SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 18 Augustana men's basketball team is in Sioux Falls for the first time in 2022-23 but in a pair of neutral-site games inside the Sanford Pentagon. Friday's game against South Dakota Mines is slated for 11 a.m. Saturday's contest with Black Hills State is also an 11 a.m. start.
 
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app. The app can be downloaded in the app store or Google Play. Friday's game will also be available on Midco Sports.
 
About the Hardrockers
South Dakota Mines enters the weekend with an 0-2 record after falling 75-42 at Texas A&M-Kingsville and 81-57 at Texas A&M-International last week. The Hardrockers made just eight 3-point field goals over the two games while shooting 22.2 percent from deep. In comparison, their opponents shot 40.4 percent from 3-point land and 47.1 percent from the field.
 
Brevin Walter is the leader for the Hardrockers with 13 points and three rebounds over the two games. Joining him in double-figure scoring is Kolten Mortensen and his 11 points and four rebounds in 2022-23.
 
Walter is the returning leading scorer from a year ago after averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing en route to earning an honorable mention on the All-RMAC team. Mortensen joined him as an honorable mention after he averaged 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
About the Yellow Jackets
A Final Four team a year ago, Black Hills State has high expectations in 2022-23 with the return of the RMAC Player of the Year and First Team All-America selection Joel Scott. The Yellow Jackets opened the season 2-0 with wins over Arkansas-Fort Smith and Oklahoma Christian while pouring in 76.5 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
 
No surprise, Scott leads the team with 18.5 points per outing after scoring 23.1 points over the 34 games a season ago. PJ Hayes and Matthew Ragsdale offset some of that scoring load this year as they both put in 17 points per game. The final double-digit scorer for BHSU is Adam Moussa and his 11.5 points per game. Scott leads the squad with 7.5 rebounds while Moussa snags 6-0 and has dished a team-best 13 total assists.
 
In last year's win over BHSU as part of the East/West Challenge, Augustana's defense held Scott to 11 points, his third-lowest total in 2021-22.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana is coming off a 1-1 trip to Kansas City with a victory over Arkansas Monticello and a loss to Washburn. The new-look Vikings saw six individuals make their AU debuts in the two games. Ryan Miller poured in 17 points in the season-opener while Brady Helgren scored a team-high 12 points in Saturday's contest.
 
Through just the two-game schedule, Miller is the team's leading scorer at 11.5 points per game while Isaac Fink has chipped in 11 points. Fink has secured 6.5 rebounds over the two contests while Caden Hinker averages six rebounds per game. Another Viking with a strong debut was Jadan Graves, who scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished six assists in the season-opener from the point guard position.
 
One Last Thing
Although the weekend's games are taking place on Heritage Court, the home floor of the Augustana Vikings, the games go into the books as neutral-site contests as the Sanford Pentagon is the official host of the event. One thing that will make the Vikings feel right at home on their home floor? The 2016 National Championship banner is in the rafter of the Sanford Pentagon, much like it is for every basketball game played in the facility, regardless of Augustana's affiliation.