SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (0-0), which returns three starters after making a second straight appearance in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals, will  open the season against Emporia State  (0-0) at 7:30 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 10 at Slaymaker Court in Emporia, Kan., as part of the MIAA-NSIC Challenge .

Also as part of the tournament, the Cougars will also face Fort Hays State (0-0) on Saturday at 5:30  p.m. FHSU will play NSIC member Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at 5:30 p.m. prior to game time. USF will host its home opener with Wisconsin-Superior on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Stewart Center. The game will be part of a USF men's and women's basketball doubleheader, beginning with the USF Women's Basketball game against Presentation College at 6 p.m. The USF Men's Basketball Team will tip against Wisconsin-Superior about 8 p.m.

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Both USF and Emporia State have played exhibitions to start the season. Drew Guebert, a junior forward, had 14 points while Teathloath Pal had 12 and Trevon Evans 11 as the Cougars dropped a 73-64 decision to Summit League regular season champion South Dakota on Nov. 4 in Vermillion.  Emporia State lost to Kansas State, 77-44, on Nov. 3 in Manhattan, Kan., and fell to Iowa State, 77-68, on Nov. 5 in Ames, Iowa.

Series Notes
The Cougars have played both ESU and FHSU in each of the last two years at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge. USF is 1-1 against ESU and 0-2 vs. FHSU. All of the game have been tight and decided in the final minutes. Two years ago in Hays, Kan., the Cougars defeated Emporia State, 85-81 as Daniel Hurtt had 15 points and seven rebounds while Kebu Johnson provided 14 points. In that same tournament, they lost to host FHSU, 62-60 when the Tigers' Kenny Enoch made a shot with a second to play. Mack Johnson had 16 to lead the Cougars.  A year ago at the Stewart Center, USF loss a pair of close games, falling to ESU, 101-94. The Cougars received a career-high from Drew Guebert, who was 4-of-6 from three points range. USF made 56 percent from the floor and 10-of-20 from three-point range. However, the Hornets knocked down 55.7 percent from the field including 8-of-17 from three point range. USF dropped an 80-78 decision to FHSU, which received a game-winning shot from Rob Davis with a second to play. Davis had 33 to lead the Tigers while Guebert had 23 points and Hurtt, 21, to lead the Cougars.

Inside Scoop on the Cougars
For the second straight year, USF, which finished 15-17 and 10-12 in the NSIC for eighth place, reached the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Cougars, directed by the program's all-time wins leader head coach Chris Johnson (156-122 at USF; 172-137 overall), defeated Minot State, 80-77, in the opening round of the tourney as forward Drew Guebert knocked in a game-winning three pointer with three seconds to play. Guebert finished with 23 points and the winning shot was his sixth three pointer of the game. For the second straight year, USF fell to the eventual tournament champion with Southwest Minnesota State recording a 79-68 decision in the quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon. Two years ago, the Cougars dropped a 108-100 decision to Augustana in the league quarterfinals. 

USF, which finished eighth in the league a year ago, return three starters including 6-2 senior guard Zach Wessels, 6-6 senior forward Tom Aase and Guebert, a 6-8 junior forward. 

Guebert led the team in scoring with 15.5 points (15th, NSIC) while grabbing 5.1 rebounds and blocking 16 shots.  He ranked fifth in the NSIC in free throw shooting at 84.4 percent (81-of-96). Guebert, who has started 45 games over the past two seasons, has 808 career points, 258 rebounds and has 137 career three-point field goals for seventh all-time at USF. In addition, he has accumulated 40 double digit scoring games, including 12 over 20 points.

Wessels, who had 18 double digit scoring games in 2016-17, averaged 10.4 points, 3.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Aase, who hit 51.2 percent from the floor, averaged 5.0 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and ranked fifth in the league with 1.2 blocked shots per game (37). Aase has 133 career blocks, the most in the NCAA DII era at USF. 

Other players returning include sophomore 6-6 forward Tristan Teichmeier and 6-7 sophomore forward Devin Green. Others in the mix will be redshirt freshman Teathloach Pal, a 6-8 redshirt freshman; Justin Taylor, a 6-5 junior guard/forward; 6-8 redshirt freshman Austin Slater; 6-0 junior guard Trevon Evans; 6-4 freshman forward Chase Grinde; 6-4 freshman guard Drew Maschoff; and 6-6 senior guard/forward Jerrod Walton. 

A year ago, the Cougars outscored opponents, 2,373 to 2,277, holding a 1,127-to-1,024 advantage in the first half but being outscored, 1,253-to-1,246 in the second stanza. USF made 858-of-1,888 field goals for 45.4 percent, including 256 three points on 686 attempts for 37.3 percent. They were solid at the foul stripe at 72.3 percent (401-of-555), which ranked 10th in the league. The held a 36.7-to-31.9 rebound edge.

USF ranked first in the NSIC in scoring defense by allowing just 71.2 points per game while averaging 74.2 (12th, NSIC). USF ranked second in the league in field goal percent defense at 44.3 percent while sitting third in three-point field goal percentage defense at 35.0 percent. USF was sixth in three point field goal percentage at 37.3 percent
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USF picked ninth in NSIC preseason poll
Northern State received eight first-place votes and was tabbed the favorite to win the NSIC with 213 points. They were also the North Division favorite with six first-place votes and 48 points. MSU Moorhead, which was picked fourth overall (four first place votes and 187 points) was picked second in the North Division with 42 points followed by St. Cloud State with 38 points. In the South Division, SMSU received four first-place votes and 45 points to head into the season as the favorite. The Mustangs were picked second overall as they earned seven first-place votes and 211 ballot points, just two behind NSU. Augustana was selected third overall with 190 points and second (44 points) in the South Division followed by Minnesota State, Upper Iowa and Sioux Falls. The Cougars received 97 ballot points for ninth place overall and were also projected to finish fifth (23 points) in the NSIC South.  Junior forward Drew Guebert was named USF's Player to Watch.

Inside the Opponent -- Emporia State Head Coach Shaun Van Diver
Shaun Vandiver is 78-93 in his seventh season at Emporia State. A first round draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in 1991 he spent ten years as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. As a player he led Hutchinson CC to the 1988 NJCAA National Championship before earning first-team All-Big 8 honors at Colorado. He averaged 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in a pair of CU wins over K-State in 1990-91. He is 1-1 against USF.

Emporia State Notes
Emporia State was 13-16, 9-10 in the MIAA last season. They return six players including second-team All-MIAA performer Brandon Hall, and will add redshirt freshmen Duncan Fort and Jack Dale in addition to four newcomers. Hall was the leading scorer at 13.7 points per game, but the Hornets had seven different players lead them in scoring in a game.  

Inside the Opponent  - Fort Hays State Head Coach Mark Johnson
Fort Hays State, directed by head coach Mark Johnson, placed fourth in the MIAA regular season standings for the second year in a row in 2016-17. The Tigers produced their 10th consecutive winning season last year and reached the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. Since FHSU won the MIAA regular season title in 2012-13, the Tigers have finished fourth in the conference in three of the last four years. Johnson has a career record of 322-149 for a winning percentage of .684. The Tigers have reached 20 wins in a season nine times and the NCAA Tournament seven times under Johnson. Against USF, Johnson is 2-0.

FHSU Notes
FHSU has played exhibition games against in-state DI and Big 12 schools Kansas and Kansas State. On Oct. 29, FHSU dropped a 79-56 decision to Kansas State. Brady Werth had 10 points and Marcus Cooper, 15. On Nov. 7, the Tigers fell to KU, 86-57 as Hadley Gillum and Werth supplied 14 points each.  Gillum is the top returner for FHSU after earning All-MIAA honors last year. He averaged 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior and is the lone senior on this year's roster. Trey O'Neil and Kyler Kinnamon join Gillum as the three starters to return from last year's squad. O'Neil averaged 7.0 points per game and Kinnamon averaged 5.7. O'Neil drained 46 3-point field goals last year, while Kinnamon led the team in assists at 3.3 per game.
 
USF signs recruits Troy Houghton and Wesley McCullough
USF Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Johnson announced Wednesday the signings of Troy Houghton and Wesley McCullough, who will continue their academic and athletic careers with the Cougars in the fall of 2018. Today, Nov. 8 was the first day of the fall signing period for NCAA basketball programs. The USF signees include Wesley McCullough, a 6-8 forward from Raymore, Mo.; and Troy Houghton, a 6-3 guard from Council Bluffs, Iowa.   McCullough, who is the son of Bill and Cristie McCullough, is a standout wing forward at Raymore-Peculiar High School where he averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game for the Panthers in 2016-17. He was named both first team all-conference and all-district a year ago.  Wesley played his summer hoops with the KC Magic AAU program. A member of the National Honor Society, he served as a Student Leadership Team Captain and has been involved in the Lamp of Learning for three years. A nominee for Boys State as a junior, McCullough has been named to the Principal's Honor Roll three years and served as a Panther Young League member. At USF, McCullough plans to major in pre-medicine. Houghton, the son of Troy Houghton and Sharnell Jones, is a standout guard at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa. As a junior, he averaged 13.1 points (289) and 5.8 rebounds in helping lead the Lynx to an 18-4 record. He connected on 49.8 percent from the field and 60 percent at the foul line with 58 assists, 33 steals and 38 blocks in 22 games. Named the Team MVP, he was selected Missouri River All-Conference in 2016-17. Houghton played summer basketball with the SW Iowa Select AAU program. He has participated in service events such as helping feed the homeless and in a walk for autism. He plans to major in sports management at USF.

USF fall to South Dakota, 73-64, in exhibition play
USF placed three players in double digits but dropped a 73-64 decision to DI South Dakota in exhibition play on Saturday at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. USD, the defending Summit League regular season champions, trailed USF early but led 33-24 at halftime. Both teams scored 40 points in the second half. Leading the way for USF was junior forward Drew Guebert, who had 14 points, including 4-of-9 shots from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line before fouling out with seven minutes to play.  Redshirt freshman forward Teathloach Pal added 12 points with seven rebounds. He was 3-of-7 from the field and knocked down a three-pointer. Junior guard Trevon Evans added 11 points with seven rebounds and was 2-of-5 from three-point range. Also for USF, senior forward Jerrod Walton provided eight points, four assists and four rebounds while senior guard Zach Wessels provided six points and three rebounds. Off the bench Austin Slater had six rebounds and four points.