SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (14-6, 9-5 NSIC), which has won 6-of-8 games, will begin a two-game home stand with games against Bemidji State (6-12, 3-11 NSIC) at 7:30 p.m., Friday (Feb. 1) and Minnesota Crookston State (13-10, 6-8 NSIC) at the Stewart Center in cross-divisional Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action.

Also on Saturday, USF Men's BB will host its annual Alumni Game at 1 p.m., at the Stewart Center.
 
On Jan. 25-26, the Cougars split a pair of road games with an 81-72 win at Upper Iowa and a heart-breaking 80-77 setback to Winona State, which has won three straight games.  USF defeated UIU as Justin Taylor had a career-high 26 points (9-of-16 from the field, 8-8 foul shots) with eight rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Drew Guebert also had 26 points as he hit 9-of-13 field goals and 8-of-9 foul shots. He grabbed three rebounds with three blocks. In the loss at Winona State, Guebert had his third straight 20 point game with 23 points and eight rebounds. Redshirt freshman Chase Grinde added a career-high 22 points and a career-high nine rebounds in the loss. WSU overcame a 14 rebound deficit (39-to-25) and being outshot 47-to-43 percent as they made 17-of-30 from three-point range for 57.1 percent. USF tied the game on a Guebert lay-up with 1:12 to play but Kevion Taylor, who had 27 points for WSU, hit a three and the Cougars dropped to a tie for third in the NSIC South.
 
Bemidji State, which has six straight setbacks, lost a close decision to Bemidji State, 93-90, in Bemidji, Minn., and suffered a 100-69 setback to Minnesota Crookston last weekend. The Beavers directed by veteran coach Mike Boschee, is led by forward Derek Thompson with 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Beavers rank 13th in the league in scoring but can knock down the three-pointer as they make 9.4 per game for fourth in the league. They have hit 40.2 percent from three-point range.
 
Minnesota Crookston, which dropped two games last weekend, is led by one of the league's top players in Harrison Cleary, who ranks eighth all-time in NSIC points scored with 1,346. Cleary is averaging 21.7 points per game for fourth in the NSIC. He is the only current player with 500 points scored this season.  He also has a league-high 65 made threes. UMC, which is 13-10 overall, has a 6-8 record in league play.   They averaged 78.8 points per game for eighth in the league and rank fifth in the NSIC in made threes per game at 9.3 and sit second in three-point percentage at 41.2 percent.
 
At Stake
After a 1-1 road weekend, the Cougars certainly have a lot at stake as the league schedule has wound down to eight remaining games. At 9-5 in the South, USF sits just a game behind Wayne State and Minnesota State at 10-4 for the lead. USF is currently tied with Augustana at 9-5. With both BSU and UMC among the league leaders in shooting the three-ball, the Cougars will have their defense put to the test. However, USF ranks first in the league in defending field goals at 40.2 percent and third in the NSIC by holding opponents to 34.4 percent from three-point distance.
 
USF leads series vs Bemidji State, 4-3
The Cougars own a 4-3 lead in the all-time series but lost the last matchup to BSU, 74-68, despite 21 points from Trevon Evans on Jan. 12, 2018.  BSU opened the game with a 13-0 lead and trailed just once in the game. USF led, 41-40 on a Drew Guebert basket with 11:37 to play but fell at home. On Jan. 20, 2011, the Beavers won the first meeting 68-49 on Nov. 20, 2011 as James Ellison had 27 points and 15 rebounds. Skyler Bloch led USF with 17 points and 12 rebounds. USF had a 44-41 rebound edge but shot just 25.9 percent from the field. On Feb. 2, 2013, BSU edged USF, 72-68 as Lance Rognstad had 20 points. USF was led by James Radar with 19 points while Derek Brown had 17. On Feb. 1, 2014, the Cougars won for the first time with an 87-78 decision at the Stewart Center. Charles Ward had 21 points and Jordan Stotts, 16 as USF shot 54.9 percent from the floor. BSU, which had 10 made 3's, was led by Zach Noreen with 24 points and seven rebounds. The Cougars took a 69-64 win on Feb. 7, 2015 at Bemidji, Minn. In that victory, Charles Ward had 18 points. USF, which had a 33-21 rebound edge, and a 17-to-6 margin at the foul line. BSU, which had 19 points from Clayton Elrod, had 10 3's and outshot USF, 49%-to-48%. On Feb. 6, 2016, the Cougars had 25 points from Mack Johnson and 21 by Drew Guebert for a 90-62 win at the Stewart Center. After leading 35-34 at halftime, USF had a 55-28 second half run for the win. USF shot 58.5 from the field and made 11 three-pointers. BSU, led by Jordan Rhodes with 17 points, shot just 39.27 percent and six threes. On Jan.13, 2017, the Cougars won their fourth straight game in the series with a 78-71 decision at BSU. Zach Wessels had 20 points and 10 assists while Drew Guebert had 16 points with four threes in the victory. After leading 30-28 at halftime, the Cougars had a 48-43 edge in the second half. USF, which had a 33-24 rebound margin, shot 53.6 percent from the field with six threes. Zach Norman led BSU with 24 points and seven rebounds.
 
USF trails Winona State, 7-6 in all-time series
The Cougars have won 7-of-9 encounters with Minnesota Crookston. The latest meeting was USF's 68-56 decision at the Stewart Center.  USF led just 25-23 at halftime but put the clamps on UMC on defense and had a 43-33 edge in the second half to pick up the win. Aaron Rothermund had a career-high 13 points while Trevon Evans supplied 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. Guebert added 12 points and six rebounds.  11-10-2008 -- USF 71 UMC 56, at Crookston, USF, 1-0 Freeman and rolled to an 89-57 win over UMC at Crookston. USF, which led 47-27 at halftime, shot 51.4 percent from the floor and made 15-of-31 from three point range.  On Jan. 31, 2014, USF took a 75-73 home win over UMC. 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. After giving USF a 72-70 lead with 1:20 left, Brown made two free throws with 21 seconds on the clock.  On Feb. 6, 2015, 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-tying shot as the buzzer sounded and the Golden Eagles outscored USF, 11-8 in overtime. Charles Ward led USF with 24 points.  On Feb. 5, 2016, USF had 23 points from Guebert for a 73-60 win at the SC.  On Jan. 14, 2017, USF defeated UMC, 69-60 in Crookston. Guebert provided 14 points and six rebounds. The Cougars led, 42-35,  at halftime after making 56.7 percent from the floor and 6-of-11 from three-point range.  On Nov. 18, 2017, UMC took a 79-74 nonconference win. USF had 21 from Guebert. Harrison Cleary had 33 for UMC, which trailed 38-24 at halftime before rallying.    
 
Cougars lead NCAA DII in reb. margin
USF, which has outrebounded every opponent this year and leads the NSIC at 43.4 boards per game, is ranked first in the NSIC and NCAA DII in rebound margin at 11.8.
USF enters play this weekend also ranking fifth in DII in total rebounds with 866 and fifth in rebounds per game at 43.30. USF is 19th nationally in offensive boards at 13.75 per game. USF leads the NSIC in all those rebound categories. USF, which sits fourth in scoring defense at 70.6 ppg, ranks first in the NSIC in field goal defense at 40.2 percent and third in three-point field goal percentage at 34.4 percent. The Cougars are sixth in scoring at 79.4 points per game, which places USF third in scoring margin at 8.8 ppg. 

Evans ranks 8th in DII in scoring
All-league guard Trevon Evans, who has earned two NSIC South Division Player of the Week honors this year and five in his career, is averaging 23.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In NSIC play, he is scoring at 23.6 ppg (3rd, NSIC), and also ranks sixth in total points in DII with 459. He has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch list and has 1,070 career points. The Bevo Francis watch list includes the top 100 players in small college basketball. Evans, who was the NSIC South POW on Jan. 14, has 20 straight double-digit scoring games in 2018-19 and 24 dating to last year. The Wichita, Kan., senior guard has 13, 20-point games this season with 46 career double-digit points games in 49 played. He is also averaging 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals with 60 made three-pointers (3.0 per game, 2nd in the NSIC). He has scored 26 points or better in seven of the last 11 games. A year ago, Evans was the NSIC Newcomer of the Year while also gaining all-league accolades.  He was named the NSIC South Division Co-Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Guebert needs 11 points to move into third all-time in scoring at USF
Guebert, who was named second team All-NSIC a year ago, has played in 112 games, including 95 starts (54 straight), and has moved up to fourth in career scoring at USF with 1,799 points. Guebert, who is averaging 19.8 points per game for seventh in the NSIC, needs 11 points to move past Tony Overbaugh for third all-time at USF. Overbaugh scoring 1,809 points from 1987-91.  USF's all-time scoring leader is Gayle Hoover, who had 2,169 points from 1954-58. Ron Krayl, who is the only USF player drafted in the NBA or now defunct ABA had 2,029 from 1964-68. At USD, Krayl was a two-time NAIA All-America selection. He was selected by the Dallas Chapparals in the third round of the 1968 American Basketball Association draft. After serving in the U.S. Army, Krayl was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1971 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft.
 
Guebert is also USF's career three-point leader with 248. Interestingly, his twin sister Madison Guebert, a two-time All-Summit league honoree, is the career three-point leader at South Dakota State with 332 three-pointers and has 1,636 points. As such, the twins have a combined 580 made three-pointers and 3,436 points. Adding in their mother's Melissa Olson Guebert's career point total of 2,001, which is the all-time point mark at Augustana, and the 332 points scored by their dad Dan Guebert, who also played (two years - 1985-1987) at Augustana, the Guebert family has collected  have 5,769 points between mom, dad, son and daughter. Melissa Olson Guebert, a 1987 graduate of Augustana, was a three-time All-North Central Conference selection, Academic All-American and Augustana Sports Hall of Fame inductee. When she played the three-point shot was not yet in existence. Dan Guebert was a guard at Augustana from 1985-1987. Also of note, a younger sister, Maci, is headed to USD. So yes, the Guebert family has had quite an impact in basketball in the region.
As for USF's Guebert, Drew now has 85 games in double-digit points. Guebert ranks 13th in career points in NSIC play with 1,273. To move into the top 10 in the NSIC all-time, Guebert needs 64 points.
 
NSIC All-Time Leading Scorers
1. Gage Davis, SCSU (2016-), 1,696 (2016-)
2. Daniel Jansen, AU (2012-16), 1,521
3. Tyler Rudolph, Minot St. (2015-18), 1,494
4. Cameron McCaffery, AU (2009-13), 1,455
5. Cody Schilling, AU (2008-12), 1,394
6. Joe Hasz, Minn. Crook. (1999-03), 1,389
7. Casey Schilling, AU (2012-16), 1,347
8. Harrison Cleary, Minn. Crook. (2017-), 1,346
9. Scottie Stone, SCSU (2014-17), 1,336
10. Dan Hagen, SCSU (1977-81), 1,329
11. Ryan Bruggeman, SMSU (2016-), 1,302
12. Brett Ervin, UMD (2010-13, 14-15), 1,291
13. Drew Guebert, USF (2016-), 1,273
14. Terez Van Pelt, CSP (2011-15), 1,247
15. Ryan Rasmussen, UMD (2009-12), 1,244
  
Breaking Down Games won by USF -
The Cougars have averaged 81.6 points per game in the 14 games won this year. In those games, USF has a 45.4-to-32.7 rebound average and have outshot opponents, 45.2 percent to 37.0 percent from the field. USF also has more blocks (56-to-44), steals (93-to-81) and offensive rebounds (196-to-135).  The Cougars have outscored opponents in the games won by 14.6 points.  Evans is averaging 23.2 points and Guebert, 18.8 points per game in the USF wins..