SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball team closes its regular season at Sioux Falls on Friday and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday. Friday's game, two blocks from the Augustana campus, tips-off at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's contest is at 6 p.m.
 
The Games
Not a single seed has been clinched for the NSIC Tournament with all 16 slots up for grabs entering the season's final weekend. Among them, Augustana has a chance to host a first-round contest or hit the road. Of course, a weekend sweep could go a long way for the fifth-place Vikings.
 
Augustana will have to work through the current South Division leader in USF and the Mustangs who are currently in eighth place of the south.
 
The Cougars
The NSIC South Division leader, Sioux Falls is 16-4 in league play and 20-6 overall while holding a No. 9 ranking in the Central Region. The Cougars split last weekend, crawling by Winona State 51-49 then dropped a 75-69 contest at Upper Iowa. Chase Grinde paces three Cougars in double-figure scoring at 12.5 points per game. He is joined by Teathloach Pal and Jack Tompson at 11.3 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Pal tops the team, and ranks fourth in the NSIC, with 9.3 rebounds per game.
 
The Mustangs
The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs look to snap a five-game skid while entering the weekend with a 7-17 overall record and 4-14 NSIC mark. The Mustangs dropped both contests last weekend on the road at Winona State and Upper Iowa and have lost seven straight at home. Kenny Byers is the team leader at 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while Nick Dufault tallies 11.4 points per outing.
 
The Vikings
Augustana earned the weekend sweep with victories over Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul last weekend. The Vikings held off MSU 73-66 and stormed past the Golden Bears 92-71. Freshman Isaac Fink averaged 19 points over the two games, including a 22-point performance on four-made 3-point field goals over the Mavericks.
 
Augustana continues to be led by Matt Todd and his 13.1 points per game while Tyler Riemersma tallies 13.0 points per outing. Dylan LeBrun, who has averaged 17.1 points per game over the last nine played, has raised his average to 12 points per game.
 
Riemersma averages a double-double for the season as he tallies a league-best 10.5 rebounds per game. In NSIC only action, he is the only player to average a double-double.  
 
One Last Thing
Riemersma has cracked the top-10 for rebounds in a season, securing 274 this year. With his current average of 10.5 rebounds per game and three guaranteed games remaining, it isn't out of the realm that he could climb into the top five for rebounds in a season. Bob Swanhorst secured 304 rebounds in 1959-60 for fifth-most while Greg Nagle secured 305 in 1974-75.