SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With four games remaining in the regular season, the Augustana men's basketball team is set for their final regular-season road trip of the year. The Vikings first visit Minnesota State on Friday for a 7:30 tip-off, and close out the weekend on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. vs. Concordia-St. Paul. Fans not in attendance can follow online at GoAugie.com/Live.

Twenty-four games into the season, the Vikings stand at 14-10 overall and 10-8 in the NSIC South. Augustana sits in fourth place, and a pair of wins this weekend - combined with a loss from Winona State or Southwest Minnesota State - will lock in a home playoff game in the opening round of the NSIC postseason tournament. In addition, just one win this weekend will secure the Vikings 13th straight winning season.

Most recently, the Vikings are coming off a weekend home-split at the Sioux Falls Arena. Augustana dropped the weekend opener versus Minnesota Duluth but bounced back with a 92-91 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday.
Michael Schaefer, a native of St. Cloud, had arguably the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday, dropping a career-high 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Over the last month, the freshman is averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds per game.

Fellow freshman A.J. Plitzuweit has also found his rhythm late in the season. Over the last three outings, the Vermillion native is putting up 19 points and 7 assists per game. Plitzuweit has also been potent from the charity stripe, going a perfect 14-of-14 in the last four games. A.J. has knocked down 74-of-81 attempts this season, and his 91.4 percent ranks second in the NSIC and seventh in nation for DII. Both Matt Cartwright (92 percent) and Trevor Hanson (90 percent) are also having great seasons from the line. Overall, the Vikings are shooting 79 percent from the free throw line, which is second in the league.

At nearly 15 points and 5 rebounds per night over the last three games, Hanson has shown his ability to contribute and make an impact at this level. Cartwright went off for 19 points last Saturday and has knocked down five triples in two of the last three outings. The sophomore still leads the club with 15.9 points per game, which also ranks 14th in the NSIC. Cartwright is 5th in the league in three-point percentage, hitting 43 percent from downtown.

Overall, the Vikings strength remains their ability to crash the glass. The Vikings are third in the league with 37.4 rebounds per game and have been even more impressive on the offensive end. The Vikings are second in the NSIC at 11.2 offensive boards per night, and over the last two games, are putting up 15 second-chance points per night.  The Vikings are coming off a 22-assist performance and currently stand fifth in the NSIC with a 1.44 assist/turnover ratio.

Scouting Minnesota State
Minnesota State comes into the Friday night fresh off a weekend split on the road. At 16-8 (12-6 NSIC South), the Mavericks sit two spots ahead of the Vikings in the South division. Minnesota State is ranked 10th in the latest NCAA central regional poll.

One of the Mavericks biggest strengths is their field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 42 percent this season. Minnesota State leads the NSIC in three-point defense where visitors shoot just over 32 percent. Minnesota State sees four players average double-figures on the season, led by Cam Kirksey at 18 points per game. Kevin Krieger pulls down 8 rebounds and 14 points per game.

Series vs. the Mavericks
Earlier this season, Minnesota State walked out of the Sioux Falls Arena with a 79-73 win. All-time, the Mavericks hold a 57-63 advantage over the Vikings, including three straight wins in the series. When playing on the road in Mankato, Augustana has picked up just 17 wins in 55 games.  Last time out, Michael Schaefer registered his third career double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Scouting Concordia-St. Paul
Although CSP got out to a 3-0 start this season, they've picked up just five wins in their last 21 games. The Golden Bears (8-16, 3-15 NSIC South) are scoring nearly 78 points per game, but the scoring defense (84.7 points per game) and three-point defense (40 percent) are second-to-last in the division. Head coach Joey James and the Golden Bears are led by a pair both averaging more than 18 points per game. Bryndan Matthews (18.5) and Isaiah McKay (18.6) combined to score nearly 50 percent of the team's points per outing.

Series vs. the Golden Bears
Squaring up just three weeks ago in Sioux Falls, the Vikings got four players in double-figures in a 78-70 win over CSP. Plitzuweit led the team with 18 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in the win. All-time, Augustana holds a 21-5 record vs. Concordia-St. Paul, including a 9-4 mark when playing in the Twin Cities.

The Fastbreak:

• Augustana holds an all-time 21-5 record vs. Concordia-St. Paul, including a 9-4 mark when playing in the Twin Cities.
• Augustana head coach Tom Billeter is standing at 398 career wins, needing two more to reach the 400 mark.
• The Vikings are third in the league with 37.4 rebounds per game and sixth in board allowed at 33.3
• The Vikings are second in the NSIC at 11.2 offensive boards per night, and over the last two games, are putting up 15 second-chance points per night.  
• The Vikings are coming off a 22-assist performance and currently stand fifth in the NSIC with a 1.44 assist/turnover ratio.
• The Vikings are 14-3 when out-rebounding their opponents this season.
• Augustana is forcing 9.9 turnovers a game, which has led to more than 12.1 points off turnovers per outing.
• Overall, Augustana has three players averaging double-figures, led by Matt Cartwright with 15.9 points a game. Cartwright ranks 14th in the league in scoring.
• Cartwright had the third-highest scoring outing in the NSIC this year with 37 points versus Minnesota Crookston.
• Over the last month, Michael Schaefer is averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds per game. The freshman is coming off a career-high 29-point game on Saturday vs. SCSU.
• A.J. Plitzuweit is putting up 19 points and 7 assists over the last three games.
• Plitzuweit has also been potent from the charity stripe, going a perfect 14-of-14 in the last four games.
• A.J. has knocked down 74-of-81 attempts this season, and his 91.4 percent ranks second in the NSIC and third all-time for a single season in program history.
• Through 24 games, the Vikings are hitting 37.4 percent from downtown, and are led by Cartwright, who is fifth in the NSIC at 43.1 percent.
• The Vikings are shooting 79 percent from the free throw line, which is second in the league.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 450 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 274 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 eight points.
• On this year's roster, the Vikings have five true freshmen, two transfers.
• With a win on either Friday or Saturday, the Vikings will their 13th straight winning season.
• Billeter has only had three losing seasons in his 16 years at Augustana.
• Augustana men's basketball has played 2,193 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,090-1,103 (.497).
• With a 204-80 record (.720) Augustana stands 20th in NCAA DII winning percentage from 2010-18.

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