rebounds per game. The Vikings 12.2 offensive rebounds per game are 2nd in the Northern Sun. Augustana also likes to share the ball - their 14.6 assists is 7th in the league.

Individually, the Vikings have been lead by nearly all newcomers this season and the youth movement has already shown signs of success. Sophomore transfer Tyler Riemersma has a pair of 20-point games this season and leads the team with 16 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and four phenomenal freshmen have also made an immediate impact as well. Four of the Vikings top six scorers are true freshmen, led by Michael Schaefer at 12.8 points per game. Freshman A.J. Plitzuweit leads the team with more than four assists per game but has also now scored in double-figures for three straight games.

Dylan LeBrun and Trevor Hanson have also played well beyond their age. LeBrun has started in all 30 games for the Vikings, standing third in minutes played, third in rebounds and fifth in points. Hanson has appeared in all five games off the bench, scoring over seven points per game, including a career-high 16 vs. Chadron State.

Matt Cartwright - one of the few returns on the team, has come on strong as of late, including a career-high 24 point performance in a loss to Black Hills State. Cartwright, who can knock it down from anywhere on the court, leads the team with 12 triples while shooting 46% from downtown. The sophomore is averaging just under 12 points per game. Overall, the Vikings are knocking down nearly 40% from downtown, good for 7th in the league.  As the Vikings get set to open conference play, look for Augustana to emphasize team defense and rebounding.

Series History:
Augustana and Wayne State have tipped-off 47 times in program history with Augustana holding a 31-16 advantage. The Vikings have won 9 of the last 10, including the most recent match-up in Dec. of 2017. Steven Schaefer led a trio of Vikings in double figures with a game-high 21 points as Augustana fought off a late Wildcat charge to secure an 80-70 win at the Sioux Falls Arena.

Scouting Wayne State:
Following a 14-17 (9-13 NSIC) season a year ago, the Wildcats are already off to a 5-1 start in 2018. With a 75-58 win on Tuesday over Chadron State, the Wildcats have now won four straight games for the first time in more than five years.

Wayne State has five student-athletes averaging more than 10 points per game, and senior Joseph Trevin leads the team with 14.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg.  The Wildcats success can be traced to their shooting ability, as Wayne is making more than 52 percent of shots from the field, ranking 4th in the NSIC. With the Wildcats size inside, they're 5th in the league in rebounding and second in blocked shots (6.6 per game).

The Fast Break:

• On Saturday, the Viking will officially tip-off their 11th season of Northern Sun Conference basketball. Between the North Central Conference (NCC) and the NSIC, the Vikings are 571-666 (.471) all-time in conference play.
• The Vikings are 31-16 all-time vs. Wayne State and have won 9 of the last 10 matchups.
• Over the last five years, Augustana men's basketball has won nearly 80% of their games, going 108-30.
• With a record of 290-168 in 16 seasons at Augustana, Tom Billeter is Augustana's all-time winningest men's basketball coach.
• Billeter led Augustana to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including five trips in the last seven seasons.
• Augustana is averaging 14.6 assists per game, which is 7th in the Northern Sun.
• The Vikings are second in the NSIC in offensive rebounds, pulling down 12.2 offensive boards per game.
• Tyler Riemersma leads the team with 16 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
• Matt Cartwright is coming off a career-high 24 points in the Vikings most recent contest.
• Augustana has four true freshmen, Michael Schaefer (12.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG), A.J. Plitzuweit (11.5 PPG, 4.2 Assists), Trevor Hanson (7.4 PPG), and Dylan LeBrun (9 PPG, 5.8 RPG) all making significant contributions.
• On this year's roster, the Vikings have five true freshmen, two transfers, and 10 of 16 student-athletes have never played together.
• Overall, the Vikings have six players averaging at least 7 points and 3 rebounds per game.
• All three of the freshmen from South Dakota on the roster - Dylan LeBrun, A.J. Plitzuweit and Trevor Hanson - were members of the 2017 class 'A' All-State First Team.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 431 games. The last time the Vikings did not make a 3-pointer came on Jan. 24, 2004, a 79-69 loss against North Dakota in the Elmen Center.
• At least one Viking scored in double figures in each of the last 255 games. The last time an Augie player did not score at least 10 points in a game came on March 3, 2010, in a 75-52 loss to Wayne State at the Elmen Center in the NSIC Quarterfinals, when Lee Stephens led the Vikings with 8 points.
• With 10 players from last years roster no longer on the team, the Vikings lost 1,768 of last years 2,459 points. That's 71.8% of the scoring from 2017-2018.
• In the 2018-2019 NSIC preseason poll, the Vikings received 127 points and were picked to finished seventh overall.
• The Vikings finished 16-14 last year, locking in their 12th straight winning season.
• Augustana men's basketball has played 2,172 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,079-1,095 (.496).