Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University men's basketball team welcomes Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State to town for the annual I Hate Winter festivities this Friday and Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday against the Golden Bears and 6 p.m. on Saturday versus the Mavericks. Saturday's game will air on Midco Sports Network. For a full list of I Hate Winter events and promotions CLICK HERE.
 
QUICK HITS ON THE NORTHERN STATE WOLVES
                • Northern returns to Wachs Arena with a 15-5 record overall and 11-3 mark in the Northern Sun, sitting second in the North Division and first in the league overall
                • The Wolves are shooting 49.4% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc, and 67.7% from the foul line this season
                • NSU is averaging 81.0 points, 35.5 rebounds, 15.7 assists, 9.7 turnovers, 5.6 steals, and 4.8 blocks per game; out-rebounding and out-scoring their opponents by 1.9 boards and 8.8 points per game
                • They sit top-10 in the nation in blocked shots and assist turnover ratio (1.6)
                • Parker Fox leads the Wolves averaging 21.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, shooting 60.9% from the floor
                • Fox has earned NSIC North Division Player of the Week honors three times this season and ranks top-5 in the league in scoring and top-10 in rebounding this season
                • Mason Stark and Gabe King follow averaging 15.1 and 10.7 points per game respectively, with Stark shooting a team high 56.9% from beyond the arc with 37 made 3-pointers
                • King is close behind with 33 made from the 3-point line, while Andrew Kallman is averaging nearly four assists a game with 72 thus far
 
MATCHING UP WITH THE GOLDEN BEARS
                • Concordia-St. Paul hits the road with a 6-12 record overall and 4-10 mark in the league
                • The Golden Bears are shooting 46.4% from the floor, 39.0% from the 3-point line, and 71.0% from the foul line this season
                • They are averaging 73.4 points, 35.7 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 15.4 turnovers, 5.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game; being out-scored by their opponents by 4.2 points per contest and out-rebounding their foes by 0.1 boards
                • Jordan Coblin leads three starters averaging double figures, recording 17.4 points per game, followed by Cody Carlson and Lee Higgins notching 12.1 and 10.8 respectively
                • Carlson is grabbing a team high 6.4 rebounds per game, while Higgins is shooting a team best 56.8% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc
                • Coblin has dished out a team high 80 assists on the year, averaging 5.0 per game, and leads the Golden Bears with 31 made 3-pointers
                • CSP is led by interim head coach Eric Johnson in his first season at the helm and his sixth overall with the program
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                • The Wolves defeated the Golden Bears 90-79 and 88-65 a season ago
                • Mason Stark led the returners in the road victory notching 15 points, as the team shot 49.2% from the floor and 53.8% from the 3-point line
                • Gabe King led the team in the NSIC Tournament opening round win with 15 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field
                • Northern combined for 40 points in the paint and 30 points off the bench, shooting at clips of 55.0 from the floor and 50.0 from beyond the arc
                • NSU is 31-7 all-time versus CSP and currently on a 5-game win streak versus the Golden Bears
 
MATCHING UP WITH THE MAVERICKS
                • Minnesota State enters the weekend with an 11-9 record overall and 9-5 mark in the NSIC
                • MSU sits third in the NSIC South Division and fifth in the league overall standings with just a few weeks remaining
                • The Mavericks are shooting 45.7% from field goal range, 36.3% from the 3-point line, and 70.9% from the free throw line this season
                • They are averaging 77.6 points, 39.0 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 12.8 turnovers, 5.0 steals, and 5.2 blocks per game; out-scoring and out-rebounding their foes by 5.4 points and 4.1 boards per game
                • MSU is led by Cameron Kirksey who is averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game
                • Ryland Holt and Kevin Krieger follow notching 14.0 and 11.8 points per game respectively
                • Krieger has knocked down a team best 42 made 3-pointers and his second on the team shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc
                • Kelby Kramer is shooting a team high 64.7% from the floor and leads the team averaging 9.5 rebounds per game
                • Minnesota State is led by head coach Matt Margenthaler in his 19th season at the helm
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                • The Wolves defeated the Mavericks 88-80 a season ago
                • Mason Stark led the team with 26 points, going 7-of-15 from the field
                • Parker Fox led NSU off the bench with 16 points and five rebounds
                • The Wolves tallied 46 points in the paint and shot 50.0% from the floor in the victory
                • Northern is 12-15 all-time versus Minnesota State and currently on a 4-game win streak versus the Mavericks