SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball team is off to Minnesota to face No. 9 Minnesota State on Friday and Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday. Friday is a rare 7 p.m. tipoff while Saturday's contest will start at 5:30 p.m.
 
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.
 
About the Mavericks
Minnesota State is off to a quick start in 2022-23 with its 9-0 overall record and 3-0 mark in the NSIC. The Mavericks have defeated Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State and Upper Iowa in NSIC play including a 97-68 throbbing of UIU, a team tabbed second in the NSIC Preseason Poll.
 
Minnesota State leads the NSIC in 10 team categories including scoring margin which is currently at +16.6. The Mavericks are one of 17 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II.
 
Malik Willingham is the NSIC's scoring leader while pouring in 22.1 points per game, a mark that is fifth in DII. Joining him in double-figure scoring are four teammates, Harris Braudis (13.6), Kyreese Willingham (13.0), Trebor Moore (11.8) and Brady William (10.6). Kelby Kramer is the leading rebounder at 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
About the Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul is 2-6 on the season and 0-3 in league action. The Golden Bears saw Winona State slip past them this past Saturday, 66-63. The two victories for CSP were a nonconference, 77-76, win over Bemidji State on Nov. 15 and a 70-53 victory over Northland on Nov. 27.
 
Where Malik Willingham is the NSIC's total points leader, Concordia-St. Paul has the league's top points-per-game leader at 22.4 over the eight games played by Antwan Kimmons. He is joined by Marcus Skeete and his 15.3 points per game while the duo scores 50 percent of CSP's points.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana holds a 5-4 record in 2022-23 while sitting at 1-2 in the NSIC. Most recently, the Vikings split earning a win over Southwest Minnesota State before falling to Sioux Falls.
 
The Vikings now have co-leaders in the scoring column as Ryan Miller and Akoi Akoi each record 12.4 points per game. Akoi makes his 12.4 points at a high clip as he leads the NSIC in field-goal percentage at 61.7 percent. The leading rebounder for AU is Isaac Fink and his 8.2 rebounds per game.
 
Augustana's defense has been its calling this season as it leads the league in scoring defense. The Vikings' opponents score just 65.7 points per outing. That is aided by the fact that AU forces an NSIC-best 14.9 turnovers per game.
 
One Last Thing
It'll be a contrast of offense and defense this weekend. Augustana has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NSIC by allowing just 65.7 points per game. Minnesota State has the No. 1 scoring offense by pouring in 89.8 points per game. In addition, both opponents have the No. 1 and No. 2 scorers in the NSIC. It'll be a true look at offense vs. defense.