SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 21^st ranked Augustana men's basketball team travels to Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State for NSIC contests on Friday and Saturday.
 
The Games
Despite not being the Vikings' first road NSIC game, it does mark the first full weekend on the road in NSIC action. Friday's contest at Minnesota Crookston is slated for 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's game is an early evening tip-off, slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
The Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston, tabbed seventh in the NSIC Preseason poll and fourth in the North Division, owns a 6-3 overall record and is 2-1 in league play. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 101-58 loss to Northern State. Senior Harrison Cleary is the nation's second-leading scorer at 27.8 points per game. He owns over 2,000 career points and has scored 17 or more points in every game this year and owns the league's top-scoring game when he totaled 40 at Sioux Falls.
 
Series Record - Augustana leads, 17-3
After the Vikings had won 15-straight in the series, Crookston has taken 2-of-3 from Augustana including last season's NSIC Tournament opening-round contest.
 
The Beavers
Bemidji State is 1-2 in the NSIC while holding a 4-3 overall record. The Beavers topped MSU Moorhead in their last contest to pick up the lone NSIC victory. The offense flows through Nick Wagner and Ja Morgan as the duo accounts for 17.4 and 16.9 points per game, respectively. Jacob Hoffman jumps in the double-digit scoring at 11.7 points. Morgan leads the team with a tad over six assists per game, a mark that leads the NSIC.
 
Series Record - Augustana leads, 16-6
Augustana has won eight-straight games in the series including a 74-60 win last season. The last time BSU won was in 2014.
 
The Vikings
Augustana is 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the NSIC which earned it the No. 21 ranking in the latest NABC national poll. The ranking is the first for any conference team this season and is the first for Augustana since the opening poll of 2017-18.
 
The Vikings, winners of five-straight games, are coming off a weekend sweep over Winona State and Upper Iowa. Junior Tyler Riemersma was the story of the weekend after averaging 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He now owns three-straight games with a double-double.
 
For the year, junior Matt Cartwright leads a quartet of Vikings in double-figure scoring at 16.1 points per game. He is joined by Riemersma at 12.1, sophomore Matt Todd at 12.0 and sophomore Michael Schaefer at 11.6 points per game. Riemersma, the team leader in rebounds (more below), also leads the team in assists (23) and blocks (10).
 
One Last Thing
Augustana, who has not lost a rebound battle this year, is fifth in the nation with an +11.8 rebound margin per game. In NSIC games alone, the Vikings are +17.7 and average 51.7 rebounds per game. Riemersma leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per game while Michael Schaefer corrals 5.8 and Dylan LeBrun grabs 4.4 missed shots per game.