SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With a six-game win streak and a share of first place in the conference, the Augustana Men's Basketball team has jumped out to a strong start in 2018-19. The Vikings now face their toughest weekend of the year, traveling first to Marshall, Minnesota on Friday for a 7:30 tip-off with Southwest Minnesota State and wrapping up the weekend with a 6 p.m. showdown on Saturday at the University of Sioux Falls. Fans not in attendance at this weekend's action can follow live video and stats and GoAugie.com/Live. 

Friday's game vs. Southwest Minnesota State will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network with David Brown (PxP) and Brad Newitt (color) on the call.

The Vikings are coming off their most exciting win of the year - a 72-71 buzzer-beating win over Wayne State last Sunday. Augustana, who trailed by two points with 3.8 seconds left, traveled the length of the floor and found Matt Cartwright who hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. After scoring 26 points in the first half, Augustana dropped 46 points in the second-half comeback win. Cartwright led all players with 22 board and 6 rebounds.

Over the Vikings six-game win streak, Augustana is finding success on both ends of the court. On offense, the Vikings are averaging more than 84 points per game. With more than 11 offensive rebounds per game, the Vikings are also averaging 15 second-chance points. The Vikings have also dialed in from distance, hitting nearly 40% from the three-point line.

Defensively the Vikings have locked in, limiting the opposition to under 75 points and 48% from the field. Over the last six games, the Vikings have forced nearly 10 turnovers per game which has led to 15 points off turnovers per night.

Through 12 games, the Vikings remain in the top half of the Northern Sun in multiple categories. The Vikings are second in rebounding defense, allowing just 31.1 boards per night. Augustana hauls in 39.8 total rebounds per game, which slots them third in the NSIC. The Vikings are swatting more than 3 shots per game, ranking them seventh in the league, and their 14.5 assists per night put them sixth overall.

The Vikings, who were picked to finish 7th in the NSIC preseason poll, have likely surprised some teams around the conference. Although the Vikings are one of the youngest teams in the league, a core of underclassmen have stepped up throughout the season. Sophomore Matt Cartwright, who made the buzzer-beating three-pointer last Sunday, is now racking up more than 21 points per game over his last four outings.

In total, the Vikings have six players who are scoring more than nine points and three rebounds per game. Tyler Riemersma continues to lead the program in points (17.3), rebounds (9.5), assists (2.80) and steals (1) per game.

Scouting Southwest Minnesota State:
The 2017 NSIC tournament champions, Southwest Minnesota State has now made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA DII National Tournament. This year, the Mustangs are out to an 8-4 overall record and 3-3 start in conference play. Most recently, the Mustangs used 31 points from Ryan Bruggeman to defeat the University of Sioux Falls, 79-75, last Sunday. In the NSIC preseason poll, the Mustangs were picked to finish 6th place overall, one spot ahead of Augustana.

SMSU is led by Bruggeman, who also leads the NSIC in scoring at 23.8 points per game. Big man Steven McNease is pulling down 8.5 rebounds per game, which slots him sixth in the conference. Overall, the Mustangs are third in the NSIC, averaging 82.4 points per game. SMSU also likes to shoot the three, knocking down 42% from behind the arc.

Series vs. the Mustangs:
Playing eight times over the last three seasons, Augustana and SMSU have split the eight-games 4-4. Although Augustana leads the all-time series 20-15, the Mustangs won both games last year and currently own a two-game win streak. While playing on the road in Marshall, Augustana is 9-8 all-time.

The last time these two sides squared up, SMSU ended Augustana's season in the NSIC quarterfinals. The Vikings and the Mustangs played through 12 lead changes and a trio of ties before the Mustangs emerged down the stretch for a 79-64 win at the Sanford Pentagon. Adam Dykman led four Vikings in double figures with 17 points and added eight rebounds.

Scouting Sioux Falls:
The Cougars, who were picked to finish first in the NSIC South, started out the season with a 7-1 record. In the last three weeks, the Cougars have dropped three of their last five and stand at 8-4 (3-3 NSIC South) overall.

The Cougars success starts with a pair of shooters in Drew Guebert and Trevon Evans. Guebert, who is the son of Augustana all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Melissa(Olson)  Guebert, is sixth in the NSIC with 20.8 points per game. Evans sits third in the conference in scoring with more than 22 points per game. Look for the game to be a battle on the boards as Sioux Falls leads the league in rebounding at 43.1 boards per game, and Augustana is third at 39.8.

Series vs. the Cougars:
One of the best and longest-standing rivalries in the region, Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls have tipped-off on the hardwood for nearly 100 years. Starting in 1922, Sioux Falls picked up a 30-12 win over Augustana. More than 70 games later, it's the Vikings who hold a slight advantage in the all-time record, 36-35.

Most recently, Sioux Falls swept a pair of meetings in 2017-18. The last time these two teams played, Augustana had a shot for a buzzer-beating win, but the three was off the mark and USF prevailed for an 88-86 win. Adam Dykman once again led the team with 19 points.

The Fast Break:

• Augustana comes into Wednesday's game with a six-game win streak. Over the last six games, Augustana is averaging more than 84 points per game.
• Augustana owns an all-time 20-15 record vs. Southwest Minnesota State, but the two sides are 4-4 in the last eight matchups.
• The Vikings are 36-35 all-time vs. the University of Sioux Falls. A pair of crosstown rivals, the two schools first played in 1922.
• With a record of 296-169 in 16 seasons at Augustana, Tom Billeter is now just four wins from 300 as a Viking.
• Billeter is standing at 393 career wins, needing seven more to reach 400.
• Augustana is hauling in 12.1 offensive boards per game, which is 2nd in the NSIC and has led to an average of 12 second-chance points per night.
• Augustana's 39.8 total rebounds per game stand third in the conference.
• Augustana is 6th in the NSIC in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down nearly 40% from downtown.
• Over the Vikings win streak, Augustana is holding teams under 75 points and 48% from the field.
• In the last six games, the Vikings have forced nearly 10 turnovers per game, which has led to 15 points off turnovers per night.
• The Vikings are shooting 75% from the free throw line, which is 5th in the conference.
• Augustana's is averaging nearly 30 points in the paint per game.
• Tyler Riemersma leads the program in points (17.3), rebounds (9.5), assists (2.80) and steals (1) per game.
• Matt Cartwright is scoring an average of 21 points per game over the last four outings, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer last Sunday.
• In total, the Vikings have six players who are scoring more than nine points and three rebounds per game.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 438 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 262 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.
• On this year's roster, the Vikings have five true freshmen, two transfers, and 10 of 16 student-athletes have never played together.
• USF senior Drew Guebert is the son of Augustana all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Melissa (Olson) Guebert.
• 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 2,211 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,091-1,120 (.493).