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Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University men's basketball team will face No. 20 Central Missouri in the opening round of the Central Region Tournament, Saturday at 12 p.m., from the Sanford Pentagon.
 
The Wolves enter the regional tournament for the first time since the 2008-09 season, one year before senior Tydan Storrusten became a member of the Wolves squad. Seth Bachand leads Northern averaging 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Alongside Bachand is Tydan Storrusten and Skye Warwick who average 12.3 and 11.0 points per game respectively. Bachand ranks 16^th in the country in field goal percentage with a 60.6 mark. As a team, NSU is shooting 48.1 percent from the floor and 38.0 from the arch. Northern has won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming to Augustana College in overtime from the NSIC tournament. Darin Peterka led the Wolves in the game with 13 points and eight rebounds. DJ Pollard and Bachand tallied ten points and six rebounds apiece for NSU against the Vikings. The Wolves are 16-1 this season in games where they out-rebound their opponent, as they are averaging 34.1 rebounds per game. NSU has been hot this season shooting 40-50 percent from the floor, with a 12-0 mark on the year.

Central Missouri is 24-6 overall this season after falling to Missouri Southern in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament. The Mules are the defending National Champions after going 30-5 a season ago. UMC defeated NSIC opponents Minnesota State and University of Sioux Falls, earlier this season from the Sanford Pentagon Showcase. Despite falling in the semifinal round of the conference tournament, the Mules captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship. Rakeem Dickerson is leading UMC this season averaging 12.2 points per game, while TJ White comes in second averaging 10.3 ppg. Brennen Hughes led the MIAA in field goal percentage with a 65.1 mark on the year.
 
In the two team's only prior contest, Central Missouri took the 66-65 win over Northern a season ago. Seth Bachand led the Wolves in the match-up with 16 points and five rebounds. Four Central Missouri players scored double-digit figures in the game, led by Hughes with 16 points.