Saturday, December 1
St. Cloud, Minn.
4 p.m.
St. Cloud State
vs
University of Minnesota Duluth
Photo by: Point Loma Sports Information
Huskies host Minnesota-Duluth in NSIC opener
11/30/2018 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University basketball teams have both impressed through the first have of the game. As November concludes, both the Husky men's and women's basketball teams have winning record, marking the second consecutive season both teams are above .500 after the first month of the season.
The men have certainly lived up to the high expectations placed on them during the preseason, as they've posted a 5-1 record through the first six games of the 2018-19 season, including three wins over opponents who were either nationally ranked or receiving boths in one or both national polls. On Saturday, the Huskies will face their first challenge in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) as the host the University of Minnesota-Duluth in their conference opener at 4 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.
This will be the first time in two season St. Cloud State will open its NSIC schedule at home, as the team opened the conference season against Minnesota-Crookston last yeasr. It also marks the first time the Huskies will face the Bulldogs in their NSIC opener since the 2015-16 season. Minnesota-Duluth won that game 68-66 on a last second layup by Pierre Newton, but St. Cloud State has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams since that day.
Fans who cannot attend the game in person can follow along via live stats, video and WJON's live radio broadcast. Score updates can also be found on St. Cloud State men's basketball official Twitter page (@SCSUmensbball).
Here are the five things to know before the Huskies NSIC opener against the Bulldogs:
13/20 – St. Cloud State rose in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) polls this week after posting a 2-0 record at the Point Loma Thanksgiving Classic last weekend. The Huskies rose from No. 16 to No. 13 in the NABC top-25 poll and to No. 20 in the D2SIDA poll after falling out of the top-25 the week before.
92 – This will be the 92nd meeting between St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth, making it one of the longest standing series in the NSIC. In 92 meetings, the Huskies hold a 58-33 advantage over the Bulldogs and have won four-consecutive games in the series, including two victories last season (80-68, 76-63).
3 – St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth have accounted for all three NSIC North Division Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors this season. Husky seniors Sean Smith (Seville, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) and Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) took the honor in weeks one and three of the season, while the Bulldogs junior forward Brandon Myer earned the honor after week two. Davis was the most recent winner of the award after averaging 17.0 points on .500 shooting at the Point Loma Thanksgiving Classic last weekend.
58.3 – Through four games this season, Minnesota-Duluth has proved to be one of the top defensive teams in the NSIC, as the team currently ranks second in scoring defense and third in scoring margin. The Bulldogs have held opponents to just 58.3 points per game this season and outscored them by an average of 20.3 points. Minnesota-Duluth has also scored an average of 78.3 points per game in four games this season against the College of St. Scholastica (W, 116-68), Northern Michigan (L, 52-64), the University of Wisconsin-Superior (W, 85-45) and Michigan Tech (W, 61-56).
86.8 – On the flip side, the Huskies have been one of the most proficient offensive teams in the NSIC this season, averaging 86.8 points per game against some of the top Division II teams in the nation. After six games, St. Cloud State ranks fifth in the conference in scoring in both points (521) and points/game (86.8) and has scored nearly 200 points more than the Bulldogs this season.
The men have certainly lived up to the high expectations placed on them during the preseason, as they've posted a 5-1 record through the first six games of the 2018-19 season, including three wins over opponents who were either nationally ranked or receiving boths in one or both national polls. On Saturday, the Huskies will face their first challenge in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) as the host the University of Minnesota-Duluth in their conference opener at 4 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.
This will be the first time in two season St. Cloud State will open its NSIC schedule at home, as the team opened the conference season against Minnesota-Crookston last yeasr. It also marks the first time the Huskies will face the Bulldogs in their NSIC opener since the 2015-16 season. Minnesota-Duluth won that game 68-66 on a last second layup by Pierre Newton, but St. Cloud State has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams since that day.
Fans who cannot attend the game in person can follow along via live stats, video and WJON's live radio broadcast. Score updates can also be found on St. Cloud State men's basketball official Twitter page (@SCSUmensbball).
Here are the five things to know before the Huskies NSIC opener against the Bulldogs:
13/20 – St. Cloud State rose in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) polls this week after posting a 2-0 record at the Point Loma Thanksgiving Classic last weekend. The Huskies rose from No. 16 to No. 13 in the NABC top-25 poll and to No. 20 in the D2SIDA poll after falling out of the top-25 the week before.
92 – This will be the 92nd meeting between St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth, making it one of the longest standing series in the NSIC. In 92 meetings, the Huskies hold a 58-33 advantage over the Bulldogs and have won four-consecutive games in the series, including two victories last season (80-68, 76-63).
3 – St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth have accounted for all three NSIC North Division Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors this season. Husky seniors Sean Smith (Seville, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) and Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) took the honor in weeks one and three of the season, while the Bulldogs junior forward Brandon Myer earned the honor after week two. Davis was the most recent winner of the award after averaging 17.0 points on .500 shooting at the Point Loma Thanksgiving Classic last weekend.
58.3 – Through four games this season, Minnesota-Duluth has proved to be one of the top defensive teams in the NSIC, as the team currently ranks second in scoring defense and third in scoring margin. The Bulldogs have held opponents to just 58.3 points per game this season and outscored them by an average of 20.3 points. Minnesota-Duluth has also scored an average of 78.3 points per game in four games this season against the College of St. Scholastica (W, 116-68), Northern Michigan (L, 52-64), the University of Wisconsin-Superior (W, 85-45) and Michigan Tech (W, 61-56).
86.8 – On the flip side, the Huskies have been one of the most proficient offensive teams in the NSIC this season, averaging 86.8 points per game against some of the top Division II teams in the nation. After six games, St. Cloud State ranks fifth in the conference in scoring in both points (521) and points/game (86.8) and has scored nearly 200 points more than the Bulldogs this season.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
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