SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (5-1, 0-0 NSIC), will open the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) part of its schedule on the road against travel partner Southwest Minnesota State (5-1, 0-0 NSIC) at 6 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the R/A Facility in Marshall, Minn.  
 
USF, which was ranked No. 21 in the D2SIDA Men's Basketball National Media Poll which was released on Nov. 20, was 1-1 at the Dacotah Bank Classic last weekend in Aberdeen, S.D.  USF, which has also received votes (21) in the NABC Coaches Poll, will play its sixth game on a road or neutral floor in seven games this season as they face SMSU to open the NSIC.
 
The Cougars are 4-1 on a neutral floor with a 78-70 win over Chadron State and a heartbreaking 70-67 setback to Truman State at the NSU tourney last weekend (Nov. 23-24). USF also has a 73-70 win over Central Missouri in Kansas City on Nov. 19 and victories over Fort Hays State, 89-70, and Emporia State, 99-63, at the MIAA-NSIC Challenge at Marshall, Minn. USF also has a 64-47 win over Waldorf in the home opener on Nov. 16.
 
In the Nov. 25 D2SIDA Regional rankings, USF was tied for fourth with Missouri Southern with 38 vote points. SMSU was ranked eighth in those regional rankings. No. 2 nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State (7-0) led the regional poll with 60 vote points.
 
SMSU, which is averaging 91.0 points per game (3rd, NSIC, had 22 points from Nick Dufault and 20 by Kenny Byers in a 100-81 win over Crown. SMSU, which will play its seventh straight home game, has won five straight games after opening with an 83-74 loss to Emporia State in the season opener at home.
 
How to follow USF Men's BB on social media – Listen on radio
Follow USF Men's Basketball on twitter at @USFCooBBall. All USF's home games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Stretch Internet at usfcougars.com/watch. Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for both the non-conference games on Stretch Internet and conference games at KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at usfcougars.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary. The live stats for USF - SMSU can be found here.
 
SMSU leads all-time series with USF, 20-11
USF will meet SMSU for the 32nd time with the Mustangs owning a 20-11 lead in a series that dates to 1968-69.  Led by Guebert's career-high 36 points and 10 rebounds, USF knocked off SMSU, 91-85 in overtime on Nov. 25, 2017 at the Stewart Center. However in the second matchup in the 2017-18 season, SMSU recorded an 86-57 win at the R/A Facility. USF is 11-5 in games at the Stewart Center. SMSU has a 15-0 at the R/A Facility in Marshall. Since both teams have been in the NSIC, SMSU holds an 8-5 advantage, 7-5 in league play. The teams met in the NSIC Tournament on Feb. 26, 2017 as SMSU registered a 79-68 victory in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 26, 2017 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Guebert led USF with 19 points as he made four treys. On Nov. 28, 2016, SMSU defeated USF, 74-72 in Marshall, Minn. 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 an 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 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 Weg with 15 points and 15 rebounds. USF was led by Ward with 21 and Johnson with 18. In the series, the two teams have played five overtime games, with USF winning twice. The Cougars won the Nov. 25, 2017 game at the Stewart Center and also registered 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.

About SMSU
SMSU, directed by head coach Brad Bigler (166-111 career record – 112-84 in the NSIC), is competing for the 50th season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU has an all-time record of 361-385 in 746 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 25 times in 49 seasons. At the R/A Facility, SMSU has a 222-82 mark (.730). SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 17 of the last 22 seasons since 1997-98.  Bigler, who was the 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, has led SMSU to six winning seasons.  The Mustangs will be led by NSIC South Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year Ryan Bruggeman, who ranks eighth in the league with 19.7 points per game. Steven McNease is second in the NSIC with 9.2 rebounds per game. He also scored 6.5 points per game. The Mustangs have five players scoring in double digits with Taylor Schafer, who is hitting 46.3 percent from three-point range, at 14.3 points per game. Guard Nick Dufault is averaging 14.2 points per game while Braedan Hanson has supplied 12.2 and Kenny Byers, 11.8 points per game.
 
Coo Tracks
 
After six games, senior All-NSIC guard Trevon Evans leads USF with 21.5 points per game, which ranks third in the NSIC, while grabbing 4.2 rebounds with 3.5 assists per outing. Senior All-NSIC forward Drew Guebert is ranked in the NSIC's top-10 in points and rebounds. Guebert is scoring 20.5 points per game for fourth in the league and 7.2 rebounds per game or tied for 12th in the NSIC. USF, which was picked third overall in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, finished with a DII-program-best 20-10 record in 2017-18. USF also had a program-high 14 NSIC wins a year ago and finished third in the South Division.
 
Guebert and Evans leading way for USF
 
Guebert, who was named second team All-NSIC a year ago will play in his 99th game  (82nd start) Saturday, moved into 10th in career points at USF with 1,529. He passed Tim Dykstra, a USF Athletics Hall of Fame member, who had 1,524 points from 1971-75.  Guebert will need 61 points to move into ninth place, which is currently held by Luther Hippe, a USF Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, who had 1,589 points from 1983-87.
 
Guebert, a two-time Academic All-NSIC selection, is also second all-time in made three-pointers with 219. Mack Johnson, who played from 2013-17, is the career leader with 232.  Guebert also has 72 double digit scoring games with 30 games of 20 points or more and five games with 30 points or more.
 
Evans, a 6-0, 175-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., was earlier this fall named USF's first-ever NSIC Men's Basketball Preseason South Division Player of the Year. Evans, who was first-team All-NSIC and the league's Newcomer of the Year in 2017-18, was selected Co-Player of the Year with Ryan Bruggeman of SMSU in the South Division.  A year ago, Evans averaged 21.1 points per game, which ranked second in the NSIC and 33rd in NCAA DII. He was named the NSIC Player of the Week three times and one of those honors followed a career-best 42-point performance at Northern State. With that point total, Evans had the second highest point total in the NSIC and was tied for 25th-best in NCAA DII during 2017-18.
 
Evans has started this year as he finished a year ago. He is averaging 21.5 points per game with six games in double digit points (15, 26, 19, 28, 22 and 19). He now has 32 double digit scoring games and 19 games of 20 points or more in his career at USF. Evans has 84 career three-pointers after totaling 67 a year ago. Evans, who has 740 points in his career at USF, has hit 17of-43 three-pointers for 39.5 percent and 26-of-34 from the foul line for 76.5 percent.
 
Taylor, Pal and Surlic making big contributions
 
USF is also receiving 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game from senior forward Justin Taylor, who had a career high of 16 points against Fort Hays State. Junior point guard Milan Surlic is averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 assists and hitting 42.1 percent from three-point range. He had a career-high 20 points against Emporia State on Nov. 10 when he was 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from three point range. Sophomore forward Teathloach Pal is leading USF with 7.0 rebounds per game and is scoring 4.2 points per game. In the overtime win over Central Missouri, Pal had his fourth career double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds while blocking a career-high four shots.
 
Cougars lead the NSIC in field goal percentage defense
 
As a team, the Cougars are averaging 78.3 points (11th, NSIC) and allow 65.0 points per game (8th, NSIC) for a differential of 13.3 points per game. Among the keys to USF success has been its defense and ability to rebound. The Cougars rank second in the NSIC at 44.2 boards per game. The Cougars have limited opponents to 37.1 percent from the field which leads the NSIC. They also have held opponents to 31.0 percent shooting from three-point range which is the fourth -best mark in the league.
 
USF, which has a 154-to-94 scoring advantage in the first-half of games, is hitting 45.6 percent from the field (119-of-261) with 35.1 percent (40-of-114) from three-point range. The Cougars, which have a 45.5-to-33.2 rebound advantage, have hit 72.3 percent from the foul line and have 59 assists and 53 turnovers.
 
Game-By-Game Breakdown
 
USF turns back Chadron State, 78-70
Led by dual 20-point plus performances from Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert, USF defeated Chadron State, 78-70, at the Dacotah Bank Thanksgiving Basketball Classic on   Nov. 23. Guebert finished with 24 points and six rebounds as he made was 7-of-19 from the field, 2-of-6 from three-point range and 8-of-12 from the foul line in 37 minutes. Evans added 22 points, including 21 points in the second half, as he surpassed 20 points in a game for the second straight outing. Evans, who was 6-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point range, cashed in with nine foul shots in 14 tries at the foul line. He added six rebounds, three assists, a block and steal in 34 minutes against the Eagles. USF, which also received 11 points, four assists and three rebounds from junior guard Milan Surlic, struggled from the field. After shooting 24.2 percent in the opening half, USF improved their shooting to 48.1 percent in the second half as they finished at 35 percent for the game on 21-of-60 shooting. USF was just 4-of-14 for 28.6 percent from three-point range. However, USF had a season-high 32 free throws on 46 attempts for 69.3 percent, which proved important in the win. In the game, the teams were whistled for 56 total fouls (USF, 33) and combined to shoot 77 free throws. CSC was 25-of-31 from the game. USF, which had a game-high 11 boards with eight points from senior forward Justin Taylor, had a 49-to-39 advantage which included 17 offensive boards. One of the league's top defensive units, USF also forced 15 turnovers while registering seven steals and four blocks.
 
Cougars falls to Truman State, 70-67 in heartbreaker
Despite 27 points from Drew Guebert and 19 by Trevon Evans, USF dropped a heartbreaking 70-67 nonconference decision to Truman State (2-4) at the Dacotah Bank Thanksgiving BB Classic on Nov. 24 at the Barnett Center. USF, which led 33-28 at halftime, was outscored 42-34 in the second half as the Bulldogs used three-pointers to create a lead in both halves of play and then had a late steal and lay-up by Turner Scott to pick up the win. On the night, TSU made 14-of-35 three pointers for 40 percent while USF was able to make just 6-of-19 for 31.6 percent. Despite trailing by eight points with 3:22 to play, USF battled back into a tie. A pair of three-pointers from Guebert in the final two minutes created a 67-67 tie with 53 seconds to play. USF, which trailed by 12 points in the first half (25-13, 9:12, 1^st half), was able to get the ball back with 37 seconds but a steal by TSU's Jacob Socha and a three-point play from Scott helped give the Bulldogs a second straight close win. Scott led TSU, who defeated host school Northern State, 61-59 on Nov. 23, with 20 points by hitting 8-of-11 field goals and dishing three assists. Guebert finished with 27 points and four rebounds as he recorded his 30^th 20-point game of his career. A senior from Apple Valley, Minn., he hit 9-of-18 field goals, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and all six of his free throws. Evans contributed 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in 37 minutes. Evans, who was 7-of-16 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range, reached double digits for the sixth straight game this season and now has 32 in his career. Senior Justin Taylor also reached double digits in points with 10 while grabbing four rebounds with a pair of steals. Junior guard Milan Surlic added nine points to aid the USF cause. In a game in which there were six times and five lead changes, TSU's work from its bench proved beneficial. The Bulldogs outscored the Cougars, 17-to-2, in points off the bench.  The Cougars was hurt by their 41.1 percent shooting from the floor on 23-of-56 shooting. However, USF which had a 34-29 edge in rebounds, made 15-of-15 from the foul stripe, which was a season-best performance. TSU outshot USF at 46.4 percent (26-of-56) for the game and made 57.1 percent in the second half (16-of-28) as they overcame a half-time deficit to earn their second win.
 
 
Cougars rally to defeat Central Missouri, 73-70 in overtime
In a 73-70 overtime victory over Central Missouri on Nov. 19 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., USF received 28 points from Trevon Evans and 15 points and eight rebounds from Drew Guebert to rally from five down late and pick up its fourth win. After leading by six at 51-45 with 4:54 to play, the Cougars had the cards turned on them by the Mules, who had a 12-0 run to take a 57-51 lead and just 30 seconds to play. Then, Evans made his presence known by knocking down a pair of three-pointers to draw USF within one point with 15 seconds to play. UCM made a free throw before redshirt Chase Grinde grabbed an offensive rebound and converted inside to tie the game at 59 and force overtime. In the extra session, Evans hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left for a 71-70 lead and USF held off UCM in a game in which there were nine tie scores and 15 lead changes. Against UCM, the Cougars faced second-half foul trouble as starters Guebert, and guards Aaron Rothermund and Milan Surlic all fouled out. Yet, USF was able to pick up a third straight win this season – fifth over the last two years – over a team from MIAA. Part of it came from USF's standout senior guard Evans, who found a way to make clutch shots late on a night when the entire team struggled from the field. Evans hit 7-of-19 field goals which included 4-of-10 three-pointers and 10-of-13 free throws while grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists. USF also received a strong outing from redshirt sophomore Teathloach Pal, who had a double with 10 points and 14 rebounds while blocking a career-high four shots in 23 minutes of work. Players like Justin Taylor and Troy Houghton also shined in key moments. Despite playing just three minutes, freshman guard Troy Houston had a free throw in overtime and a steal. Taylor, a senior forward, had six points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Playing for the first time at the Municipal Auditorium, the Cougars made just 23-of-71 field goals for 32.4 percent. They also converted just 8-of-35 shots from three-point range for 22.9 percent and were 19-of-27 from the foul line. Led by Pal, USF held a 54-43 rebound edge and that included a 21-to-13 margin in boards off the offensive glass. As a result the Cougars had a major edge of 23-to-6 in second chance points. USF's defense was strong as well with seven blocks and six steals.
 
Cougars win home opener, 64-47 over Waldorf
Trevon Evans scored 19 points to lead USF to a 64-47 nonconference victory over Waldorf University (3-3) on Nov. 16 at the Stewart Center. The Cougars led 34-14 at halftime and opened up the advantage to 30 points at 49-19 before sitting down starters and settling in for a 17-point decision. USF made 28-of-70 shots from the floor for 40 percent. They were just 3-of-20 from three-point range and 5-of-9 from the foul line. However, USF had a 49-to-36 advantage on the boards, shared the ball with 14 assists on 28 made baskets and committed just 10 turnovers. Evans hit 8-of-14 field goals and also made 2-of-5 three-point shots. USF also received nine points and nine rebounds from Justin Taylor while Drew Guebert had seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds while dishing two assists with a pair of blocks. 
 
USF records 99-63 win over Emporia State
With 26 points from Trevon Evans, 20 points from Milan Surlic and 19 points and eight rebounds from Drew Guebert, USF rolled past Emporia State (1-1), 99-63 on Nov. 10 in nonconference action at the MIAA-NSIC Challenge. This year's tournament between the two elite conferences was hosted by Southwest Minnesota State. USF hit 54.7 percent from the floor on 35-of-64 shooting. They knocked down 17 three-pointers in 34 attempts and made 12-of-15 field goals for 80 percent. And, on defense, the Cougars limited ESU to 28.8 percent shoot (17-of-59) and just 4-of-27 from three-point range. After USF and ESU traded leads nine times, the Cougars broke from a 15-15 tie with a 24-12 run to take a 39-27 lead with 5:16 to play in the first half. Then, USF upped the pressure even more with a 13-7 run to close the half for a 52-34 lead. The Cougars opened the second half on a 15-3 run and led 67-37 with 13:42 to play after a three-ball from Aaron Rothermund, who had nine points on the night. From there, the Cougars continued to dominate on both ends as they led by as many as 39 points on two different occasions. For the second straight night, USF, which received points from 13 different players, was led by its all-league duo in Guebert and Evans with Surlic putting up his best numbers at USF. Evans made 10-of-18 field goals, including 6-of-12 from three-point range. He also added four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 28 minutes of action. Guebert had 19 points and eight rebounds with three assists in 30 minutes of play. He hit 7-of-15 shots from the floor and made a trio of treys.  As for Surlic, he hit 8-of-11 field goals and 4-of-5 from three-point range in his best performance to date at USF. He also dished five assists in his 31 minutes.
 
Cougars record 89-70 win over FHSU
Led by 33 points and seven rebounds from Drew Guebert, USF opened the season with a dominating 89-70 nonconference victory over Fort Hays State (0-1) at the NSIC-MIAA Challenge on Nov. 9.  Guebert was joined in double digits by Evans, who had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, and senior forward Justin Taylor with a career-high 16 points. After the two teams traded points through most of the opening 11 minutes of the game, the Cougars, which have defeated FHSU two straight times, used a 17-2 run over the final 8:23 of the first half to build a 44-23 halftime advantage and never looked back. USF maintained at least a 17-point lead the entire second half when the margin grew as large as 28 points on two different occasions. On the night Guebert hit 12-of-18 field goals and made 4-of-8 from three-point range. Evans made 5-of-11 shots from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. With the senior trio of Evans, Guebert and Taylor hitting 23-of-38 shots (61 percent), USF had an outstanding night shooting. As a unit, USF hit 33-of-56 field goals for 58.9 percent. They were 12-of-25 from three-point range for 48 percent. Meanwhile, FHSU struggled against a swarming USF defense. 
 
 Kettner signs with USF
This week, Jake Kettner of New Ulm, Minn., signed with USF and will continue his academic and athletic career with the Cougars in the fall of 2019. Kettner, a 6-4, 185-pound guard, is a two-sport standout (football and basketball) from Minnesota Valley Lutheran and the first of USF's 2018-19 signing class. With his senior season about to start, Kettner already has accumulated 1,239 points, 410 rebounds, 278 assists and 175 steals in his career. The son of Kory Kettner, and Jody Hunstad, Kettner, who played for the Minnesota Rise Club team, has been named twice to the Tomahawk All-Conference Team as well as to the All Journal Team in basketball. He has hit 45 percent from the field, including 36 percent from three-point range and 71 percent at the foul line.  As a junior, Kettner averaged 22 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals for Minnesota Valley Lutheran which finished 18-10 and 11-5 in league play. In football, Kettner was named a two-time all-conference wide receiver and to the All-East Subdistrict Team. At USF, Kettner, who has seven siblings, will major in business.
 
USF Head Coach Chris Johnson leads program

University of Sioux Falls head men's basketball coach Chris Johnson, who was named the school's 22nd head coach in 2008, has begun his 11th season at the helm of the program. The Cougars are 5-1 this season and Johnson is 197-148 (.571) in his career with a 181-133 (.576) mark at USF.

Since taking over, Johnson, who is USF's career wins leader, has guided the Cougars to five 20-win seasons, three post-season appearances, two conference tournament championships and one regular season conference crown. Just twice in his run have the Cougars finished below .500. In fact, he has led the team to 15 wins nine times and recorded five 20-win seasons with the 25-10 campaign in 2009-10 the best finish. At the NCAA DII level, USF's mark of 20-10 in 2017-18 is a program-best. The 2017-18 team also finished 14-8 (5th overall) in league play and that is also the top mark for league wins.

He has compiled a 107-40 mark at home and a 57-81 road record with an 18-12 mark on a neutral floor. In NSIC play, he has a 60-72 record, including a 47-26 mark in home league games and 23-43 mark in away games. Johnson is 3-6 in postseason. He is also 52-5 in nonconference games.

Before arriving in Sioux Falls, Johnson was the top assistant coach for three seasons at the University of North Dakota. Prior to joining the UND coaching staff, Johnson spent the 2004-05 season as head coach at Culver-Stockton College. In his lone season as head coach, Johnson led the Wildcats to a 16-15 record, an improvement from the team's 12-19 record the season prior to his arrival. He was named 2004-05 Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the team to the first home conference playoff game in program history. Prior to arriving at Culver-Stockton, Johnson served as an assistant coach at Minot State from 2001-04. Before that he served as an assistant at Minnesota State, Mankato (1999-2001) and Central College (1998-99) in Pella, Iowa. Johnson was a two-year starter as a guard, lettering four times, at Central College and graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. He received a master's degree in sports administration from Minnesota State, Mankato, in 2005. Johnson and his wife, Amy, have four children including Bailey, TJ, Zeke and Lucy.