SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 24 Augustana men's basketball team enters 2020 with a clear vision on an NSIC Championship. It will continue its quest on Friday and Saturday hosting Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls, respectively, inside the Sanford Pentagon.
 
Back in the Top-25
Augustana reentered the NABC Top-25 on Tuesday, claiming the No. 24 spot. The Vikings garnered 30 points in the poll, five points behind No. 23 Bentley. The Vikings are the only NSIC school in the top-25. In fact, no other NSIC school is receiving votes in the poll.
 
The Games
Friday's contest is against SMSU at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday has the potential of a first-place showdown between the Vikings and Cougars at 5:30 p.m. Both Augie and USF enter the weekend tied for first place in the overall NSIC standings.
 
The Mustangs
The Mustang men enter the first game of 2020 with a 4-8 overall record and 1-5 inside the NSIC. Their lone win was a triple overtime thriller over Minnesota Duluth. The Mustangs own a common win with the Vikings as they also defeated Central Missouri on the season's opening weekend. Kenny Byers leads the team with 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He is joined in double-figure scoring by Nick Dufault and his 13.9 points per game. 
 
Series Record – Augustana leads, 22-15
A year after being swept by SMSU (2017-18), the Vikings swept the series in 2018-19 including a 77-73 win in the regular-season finale.
 
The Cougars
The USF men join the Vikings atop the NSIC standings to begin the weekend, setting up the potential for a first-place showdown Saturday night as the Cougars are 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the NSIC. The Cougars have won five of their last six games with the lone setback a 100-65 loss to Minnesota Duluth. USF is not led by a standout as Austin Slater and Chase Grinde each lead the team with 11.1 points per game while Teathloach Pal averages 10.3 points. All eight players who have seen action in every game average 5.8 points or more per game.
 
Series Record – Augustana leads, 37-36
The series dates back to 1922 but since 1987, the Vikings have dominated going 27-6 in the last 33 meetings.
 
The Vikings
Augustana is 10-2 on the year and 5-1 in the NSIC. The 10 wins are the most in the league this year while the 5-1 league record places them in a tie for first place. The Vikings are coming off a 74-72 win over Wayne State prior to the holiday break, a game that saw an even distribution on the offensive end. Three Vikings reached double figures while seven totaled eight or more points.
 
Junior Matt Cartwright is the team's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game while sophomore Matt Todd averages 13.3 points per outing. The duo is joined by junior Tyler Riemersma, sophomore Michael Schaefer and sophomore Dylan LeBrun in double-figure scoring. Riemersma nearly averages a double-double of 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds while Schaefer tallies 11.3 points and LeBrun 10.1 points per game.
 
One Last Thing
Todd has emerged as one of the Vikings' most efficient players and proving himself as an NSIC Newcomer of the Year candidate. The transfer from Highland Community College is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points while shooting an efficient 43.8 percent from the field. With half of his makes coming from 3-point range, he is shooting 45.3 percent from deep.