Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 6 Northern State University men's basketball team will take on No. 7 Queens (NC) in the NCAA Final Four on Thursday from the Sanford Pentagon. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. between the two teams. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Full fan information can be found HERE.
 
The Wolves enter the NCAA Final Four, after a 79-71 victory over East Stroudsburg, with a 35-3 record overall. NSU broke the single season school record for wins, which was set back in 1992-93, with the victory over the Warriors. Head Coach Paul Sather was named the NSIC and NABC Central Region Coach of the Year, while Ian Smith was named to the NSIC All-Conference first team, and Darin Peterka, DJ Pollard, and Logan Doyle were named to the All-Conference second team. Smith was named to the D2CCA  and NABC All-Region second team, while Pollard was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team. 
 
Northern State won both the NSIC Overall and North Division Conference Championships, notching the first overall title since 2002-03 and first division title in program history. They also grabbed their first NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament title since 2004-05 with an 81-75 win over Southwest Minnesota State. The Wolves finished the regular season leading the NSIC in scoring defense (66.8), scoring margin (+14.6), field goal percentage defense (43.5), and rebounding margin (+9.3). NSU rolled to the NCAA Central Region Tournament Championship after three wins over Washburn University, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State.
 
Northern earned a trip to their first Elite Eight since 1998, and second in school history, and recorded their first Elite Eight victory on Tuesday evening versus East Stroudsburg. Smith and Pollard led the team in the win over the Warriors with 21 and 19 points respectively. Smith hit 9-of-12 from the floor, while Pollard shot 71.4 percent from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Five Wolves scored in double figures, as NSU shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from the 3-point line, and 74.1 percent from the foul line. The Wolves enter the contest shooting 51.4 percent from the floor, 40.1 percent from the 3-point line, and 74.8 percent from the foul line this season. NSU is averaging 80.2 points, 36.6 rebounds, 15.7 assists, 11.4 turnovers, 5.0 steals, and 4.2 blocks per game on the year. DJ Pollard leads five Wolves in double figures notching 13.1 points per game, while Ian Smith, Logan Doyle, and Darin Peterka are recording 12.3, 12.2, and 12.1 respectively. Carter Evans rounds out the pack notching 10.2 points, as well as a team second best 5.1 rebounds. Doyle is grabbing a team leading 6.9 boards per game, and shooting 67.6 percent from the floor. Peterka leads the team from the arc, with 69 made 3-pointers and a 43.4 3-point field goal percentage. Smith has done it all for the Wolves this season, leading the team with 162 assists and 46 steals. He is averaging 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game on the year.
 
About the Royals
                • Queens enters the Final Four with a 32-3 record overall this season, and a 100-94 victory over No. 21 California Baptist in the opening round of the Elite Eight.
                • The Royals advanced to their third Elite Eight in program history, and first since 2003, with a 69-57 victory over No. 1 Lincoln Memorial in the Southeast Region Championship.
                • Four student-athletes were named to the SAC All-Conference teams, while Todd Withers was named to the D2CCA and NABC All-Region and All-District second teams.
                • Queens is shooting 49.9 percent from the floor, 38.2 percent from the 3-point line, and 71.2 percent from the foul line this season.
                • They are averaging 83.7 points, 39.1 rebounds, 16.9 assists, 14.5 turnovers, 8.2 steals, and 4.9 blocks per game on the year.
                • The Royals are out-scoring their opponents by 14.4 points, and out-rebounding their opponents by 7.2 boards per game.
                • Withers leads four averaging double figures, notching 14.0 points per game, followed by Mike Davis recording 12.5.
                • Jalin Alexander and Ike Agusi are adding 11.5 and 11.3 points per game respectively.
                • Withers also leads the team on the glass, notching 8.0 boards per contest, while Lewis Diankulu is shooting a team leading 66.5 percent from the floor.
                • Davis and Withers lead the team from the 3-point line, with 85 and 84 made field goals from beyond the arc in 2017-18.
                • Agusi has dished out a team leading 172 assists on the year, averaging 4.9 per game.
 
Last Match-Up
                • The match-up will be the first meeting between the two squads.