Men’s basketball to close nonconference schedule with Waldorf, Dakota Wesleyan

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State men's basketball team has found quite a bit of success in Halenbeck Hall the last few years. This week, the Huskies hope that trend continues, as they look to get back to .500 by hosting Waldorf University and Dakota Wesleyan University during the week.

St. Cloud State and Waldorf will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday before Dakota Wesleyan comes to town for a 4 p.m. showdown on Saturday, November 23. Tickets for both games can be purchased online at www.scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX.

Live stats and video will be available for fans who cannot make the trek to St. Cloud, Minnesota, as well as WJON's live radio broadcast. Score updates will also be made on the team's official Twitter page (@SCSUmensbball).

Here are the five things to know before the Huskies final nonconference games of the season:

2-0 – St. Cloud State has a pristine record against its opponents this week, as the Huskies are a combined 2-0 against both the Warriors and the Tigers. Back in 2003-04, St. Cloud State downed Dakota Wesleyan 91-62 and put up similar numbers against Waldorf in 2016-17. That year, the Huskies defeated their NAIA foe 86-64 for their second win of the season.

6 – The Tigers are not a team to overlook, as they were ranked sixth in the NAIA's Preseason Top-25 poll for men's basketball. Dakota Wesleyan closed the 2018-19 season with a 23-10 record and finished 16^th in the national rankings. This season, the Tigers are off to a 4-0 start with two of those wins already coming in conference play.

1-6 – The Warriors are off to a bit of a slower start then their NAIA counterparts, as they've tallied just one win in their first seven games of the season. Yes, Waldorf is off to a 1-6 start with its lone win coming over Doane University on October 31.

59.5 – St. Cloud State's defensive efforts have been superb to start the 2019-20 season, as the Huskies have held opponents to just 59.5 points per game on .376 shooting from the floor, .351 shooting from beyond the arc and .759 shooting from the free throw line. Thanks to those numbers, St. Cloud State ranks second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in scoring defense and ranked fourth in field goal percentage defense through three games.

29.8 – Where the Huskies really take the cake is in the rebounding category. After three games, St. Cloud State has recorded 156 total rebounds, averaging an impressive 39.0 per game in 2019-20, which ranks third in the NSIC. Of those 156 rebounds, 103 have been on the defensive end of the court and 53 the offensive side, allowing the Huskies to rank second in the conference in offensive rebounds/game at 13.3.

Bonus number:
.714 – It's no secret that transfer senior Andrija Blatancic (Bergen, Norway / Academy of Arts) is off to a red-hot start this 2019-20 season. In three games for St. Cloud State, Blatancic has shot .714 from the floor and has missed just 10 field goals in 35 total attempts. His impressive field goal percentage currently leads the NSIC by a significant margin and he currently ranks in the top-25 in scoring, averaging a team-leading 13.0 points per game.

Men’s basketball to close nonconference schedule with Waldorf, Dakota Wesleyan

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Andrija Blatancic

Saint Cloud State University Athletics