SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (19-9) which has won 9-of-12 games, will open postseason play by hosting Minnesota Crookston (10-18) in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Postseason Championships at 8 p.m., on Feb. 21.

To buy tickets click here. Fans can follow the game on KWSN with Tom Frederick on the call, through live stats or watch the game on live video.

After a home sweep over Concordia St. Paul (79-68) and Minnesota State (88-81), the Cougars earned the No. 3 seed in the South Division and the opportunity to host No. 6 seed Minnesota Crookston. This will be the first time that the USF Men's Team will have hosted an NSIC first round tournament playoff game. The winner of the USF-UMC match up advances to the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Sanford Health Championships  and will play winner of Wayne State/St. Cloud State in the final game (8 pm) on Saturday at the  Sanford Pentagon.

NSIC/Sanford Health Championships - First Round Match ups
South No. 8 Concordia St. Paul at North No. 1Northern State, 8 p.m.
North No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth at South No. 4 Winona State at 7 p.m.
North No. 7 MSU Moorhead at South No. 2 Minnesota State, 7 p.m.
South No. 6 Upper Iowa at North No. 3 Minot State, 8 p.m.
North No. 8 U-Mary at South No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State, 7 p.m.
North No. 4 Bemidji State at South No. 5 Augustana, 8 p.m.
South No. 7 Wayne State at North No. 2 St. Cloud State, 8 p.m.
North No. 6 Minnesota Crookston at South No. 3 Sioux Falls, 8 p.m.

USF in NSIC Tourney  - Breakdown
The Cougars are 2-5 in the NSIC Postseason Tournament, including two straight road wins in the opening round. The Cougars have not played a home game in the tourney until this year.

Breakdown - Game-by-Game
Southwest Minnesota State 79 Sioux Falls 68, Feb. 25, 2017
Game Notes: Drew Guebert had 19 points, including four three pointers, and Mack Johnson added 16 but the Cougars lost to the eventual NSIC Tournament champions for a second straight year. SMSU, led by 34 points by Ryan Bruggeman, led 38-33 at halftime and outscored the Cougars 41-35 in the second half. USF shot 36.9 percent while the Mustangs made nearly 51 percent from the floor. Both teams had 36 rebounds but USF's 8-to-4 edge in made threes was enough to overcome the shooting discrepancy and SMSU's 21-to-12 edge in free throws.
Sioux Falls 80 Minot State 77, Feb. 22, 2017, First Round, Minot State Dome
Game Notes: A game-winning three pointer with 2.8 seconds to play by sophomore Drew Guebert lifted the University of Sioux Falls Men's BB Team to a come-from-behind 80-77 victory over Minot State in the opening round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 22. Guebert had 23 points, setting a career-high with six made threes. The Cougars rallied from a 61-54 second half deficit behind the shooting artistry of Guebert, who had 16 points and five threes in the second 20 minutes of play. Zach Wessels had 14 points and Mack Johnson, 13, for USF. Tyler Rudolph had 21 points for MISU.
Augustana 105 Sioux Falls 100, Feb. 27, 2016, Quarterfinals, Sanford Pentagon
Game Notes: USF (17-13) pushed top seeded and city rival Augustana (26-2) to the limit before falling, 105-100, in the NSIC Quarterfinals before a full house of 3,182 fans at a raucous Sanford Pentagon. The Cougars put a scare into the #2 nationally ranked Vikings but a huge difference at the foul line and a slight edge in shooting percentage was the difference. The Cougars had a season-high six players in double figure points, including 20 from Clint Thomas while Mack Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Daniel Hurtt added 13.
Sioux Falls 80 Minn. Duluth 74, Feb. 24, 2016, Romano Gym, Duluth, Minn.
Game Notes: Mack Johnson scored 28 points and added six rebounds and three assists as USF won its first-ever NSIC Tournament game, on the road in Duluth, Minn. Jordan Stotts had a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds for USF which hit 8-of-14 from three point range. Pierre Newton had 32 for UMD.
Northern State 73 USF 62, Bob Wachs Arena,  Aberdeen, S.D., Feb. 25, 2015.
Game Notes: USF, which hit 7-of-12 from 3 point range, was led by Charles Ward with 17 points and three treys. Jordan Stotts had a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Mack Johnson added 13 points. Tyler Storruston had 19 to lead NSU.
St. Cloud State 86 Sioux Falls 75, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State, Feb. 26, 2014
Game Notes: The Cougars lost a high-scoring affair with SCSU, falling 86-75 as the Huskies hit 53.4 percent from the field.  USF was led by  Ward with 17 while Mahlon Jones and Mack Johnson added 13. MJ was 3-of-4 on 3's.  Matt Craggs had 29 for SCSU while Jordan Poydras added a double double of 13 points and 10 assists.
Northern State 63 USF, 60, Bob Wachs Arena, Aberdeen, S.D., Feb. 27, 2013
Game Notes: Despite 23 from Robert Goffney, USF fell to NSU,  which had 21 from Collin Pryor.  The Cougars, which outrebounded the Wolves, 37-31, were hurt by 15 turnovers. NSU had just eight.

Cougars have won 9-of-12 heading into UMC match up
Over the past 12 games, the Cougars have played well with nine wins, including a pair last weekend. In that stretch, USF has outscored opponents, 78.8-to-73.5 ppg. USF The Cougars own a 46.4-to-46.0 shooting edge from the field and a 8.1-to-7.3 margin in made threes. However opponents have a 40.0-to-37.2 margin in made threes. On the boards, the Cougars maintain a 36.0-to-31.8 edge with a 65-57 edge in steals and 45-to-30 in blocked shots. During the stretch, the Cougars have a 432-to-403 advantage in the first half and a 513-to-479 margin in the second half for an overall edge of 945-to-882 in points.  In that stretch, Trevon Evans is averaging 22.3 points 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per games. He has made 30 threes at a 40.5 percent clip. Drew Guebert is supplying 17.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds  while making 27 3's at a 38.6 percent clip.  Aaron Rothermund is at 9.3 points per game and has hit 20 treys at a 41.7 percent mark.

Wessels, Aase  to play final home at the Stewart Center
On Wednesday, USF seniors Tom Aase, who wears #14, and Zach Wessels, who dons the #11 jersey, both of Austin, Minn., will play their final game at the Stewart Center. The two seniors have made a significant impact on the off the floor for the USF program, according to USF head coach Chris Johnson, who describe both as outstanding leaders and teammates and players who have led by example. "Zach is one of the toughest players we have ever  coached, he has always been willing to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful," said Johnson. "He has been a very important player for our team since he walked on campus four years ago.  A great teammate in every way, Zach is everything we could want in a student-athlete." Johnson also spoke highly of Aase, who has filled in where needed throughout his time with the program.  "Tom has had many different roles in his five years in the program," said Johnson. "He has embraced them all and done a great job doing whatever the team needed.  Tom has always been an important part of our program in anchoring our defense with his effort and shot blocking.  Tom is a great mentor and teammate to all in the program. " In their four years with USF, Wessels and Aase played in a combined 231 games for USF with 110 career starts.  Wessels, a 6-2, 185 senior  exercise major from Austin, Minn., has played in 114 games, which ranks top-10 in school history. Wessels, who has made 56 starts, owns 243 career assists, which ranks ninth in school history. The son of Todd and Sherri Wessels, he has accumulated 640 points and 339 rebounds. In his career at USF , he has 25 double digit scoring games, including two over 20 points (21 vs. Augustana, 12/31/16; 20 vs Bemidji State, 1-13-17). Wessels, whose 112 assists in 2016-17 ranks 11th best in a season in school history, was named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 16, 2017, after scoring 20 points with 10 assists in a win over Bemidji State in 2017 and following up with 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a road win over Minnesota Crookston. He is the only player in USF 's DII history with back-to-back games of nine assists. This season he has averaged 6.0 points, 2.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game and totaled six double digit scoring games. Aase, a 6-6, 220 pound senior business administration major from Austin, Minn., ranks at the top of shot blockers in school history. Aase ranks first with a program DII-best 144 blocked shots, including a program D2 best 56 in 2015-16. Two times he has had five blocks in a game with 38 games of two or more blocks and five of four or more blocks. Aase, the son of Mark and April Aase, has recorded five double digit scoring games with a career high of 15 against St. Cloud on Dec. 9, 2016. Aase, who had a double double against Young Harris in 2014, has four double digit rebound games.

Series Notes --  
This match up with USF and UMC will be the first between the schools in postseason play.  The Cougars and UMC have split a pair of game this season with UMC take a 79-74 decision on Nov.  18, 2017 as Harrison Cleary scored 33 points. The Cougars won the second game, 68-56, in Sioux Falls on Jan. 13. The second game counted in the league standings. This season dates to Nov. 10, 2008 when the Cougars took a 71-56 win in Crookston, Minn.
USF leads Minn. Crookston, 7-2
11-10-2008 -- USF 71 UMC 56, at Crookston, USF, 1-0
Summary: In the first ever meeting between the schools at Crookston, Minn., the Cougars took a 71-56 decision as Adam Hether had 19 points and Thomas Frames added 16.  Akeem Cubie had 16 for UMC. The Cougars, which had a 35-26 lead at halftime, led by as many as 19 points in the second half. USF had a 39-to-23 edge on the boards and outshot UMC, 46.9 percent to 35.4 percent.
11-10-2009 -- USF 68  BSU 67, at Sioux Falls, USF, 2-0
Summary:  USF  defeated the Golden Eagles, 68-67 as Matt Malloy had 15 points and frames, 16. Malloy's jumper with 2:59 left provided USF with a 68-63 but UMC cut the lead to one at the 1:40 mark but couldn't get the go-ahead basket despite a missed throw from USF. The Cougars, which led 40-37 at halftime, had a lead of eight three times in the second half.
2-1-13 -- USF 89 UMC, 57, at Crookston, USF, 3-0
Summary:  In the third meeting, USF used 19 points and three steals from Bill Freeman to take an 89-57 decision at Crookston, Minn. USF, which led 47-27 at halftime, shot 51.4 percent from the floor and made 15-of-31 from three point range. UMC, which had 17 from Ashton Powell, made 41.3 percent from the floor and converted six treys.  
1-31-14 -- USF 75  UMC 73, at Sioux Falls, USF, 4-0
Summary: On Jan. 31, 2014, USF received 22 points from Derek Brown, including the go-ahead three pointer with 1:20 to play, for a 75-73 decision in Sioux Falls. USF, which trailed 34-33 at halftime, shot 50.9 percent  from the field and converted seven three point shot while owning a 35-33 edge on the boards. UMC was 11-of-25 from three point range and made 41.4 percent from the floor. After giving USF a 72-70 lead with 1:20 left, Brown made two free throws with 21 seconds on the clock.  
2-6-15 -- UMC 75 USF 73 OT, at Crookston, USF, 4-1
Summary: UMC picked up its first win in the series with a 73-70 overtime decision at Crookston, Minn. Derrick Redd, who led UMC with 26 points, made the game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded and the Golden Eagles outscored USF, 11-8 in overtime for the victory. Charles Ward led USF with 24 points as the Cougars made 44.6 percent from the field but just 2-of-14 from three-point range. USF, which had a 38-to-25 rebound advantage, trailed 30-27 at halftime. UMC, which made 11 treys, converted 51.1 percent of its shots from the floor.
2-5-16 -- USF 73 UMC 60,  at Sioux Falls, USF, 5-1\
Summary: Led by 23 points from Drew Guebert, including five three pointers, and 21 points from Mack Johnson, USF took a 73-60 decision at the Stewart Center, USF, which made 11 three pointers, shot 43.3 percent from the field and held a 39-31 rebound advantage. USF, which led 29-24 at halftime, outscored the Golden Eagles, 44-36 in the second half. UMC, which had 16 points from Derrick Redd, shot 36.4 percent from the floor and made seven three point field goals.
1-14-17 - USF 69 UMC 60, at Crookston, USF 6-1
Summary: Utilizing balanced scoring, USF defeated UMC, 69-60 in Crookston. Daniel Hurtt had 16 points while Clint Thomas added 15 and Drew Guebert provided 14 points and six rebounds for USF, which won the rebound battle, 37-to-28.  The Cougars led, 42-35,  at halftime after making 56.7 percent from the floor and 6-of-11 from three-point range. UMC was also hot in the first half, hitting 15-of-28 from the field.  Connor Gamble had 15 points and Harrison Cleary 12 points and seven rebounds for UMC, which finished shooting 41.4 percent from the field.
11-18-17 -- UMC 79 USF 74, at Crookston, USF; 6-2
Summary: Despite 21 points from Drew Guebert, USF dropped a 79-74 decision to UMC. The Cougars had a 38-24 lead at halftime and a 16-point edge early in the second half before UMC rallied behind the play of Harrison Cleary, who finished with 33 points and eight assists. Alan Hodge had 20 points and Chase Knickerbocker, 17.  USF, which also had 14 points from Jerrod Walton and Trevon Evans, shot 43.3 percent from the floor and was 8-of-14 from three point range but  was outscored 21-to-14 at the foul stripe. UMC hit 44.6 percent from the field and also had eight treys.
1-13-2018 - USF 68 UMC 56 at Sioux Falls; USF, 7-2
Summary: After struggling on offense and hold a precarious 25-23 halftime lead, USF put the clamps on defense and outscored UMC, 43-33, in the second half for the victory.
USF freshman guard Drew Maschoff tied a career-high with 15 points, including 3-of-5 from three point range, while dishing out four assists and pulling down three rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Junior guard Aaron Rothermund, who was making his second career start, had a career-high 13 points, including a three-pointer and converted all four of his foul shots. Junior Trevon Evans supplied 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, career-high three blocked shots and four steals in 35 minutes. Junior forward Drew Guebert added 12 points, including two three-pointers, along with six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Quick take on Minnesota Crookston
UMC finished the season 10-18, going 2-8 in the final 10 games.  The Golden Eagles rank 10th in scoring at 75.0 ppg and eighth in defensive scoring allowing 74.7 ppg. The league leader's in free throwing shooting at 79.2 percent, this team, directed by head coach Dan Weisse, is led by the league's top scorer in sophomore Harrison Cleary at 24.1 ppg.  Guard Alan Hodge adds 14.9 ppg for 17th in the league.  Another guard Ben Juhl scored 11.0 per game by forward Gable Smith is solid inside at 8.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg.
 
Cougar Tracks
~ USF finished the 2017-18 regular season with 19  wins, the most since 2011 -12 season when the Cougars was 20-9 in its last year in the NAIA.
~ Junior forward Drew Guebert has 1,362 career points and has moved up to 11th on USF all-time scoring chart. He is the 33rd player to surpass 1,000 points in his career.   
~ 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 on Nov. 25 when USF rallied for a 91-85 overtime win at the Stewart Center.
~ USF's dynamtic scoring tandem of Trevon Evans, 2nd in the NSIC at 21.3 ppg, and Drew Guebert, 5th in the NSIC at 19.8 ppg, ranks No. 2 all-time at USF with 1,129 total points in a season. It trails only Gary Arrington (642) and Stacy Kooistra (598) of 1,240 points in 1992-93. WIth 575 points, Evans ranks 14th all-time on the USF season point chart and Guebert is 17th with 554. They also rank 1-2 in USF's NCAA DII era for season points.
~ Between Evans and Guebert, they have a combined nine games over 30 points and 27 games of 20 points or more. Evans scored a USF D2 program best 42 points against NSU on Jan. 26, had 35 against Concordia St. Paul,  33 vs Minnesota State, 31 against Fort Hays State, 31 against Upper Iowa and 32 on the road against St. Cloud State. Guebert had his career-high 36 points in the overtime win at home against SMSU, 31 at Winona State on Jan. 5 and 32 in the victory over Fort Hays State.
~ The Cougars have had four players (Jerrod Walton, 2; Aaron Rothermund, 1; Trevon Evans, 15; and Drew Guebert, 13 combine for 31 games of 20 points or more.
~ In total, USF has a combined 85 double digit scoring games  from 10 players including Guebert, 25; Evans, 24; Walton, 7; Rothermund, 7; Wessels, 7; Teathloach Pal, 4; Justin Taylor, 3; Drew Maschoff, 5; Austin Slater, 2; and Chase Grinde, 1.
~ Eight times, including Slater (17), Pal (13, 13, 10, 10) Evans (12, 10), Maschoff (11) and Guebert (10) have recorded double digit rebounds. Pal has three double doubles and Evans , two, while Guebert, Maschoff and Slater have one. 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 and 29 points and 10 rebounds in a win over MSUM on Jan. 27. In his first career start, Maschoff recorded career-bests of 15 points and 11 rebounds in an overtime win over Augustana, 70-61, at the Stewart Center. Teachloach Pal had a team-high and career best 13 rebounds in the win over Minnesota Crookston and also grabbed a career-high 13 boards with 10 points in the win over Minot State. He also had a double double of 11 points and 10 rebounds against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 9 and 10 points and 12 rebounds agains CSP on Feb. 16.
~ Twice this season, USF has shot over 50 percent for three straight games.
~ USF has outrebounded 19-of-28 opponents team this season, including 16 teams by at least six rebounds, which has enabled them to lead the NSIC at 38.0 per game. When USF outrebounds opponents, they are 16-2 in 2017-18. The Cougars rank second in the NSIC in rebound margin at 5.8. The Cougars have had over 40 boards 11  times with a high of 50 against both SMSU on Nov. 25 and Augustana on New Years Eve (12-31-17). In fact, USF has had a double digit margin over opponents in rebounds 10 times.
~ In its 19 wins, USF has outshot opponents from the field 15 times with a season-best 56.3 percent against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 9. The Cougars have shot at least 50 percent nine times.
~ USF has had 10 or more threes in a game seven times, including a season high 12 three times - Augustana, Feb. 9; Minot State, Feb. 3; and Wisconsin-Superior, Nov. 14.
~ Redshirt freshman Austin Slater recorded his first career double double with 13 points and 17 rebounds in 91-85 OT win over SMSU in November. The 17 rebounds represents the most by a USF player since Kelly Hubbard had 19 on Jan. 13, 2009 (16 points, 18 rebounds, 85-84 win over Northwestern).
~ USF is 6-6 when trailing at halftime, 13-3 when leading at the break and 12-2 in home games.
~ USF has scored at least 41 points in the second half of 15-of-28 games and has had 50 or  more second half points six times.
~ USF has had at least one block in 27-of-28 games. USF, third in the NSIC in blocks at 4.1 per game, have had at least two blocks in 26-of-28 games with a high of eight three times (U-Mary, Wayne State, Concordia St. Paul).
~ For stat nerds, Drew Guebert is an effective field goal percentage of 53.0 percent (accounting that three point shots have more value than two point field goals) and a true shooting percentage of 57.6 percent (player's shooting efficiency - accounting for field goals, three pointers and free throws in one metric) while accounting for 28.1 percent of plays by USF on offense. Trevon Evans has a 53.3 percent effective field goal percentage, 58.6 true shooting percentage and accounts for 31.3 percent of the USF plays. The Cougars have a team offensive rating at 109.4 and team defensive rating of  101.9 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, Jan. 29, Feb. 19
NSIC Player of the Week -- Drew Guebert, Nov. 27, Jan. 8, Feb. 5

How  Cougars stand in NCAA DII Statistics (as of Feb. 19, 2018)
Team                
Free Throws Made -- 27th, 448
Free Throws Attempted -- 39th, 612
Rebound Margin -- 30th, 5.9 per game
Defensive Rebounds Per Game--33rd, 27.93 per game
Total Blocks -- 30th, 114
Blocked Shots Per Game, 43rd, 4.1
Total Rebounds -- 21st, 1,065
 
Individual
Scoring --  Trevon Evans, 30th, 21.3 ppg; Drew Guebert, 54th, 19.8 ppg
Total Points -- Trevon Evans, 13th, 575; Drew Guebert,  27th, 554
Total Field Goals --  Trevon Evans, 22nd, 197'; Drew Guebert, 30th, 191
Total FG Attempts --  Trevon Evans, 12th, 427; Drew Guebert, 13th, 4219*

Evans ranks second in the NSIC in scoring
For the first time in his career, junior guard Trevon Evans recorded back-to-back games of 30 points or more (35, 33) on Feb. 16-17 against Concordia St. Paul (79-68 W) and Minnesota State (88-81 W) at the Stewart Center to close out the regular season. The performance helped Evans, who ranks 30th nationally in scoring, to pick up his third NSIC South Division Player of the Week honor.. With those totals, he now has 575 points this season (13th in NCAA DII), which is the best single season total in USF's DII era and ranks 14th overall in school history. He now has totaled six games of 30 points or more (42, 35, 33, 32, 31 and 31) and 15 games of 20 points or more. After scoring 71 points with 10 rebounds, 12 3's, and five assists on Jan. 26-27, Evans earned his second NSIC South Division Player of the Week honor on Jan. 29. As a result, he is 41st nationally and third in the NSIC in scoring. Evans, who is 12th in DII with 542 points, is averaging 20.8 ppg. On Jan. 26 vs. #12 NSU, Evans set career-bests with 42 points, 15 field goals, seven three pointers, and 24 attempted field goals. He followed up with 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while hitting the game-winning shot in a 70-67 victory over MSUM. It was Evans's second double double of his career with USF.  Earlier, he had 32 points and five threes (seven attempts) against St. Cloud State. In the 88-82 loss, he scored 11 points in the final 55 seconds of the game.  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, Evans tallied 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. After those two season-opening performances, he was named the NSIC South Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
 
Guebert moves up to 11th all-time in scoring; 2nd in made 3s
Through 28 games, Drew Guebert, a junior from Apple Valley, Minn., is fifth in the NSIC at 19.8 points per game. Guebert, who is 27thh in DII with 554 total points, a total which ranks second in USF's DII era and 17th overall. He has 13 games of 20 points or more, including three times (36, 32, 31) scoring over 30 points. Guebert has become the 33rd player in school history to top 1,000 career points. With 51 points on Feb. 2-3, Guebert increased his career scoring total to 1,323 which tied him for 11th (Joel Running, 1985-88, 1,323 points) on the USF career scoring chart. He has 195 made three pointers in his career, which ranks second all-time at USF.  This season, Guebert has been named NSIC  Player of the Week a program-best three times (Nov. 27, Jan. 8, Feb. 5). He has 64 double digit scoring games with 24,  20-point games. This season, he has scored double digits in 24 times. He set a career-best with 36 points and 10 rebounds, which helped USF defeat SMSU, 91-85 in overtime on Nov. 25. Guebert, who is averaging 19.5 ppg and  5.8 rebounds per game, set a career-best with seven threes (12 attempts)  as he scored 31 points in a  72-70 loss at Winona State.

Breaking Down USF  

North Games -- In games  against North opponents this year, USF finished 5-3. The Cougars owned a 76.2-to-71.6 ppg edge and a 36.8-to-32.5 rebounds margin. USF has been outshot 44.8 percent to 43.7 percent from the field. The Cougars have a 38.4-to-31.9 advantage in three pointers and have recorded five fewer steals (40-to-45) to their opponents with the a 32-28 lead in blocked shots. Guard Trevon Evans leads the way with 23.9 ppg and 4.2 rebounds against North foes. Drew Guebert is averaging 17.6 ppg.

Home Games -- In going 12-2 at home, USF has enjoyed an 80.3-to-67.3 ppg advantage. The Cougars have hit 44.8 percent from the floor while opponents have been held to 39.3 percent. In 14 games, USF has a 34.8-to-32.4 edge in three-point shots, making 7.1-to-6.7 for foes. The Cougars' board work has been impressive with a margin of 42.3-to-33.0 per game. The Cougars have committed fewer turnovers (11.4) than opponents (11.8) with more steals (78-to-63), blocks (72-to-37) and assists (199-to-166). Drew Guebert leads the way individually with 20.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg. He has hit 38.5 percent from three point range. Trevon Evans has averaged 19.0 ppg and 5.5 rebounds per game. He has made 65 free throws in 14 games.

Games won - USF averages 83.7 and allows 69.8 points per game in games they have won.  The Cougars have hit 47.8 percent from the floor,  while allowing 40.9. From the three-point line, USF owns a 37.2-to-35.0 percent shooting edge over foes.  They have a 7.9-to-7.4 edge in made threes. On the boards, the Cougars have a 41.1-to-31.1 edge. Trevon Evans has averaged 21.7 ppg, 6.1 rebounds, made 81 free throws and 40 threes in games USF has won. Guebert has averaged 20.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in those games while hitting 49 threes at a 40.2 clip.  Guebert has a 392-to-391 points edge but played one more game.