Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University men's basketball team will open the NSIC Tournament from home versus Winona State tomorrow. The Wolves and Warriors will tip-off at 8 p.m. following the NSU women's game versus Upper Iowa.
 
Northern enters the post-season after a weekend sweep of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, earning the second seed in the NSIC North. Junior DJ Pollard tallied his 1,000th career point versus St. Cloud State on Saturday with his first bucket of the game. Pollard recorded 27 points over the weekend. The Wolves are shooting 48.7% from the floor, 40.6% from the arc, and 74.3% from the foul line, while averaging 84.7 points, 39.0 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 12.7 turnovers, 3.8 steals, and 4.3 blocks per game this season. Northern finished the regular season leading the NSIC in field goal percentage defense, as their opponents shot 44.3% in league games. NSU also sits atop the league in rebounding with 867 total boards, averaging 39.4 per game against NSIC teams. Mack Arvidson continues to get one step closer to his 1,000th point notching a team leading 34 points over the weekend. He is just eight points away from the milestone. Carter Evans has been solid off the bench for the Wolves, notching 30 points in the final week of the regular season. In the last 6-games he is averaging 9.8 points per game.
 
 
About the Warriors
                • Winona State enters the first round of the playoffs as the seventh seed in the south, after finishing the regular season 8-14 in the NSIC.
                • The Warriors are shooting 47.1% from the floor, 36.7% from the arc, and 71.0% from the foul line, while averaging 72.6 points, 33.0 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 11.4 turnovers, 4.6 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game this season.
                • Riley Bambenek leads WSU averaging 15.5 points per game.
                • Four Warriors are averaging four rebounds per game in Isaiah Gray, Tommy Gathje, Kyle Bauman, and Corey Jeffs.
                • Winona State is led by head coach Todd Eisner in his second season with the program. 
 
Last Match-Up
                • The Wolves defeated the Warriors 85-58 over I Hate Winter earlier this season.
                • Carter Evans led the team off the bench with 17 points, as four Wolves scored in double figures.
                • Northern shot 52.6% from the floor, and knocked down 12 long range baskets.
                • NSU tallied 44 points off the bench and held a 28 point lead in the second.
                • The Wolves are 42-38 all-time versus the Warriors.