SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's tournament time for the No. 5 nationally-ranked Augustana men's basketball team as the Vikings open NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. contest with Southwest Minnesota State. The quarterfinal round pits the No. 1 South Division seed Vikings against the No. 5 South Division Mustangs inside the Sanford Pentagon.
 
The winner of Saturday's contest will play the winner of MSU Moorhead and St. Cloud State on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
 
Complete action can be followed at GoAugie.com/Live and on the GoAugie App, presented by CellOnly. The app can be downloaded in the app store or on Google Play.
 
About the Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota State is in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament after topping Minot State on Wednesday in Minot, North Dakota. The Mustangs traveled the 478 miles and simply drained a season-high 16 3-point field goals in the 89-75 win. The 16-made long-range shots were easily a season-high and were part of a 51 percent night shooting from deep and 56.4 percent from the field. Dunwa Omot led the way with 28 points with six made treys while Kenny Byers added 19 and Cliff McCray and Anthony Costello each added 11 points.
 
The Mustangs, who enter the quarterfinals with a 15-11 record on the season, have been led by Byers with his 15.2 points per game. He was named to the All-NSIC Second Team for his efforts. Byers is joined in double-digit scoring by Jake Phipps at 13 points and Omot at 12 points per outing. Phipps is the team's leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per game.
 
Previously this Season
The two squads met twice this season with Augustana with the Vikings claiming victories in both meetings. On Dec. 4, the Vikings claimed a 103-74 win in Marshall, Minnesota, while it was a Senior Day celebration win on Feb. 19 that saw AU win 74-62 inside the Pentagon just one week ago.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana is 23-2 on the season and concluded the NSIC season with a 17-2 mark to win the conference. The Vikings have not played since the 74-62 win over SMSU last Saturday, having earned a first-round bye in the tournament.
 
The Vikings are led by NSIC South Division Player of the Year Tyler Riemersma and his double-double of 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He earned the league's top honor as voted on by the coaches and is a six-time NSIC Player of the Week in 2021-22. Second Team All-NSIC selection Isaac Fink is second on the team with 15.2 points per outing while First Team All-NSIC honoree Adam Dykman pours in 13.2 points and secures 6.4 rebounds per game.
 
Also earning honors from the NSIC were Dylan LeBrun and head coach Tom Billeter. LeBrun was named the Defensive Player of the Year for his ability to lock down the opponents' offense. Billeter was given his second NSIC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Vikings to the conference championship.
 
Possibly robbed of a spot on the all-conference teams was Jameson Bryan, who ranks second in the league with 4.88 assists per game. In fact, he is fourth in NCAA Division II with a 4.21-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
One Last Thing
Tyler Riemersma has had a storied career and he'll look to push that story even further through postseason play, but his numbers are worth a look. In 84 games as a Viking, he has totaled 1,224 points, 855 rebounds, 203 assists and 100 steals. His point total has him just outside of the top-20 all-time, while his rebounds have him ranked sixth all-time at Augustana.