SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball team is set to host Minnesota State on Friday and Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday inside the Sanford Pentagon. The games are the final regular-season home games for the Vikings.
 
The Games
Augustana is jockeying for position in the NSIC standings, staring at Minnesota State. The Vikings are two games behind the Mavericks (and Winona State) for third place in the NSIC South Division standings, where the top four teams host the first round of the NSIC Tournament. Tip-off with MSU on Friday is at 7:30 p.m. Opening-tip with the Golden Bears on Saturday is slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
Friday marks the first "Paint the Pentagon Pink" event for Augustana basketball. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase pink Augustana basketball t-shirts, participate in chuck-a-duck to help raise funds for Team Edith, where 100 percent of funds raised goes to breast cancer care and research.
 
Saturday is the final regular-season home game of the season.  Prior to the game, this year's senior class will be honored.  Saturday also marks the annual alumni game as we welcome back basketball alumni to Sioux Falls for the weekend.
 
The Mavericks
The Maverick men are 11-7 in the NSIC, tied for third place in the South Division while holding a 13-11 overall record. Minnesota State swept last weekend with a 93-90 win over Minnesota Crookston and an 87-60 rout of Bemidji State. Cameron Kirksey, the South Division Preseason Player of the Year, leads MSU at 16.9 points per game while shooting at a 48.1 percent clip. Three others join him in double-figure scoring with Ryland Holt at 14.3, Kevin Krieger with 11.4 and Corvon Seales with 10.1 points per game.
 
Series Record - Minnesota State leads, 64-58
 
The Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul's men's team enters the weekend in seventh place of the NSIC South with a 5-13 league mark and 7-15 overall. The Golden Bears snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 92-81 win over Minnesota Crookston last Saturday. Six players scored in double figures led by Max Keefe with 23. For the season, Jordan Coblin leads CSP with 16.7 points per game while Cody Carlson tallies 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per touting. Coblin is second in the NSIC with 4.9 assists per game. 
 
Series Record - Augustana leads, 23-5
 
The Vikings
Augustana is 14-10 on the season while holding a 9-9 NSIC record. The Vikings are coming off a weekend split with Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. After having the Bulldogs slip past them on Friday, the Vikings came out red-hot against the Huskies for an 81-58 win. Trying to get out of a shooting slump that has plagued it the last couple of weeks, Augustana shot 59 percent from the field in the win.
 
Sophomore Matt Todd, owner of two 30-point games this year, leads the Vikings at 13.4 points per game. Junior Tyler Riemersma is just behind with 13.3 points per outing while he also tallies 10.4 rebounds per game. Riemersma is the only player in the NSIC this year to average a double-double. In fact, Riemersma is in a class of his own, ranking sixth in the nation with 250 rebounds and second in NCAA Division II with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game.
 
One Last Thing
Sophomore Dylan LeBrun has come on strong over the past seven games averaging a team-high 17 points over the span. He is shooting the ball at 47.3 percent while tallying a 46.7 percent clip from 3-point range. Shooting the ball well, he also dishes the ball well with a team-best 18 assists over the same span. This past weekend he torched St. Cloud State for 26 points including six made 3-point field goals. For the whole weekend, he shot 53.8 percent from the field while averaging 18 points.