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The Northern State men's basketball team begins the 2013-14 season this weekend down in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Tip-Off Classic. The Wolves will face MIAA opponents Central Missouri and Missouri Western.

The games will be played in the new Sanford Pentagon. Northern will face Central Missouri at 4 p.m. Saturday and will face Western at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Scouting UCM
The Mules return four players off last year's MIAA Championships squad, the 23^rd title in school history. UCM is led by Head Coach Kim Anderson who is the winningest coach in UCM history and has led the Mules to two Final Four berths.

Charles Hammork is Central's top returner. Hammork was an Honorable Mention All-MIAA honoree last season, averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game a season ago.

Scouting MWSU
The Griffons are led by first year Head Coach Brett Weiberg who takes over for legendary Missouri Western coach Tom Smith.

Western is led by 2012-13 All-MIAA Honorable Mention performer Cedric Clinkscales. The senior led the Griffons last season in points (13.3), rebounds (6.4) and blocks (0.8). Missouri Western is looking for its first winning season since 2009-10 when the Griffons went 18-12 and made it to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

Wolves Tracks
Northern enters its fourth season under the helm of Head Coach Paul Sather. Sather is 45-38 with the Wolves including a 12-2 mark against non-conference opponents and is 1-2 at neutral sites.

NSU is looking to replace All-NSIC performers and 1,000-point club members in Collin Pryor and Dustin Tetzlaff. Jared Hannigan and Trent Zomer are the lone seniors for a young NSU squad. Juniors Seth Bachand and Mitch White, along with sophomore Skye Warwick and freshman Carter Evans are expected to join Hannigan in the Wolves starting lineup.

Northern is coming off a 89-61 exhibition loss last Friday in Omaha, Neb., at Division I Creighton. Darin Peterka and Warwick led the Wolves with nine points each in the exhibition while Spencer Pankonin added eight points.

Evans went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and had seven points and was one of five Wolves to lead the team with three rebounds in his NSU debut.

Alumni Event
The NSU Foundation will be hosting an alumni event prior to Saturday's game against Central Missouri. The event will be held across the street from the Pentagon at Beef O' Brady's from 2:30 to 4 p.m.