Setting the Stage: Northern State (5-1, 1-1 NSIC) saw its five-game win streak come to an end last weekend when the Wolves fell 94-84 to St. Cloud State on Saturday night. That ended NSU's perfect season, which began with four non-conference victories at home and continued with an 85-70 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Friday. This week, NSU returns to Wachs Arena to host Wayne State on Friday and in-state rival and preseason favorite Augustana on Saturday.
TV Coverage: Friday night's game will be aired live on Midco Sports Net throughout North and South Dakota and portions of Iowa and Minnesota. Check your local listings for channel availability.
Last Time Out: The St. Cloud State Huskies led from buzzer to buzzer, jumping out to an early double-digit lead and holding on for the 94-84 win over Northern State last Saturday. That effectively ended the Wolves' perfect season, which they had kept intact with an 85-70 win over Concordia-St. Paul in the 2011 NSIC opener on Friday night.
Who 2 Watch 4: Collin Pryor notched a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in NSU's 85-70 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Friday to open NSIC play. The effort marked Pryor's first double-double of the season. He followed with a 12-point, 7-rebound performance against St. Cloud State on Saturday.
About WSC: Wayne State, picked to finish 11th in the NSIC preseason poll - one spot back of the Wolves, is off to a 1-5 start to the season, which is not to say the team hasn't been competitive. The Wildcats fell by 20 to Morningside to start the season and 19 to Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, but their remaining three losses have been by eight points or fewer. That includes a five-point loss to Minnesota State on Friday, a team that was picked third with a first place vote in the preseason poll.
Last Season: NSU and Wayne State split their two meetings last season with each team winning at home. The Wildcats took a 79-60 win in Wayne on Dec. 10. The Wolves avenged that loss late in the season with a 78-70 win in Wachs Arena, which capped a month of games that saw NSU go 6-2 and climb back above .500 for the first time since early in the season.
About Augustana: Augustana, which ended the 2010-11 season at 18-9 overall and a first-round exit from the NSIC tournament, returns four starters from that team, including preseason All-Americans Cody Schilling and Cameron McCaffrey. Shilling was also tabbed as the NSIC's Preseason Player of the Year. As a team, the Vikings garnered nine first place votes in the preseason balloting of the league's 14 head coaches and took the top spot in the team voting.
Last Season: The Vikings claimed both of last season's meetings, including a 78-73 overtime win in Wachs Arena on Feb. 11. That win snapped what had been a four-game win streak for the Wolves. Augustana also escaped with a 90-85 home win over the Wolves on Dec. 12 in a game that was delayed one day by winter weather that snarled traffic and travel plans across the conference.
