SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (18-10), which ended the regular season with three wins in four games, has earned the No. 4 seed in the South Division and will host the North No. 5 seed Minot State (14-17) in the opening round of the NSIC Sanford Health Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m., at the Stewart Center.

The USF-Minot State game will follow the USF-Minnesota Crookston women's matchup at 5:30. This is the second straight year that USF men's and women's team have hosted a first-round tournament game.

The Cougars, which rank fourth nationally in rebound margin (10.5 per game), will face the Beavers for the second time this year and the second time in the NSIC Postseason playoffs. Despite 32 points from Trevon Evans and 20 from Drew Guebert, USF dropped a 75-70 decision on Jan. 19 at the SC.  The Beavers received 30 points and 10 rebounds from David Akibo. The Cougars defeated Minot State, 80-77 on Feb. 22, 2017 when Drew Guebert hit a game-winning three.

USF has recorded a .500 record or better for the fourth time in seven years in NSIC play.  This year, USF was 13-9 in league play and finished just a game out of first in the NSIC South. The Cougars, which was 10-4 in division play, has 18 wins or more in a season for the fifth time in the USF Head Coach Chris Johnson era.

How Things Stand
Minnesota State, Augustana, and Wayne State all finished 14-8 in NSIC for a share of the NSIC South Division Crown. NSIC Men's Basketball tiebreakers were instituted and Minnesota State earned the 1 seed, Augustana the 2 seed, and Wayne State the 3 seed. USF finished 13-9 in league play and one game behind MSU, WSC and Augustana, who all finished 14-8. Tickets for the USF-Minot State game will be $12 for adults and $3 for students. USF fans can purchase tickets at www.usfcougars.com/tickets.

The first round of the tournament is set for Wednesday, February 27 played on the campus of the top four seeds in each division.  The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will take place on March 2, 4-5 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  All rounds of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men's Basketball Tournament played at the Sanford Pentagon will to aired live on MidcoSN and streamed for free via Stretch Internet.

USF-MISU - Head-to-Head By the Numbers
USF ranks sixth in the league in scoring while MiSU, which is 7-2 in past nine games, has scored at 72.8 points per game. USF, which ranks first in the league in field goal percentage defense at 42.1 ppg, leads the league at 41.4 rebounds per game. MiSU is fourth in the NSIC in shooting at 49.3.  David Akibo is scoring 18.6 ppg for MiSU while Trevon Evans is third in the NSIC at 22.9 and Drew Guebert, sixth in scoring at 19.5 ppg.

NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament
Wed., Feb. 27 - First Round Matchups    
(S8) Concordia St. Paul at (N1) Northern State, 6:00 PM
(N5) Minot State at (S4) Sioux Falls, 7:30 PM
(N7) Minnesota Crookston at (S2) Augustana, 7:30 PM
(S6) Winona State at(N3) Minnesota Duluth, 7:30 PM
(N8) Bemidji State at (S1) Minnesota State, 6:00 PM
(S5) SMSU at (N4) MSU Moorhead, 7:30 PM
(S7) Upper Iowa at (N2) St. Cloud State, 7:30 PM
(N6) U Mary at (S3) Wayne State, 6:00 PM

USF in NSIC Tourney  - Breakdown
The Cougars stand  3-6 in the NSIC Postseason Tournament, including two straight road wins in the opening round. The Cougars will play a first round home game in the tourney for the second straight season.

Game-by-Game

St. Cloud State 67 Sioux Falls 56
Game Notes: Drew Guebert had a double double of 22 points and 12 rebounds but USF (20-10) dropped a 67-56 decision to St. Cloud State (23-7) in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 24, 2018 at the Sanford Pentagon. SCSU, the No. 2 seed, also had 13 points, four assists and two steals from Trevon Evans. Gage Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead SCSU, which led from start to finish. USF cut the lead to eight points twice in the second half but were outscored, 32-31 after trailing 35-25 at the halftime break.

Sioux Falls 98 Minnesota Crookston 68, Feb. 21, 2018
Game Notes: Trevon Evans scored 23 points with 10 assists, Drew Guebert added 20 points and Aaron Rothermund supplied 17 as USF (20-9) shot 60.3 percent from the floor in rolling past Minnesota Crookston (10-18) on Feb. 21, 2018 in the first round of the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tourney at the Stewart Center. It was USF's third straight opening round win in the league tournament but the first at home.  Rothermund hit a career-best five triples on seven shots and was 6-of-9 from the floor. USF led, 41-27, at halftime and outscored the Golden Eagles, 57-41 in the second stanza. The victory helped USF win a program-best 20 wins in a season.

Southwest Minnesota State 79 Sioux Falls 68, NSIC Quarterfinals, Feb. 25, 2017
Game Notes: Drew Guebert had 19 points, including four three pointers, and Mack Johnson added 16 but the Cougars (15-17) lost to the eventual NSIC Tournament champions for a second straight year on Feb. 25, 2017. SMSU (24-5), 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 USF (15-16) to a come-from-behind 80-77 victory over Minot State (14-16) 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.

AU 105 Sioux Falls 100, Feb. 27, 2016, NSIC 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.

USF leads MiSU, 9-3 all-time
USF owns a 9-3 all-time mark against Minot State, including a 1-0 mark against the Beavers in the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament.  Earlier this year MiSU defeated USF, 75-70 as David Akibo had 30 points and 10 rebounds. Trevon Evans led USF with 32. In the 2017-18 year, USF took an 80-59 decision over the Beavers at the Stewart Center on Feb. 3, 2018. In that game Drew Guebert scored 25 points with six rebounds while Teathloach Pal had 10 points and 13 rebounds. In NSIC matchups, USF has a 5-3 advantage. On Feb. 22, 2017, Guebert scored 23 points, including hitting the game-winning shot with a second to play, to lift USF to an 80-77 win in the first round of the NSIC Postseason Tournament. Minot State opened up a seven-point lead (61-54) on a Russ Davis triple with 9:36 to play. USF closed on a 26-to-16 run to grab the win. On Feb. 4, 2017, MiSU defeated USF, 77-66, at the Minot State Dome despite 16 points by Guebert and Mack Johnson. The Beavers, were led by 34 points and 13 rebounds from Tyler Rudolph. On Dec. 11, 2015, Mack Johnson hit a three-pointer with a second to play in overtime as the Cougars took a dramatic 66-65 win over the Beavers at the Stewart Center. USF trailed 64-58 with 1:29 left in overtime before USF rallied. Jordan Stotts had 17 points and seven rebounds while Johnson, who hit the game-tying basket with 13 seconds left in regulation, had 15 to lead the Cougars.  On Dec. 12, 2014, MISU's Dominque McDonald, who scored just five points, hit a floater to lift the Beavers to come-from-behind win. USF led, 42-33, in the second half before MSU rallied.

Recent Action - Coo rallies past WSC
The Cougars ended the season with three wins in four games. They fell at Augustana, 81-65, despite 19 points from Trevon Evans, on Feb. 22 at the Elmen Center. Still, USF has defeated their city rivals four of the last six games, including a 77-73 win at the Stewart Center on Jan. 5. On Feb. 23 in Wayne, the Cougars rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to win a 79-77 thriller at Rice Auditorium. Drew Guebert had 20 points and scored five points in the final 1:01 to lead USF. In the game, USF had double-digit points from five players for the first time this season. Aaron Rothermund had a season-high 16 points as did Chase Grinde by Trevon Evans added 10 and Austin Slater had his second career double double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Seniors will lead USF in postseason
The USF Men's Basketball Program, directed by all-time wins leader Chris Johnson (210 wins, 194 at USF), has five seniors which will look to make a statement in the postseason. Seniors include forward Drew Guebert, senior guard Trevon Evans, senior guard Aaron Rothermund, senior guard Jacoby Odegaard and senior forward Justin Taylor. The group has compiled a 38-20 record in the past two years and a 70-49 mark over the past four seasons.   

Evans ranks third in NSIC and 13th in DII in scoring
Evans ranks third in the NSIC and 13th in NCAA DII in scoring at 22.9 per game. In 57 career games, Evans, an All-NSIC selection and NSIC Newcomer of the Year in 2017-18, has 1,251 career points, which ranks 18th all-time at USF and just 32 points from passing Roy DeBoer, 1951-55, for 15th at USF. He also has 151 made threes which rank eighth all-time at USF. Named NSIC South Division Preseason Co-Player of the Year in 2018-19, Evans has 640 points this season, which ranks him 11th in DII for most points. On USF's seasonal points chart, he is ninth but just 15 points from fourth which is held by USF Athletics Hall of Famer Herb Buckner at 655 in the 1969-70 season.  He has become just the second player in school history with 600 points in back- to-back seasons. Gayle Hoover, a USF Athletics and South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, had 627 points (9th all-time at USF, 28.5 ppg) in 1956-57 as a junior and added 605 points (13th all-time at USF, 25.2 ppg) as a senior in 1957-58 for USF. Evans has 17, 20-point games this season and 33 for his career with nine 30-point games, including a career-high 42 points against NSU on Jan. 26, 2018. He is fourth at USF in made threes for a season with 84. He needs two more treys to move in third all-time for three-pointers in a season (Lance Winter, 1991-92, 85).  Six times , including three times this year, he has been named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week. On the NSIC all-time scoring chart he has 979 points in NSIC games only, which places him 37th in just two years of games. He has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch list, which includes the top 100 players in small college basketball.  

Guebert ranks 3rd all-time in scoring and 1st in 3s at USF
Senior Drew Guebert ranks third all-time in scoring at USF with 1,951 points in 120 games with 103 career starts.  He is USF's career leader in three pointers with 264. A two-time Academic All-NSIC selection, he was named All-NSIC a year ago. Guebert, who has earned three NSIC Player of the Week and a U.S. Basketball Writers Association recognition, has also moved into seventh place on the NSIC all-time  scoring list (league games only) with 1,423 points. He has 91 career games in double-digit points and 43 games of 20 points or more. Guebert, who has made 62 straight starts, is fourth all-time in games play at USF with 120. He also has totaled five double doubles and five games of 30 points or more.  He is the first player at USF to make 59 or more threes in four straight years and has cracked 497 points or more in three years seasons.      

Guebert  is among seven USF players on 1,500-point-600 rebound club
Drew Guebert is one of four players in school history to have 1500 points and 600 boards.  USF has had a pair of 1,000-1000 players in Tim Dykstra (1971-75), 1,524 points, 1,018 rebounds; Roger Heibult (1965-68), 1,260 points and 1,008 rebounds.

  Name                                 Points         Reb.
Ron Krayl (1965-68)            2,029          611
Drew Guebert (2015-)          1,951         600
Tony Overbaugh (1987-91)  1,809         746
Todd Kelsey (1977-81)         1,696         658
Herb Buckner (1966-70)       1,633         633
Luther Hippe (1983-87)        1,589          912
Tim Dykstra (1971-75 )         1,524       1,018