SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With an opening-round home playoff game already secured, the Augustana men's basketball team now sets their sights on finishing the regular season strong. On Friday, the Viking's tip-off at 7:30 p.m. vs. cross-town rival University of Sioux Falls, and end the weekend with a 5:30 p.m. start vs. Southwest Minnesota State.

Friday's doubleheader will be broadcast on Midco Sports Network, and both games will be available on GoAugie.com/Live. All games this weekend will be played in the Hall Center Forum inside the Elmen Center.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early and plan extra time for parking, especially on Friday. A-Club members should bring their season parking passes to access a designated parking area in the Elmen Center parking lot. Friday's game has been designated a white-out and all Augustana fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. In addition, fans will be able to sign up for their chance to win a 50" UHD TV and wireless in-ear earphones courtesy of Midco, winners announced at Saturday's men's basketball game.

Coming off a weekend sweep, the Vikings ride into this weekend with a three-game win streak and a focus on the finish. With a pair of wins last weekend, and a division tiebreaker in hand, Augustana (16-10, 12-8 NSIC South) has locked in a home playoff game in the opening round of the NSIC tournament. Opening round postseason games, which are played at the host-site of the higher seed, are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 27 at 5:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. All remaining postseason games will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The Vikings late-season surge is thanks in part to an all-in effort up and down the lineup. In a decisive win over Concordia-St. Paul, all 10 players who checked into the game scored for the Vikings. Over the last two games, the Vikings are getting more than 16 points per game from the bench.

Over the last five games, the Vikings have also found success by sharing the rock. Augustana is averaging nearly 20 assists (on 30.2 field goals) per game. The Vikings have also moved into the top-five in the NSIC in assists/turnover ratio at 1.44 per game.

Individually, the Vikings are having a different student-athlete step up each night. Last Friday, it was a pair of freshmen in Michael Schaefer and Trevor Hanson. Schaefer dropped 25 points and 11 rebounds for this third career double-double, and Hanson had a strong night with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

On Saturday, Matt Cartwright knocked down five triples and finished with 28 points in the win. The sophomore leads the team and is 12th in the NSIC in scoring at 14.4 ppg. A.J. Plitzuweit has also come on strong, scoring 25 on Friday night and averaging 19.2 points over his last five outings.

At 78.8 points per game, Augustana has slowly moved into the top half of the league in scoring. After pulling down 54 rebounds in Friday's double-OT win, the Vikings remain one of the best on the boards in the league. Augustana is second on offensive boards (11.2) and third in total rebounds per game (37.8).

NSIC Tournament First Round games
Augustana men's and women's basketball will host NSIC Tournament First Round games on Wednesday, February 27th at the Sioux Falls Arena. The women's game will tipoff at 5:30pm, with the men to follow at approximately 7:30pm. Tickets will go on sale soon at GoAugie.com/tickets.  Additional information including opponents will be publicized as it is finalized.

Scouting the University of Sioux Falls:
Following a 7-1 start to the season, the Cougars have worked their way to a 17-9 (12-8 NSIC) record and currently stand in third place in the NSIC South. USF is coming off a weekend sweep over Winona State and Upper Iowa and are led by two of the top scorers in the league. Drew Guebert is sixth in the NSIC in scoring at 20.0 points per game, and Trevon Evans is third at 23.5 points per game. The Cougars lead the NSIC in rebounds at 41.7 per outing.

Series vs. the Cougars:
Perfectly fitting for one of the best rivalries in the region, Augustana and Sioux Falls are tied 36-36 in the all-time series. Although Augustana has won 8 of the last 12 meetings, the Cougars come into Friday night on a three-game series win streak. Earlier this season, the Vikings dropped a 77-73 decision at the Stewart Center.

Scouting Southwest Minnesota State:
Starting out slow in the conference season, SMSU has come on strong in the last two months, winning seven of their last ten games. The Mustangs (15-11, 12-5 NSIC) have worked their way up to fifth place in the South division.  Southwest Minnesota State shoots the ball at a 48 percent clip, good for fourth in the league. The Mustangs also average nearly seven steals per game, which ranks them second in the NSIC. Ryan Bruggeman, who recently passed his 2,000th career point, leads the league in scoring at 25.1 points per game.

Series vs. the Mustangs:
Dating back to 1972, Augustana and SMSU have matched up just 36 times in their all-time series. The Vikings maintain the 21-15 advantage, including the most recent win in the series. Playing earlier this season on Jan. 4, A.J. Plitzuweit nearly collected a triple-double with 25 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds as the Vikings stormed back for an 85-72 win.

The Fastbreak:

• Over the last four season, Augustana is 52-10 when playing in Sioux Falls
• With a win last week, Tom Billeter won his 400th career game. Billeter now stands at 400-226 (.639) in his 21-year career.
• Dating back to 1922, Augustana and Sioux Falls are tied 36-36 in the all-time series.
• With a 97-point performance over the weekend, Augustana has slowly moved into the top half of the league in scoring at 78.8 points per game.
• After pulling down 54 rebounds on Friday's double-OT win, the Vikings are now second in offensive boards (11.2) and third in total rebounds per game (37.8).
• The Vikings are 16-3 when out-rebounding their opponents this season.
• In a win over Concordia-St. Paul, all 10 players who checked into the game scored for the Vikings.
• Over the last month, the Vikings bench has been chipping in more than 14 points per game.
• Over the last five games, Augustana is averaging nearly 20 assists (on 30.2 field goals) per game.
• The Vikings have also moved into the top-five in the NSIC in assists/turnover ratio at 1.44 per game.
• Augustana is forcing more than 9 turnovers a game, which has led to close to 12 points off turnovers per outing.
• Overall, Augustana has three players averaging double-figures, led by Matt Cartwright with 16.2 points a game. Cartwright ranks 12th in the league in scoring.
• Last Friday, Michael Schaefer dropped 25 points and 11 rebounds for this third career double-double.
• A.J. Plitzuweit has also come on strong, scoring 25 on Friday night and averaging 19.2 points over his last five outings.
• A.J. has knocked down 89-of-100 attempts this season, and his 89 percent ranks top-five in the NSIC and third all-time for a single season in program history.
• Through 24 games, the Vikings are hitting 37.2 percent from downtown, and are led by Cartwright, who is fifth in the NSIC at 42.9 percent.
• The Vikings are shooting 78.2 percent from the free throw line, which is third in the league.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 452 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 276 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.
• With a win last week, the Vikings locked in their 13th straight winning season.
• Billeter has only had three losing seasons in his 16 years at Augustana.
• Augustana men's basketball has played 2,195 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,091-1,103 (.497).
• With a 204-80 record (.720) Augustana stands 20th in NCAA DII winning percentage from 2010-18.