St. Cloud State
Upper Iowa University
Men's basketball readies for #16 Upper Iowa, Winona State
1/12/2022 12:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. - The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team's week isn't over. After nabbing their first win in 23 days on Monday, the Huskies will return to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action this weekend, as they travel to take on #16 Upper Iowa and WInona State this upcoming weekend.Â
These will be St. Cloud State's first NSIC contests since December 17 and 18, as the Huskies games against Minnesota-Duluth, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State were all cancelled due to the conference's COVID-19 protocols. St. Cloud State was able to play the Golden Bears in nonconfernece play on Monday, earning a resounding 93-80 win on the team's return to competition.Â
Friday's tipoff in Fayette, Iowa is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's game in Winona, Minnesota is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for both contests, and score updates will be made to the team's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_MBB).
Here are the five things to know before tip off this Friday:
23 - Twenty-three days passed between the Huskies last game and Monday's contest against Concordia-St. Paul. St. Cloud State didn't look rusty, however, as the team put up 93 points in the victory with all five starters scoring in the double-digits. As a team, the Huskies shot .606 in the first half, going 20-33 from the floor and 8-14 (.571) from three-point range. St. Cloud State also outrebounded the Golden Bears 43-37 in the victory with four blocks and six steals.Â
16 - The Huskies are once again slated to take on a top-25 opponent this weekend. Upper Iowa was ranked #16 in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) top-25 poll and #18 in the D2SIDA Media Poll Wednesday after earning an NSIC sweep of Bemidji State and Minnesota-Crookston. The Peacocks are currently 14-2 overall with an 8-2 mark in NSIC play, with their lone losses coming at the hands of Winona State (73-68) and MInnesota State (98-96 OT).Â
83.4 - Once of the reasons for Upper Iowa's success this season is the team's offensive prowess. The Peacocks average an impressive 83.4 points in conference games this season and have been held to less than 70 points just twice this season. It helps to have the No. 2 scorer in the NSIC on the roster as well. Graduate student Jareese Williams is averaging 19.5 points per game in conference play entering the weekend and scored 156 total points against NSIC opponents.Â
20.1 - And who, you might ask, is Williams ranked behind in scoring this season? Why none other than St. Cloud State's own Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park). The junior guard leads the NSIC with 20.1 points per game average and has scored 141 points in seven conference games this season. However, it's not just Roberts' scoring ability that has impressed this season. Entering the weekend, Roberts ranks fourth in the NSIC in rebounds/game (8.3), 14th in field goal percentage (.476) and third in minutes (36.9).
9.1 - The Warriors may be in the middle of the pack for most stats this season, but they present a big problem on the boards in Luke Martens. The junior guard is currently averaging 9.1 rebounds a contest, which ranks third in the NSIC this season. He's also just a few rebounds of shy of averaging a double-double this season, as Martens averages 11.9 points against NSIC opponents.
