SIOUX FALLS --  With four wins in six nonconference games, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (4-2, 0-0 NSIC) will host Southwest Minnesota State (3-3, 0-0 NSIC) in the NSIC opener for both teams at  the Stewart Center at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30.   

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 nonconference games on Stretch Internet and conference games at KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at www.sidearmstats.com/mbball.

USF and SMSU will meet for the 34th time as the Mustangs own a 21-12 series lead in a series that dates to 1968-69. Since joining the NSIC, USF has a 4-3 record in league home openers.
 
The Cougars, directed by the all-time wins leader Chris Johnson (199 wins at USF and 215 overall), had a 2-0 weekend at the Dacotah Bank Classic, hosted by Northern State, on Nov. 22-23 in Aberdeen. Then in wrapping up the nonconference season, USF dropped a 94-69 decision to Minnesota Crookston as Harrison Cleary had 40 points. The loss dropped USF to 51-5 in nonconference game with Johnson. The next win for Johnson will be No. 200 for the 12th year head coach at USF (13 overall years coaching). During the Johnson era, USF is 116-45 at home and 54-30 in NSIC home games.
In the setback to UMC, senior captain Devin Green had a career high in points with 16 and rebounds with seven. Jaxon Simons also had double digits with his career best of 11 points. Logan Dreier also had a career-high with nine points. 

With 16 points and 13 rebounds from Austin Slater, the Cougars turned back Chadron State, 62-59, in the first game at the Dacotah Bank Classic. In game two, junior guard William Lybaek had 15 points, including a trio of threes, and Teathloach Pal added 14 points and eight rebounds as USF captured its third straight victory with a 77-70 decision over CSU-Pueblo, also at the Dacotah Bank Classic.

In winning their 10th straight home opener, the Cougars handed Dakota State a 72-51 nonconference setback on Nov. 16 at the Stewart Center.  Earlier USF was 1-1 at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City. USF defeated Lincoln University, 64-63, as Austin Slater had a career-high 22 points on Nov. 8. They also took a 62-55 loss to Pittsburgh State on Nov. 9 at the Central Region Challenge.

Inside look at SW Minnesota State
SMSU is led by junior guard Kenny Byers, who is scoring 13.8 points and grabbing 8.4  rebounds  per game for SMSU, which has won two straight and stand 3-3 on the season. Both teams are near the bottom of the league in scoring offense but both have been strong on scoring defense. USF is averaging 66.5 points per game and allowing 66.5 while SMSU is scoring 68.8 points per game  and giving up 67.3 per game. SMSU is led by 11th year head coach Brad Bigler. 

Series Breakdown - USF trails SMSU, 21-12 but own 11-5 advantage at SC
USF will meet SMSU for the 34th time with the Mustangs owning a 21-12 lead in a series that dates to 1968-69.  Despite 29 points from Trevon Evans, USF fell to SMSU, 79-75 on Dec. 30, 2018. in the last match up between the two NSIC travel partners. USF trailed 36-35 at halftime and was outscored, 43-40, in the second half by the Mustangs, which was led by senior Ryan Bargeman with 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists. SMSU used an 11-to-8 edge in made three-pointers and a 14-13 margin at the foul line to slip past USF. The Cougars, which owned a 41-32 edge on the boards, was hurt by turnovers, especially in the second half. USF had just one in the opening 20 minutes of play but then committed 13 in the second half. USF made 27-of-58 field goals for 46.6 percent and knocked in 8-of-19 shots from three-point range for 42.1 percent but hit only 13-of-21 foul shots for 61.9 percent. As for SMSU, they were 27-of-66 from the field for 40.9 percent but made 11-of-30 shots from three-point range while hammering home 14-of-17 free throws. 

In the first game last year, USF took a 94-72 decision on Dec. 1 2018 in Marshall, Minn. Led by a career-high 27 points from Milan Surlic, who would earn NSIC Player of the Week honors two days later, and 22 points from Trevon Evans and 21 from Drew Guebert, USF ended a 15-game losing streak to the Mustangs in Marshall, Minn. USF hit 56.4 percent from the field on 31-of-55 shooting and made 10-of-19 for 52.6 percent from three-point range. Additionally, they hit 22-of-27 free throws for 81.5 percent.

The Cougars opened up a 45-33 halftime lead and outscored SMSU, 49-39, in the second half. The Cougars, which led for 37:08 of the game, built its biggest lead of 24 points (80-56) with 7:40 to play in the second half. Surlic hit 9-of-15 field goals, including a career-best 4-of-7 from three-point range, while making all five of his free throws to score 27 points in 33 minutes. Surlic, who had his second 20-point game of the season, added four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Guebert made 6-of-10 field goals and 8-of-10 foul shots while grabbing five rebounds with a season-high five assists. Evans made 9-of-17 field goals against SMSU with 4-of-7 from three-point range. He added four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.

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 match up 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 15-1 at the R/A Facility in Marshall. Since both teams have been in the NSIC, SMSU holds an 8-6 advantage, 7-6 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. in the second game of the 2015-16 season, (Dec. 19, 2015),  SMSU edged USF, 62-60 at the RA Facility in Marshall, Minn.  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. 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 registered 87-83 OT decision on Nov. 30, 2013, 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.   

Breaking down USF through six games
With three double doubles in five games this season, junior forward Teathloach Pal is one-half of a strong front court combo with junior Austin Slater. Pal was named the NSIC Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 18 after scoring a career-high 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Dakota State at the Stewart Center. Pal, a junior forward from Fridley, Minn., is averaging a double double with 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC.

Through six games, Pal has produced four double digit scoring games and eight in his career.  Pal had a career-high 17 boards against Pitt State and registered double doubles in three straight games to open season. 

Junior forward Austin Slater is averaging 12,5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He has reached double digits four times in six games. Slater has seven career double digit scoring games and three double double with seven games of double figure rebounds. He scored a career-high 22 points to lead USF to a 64-63 win against Lincoln and then had a team-high 14 points in a 62-55 loss to Pittsburg State. He had his first double double of the season against Chadron State on Nov. 22 after scoring 16 and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Chase Grinde is also nearly scoring double digits for USF with 8.5 points per game while adding 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He had a season-high 12 points against Pittsburg State and has scored eight against Lincoln and DSU. He had his second double digit scoring game with 11 points against Chadron State and added eight points and five rebounds against CSU Pueblo. Grinde has nine double digit career scoring games.

Also for USF, William Lybaek had a career-high 15 points with a career-high three triples against DSU on Nov. 16 and also had 15 points with three treys against CSU Pueblo on Nov. 23. He also had 10 points and a triple against CSC. Lybaek has reached double digits for a third straight game and has hit 7-of-18 from three for 38.9 percent. He is 14-of-31 for 45.2 percent from the field.
 
As a team, USF is averaging 66.5 points and allowing 66.5 per game with exactly 399 points scored and 399 allowed.  The Cougars own a 38.0-to-29.7 rebound edge and have 399 total points with 177-to-180 first half deficit and 222-to-219 margin in the second half. To this point, USF is shooting 41.6 percent (138-of-332) from the field and 33-of-123 from three-point range for 26.8 percent. They have made 70.9 percent mark on 90-of-127 free throw conversions. Defensively, they have held opponents to 40.8 percent (127-of-311), from the field. Opponents hit 33.6 percent (5th in the NSIC) from three on 44-of-131 shooting.

Teathloach Pal named  NSIC Men's Player of the Week for the first time
Junior forward Teathloach Pal, who set a career-highs with 26 points and also grabbed 16 rebounds in a 72-51 win over Dakota State Saturday, Nov. 16, was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, according to an announcement Nov. 19 by the league office. Pal of Fridley, Minn., earned his first-ever NSIC Men's Player of the Week honor after a dominating performance against Dakota State.  In 31:33 on the floor, Pal, who registered his third straight double double and now has eight in his career, was 12-of-16 from the field and made 2-of-3 free throws as he established a career-best point total. He also had 16 rebounds as he had eight offensive boards while also dishing three assists.  

Cougars picked to finish fourth in the NSIC South
USF has been picked to finish fourth in the South Division and tied for 10th overall in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, according to the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier this fall.15. USF, The Cougars officially opened practice on Oct. 15 and returned three starters & seven letter winners from a team that was 19-11 overall and 13-9 in league play as they advanced to the NSIC Quarterfinals for a fourth straight year.

Minnesota State was selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorites in the NSIC for the 2019-20 season. The Mavericks received 214 points with seven first place votes and six points ahead of Augustana with 208 points and six first place votes. Minnesota Duluth was third with 196 points and three first place votes. USF was 10th overall, and tied with Wayne State for 10th with 96 points. In the South Division, USF was fourth with 25 points. They sit behind favorite MSU, 47 points, five first place votes; Augustana, 44 points, three first place votes and Winona State with 37 points.

USF gets 15 from Lybaek in 77-70 win over CSU-Pueblo
USF Men's BB had a battle on hands for their final game of the Dacotah Bank Classic in Aberdeen on Saturday, edging out the Thunderwolves of CSU-Pueblo 77-70 on Nov. 23. William Lybaek led the way on offense, scoring 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting (3-for-9 from three) and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Lybaek also recorded four of the Cougars' 42 rebounds. Redshirt junior Teathloach Pal also had a strong night with 14 points (6-for-10), as well as eight rebounds, six of which were on offense. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Cougars was redshirt junior Austin Slater, who was 5-for-9 and made a free throw to conclude the night with 11 points. He came just one rebound short of the double-double, recording all nine rebounds on defense. The Cougars were a threat in the paint, scoring 38 of their 77 points from the paint. Of the 38 points, 14 came in the final 20 minutes to help seal the victory for USF.

USF turns back Chadron State as Slater has double double
USF started their travels to Aberdeen for the Dacotah Bank Classic with a closely-contested, 62-59 victory over the Chadron State Eagles (0-4) on Nov. 22. Leading the way for the Cougars were the trio of Austin Slater, Chase Grinde, and William Lybaek, all of whom eclipsed double-digits in scoring with 16, 11, and 10, respectively. Slater rounded out the night with a double-double, recording 13 rebounds in addition to his 16 points. The Cougars fell behind 9-4 early but used a 19-0 run to take a 29-17 lead at halftime. CSC outscored USF, 42-33, in the second half to tighten things up. On the night, USF hit 21-of-52 field goals for 40.4 percent and made 5-of-13 from three-point range for 38.5 percent. USF, which hit 15-of-24 shots from the charity stripe, held a 36-to-27 rebound advantage. Slater, who reached double digits for the third time this season with his first double double of the campaign, made 5-of-9 field goals and his only three-point shot. He also had 13 boards  with six on the offensive glass while handing out an assist and blocking a shot. Lybaek had his second straight double digit scoring game with 10 points as he made 4-of-8 field goals and hit 1-of-2 from three-point range.

USF cruises to 72-51 win over Dakota State in home opener
Teathloach Pal set a career-high with 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (2-1) to a 72-51 nonconference win over Dakota State in the home season opener on Nov. 16 at the Stewart Center. After leading just 25-24 at the halftime break, the Cougars shot a blistering 63.6 percent in the second half on 21-of-33 shooting to build a 23-point lead and cruise to the victory. In 31:33 on the floor, Pal, who registered his third straight double double and now has eight in his career, was 12-of-16 from the field and made 2-of-3 free throws as he established a career-best point total. He just missed tying his career high of 17 rebounds as he had eight offensive boards while also dishing three assists. William Lybaek also had a career-night with 15 points as he knocked down 6-of-9 field goals and made 3-of-5 three-pointers. The six field goals, nine attempts and the trio of treys also set career-bests for the redshirt junior from Trondheim, Norway. USF also had eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals from sophomore Chase Grinde, who continues to fill up the stat sheet.   

Recap – USF goes 1-1 at Central Region Challenge in KC
 Cougars edge Lincoln, 64-63: With a career-high 22 points from Austin Slater and Teathloach Pal's sixth career double (13 points, 13 rebounds), USF successfully opened the season with a 64-63 come-from-behind win over Lincoln University in nonconference play at the Central Region Challenge at the Municipal Auditorium. The Cougars trailed by 10 points in the first half (16-6, 9:54, 1st half), but rallied to within a point at halftime (29-28) and then outscored LU, 36-34, in the second half to record the win. USF, which led 62-57 with 1:50 to play, received a pair of free throws from Slater with under five seconds to play to ice the game (64-60). Slater, a junior forward who made a career-best 16-of-20 free throws, hit 3-of-5 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds with three assists and a steal in 29 minutes. In his 32 minutes on the floor, junior forward Teathloach Pal had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 at the foul line while grabbing 13 rebounds for his fifth career double. Freshman guard Jack Thompson, who gave USF its first second half lead with a three-ball, added eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor. Thompson knocked down both of his three-point field goals. USF hit 18-of-48 field goals for 37.5 percent but converted 10-of-24 in the second half for 41.7 percent.  
 
Despite Teathloach Pal's seventh career double double  (12 points, 17 rebounds), USF dropped a 62-55 nonconference decision to Pittsburg State (1-1) at the Central Region Challenge at Municipal Auditorium. Pal scored 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds. USF was led in scoring for a second straight night by junior forward Austin Slater, who had 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out. He hit 4-of-6 field goals and 2-of-3 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Chase Grinde supplied 12 points and five rebounds while senior Devin Green had 10 points and three rebounds. USF had a rebounding advantage as they had 36 boards to 32 for Pitt State. USF made 20-of-51 field goals for 39.2 percent but converted just 4-of-17 shots from three-point range for 23.5 percent.