SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The three hottest teams in the NSIC will meet in the Elmen Center on Thursday and Saturday as Minnesota State, winners of 10 straight, and St. Cloud State, winners of the last 12, will take on the Augustana men's basketball team as they ride an eight-game winning streak. The Vikings and Mavericks meet at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday while the Huskies come to town for a 3:30 p.m., matchup on Saturday.
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.
About the Mavericks
Minnesota State was selected to finish third overall in the NSIC Preseason Poll. The Mavericks are 17-9 overall and 11-7 in the NSIC and are riding a 10-game winning streak while sitting in a tie for fourth in the NSIC. Traijan Sain is leading the team with 12.8 points per game while Malcolm Jones adds 12.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while Arhman Lewis (11.6 ppg/5.8 apg) and Caden Kirkman (11.1ppg/5.8 rpg) also average double figures.
About the Huskies
St. Cloud State was selected to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Poll. The Huskies are 19-5 on the season and 16-2 in the NSIC, sitting on a 12-game winning streak and holding a two game lead over the Vikings for the NSIC crown. Luke Winkel is scoring 19.3 points per game while leading the team with 91 assists. Bob Griechen adds 12.1 points per game and Wyatt Hawks grabs a team-best 8.7 rebounds per game to go with 11.5 points per game.
Road Warriors
The Vikings have gone an NSIC-best 9-2 on the road this season, including 9-1 in conference games. AU has won six consecutive road games, tying the third longest road winning streak in program history. Their .818 road winning percentage is also tied for second in program history.
Longest Road Win Streak
9 - 2014-15
7 - 2015-16
6 - 2025-26
6 - 2021-22
6 - 2010-11
Best Road Win Percentage
.910 (10-1) - 2015-16
.818 (9-2) - 2025-26
.818 (9-2) - 2014-15
Last Time Out
The Augustana men's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight, grinding out a 62-54 victory over Winona State on Saturday afternoon at the McGown Gymnasium.
The Vikings took just 48 shots, knocking down 20 of them, while going 17 of 21 from the free throw line. The defense was dominant, holding the Warriors to 22 of 63 shooting from the field and 6 of 23 from deep while allowing just seven free throws.
Caden Hinker led the way with 17 points while Sam Rensch added 15 points and two steals. Tanner Te Slaa knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while scoring 12 points. Tameron Ferguson filled it up again, scoring nine points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds while adding six assists and two steals.
About the Vikings
Augustana is 16-7 overall and 14-4 in the NSIC while riding a eight-game winning streak. They did that after playing a tough non-conference slate, with two of their three losses coming by four points or less. With one win over the final two weekends, the Vikings will clinch a bye in the NSIC Tournament and earn a spot in the quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon.
Tameron Ferguson has been one of the best players in the country in his sophomore season, leading the team with 20.0 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from deep. He has tallied at least 20 points in 14 of his last 19 games, including a 28-point performance against Sioux Falls on Dec. 6.
Ferguson is the first Viking to record multiple point-assist double doubles since Jordan Spencer in 2017-18 and is the only player in the country averaging at least 20 points and six assists per game. He is sixth in the country with a 3.29 assist/turnover ratio and is the engine for an offense that turns the ball over just 9.5 times a game, the fewest total in the country.
After missing all of last season, Caden Hinker has been a dominant force in his return. The redshirt junior has recorded six double-doubles while leading the team with 6.4 rebounds per game, including 5.6 defensive rebounds per game. He's second on the team with 15.9 points per game and scored a career-high 26 points against Winona State on Nov. 18 while grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 15.
Senior Sam Rensch is third on the team with 13.7 points per game. He is second on the team with 2.2 assists per game and has grabbed 3.6 rebounds per contest. He has recorded a steal in 20 of 23 games and scored a season-high 24 points against Sioux Falls in 46 minutes on Dec. 6. He leads the team with 1.7 steals per game.
Tanner Te Slaa is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game while adding 3.7 rebounds per game. The 2024-25 All-NSIC Second Team honoree has knocked down at least two 3-pointers in 12 games this season, including five of his last six games, with the Vikings holding a 11-1 record in those 12 games. The Vikings are also 9-2 when Te Slaa scores in double figures, something he has done in four consecutive games. In that four game stretch, Te Slaa is averaging 14.3 points per game while knocking down 12 of 23 shots from deep.
After being inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 9, Brady Helgren took full advantage of his opportunity. The junior scored a career-high 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting against Jamestown on Jan. 9 and followed that on Jan. 10, reseting his career-high with 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting while tying a career-high with nine rebounds. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his first four starts while shooting 69.2 percent from the field and added an 11 point, five rebound performance while taking just four shots against Minnesota Duluth on 1/31. For the season, Helgren is averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Bennett Fried had one of the best games of his young career on Dec. 11, tying a career high with 20 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 9 of 13 from the field against St. Cloud State. He has scored in double figures nine times, including all four times he has taken at least nine shots from the field. He's fifth on the team with 8.2 points per game while grabbing 3.7 rebounds per game and shooting 62.6 percent from the field. In his last eight games, Fried has shot 84.6 percent (22 of 26) from the field.
Series History
The Vikings haven't played an NSIC opponent as much as Minnesota State, with Thursday marking the 134th meeting between the two clubs. The Vikings snapped a three-game losing skid in the series earlier this season to cut their deficit against the Mavericks to 69-64. In 67 matchups in Sioux Falls, Augustana has won 42 of them, including six of the last 10.
Augustana and SCSU will meet for the 98th time with the Huskies leading the series 50-47. The Vikings had a seven-game win streak snap in February last season and the Huskies added to their total earlier this season. All-time, AU is 28-19 at home in the series.
