SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (8-2, 4-1 NSIC), the top scoring team in the NSIC at 87.7 ppg, will close out the NSIC portion of the pre-Christmas schedule with a road match up with travel partner Southwest Minnesota State (8-3, 4-1 NSIC) at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16 at the R/A Facility in Marshall, Minn. 

At Stake -- USF and SMSU are tied for second in the NSIC South at 4-1, just a game behind Minnesota State at 4-0. Earlier this year, the Cougars and Mustangs played one of the league's best games this year with USF rallying for a 91-85 decision in overtime at the Stewart Center. The Cougars' victory ended a four-game losing streak to the Mustangs. This will be the 31st meeting between the schools with SMSU owning a 19-11 advantage. SMSU leads the series 6-5 (7-5 overall) in league games since USF joined the league. While USF is 11-4 at the Stewart Center, the Cougars will look for its first win at Marshall (0-14).

After facing SMSU, USF will close out 2017 with a home nonconference game against Midland College on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. in the Stewart Center. USF will be back in action on Dec. 30 with a home game against Wayne State followed by a match up with city rival Augustana on Dec. 31 at the Stewart Center.
 
Inside Scoop on Cougars
Through 10 games, USF is the top scoring team in the NSIC at 87.7 points per game (26th nationally) while also leading in rebounding at 40.2 points per game. USF is led by junior forward Drew Guebert, who leads the NSIC  and ranks eighth in NCAA DII in scoring at 24.3 points per game.  Junior guard Trevon Evans is fourth in the NSIC at 21.2 points per game.   The Cougars, picked ninth in the NSIC Preseason Poll, have scored 90 points or more in six of 10 games for the first time in the D2 era and dating back to the NAIA days.  For the second straight week, USF was ranked seventh in the D2SIDA Central Region rankings.

Cougar Tracks
~ Junior forward Drew Guebert scored 42 points on Dec. 1-2 to become USF's 33rd player ever to score 1,000 points. He now has 1,051 points and ranks 28th all-time.
~ Both seniors Jerrod Walton (529), who has seven double digit games in nine played, and Zach Wessels (525) have moved past 500 career points.
~ A rarity, USF has had two players record double doubles of over 30 points and 10 rebounds. Trevon Evans had career highs with 31 points and 12 rebounds against Ft. Hays State while  Drew Guebert had a career-best 36 points with 10 rebounds against SMSU
~ Between Evans and Guebert, they have a combined five games over 30 points and . Evans has scored 31 against Fort Hays State, 31 against Upper Iowa and a career-high 32 on the road against St. Cloud State. Guebert had his career-high 36 points in the overtime win at home against SMSU and 32 in the victory over Fort Hays State.
~ The Cougars have had three players (Jerrod Walton, 2; Trevon Evans, 5; and Drew Guebert, 8) combine for 15 games of 20 points or more.
~ In total, USF has a combined 35 double digit scoring games  from 10 players including Guebert, 10; Evans, 8; Walton, 7; Wessels, 2; Teathloach Pal, 2; Justin Taylor, 1; Drew Maschoff, 1; Austin Slater, 1; Aaron Rothermund, 1; and Chase Grinde, 1.
~ Three players including Slater (17), Evans (12) and Guebert (10) have recorded double digit rebounds and also had double doubles in those games. Slater had 17 points and 13 rebounds against SMSU, 11/25/17; Guebert, 36 points and 10 rebounds against SMSU, 11/25/17; and Evans, 31 points and 12 rebounds against Fort Hays State, 11/11/17.
~ USF has outrebounded 9-of-10 opponents team this season by at least six rebounds, which has enabled them to rank 11th nationally (1st in the NSIC) in rebound margin at 10.9 per game. The Cougars have had over 40 boards six times with a high of 50 against SMSU. In fact, USF has had a double digit margin over opponents in rebounds six times.
~ In its eight wins, USF has outshot opponents from the field with a season-best 56.3 percent against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 9. The Cougars have shot at least 50 percent five times.
~ Twice in 2017-18, the Cougars have over 10 3's in a game with a high of 12 against Wisconsin-Superior
~ Redshirt freshman Austin Slater recorded his first career double double with 13 points and 17 rebounds in OT win over SMSU. He had totaled just five points and seven rebounds before his big game on Nov. 25. In fact, the 17 rebounds are the most by a USF player since Kelly Hubbard had 19 on Jan. 13, 2009 (16 points, 18 rebounds, 85-84 win over Northwestern)
~ Five times  this season, USF has trailed at halftime but won the game
~ USF has scored at least 41 points in the second half of eight of 10 games and has had 49 or  more second half points five times, including five of the past six games
~ USF has had at least one block in every game with a seven high of seven against SMSU and Minnesota Duluth. In eight straight games, USF, third in the NSIC in blocks, have had at least two each game.
~ For stat nerds, Drew Guebert is an effective field goal percentage of 62.6 percent (accounting that three point shots have more value than two point field goals) and a true shooting percentage of 67.1 percent (player's shooting efficiency - accounting for field goals, three pointers and free throws in one metric) while accounting for 29.1 percent of plays by USF on offense. Trevon Evans has a 60.5 percent effective field goal percentage and is at 64.8 percent on true shooting percentage. The Cougars have a team offensive rating at 116.6 and team defensive rating of 100.0 per game.

Player Awards --
U.S. Basketball Writers Player of the Week -- Drew Guebert, Nov. 28
NSIC Player of the Week -- Trevon Evans, Nov. 13
NSIC Player of the Week -- Drew Guebert, Nov. 27

USF-SMSU Series Notes
USF will meet SMSU for the 31st time with the Mustangs owning an 19-11 lead in a series that dates to 1968-69.  Led by Drew Guebert's career-high 36 points and 10 rebounds, USF knocked off SMSU, 91-85 in overtime on Nov. 25 at the Stewart Center. With the victory the Cougars improved to 11-4 in games at the Stewart Center. Since both teams have been in the NSIC, SMSU holds a 7-5 advantage, 6-5 in league play. Prior to USF's victory earlier this month, SMSU registered a 79-68 victory over USF in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 26, 2017 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Guebert led USF with 19 points, connecting on four treys. On Nov. 28, 2016, SMSU defeated USF, 74-72 in Marshall, Minn., improving to 14-0 in games at SMSU against USF.  Drew Guebert had 26 points and five rebounds for USF while Ryan Bruggeman added 15 points and Carter Kirk had a double double. On Dec. 16, 2016, USF dropped a 87-86 decision to SMSU at the Stewart Center, despite 27 points from Mack Johnson. USF led 86-83 with 1:21 to play after two foul shots by Zach Wessels, who had 16 on the night, but the Mustangs closed with four straight points, including a game-winning lay-up by Ryan Bruggeman with 10 seconds to play.  On Dec. 8, 2015 at the Stewart Center, USF rallied from a 13-point deficit to pick up a 78-72 victory as Jared Mayes had 23 points and seven rebounds. He hit a season/team best 9-of-11 from the field.  In the second game of the 2015-16 season, (Dec. 19, 2015),  SMSU edged USF, 62-60 at the RA Facility in Marshall, Minn.  Mack Johnson had 17 points, three rebounds and three assists to lead USF. Mitch Weg and Ryan Bruggeman had 10 points. In 2014-15, USF and SMSU split a pair of games, each winning on its home floor. Down one in the final seconds at the Stewart Center, Charles Ward, who scored 23 points, hit a three from the left corner to give USF a 69-67 win over SMSU on Dec. 20, 2014. Earlier, SMSU took a 72-68 win  on Dec. 2 at Marshall, Minn. SMSU was led by Mitch Weg with 15 points and 15 rebounds. USF was led by Ward with 21 and Mack Johnson with 18. These teams have played five overtime games, with USF winning twice, including the Nov. 25, 2017 game at the Stewart Center and a 87-83 OT decision on Nov. 30, 2013, also at the Stewart Center. USF won three straight in the series with victories in 1976-77, 1980-81 and 1983-84. SMSU won seven straight in 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1998-99, 2007, 2008 and 2012. USF's largest margin of victory was 32 points, 85-53, in the 1969-70 season at Sioux Falls. Twelve times, USF-SMSU games have been decided by five points or less, including five in OT.

How  Cougars stand in NCAA DII Statistics
Team                
Scoring -- 26th, 87.7 ppg
Rebound Margin -- 11th, 10.9 per game
3 point field goal percentage -- 37th, 40.5 percent
Defensive Rebounds Per Game  -- 6th, 31.20 per game
Scoring Margin -- 39th, 12.5 ppg
Free Throws Made -- 34th, 178
Turnovers Per Game -- 30th, 11.3
Individual
Scoring -- Drew Guebert, 8th, 24.3 ppg
Total Points -- Drew Guebert,  11th, 243
Total Field Goals -- Drew Guebert, 14th, 84

Inside Look at the Opponent - Southwest Minnesota State
SMSU, which has won four straight games, will look to give head coach Brad Bigler his 100th career conference win this weekend. SMSU picked up a pair of wins last weekend, defeating Minnesota Duluth, 68-65, and St. Cloud State, 82-59. Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game and has a team-high 59 assists. Carter Kirk is supplying 13 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while K.J. Davis is adding 10.5 points. Michael Lee has a team-high 21 threes.  The Mustangs rank seventh in the NSIC in scoring at 79.7 points per game while giving up 74.5 per game. They rank  among the league leaders with just 10.1 turnovers per game. With 6.9 steals per game, they rank second in the NSIC.

Quick Look - USF
The Cougars had a 1-1 record in their first NSIC road trip as they fell at St. Cloud State, 88-82 on Dec. 8 before rebounding with a 91-66 decision over Minnesota Duluth  on Dec. 9. Trevon Evans had 32 points to help USF rally from 16 down in the second half to tie SCSU before the Huskies finished strong in a win. The Cougars had 26 points from Evans and 23 from Drew Guebert as USF lead nearly the entire game of the win over UMD. They lead by as many as 34 in the second half. USF recorded their first home sweep NSIC sweep of the season with an 80-64 victory over Winona State and the come-from-behind 90-78 decision over Upper Iowa. Drew Guebert had 23 points to lead USF past Winona State, overcoming an 11-2 deficit to open the game. On Saturday, Trevon Evans tied a career high with 31 points, including 27 in the second half, to lift USF to the victory over Upper Iowa. On Nov. 25, Guebert had a career-best 36 points with 10 rebounds to rally USF to a 91-85 overtime victory over defending NSIC South champion Southwest Minnesota State at the Stewart Center. Evans added 16, including the game-tying basket with 2.8 seconds left in overtime and Jerrod Walton had 18 points, including 7-of-7 from the foul line in overtime. On Nov. 21, the Cougars had 28 points from Guebert and 21 from Walton in an 89-62 victory over Waldorf at the Stewart Center. In the victory, the Cougars shots 60.6 percent from the floor in the second half and 54 percent for the game on 34-of-63 shooting. USF made 8-of-18 from three point range for 44.4 percent. In a loss to Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 18 at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, USF had a 16-point lead but a hot shooting Golden Eagles squad rallied in the second half for the win. Against UW-Superior, the Cougars opened up a 41-20 advantage at halftime and cruised to the 90-49 win. Guebert scored 22 points with four three-pointers. Evans had 13 points while reserves Aaron Rothermund had a career-high 11 and freshman Chase Grinde added a career-high 10. In the opening weekend, the Cougars recorded back-to-back overtime wins with the 94-89 decision over host Emporia State and a 96-92 victory over Fort Hays State at the MIAA-NSIC Challenge in Emporia on Nov. 10-11.  Evans, who was named the NSIC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, averaged 29 points and 10.5 rebounds and Guebert supplied 22.5 points per game in the wins at the MIAA-NSIC Classic.

Evans ranks fourth in the NSIC in scoring; 10th in rebounding
Junior guard Trevon Evans has opened his career at USF in a big way, leading the Cougars to eight wins in 10 games. He ranks fourth in the NSIC in scoring at 21.2 points per game.  With a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game, he ranks 10th in the NSIC and two rebounds in an 88-82 loss to St. Cloud State. Evans, who set a career-best with five threees (seven attempts) scored 11 points in the final 55 seconds of the game.  Evans is coming off a big weekend when he scored 58 points, had eight rebounds and knocked down eight threes in 15 attempts. He was 22-of-38 from the field for 57 percent. Evans scored a career high 32 points with six assists. He scored 11 points in the final 55 seconds against SCSU. In a 91-66 win over UMD on Saturday, Dec. 9, he had 26 points with six rebounds in 30 minutes. In a 50 minute period between the second half of SCSU and first 30 minutes against UMD, he scored 53 points or over a point a minute. He had 31 points, including a career-best 27 points in the second half, to help USF rally to a 90-78 victory over Upper Iowa on Dec. 2. In a 91-85 overtime win over SMSU Nov. 25, Evans had 16 points and had the game-tying basket with 2.8 seconds to play. At the MIAA-NSIC Classic on Nov. 10-11, he had 28 points and nine rebounds in the 94-89 OT win against Emporia State on Nov. 10. He bettered his performance on the second day, lighting it up for a career-best 31 points and grabbing 12 rebounds as USF defeated Fort Hays State, 96-92 in overtime.  As a result of those performances, he earned NSIC Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors.  Evans has nine double digit scoring games (28, 31, 13, 14, 16, 14, 31, 32, 26) including five games over 20 points and a team-high three over 30.  He also has one double double.

Guebert leads NSIC in scoring; continues to move up scoring charts and sits at 1,051 points
Drew Guebert has opened 2017-18 season on a tear. He leads the NSIC and ranks eighth in the nation in scoring at 24.3 per game. Through 10 games, he has eight games of 20 points or more, including twice (36, 32) scoring over 30 points. He has reached 20 points in eight of the last nine games with just a 19 point outing against Upper Iowa spoiling nine straight 20 point outings. After scoring a combined 42 points in a weekend sweep (Dec. 1-2) of Winona State and Upper Iowa,  Guebert became the 33rd player in school history to top 1,000 career points. With 49 points combined last weekend against SCSU and UMD (Dec. 8-9), he is now at 1,051 points or 28th on USF's all-time chart.  He needs one point to move past Gary Reed (1959-63) for 27th at 1,052. With nine points, he can move to 26th and ahead of Chad Van Hill, who had 1,059 from 2002-06. If Guebert has 27 points, he will move into 25th place, which is currently held by Skyler Bloch with 1,077 from 2008-12.   This season, he has already been named NSIC South Player of the Week on Nov. 27. With 64 points (28, 32), Guebert was named the U.S.. Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week on Nov. 28. A junior forward from Apple Valley, Minn.,  he has 50 double digit scoring games with 20, 20-point games. This season, he has received double digits in all 10 games and has a run of 13 straight double digit games.