SIOUX FALLS -- (RV) The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (21-7), which has put together the best regular season in the program's DII history and won the NSIC South title, will open the NSIC Postseason Tournament against Minot State  (10-18) Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 pm at the Stewart Center. 

The USF-Minot State game will follow the USF-Minot State women's matchup at 5:30. This is the third straight year that USF men's and women's team have hosted a first-round tournament game.  The winner of the USF-Minot State game will advance to a game at 5:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Sanford Pentagon. Of note, this will be the first time that both the Men's Team and the Women's Team enter the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament as the top seed from the South Division in the same year.

NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament

Wed., Feb. 26 - First Round Matchups    

(S8) Southwest Minnesota State at (N1) Northern State, 6:00 PM

(N5) St. Cloud State at (S4) Augustana, 7:30 PM

(N7) Mary at (S2) Upper Iowa, 7:30 PM

(S6) Wayne State at(N3) Minnesota State Moorhead, 6:00 PM

(S4) Bemidji State at (N5) Minnesota State, 7:30 PM

(S7) Concordia St. Paul at (N2) Minnesota Duluth, 7:30 PM

(N6) Minnesota Crookston at (S3) Winona State, 7:30 PM

USF in NSIC Tourney  -  Breakdown

The Cougars stand 4-6 in the NSIC Postseason Tournament, including four straight road wins in the opening round. The Cougars, which was ranked 9th in the NCAA DII Regional rankings last week, will play a first round home game in the tourney for the third straight season. The Cougars had won 7-of-9 games which includes a 75-64 South Division clinching win at home against Wayne State on Saturday, Feb. 22. Minot  State has dropped seven straight games since an 82-80 road win at Augustana. Both teams are solid on defense with USF leading the league by allowing just 66.4  points per game and MISU fifth at 71.6 ppg. Chase Grinde leads USF with 12.6 ppg while Kyle Beisch paces MiSU at 19.0 ppg. 

USF in the NSIC - Game-by-Game

Game Notes: Trevon Evans led four players in double digits with 17 points but the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (19-11) had their season come to a close in a heart-breaking 79-76 loss to Northern State (24-6) on March 3, 2019 in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon. USF lost for the fourth straight year in the NSIC quarterfinals but gave another valiant effort which ended the careers of five seniors, including first-team All-NSIC performers Evans and Drew Guebert, who finished his career with 13 points. Senior guard Aaron Rothermund added 15 points and knocked in a trio of treys. Seniors Justin Taylor and Jacoby Odegaard also had their careers at USF come to an end. The Cougars, which trailed 45-40 at halftime and by 10 points at 54-44 with 16:05 to play, outscored NSU, 36-34 in the second half, and rallied to tie the game at 73 with 1:58 to play on two foul shots by Guebert. NSU closed the game on a 6-3 advantage to advance to the NSIC semifinals. 

Sioux Falls 96 Minot State 51, Feb. 27, 2019

Game Notes: Keyed by a fast start and high energy throughout the night, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team rolled to a 96-51 victory over Minot State in the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament at the Stewart Center on Feb. 27, 2019. USF opened with a 15-3 lead and led 44-25 at halftime. In the second half, the Cougars doubled up the Beavers, 52-26, to take a decisive 96-51 victory and avenge a 75-70 loss to MiSU on Jan. 19 at the Stewart Center. Keying the victory was a pair of USF seniors. All-NSIC guard Trevon Evans had 23 points, three rebounds, five assists and a steal in 30 minutes of work. Aaron Rothermund also reached double digits with 16 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and 5-of-8 overall from the field. He also provided four rebounds, assist and steal. The Cougars, which shot 55.6 percent from the field (35-of-63) received points from 13 players.

St. Cloud State 67 Sioux Falls 56, Feb, 24, 2018

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, 10-4 all-time

USF owns a 10-4 all-time mark against Minot State, including a 2-0 mark against the Beavers in the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament.  Earlier this year MiSU defeated the Cougars, 69-66, in Minot, N.D. In the NSIC Tourney last year, the Cougars rolled to a 96-51 win over the Beavers at the Stewart Center. Earlier in the 2018-19 season, 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 5-4 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.intra-city rivalry began in the 1922 season as USF defeated the Vikings, 30-12 on Jan. 23. USF won the first seven games of the series, including a 55-16 decision on March 9, 1922. The Cougars have won four of the past five games.

Devin Green, a 6-7 forward, who is serving as team captain and helped lead USF to its most successful year in the league and overall at the DII level, scored 13 points and Milan Surlic had 12 to help USF upend Wayne State, 75-64 and clinch the title. Green had two double digit games last weekend.  A sports management major, he is a two-time Academic All NSIC selection who has been also honored on the NSIC Academic Team of Excellence (3.6 GPA). He is averaging 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds. This season he has 14 double-digit games with a high of 18 points in a home win over Winona State in overtime. He has 415 career points and 230 rebounds with 16 double digit scoring games in 98 played. Green has helped lead USF to a pair of 20-win seasons and 60 wins during his final three seasons with 75 victories in his four seasons. In his two years at USF, Surlic has helped USF to 40 wins. A sports management major with a coaching concentration, he, has 296 career points with 42 threes while playing in 58 games and making 36 starts. He has eight double-digit games with two 20-point games. Surlic set a career-high of 27 points against SMSU when he was NSIC Player of the Week in 2018. His high in 2019-20 is 14 points against SMSU.

Quick Look at USF

At 21-7, the Cougars, which received votes (2 points) in the NABC Top 25 Poll on Tuesday (Feb. 18), are off to the best start in the program DII history. With a 17-5 league mark, USF also has the program's top mark through 22 league games in the DII era (since 2012-13). With the 75-64 regular-season closing win over Wayne State, the Cougars claimed its first-ever South Division title. The Cougars have already surpassed last year's win total of 19 and now has 20 or more wins in two of the past three seasons. USF has 21 wins in a season at the DII level for the first time, surpassing the 20 wins in 2017-18. The Cougars are the only NSIC school is advance to the tourney quarterfinals four straight years. 

How to follow USF Men's BB

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.  

With balanced scoring and stout defense and board work, USF is off to best league start in program DII history

One of the keys to USF's success this season is the team's balanced scoring in which six players average 6.6 points per game or more. Redshirt sophomore guard Chase Grinde leads USF with 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game . Grinde has 20 games (27 in his career) with double-digit points, which includes each of the last 13 games. He is averaging a team-high 13.7 points in conference games and has hit a sizzling 25-of-47 for 53.2 percent from three-point range. Junior forward Teathloach Pal, who has 14 career double-doubles, is supplying 10.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.  Junior forward Austin Slater is adding 9.0 points and has 6.9 rebounds per game.  Slater has four double-digit rebound and 12 double-digit scoring games this season, twice going over 20 (22 vs Lincoln, 11/8/19; 20 vs. St. Cloud State, 12/14/19). Pal has 17 double-digit scoring games, including 10 in the past 13 games.   

Freshman guard Jack Thompson is averaging 10.6 points per game and has gone over 20 points four times with a career-high 23 vs. Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 1, 2020.  He also has 20 points against Minnesota Duluth, 12/13/19; 20 vs. Augustana on Jan. 4, 2020 and 21 against Minnesota State on Jan. 10, 2020.  He has 14 games in double digit points.  Thompson has hit 42-of-106 three-pointers for 39.6 percent from three and has 69 assists or 2.3 per game. He ranks second in the league with 1.8 steals (48) per game. 

USF closes January with 7-2 mark; 5-2 in February

USF was 5-2 in November this year and 15-5 over the past three seasons. The Cougars finished  4-1 in December and 11-7 over the past three seasons. In January, the Cougars finished 7-2 record this year and stand 18-8 over the past three seasons. The Cougars have opened February at 5-2. USF was 5-4  a year ago and 6-2 in 2017-18 for a 16-8 record over the past three years in February. 

Breaking it down - USF leading NSIC in both scoring  defense and rebounding defense 

In its move to the top of the NSIC, USF has utilized stout defense and steady rebounding. While USF is averaging 70.0 points for 14th in the NSIC, they lead the NSIC in scoring defense at 66.4 points per game.  As a result, USF is fifth in scoring margin at 3.6 per game.  In rebounding defense, USF is first in the NSIC at 28.8 while sitting fourth  in rebounding overall at 35.7 per game. The Cougars, which average 11.5 offensive boards per game for second in the NSIC, also rank second in rebounding margin at 6.9 per game. Steadily, USF has moved near the top of the league (5th) in steals per game with 6.25 per game. The Cougars have had more steals than opponents in 17-of-29 games and recorded seven or more steals 13 times and twice has had 12 steals in a contest. USF is also ninth in blocked shots at 3.18 per game.  After a slow start this season in shooting from the field, USF has moved up to ninth in the NSIC at 45.2 percent while holding opponents to 43.1 percent for fourth in the NSIC. 

USF is 16-3 when leading at halftime  and 18-2 when shooting better than its opponents.  The Cougars have a season high of 43 boards in a loss at Wayne State. Nineteen times USF has had a margin of six or more boards with a high of 22 against Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 30 at the Stewart Center.  USF has won the rebound battle in 25-of-29 games, which includes 14-of the past 15 contests. Thirteen times, USF has over 70 points with a high of 87 points in an overtime win over Winona State (87-85) on Jan. 25 at the Stewart Center. When USF has scored 70 points or more, they have an 12-0 record. 

Quick Season Preview -

For the second time (2017-18) in three seasons, USF opened the NSIC season with three straight wins. Then, the Cougars split with UMD and SCSU  and registered a 84-69 road win over SMSU with a 77-65 win at Wayne State and a 65-59 decision over city rival Augustana. The Cougars completed season sweeps of Minnesota State, 71-64, and Concordia St. Paul, 74-59, at the Stewart Center earlier which gave USF an 9-1 record and they opened 8-0 in the South Division. Both were DII program best starts. Since then, USF has an 8-4 league mark for 17-5 which is also the best in DII program history.  

Last weekend, the Cougars dropped a 61-58 decision to Augustana, despite 17 points from Chase Grinde. But USF wrapped up the South Division title when Jack Thompson had 18 points and Chase Grinde, 16, to lead five players in double-digits as the Cougars took a 75-64 home win over Wayne State and a sweep of the season series for the second straight season. 

Two weekends ago, USF defeated Winona State, 51-49, as Teathloach Pal had 18 points and 15 rebounds. The Cougars lost a tightly contested battle with Upper Iowa, 75-69, in Fayette. Two weeks ago at home, USF stopped NSU, 68-61, in a first-place South-North showdown and then upended MSUM, 79-68. USF Cougars picked up their fourth road sweep of the season with  66-54 win at Bemidji State and a 77-62 decision over Minnesota Crookston three weeks ago. Teathloach Pal and Devin Green scored 12 points to lead five USF players in double digit points in the win at BSU. Jack Thompson had a career-high 23 in the victory at UMC. 

In home games on Jan. 24-25, the Cougars recorded an 87-85 overtime win over Winona State on Jan. 25 as Teathloach Pal scored 18 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Senior captain Devin Green had a career-high 18 points and hit a late three in the game which helped force overtime. USF has gone 2-0 in overtime games at home in each of the past two seasons against WSU. USF also dropped a 68-60 decision to Upper Iowa. USF also had a 59-53 win at U-Mary and dropped a 69-66 decision to Minot State on Jan. 18.

In the second win (Jan. 10) over Minnesota State, freshman guard Jack Thompson tied a career-best with 21 points to lead Cougars to the win. Devin Green, Troy Houghton and Austin Slater all scored 10 points for USF, which outscored the Mavericks, 39-28, to complete the season sweep with a 71-64 win. In the win over CSP, the Cougars had 16 points from Chase Grinde while Thompson had 12 points while Teathloach Pal and Austin Slater both had 11 points while Devin Green again put up 10 points in the 74-59 road win. As a result, USF defeated the Golden Bears for an eight consecutive time.

In the win on Jan. 3 at Wayne State, USF had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Austin Slater plus a career-high 16 points from Trevon Adams, who knocked in four threes for the first time in his career at USF.  Chase Grinde supplied 10 points, four assists and four rebounds as USF outscored the Wildcats, 47-37 in the second half.  USF tied a season-high with nine made threes and had just six turnovers. Before 2,371 fans at the Sanford Pentagon, the Cougars defeated then No. 24 (NABC) Augustana, 65-59, as freshman guard Jack Thompson scored 20 points. Thompson hit a career-high five treys and was 7-of-10 from the field. After leading 34-31 at the break, the Cougars outscored Augustana, 31-28, on the Vikings' home floor. In the process USF held AU to its lowest point total on their home floor since 2012 when USF took a 70-58 win at the Elmen Center. 

In closing out 2019, USF recorded an 84-69 road  NSIC win over SMSU in Marshall, Minn., as Thompson scored 18 points. For the first time ever, USF swept SMSU in a season series as a result of the 84-69 road win on Dec. 21. Since the two teams have been playing in the NSIC, the series is tied at 8-8 while SMSU holds the overall lead at 21-14 after USF's second straight win at Marshall, Minn. After a tight first half, USF had an 11-0 run midway through the second half to gain a six-point advantage (48-42, 13:20, 2nd half) and never relinquished the lead.  Thompson hit 6-of-12 shots from the field and knocked in 3-of-6 from three-point range while making all three of his foul shots. In addition, he had three assists and three steals with just one turnover in playing 39 minutes. Senior captain Devin Green surpassed double-digit points with 15 against SMSU. He made 4-of-6 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 at the foul line. Green had seven rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of work. USF also had 14 points from junior forward Teathloach Pal, who made 6-of-11 field goals and added six rebounds with three assists, two steals and a block. Senior guard Milan Surlic also had 14 points. He hit 3-of-9 shots with two of them from three-point range and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. USF, which built as much as a 16-point lead (4:28, 2nd half, 78-62), led 33-32 at halftime before outscoring SMSU, 51-to-37 in the second half. The 51 points in a half was a season-high. 

On Dec. 13, USF fell to UMD, 100-65, at the Stewart Center as the Cougars hit just 37.5 percent from the floor and made 24.1 percent from three. UMD hit 64.4 percent from the field and knocked in a sizzling 16-of-24 (15-of-20 at one point) from 3-point distance.  Against SCSU on Dec. 14, Austin Slater had 20 points to lead USF to a 73-67 win. USF, which led by as many as 16 points in the first half, hit 46.6 percent from the floor and had five triples while converting 14 foul shots. The Coo also limited SCSU to 39.3 percent shooting. 

On Nov. 21 at the Stewart Center, the Cougars won a 74-56 decision over SMSU in a game in which Head Coach Chris Johnson picked up his 200th career win at USF. Earlier in USF's NSIC home opener, Chase Grinde had 19 points and Will Lybaek added 14 points while Teathloach Pal added eight points and 13 rebounds for USF in a 74-56 win on Nov. 30.  USF hit just three triples but hit 23-of-46 field goals for 50 percent. In shots inside the circle, USF was 20-of-33 for 60.6 percent.

In USF's NSIC road openers, the Cougars finished 2-0 with a 78-71 win at Concordia St. Paul and a 86-81 victory against league favorite Minnesota State on Dec. 7. In the CSP win, Grinde had 20 points to lead the way while four other players scored in double digit points. Freshman Jack Thompson had 14 points as made four 3-pointers on seven attempts. Pal had his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 boards while blocking two shots and dishing two dimes. In the 86-81 win against Minnesota State, the Cougars led by 17 in the first half and had a double digit lead for much of the second half as they upended MSU for a second straight year at the Taylor Center. Grinde had 21 points and seven rebounds for USF, which also had 15 points from senior captain Devin Green and a career-high 14 from Troy Houghton who made all six of his field goal attempts.  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. 

Also in the nonconference part of the schedule, Austin Slater had 16 points and 13 rebounds as 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.