Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 2 ranked Northern State University men's basketball team (12-0, 10-0 NSIC North) begins a 4-game home stand to close out the regular season this weekend, looking to win their 22^nd and 23^rd straight games against Minot State (6-4, 4-2). Friday's game will tip-off at 7 p.m. and Saturday's at 4 p.m. from Wachs Arena.
 
Note that only 300 general admission tickets will be available on a first come first serve basis for each game. Northern State athletics will pre-sell tickets for the weekend at the Barnett Center main office on Wednesday and Thursday. Remaining tickets after pre-sale will be available for purchase at the North Entrance to the Barnett Center, approximately 60 minutes prior to tip-off. Full fan information can be found at nsuwolves.com/covid/fans.
 
The Wolves come off two gutsy road victories at UMary. They staged a second-half comeback in the first game to win 83-76 and relied on stingy defense to prevent an upset bid in the second game, leaving Bismarck with a 70-59 win.
 
All-American-hopeful Parker Fox continues to average a double-double with his team-leading 20.8 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game despite only playing 26 minutes in Saturday's contest. Guards Mason Stark and Tommy Chatman continue to average double figures scoring with Stark joining Jordan Belka in shooting nearly 50.0% on 3-point shooting.
 
NSU leads the NSIC in scoring margin and defensive rating as the Wolves score nearly 78 points per game while giving up an average of only 64.6 points per contest.
 
Minot State travel to Aberdeen riding a 4-game winning streak and scoring an average of 78.5 points per game across that span. The Beavers are led by senior guard Cody Max who averages 14.8 points per game and shoots 45.0% from beyond the arc.
 
Northern State enters the weekend first in the NSIC North Division with a 10-0 record in the division, followed by MSU Moorhead at 6-0 and Minot State at 4-2.
 
Not only is Northern expected to win their fourth straight NSIC North Division Title, but the Wolves would also likely host the NCAA Central Region games of the 2021 Division II Men's Basketball Championship should they complete the undefeated regular season and defend their NSIC Tournament Championship. NSU is the highest-ranked team from the Central Region in the NABC Coaches Poll just ahead of No. 3 Northwest Missouri State.