THE GAMEs AT A GLANCE

Friday, November 8 (2 p.m.) vs. Missouri Western
Location: St. Joseph, Mo.
Head Coach: Will Martin
 
Sunday, November 10 (12 p.m.) vs. Emporia State
Location: St. Joseph, Mo.
Head Coach: Tom Billeter
 

FAN INFORMATION & GAME COVERAGE

Live Stats: gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/Mbball/summary
Live Video: themiaanetwork.com/mwsugriffons/
Radio Broadcast [Sun]: Fox Sports Aberdeen [98.5 FM · 1420 AM] radio.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KGIMAM
Game Notes: Northern State vs. Missouri Western / Emporia State

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• The Northern State men enter the 2024-25 season picked 13th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll
• The Wolves tallied a 78-64 exhibition win against Dickinson State
• Northern went 10-19 overall and 8-14 in the NSIC in 2023-24
• Two Wolves were honored on the NSIC All-Conference team and three surpassed the 1000 career point milestone
• Augustin Reede broke the single season free throw percentage record
• NSU shot 44.3% from the floor, 33.2% from the 3-point line, and 78.3% from the foul line a season ago
• They averaged 75.0 points, 32.7 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 9.1 turnovers, 4.4 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game
• Michael Nhial is the lone returning starting on the 2024-25 roster after averaging 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season; he shot 42.2% from the floor and 34.4% from the 3-point line
• The Wolves had a busy off season adding six freshman and four transfer student-athletes
• Saul Phillips enters his sixth season at the helm of the Wolves, holding a career record of 314-207 and Northern State record of 99-46

 

MISSOURI WESTERN STORYLINES

• Missouri Western opened their season last Friday and Sunday at the D2CCA Tip-off Classic going 1-1 with a win over St. Cloud State
• The Griffons were picked sixth in the MIAA Preseason Poll after going 17-13 overall and 10-12 in league play last season
• Mo West returns three starters from a season ago, as well as five letter winners
• Through the first two games of the season, three Griffons are averaging double figures led by Zane Nelson notching 15.0 points
• Zion Swader is averaging 12.0, followed by Justin Bubak averaging 10.0; Bubak is also shooting a team best 63.6% from the floor
• MWSU is led by head coach Will Martin in his fifth season

 

THE WOLVES AND GRIFFONS HISTORY

• The Wolves fell to the Griffons 75-72 last season in St. Joe
• Northern is 2-1 all-time against Missouri Western

 

EMPORIA STATE STORYLINES

• Emporia State enters the 2024-25 season picked ninth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll
• ESU went 19-12 overall and 12-10 in the MIAA last season
• The Hornets return juts one player from the 2023-24 season that saw in-game minutes
• Emporia State is led by a familiar face in the NSIC, former Augustana head coach Tom Billeter in his first season

 

THE WOLVES AND HORNETS HISTORY

• The Wolves and Hornets last matched up at the 2023 NCAA Central Region Tournament with ESU recording a 72-51 victory
• Northern is 1-3 all-time against Emporia State