SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Following their longest road trip of the year - a three-day trek to North Dakota - the Augustana men's basketball team is ready to be back home for a pair of games this weekend. The Vikings will welcome in Minnesota Duluth for a Friday night tip-off at 7:30, and finish out the weekend by taking on St. Cloud State on Saturday at 5:30.

Fans attending this weekend's games can expect a number of special events awaiting at the arena. Starting on Friday, the annual 'baby races' will take place at halftime of the women's basketball game, followed by the performance of the Alexandria Aces at halftime of the men's game. On Saturday, the first 500 fans will receive a Viking cell phone wallet.

Also this weekend, the annual "It's A Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk" NSIC campaign will be promoted by the Augustana Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).  SAAC members will be collecting signatures from fans pledging not to drive drunk. Fans not in attendance can always follow online at GoAugie.com/Live.

Although the Vikings (13-9) didn't pick up a win on their most recent road trip, at 9-7 in the Northern Sun Conference, they're still in the top half of the South Division. Following the regular season, the top four teams in each division will host opening-round NSIC tournament games. The Vikings have six regular season games (four at home / two on the road) remaining this season.

On the hardwood, a number of Viking student-athletes have come on strong in the last few weeks, starting with freshman Michael Schaefer. The Minnesota native is averaging more than 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. In his first season of college basketball, he is now averaging 13.0 points per game, and second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per outing. Schaefer collected a career-high 17 rebounds last week vs. Minot State.

Another freshman, A.J. Plitzuweit, has also hit a solid stride in the last four games. Plitzuweit is putting up nearly 15 points and 5 assists per game. The Vermillion native is also having a historic year from the free throw line, hitting 91 percent (68-of-75) of his attempts. He currently ranks third in the NSIC and third all-time for a single season in program history.

After 22 games overall, Matt Cartwright still leads the club with 16.0 points per game, which also ranks 14th in the NSIC. Cartwright has also been impressive shooting the ball, knocking down 47 percent from the field and 92 percent from the line.  

Overall, the Vikings remain one of the league's best rebounding teams, pulling down nearly 39 boards per night. Augustana sits third in overall rebounds and second in offensive boards with 11.4 per game. The Vikings, who average more than 10 assists per game, are sixth in the league in assists to turnover ratio at 1.38 per game.

Scouting Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota Duluth comes into the weekend with a 12-8 overall record and 9-7 mark in the NSIC North. Most recently, the Bulldogs split a pair of games with Winona State (loss) and Upper Iowa (win).

UMD is led by their big-man Brandon Myer. The three-time Player of the Week is 5th in the league in scoring (21.2 points per game) and leads the NSIC in rebounds at 10.1 per game. The junior is the only player in the league averaging a double-double. Overall, UMD is 13th in the league in scoring (76.2), but check in at 4th in points allowed at just 70.1 per game.

Series vs. the Bulldogs
Over the last 28 years, Augustana and Minnesota Duluth have squared up 28 times on the hardwood with the Vikings holding a 16-12 advantage. Most of the Vikings success has come as of late, entering the weekend on a eight-game win-streak vs. the Bulldogs.

The last time these two programs played was Jan. 26, 2018, an 85-65 win for the Vikings. Augustana started quick and rolled to a 20-point win at the Elmen Center. Jordan Spencer led all players with 30 points, adding a game-high eight assists.

Scouting St. Cloud State
With six games to play in the regular season, the Huskies are standing at 16-6 (11-5 NSIC North) and in second place in the league's North Division. SCSU rides a three-game win streak into Sioux Falls, and a 5-3 overall record on the road this season.

The Huskies are also led by a senior guard, Gage Davis. Already the all-time leading scorer in NSIC history (conference games only), Davis continues to add to his resume this season. The three-time Player of the Week is second in the league in scoring at 23.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Overall, SCSU is 3rd in the league in scoring at more than 82 points per game.

Series vs. the Huskies
Playing each other for the 89th time in school history, St. Cloud State holds a 48-40 advantage over the Vikings. Augustana and SCSU have split the last eight matchups, but the Huskies have won the last two meetings. Augustana does hold a 25-18 advantage at home.

Matching up in the final home game for the Vikings last season, SCSU led wire-to-wire in an 80-63 win. John Warren led the team with 16 points in 33 minutes at the Sioux Falls Arena.

The Fastbreak:

• Over the last four seasons, Augustana is 59-14 (.780) when playing in Sioux Falls.
• The Vikings hold a 16-12 advantage all-time over Minnesota Duluth, including eight straight wins.
• Augustana head coach Tom Billeter is standing at 397 career wins, needing three more to reach the 400 mark.
• Augustana's 38.2 total rebounds per game stand third in the conference. The Vikings are second in offensive rebounds per game at 11.4.
• The Vikings are 13-3 when out-rebounding their opponents this season.
• When playing on Friday night, Augustana is 6-2 this season.
• Augustana is forcing 10.4 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 16.0 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 three games, freshman Michael Schaefer is averaging more than 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. He also pulled down a career-high 17 boards last week vs. Minot State.
• Another freshman, A.J. Plitzuweit, has also hit his stride, putting up nearly 15 points and 5 assists per game.
• Plitzuweit is hitting 91 percent (68-of-75) of his free throw attempts. He currently ranks third in the NSIC and third all-time for a single season in program history.
• Through 22 games, the Vikings are hitting 36.6 percent of their shots from downtown.
• The Vikings are shooting 78 percent from the free throw line, which is third in the conference.
• Opponents are shooting 46 percent vs. the Vikings.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 448 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 272 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, making them one of the youngest teams in the league.
• 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 percent of the scoring from 2017-2018.
• The Vikings are looking to lock 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 2,191 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,089-1,102 (.497).
• With a 204-80 record (.720) Augustana stands 20th in NCAA DII winning percentage from 2010-18.