SIOUX FALLS – With four wins in seven games, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (4-3) will meet a pair of NSIC foes this week, beginning with city rival Augustana at 5:35 pm at  Sanford Pentagon on Thursday.  Then, USF host Wayne State (4-3, 1-0 NSIC on Saturday) at 3:30 pm on Saturday. 

Note - The Men's Team will play doubleheaders both nights with the men's game preceding the women's games on both days. That is an NSIC policy scheduling change different than in past years when the women's games were played first. Also note that the USF-Augustana game will be on Midco Sports with David Brown on the call. 

Follow USF Men's Basketball - Broadcast - Social Media

Follow USF Men's Basketball on Twitter at @USFCooBBall or USF_Athletics. All USF's home and road games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Blue Frame at the NSIC Network (schedule page, click on NSIC Network). Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for the conference radio broadcasts on KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at www.sidearmstats.com/mbball.   

How Things Stand 

USF is 4-3 after suffering a 70-69 setback at home to SMSU to open the NSIC season.    This past weekend, the Cougars split a pair of nonconference games at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic in Moorhead, Minn. USF lost to U-Mary, 83-74 before recording an 80-76 win over host MSU Moorhead.

Opponent Breakdown - Augustana notes

Augustana, which will meet USF for the 78th time, is 6-1 with a 0-1 NSIC mark.  The Vikings, which is directed by veteran coach Tom Billeter (436-246 all-time and 261-165 in the NSIC), dropped a 63-59 decision to Wayne State in Wayne, Neb., but has defeated Doane, 67-57 and Grand View, 91-75. They are led by Tyler Riemersma with 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while Isaac Fink is supplying 12.0 ppg. Augustana is 12th in the NSIC at 74.0 ppg and a second in allowing just 62.9 points per game. 

Opponent Breakdown - Wayne State Notes

Wayne State, which is 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the NSIC, meets USF for the 31st time. They have a 63-59 home NSIC win over Augustana in their lone NSIC game. After losing to Doane earlier this week, 76-72, the Wildcats defeated Nebraska-Kearney, 67-64. JordanJanssen is supplying 16.4 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Justin Eagins is averaging 12.0 ppg. As a team, WSC is scoring 70.9 points per game for 14th in the league while allowing 66.4 points per game for fifth in the NSIC.  The Wildcats is directed by Jeff Kaminsky, who is in his sixth season (2021-22) as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Wayne State College. He increased the win total of the Wildcats in his first three seasons at the school and has records of 70-78 overall and 49-55 in NSIC games. In 34 years as a head coach, Kaminsky's overall record is 522-445.

Series Notes - Cougars trail Vikings, 40-37 in rivalry that began in 1922

The USF-Augustana series dates back to 1922 when the Cougars recorded a 30-12 win. To this point, Augustana has a 40-37 series lead. USF, which has split the last 10 games in the series, won the first seven games in the rivalry series by a 215-to-97 points per game margin. In fact, USF won 12-of-13 meetings to open the series with the first Augustana win coming on February 4, 1926 by a 24-20 score. USF, which once led the season series, 30-10, won nine of 11 games from 1926 to 1931. A 42-40 win by USF in 1940-41 was the last match up for the schools for 46 years until Augustana took a 96-74 decision on Nov. 20, 1987. The Cougars ended a seven-game losing steak with a 69-62 come-from-behind victory on Dec. 31, 2016 at the Sioux Falls Arena. It was USF's first win at Augustana since a 93-87 victory at the Elmen Center on Nov. 22, 1994. Augustana defeated USF, 80-78 on Feb. 10, 2017 at the Stewart Center. USF's last win against AU at the Stewart Center was a 77-73 decision on Jan.. 5, 2019. Augustana has won three straight including 75-66 and 67-65 a year ago.

Series - Game-by-Game

1-23-1922 -- vs. Sioux Falls 30 Augustana 12, Sioux Falls (1-0)

3-9-1922 -- vs. Sioux Falls 55 Augustana 16, Sioux Falls, (2-0)

1-19-1923 – Sioux Falls 37 Augustana 11, @ Augustana (3-0)

2-14-1924 – Sioux Falls 28 Augustana 8 @ USF (4-0)

2-28-1924 – Sioux Falls 24 Augustana 20 @ Augustana (5-0)

12/18-1924 – Sioux Falls 17 Augustana 10 @ US F (6-0)

1/27/1925 – Sioux Falls 24 Augustana 20 @ Augustana (7-0)

2/4/1926 -- Augustana 24 Sioux Falls 20 @ Sioux Falls (7-1)

2/24/1926 -- Sioux Falls 24 Augustana 19 @ Augustana (8-1)

1/12/1927 – Sioux Falls 15 Augustana, 13, @ Augustana (9-1)

1/25/1927 – Sioux Falls 29 Augustana, 19, @ Sioux Falls (10-1)

1/14/1928 – Sioux Falls 40 Augustana 29, at Sioux Falls (11-1)

2/25/1928 – Sioux Falls 32 Augustana 9, @ Sioux Falls (12-1)

1/24/1929 – Augustana 31 Sioux Falls 28 @ Augustana (12-2)

1/28/1929 – Augustana 23 Sioux Falls 20 @ USF (12-3)

1/14/1930 – Sioux Falls 26 Augustana 14, @ Sioux Falls (13-3)

2/4/1930 -- Sioux Falls 31 Augustana 16, @ Sioux Falls (14-3)

1/9/1931 – Sioux Falls 27 Augustana 24, @ Augustana (15-3)

2/9/1931 – Sioux Falls 35 Augustana 26, , @ Sioux Falls (16-3)

1/11/1932 – Augustana 24 Sioux Falls 21, @ Augustana (16-4)

1/27/1932 – Sioux Falls 44 Augustana 28, @ Sioux Falls (17-4)

1/9/1933 – Sioux Falls 31 Augustana 30 @ Augustana (18-4)

2/7/1933 – vs. Sioux Falls 32 Augustana 23, Sioux Falls, att. 1500 (19-4)

2/13/1934 – Augustana 35 Sioux Falls 34 , @ Augustana, att. 2000 (19-5)

2/27/1934 – Sioux Falls 33 Augustana 26, @ Sioux Falls, att. 2500 (20-5)

1/16/1935 – Sioux Falls 31 Augustana 25, @ Augustana, att. 1,500 (21-5)

2/16/1935 -- Sioux Falls 31 Augustana 28, @ Sioux Falls (22-5)

1/18/1936 – Augustana 34 Sioux Falls 28 @ Sioux Falls (22-6)

2/10/1936 – Augustana 27 Sioux Falls 24 , @ Augustana (22-7)

1/18/1937 – Augustana 53 Sioux Falls 38, @ Augustana (22-8)

2/15/1937 – Augustana 42 Sioux Falls 32 @ Sioux Falls (22-9)

12/11/1937 -- vs. Sioux Falls 42 Augustana 37, Sioux Falls (23-9)

1/15/1938 – vs. Sioux Falls 51 Augustana 33, Sioux Falls, att. 1,800 (24-9)

2/17/1938 -- vs. Augustana 39 Sioux Falls 33 (24-10)

1/14/1939 -- vs. Sioux Falls 48 Augustana 22 , Sioux Falls, att. 2,500, (25-10)

2/16/1939 -- Sioux Falls 47 Augustana 31, @ Augustana, att. 1,500 (26-10)

1/19/1940 -- vs. Sioux Falls 46 Augustana 42, Sioux Falls, att. 2,500 (27-10)

2/1/1940 -- vs. Sioux Falls 43 Augustana 38, Sioux Falls (28-10)

2/1/1941 -- vs. Sioux Falls 56 Augustana 38, Sioux Falls, att. 2,000 (29-10)

2/11/1941 -- vs. Sioux Falls 42 Augustana 40, Sioux Falls, att. 1,600) (30-10)

11/20/1987 – Augustana 96 Sioux Falls 74 @ Augustana. att. 2,385 (30-11)

12/3/1988 – Augustana 93 Sioux Falls 79 @ Sioux Falls, att. 1,127 (30-12)

11/28/1989 – Augustana 85 Sioux Falls 72 @ Augustana, att. 1,682 (30-13)

11/27/1990 – Augustana 99 Sioux Falls 72 @ Augustana , att. 2,050) (30-14)

11/26/1991 – Augustana 128 Sioux Falls 104 @ Augustana, att. 2,300 (30-15)

11/13/1992 – Augustana 82 Sioux Falls 80 @ Augustana, att. 2,750 (30-16)

11/23/1993 – Augustana 99 Sioux Falls 92 @ Augustana, att. 3,038 (30-17)

11/22/1994 – Sioux Falls 93 Augustana 87 @ Augustana, att. 2,487 (31-17)

11/21/1995 – Augustana 65 Sioux Falls 62 @ Augustana, att. 3,004 (31-18)

11/30/1996 – Augustana 69 Sioux Falls 63 @ Augustana, att. 2,706 (31-19)

11/28/1997 – Augustana 71 Sioux Falls 62 @ Augustana, att. 2,305 (31-20)

11/28/1998 – Augustana 93 Sioux Falls 91 @ Augustana, att. 2,692 (31-21)

11/27/1999 – AU 85 USF 74, attendance, 2,884, @ Augustana (31-22)

12/10/2007 – Augustana 76 USF 50, attendance, 3,013, SF Arena (31-23)

11/19/2008 – Augustana 75 USF 70, attendance, 3,622, SF Arena, (31-24)

11/18/2009 – Augustana 84 USF 64, attendance, 3,513, SF Arena (31-25)

11/17/2010 – Augustana 69 USF 53, attendance, 2,832, SF Arena (31-26)

11/15/2011 – Augustana 64 USF 63, attendance, 2,813, SF Arena (31-27)

12/8/2012 – Augustana 70 USF 58, attendance, 3,805, Elmen Center (31-28)

2/15-2013 – USF 70 Augustana 58, attendance, 1772, Stewart Center (32-28)

12-7-2013 – Augustana 96 USF 77, attendance, 1,451, Stewart Center (32-29)

1-24-2014 – Augustana 94 USF 53, attendance, 3,713, Elmen Center, (32-30)

1-2-15 -- Augustana 82 USF, 47, attendance, 1,677, Stewart Center (32-31)

2-14-15 -- Augustana 78 USF 61, attendance, 3,672, Sioux Falls Arena (32-32)

1-2-16 -- Augustana 88 USF, 70, attendance, 3,426, Sioux Falls Arena (32-33)

2-13-16 -- Augustana 79 USF 71 attendance, 1,738, Stewart Center (32-34)

2-27-16 -- AU 105 USF 100, attendance, 3,182, Sanford Pentagon (32-35)

12/31/16 -- USF 69 Augustana 62, attendance, 2,765, Sioux Falls Arena (33-35)

2/10/17 -- Augustana 80 USF 78, attendance, 1,738, Stewart Center (33-36)

12/31/17 -- USF 70 AU 61 OT, attendance, 1,738, Stewart Center (34-36)

2/9/18 -- USF 88 Augustana 86, attendance, 3,491, Sioux Falls Arena (35-36)

1/5/19 -- USF 77 Augustana 73, attendance, 1,738, Stewart Center (36-36)

2/22/19 -- Augustana 81 USF 65, attendance, 3,027, Elmen Center (36-37)

1/4/20 -- USF 66 Augustana 59, attendance, 2371 Sanford Pentagon (37-37)

2-21-20 -- Augustana 61 USF, 58, attendance, 1,200, Stewart Center ((37-38)

2-13-21- Augustana 75 USF 66, attendance, 301, (37-39)

2-12-21 - Augustana 67 USF 65, attendance, 301, (37-40)
 

A year ago, the two teams split with USF taking a 70-68 decision on Feb. 5 and Wayne State recording a 71-46 win on Feb. 6 at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb. WSC won the initial five games of the series before USF took a 41-23 win in 1940-41. USF ended a three-game losing skein to the Wildcats with an 85-75 win over WSC at the Stewart Center on Dec. 6, 2013. In 2014-15, the two teams split with USF defeating Wayne State, 80-77 at the Stewart Center on Jan. 3.On Feb. 13, 2014 at Rice Auditorium, WSC won, 73-50. USF has won four straight with a 75-64 decision at Sioux Falls  on Feb. 22, 2020 the most recent contest. USF was led by Jack Thompson with 18 points while Devin Green had 13. In that game, Thompson hit four triples and USF had eight as a team. Jordan Janssen led WSC with 19 points and eight rebounds. USF led, 33-28 at the break and outscored WSC, 42-36 in the second half.

USF also had a 77-65 win on Jan. 3., 2020. In a 77-65 win at Wayne on Jan. 3, 2020, USF led 30-28 at half and outscored WSC, 47-37 in the second half. Austin Slater had a double-double of 15 points and 13 boards to lead USF. Trevon Adams scored 16. In USF's 79-77 win at Wayne, Neb., in 2018-19, Drew Guebert scored 20 as USF overcame a 45-39 halftime deficit by outscoring the Wildcats, 40-32.  On Jan. 4, 2019, USF had a 77-71 win as they led 38-33 at half and outscored WSC, 39-38 in the second half to pull out the six-point win. Trevin Joseph had 35 to lead all scorers while USF had 23 from Drew Gubert and 16 from Trevon Evans. WSC's last win was at Rice Auditorium as they led 39-29 at the break and outscored the Cougars, 39-35 in the second half. Jordan Cornelius led WSC with 16 while Guebert had 16 for the Cougars. 

All-time Series Breakdown

1929-30 -- Wayne State 21 Sioux Falls 19 (0-1-0)

1933-34 -- Wayne State 35 Sioux Falls 21 (0-2-0)

1938-39 -- Wayne State 35 Sioux Falls 34 (0-3-0)

1939-40 -- Wayne State 31 Sioux Falls 30 (0-4-0)

1940-41 -- Wayne State 46 Sioux Falls 45 (0-5-0)

1940-41 -- Sioux Falls 41 Wayne State 23 (1-5-0)

1950-51 -- Wayne State 74 Sioux Falls 48 (1-6-0)

 Sioux Falls 55 Wayne State 54 (2-6-0)

1951-52 -- Wayne State 77 Sioux Falls 54 (2-7-0)

1971-72 -- Wayne State 101 Sioux Falls 84 (2-8-0)

1987-88 -- Sioux Falls 63 Wayne State 62 (3-8-0)

1-30-1990 -- Wayne State 100 Sioux Falls 74 , @ Wayne, Neb., (3-9)

12-7-2012 -- Wayne State 55 Sioux Falls 53 , @ Stewart Center, (3-10)

2-16-2013 -- Wayne State 77 Sioux Falls 57, @ Rice Auditorium (3-11-0)

12-6-2013 -- Sioux Falls 85 Wayne State 75 , @ Stewart Center, (4-11-0)

1/25/2014 -- Sioux Falls 95 Wayne State 83 , @ Rice Auditorium (5-11-0)

1-3-2015 -- Sioux Falls 80 Wayne State 77 @ Stewart Center, (6-11-0)

2-13-2015 -- Wayne State 73 Sioux Falls 50, @ Rice Auditorium, (6-12-0)

1-3-2016 -- Sioux Falls79 Wayne State 70 , @ Rice Auditorium, (7-12-0)

2-12-16 --- Sioux Falls 79 Wayne State 58 , @ Stewart Center, (8-12-0)

12-30-16 -- Sioux Falls 64 Wayne State 58, @ Rice Auditorium, (9-12-0)

2-11-17 -- Wayne State 80 Sioux Falls 68, @ Stewart Center, (9-13-0)

12-30-17 - Wayne State 78 Sioux Falls 66, @ Stewart Center, 9-14-0)'

2-10-18 -- Wayne State 78 Sioux Falls 64 @ Rice Auditorium (9-15-0)

1-4-19 -- USF 77 Wayne State 71, @ Stewart Center (10-15-0)

2-23-19 -- USF 79 Wayne State 77, @ Rice Auditorium, 11-15-0)

1-3-20 -- USF 77 Wayne State 65, @ Rice Auditorium, (12-15-0)

1-22-20 -- USF 75 Wayne State, 64 @ Stewart Center (13-15-0)

2-5-2021-- USF 70 Wayne State 68 @ Rice Auditorium (14-15)

2-6-2021 --  Wayne State 71 USF 46, @ Rice Auditorium (14-16)

USF Game-By-Game Review - 2021-22

G1 Southern Nazarene 73 Sioux Falls 52 -- Jack Thompson scored 13 points and Matt Cartwright added 12 but USF dropped a 73-52 decision to Southern Nazarene in the season opener at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday (Nov. 12). USF hit just 19-of-56 field goals for 33.9 percent and was just 3-of-19 from three-point range for 15.8 percent. However, USF controlled the boards, finishing with a 37-33 margin. In a game with four lead changes and a tie, USF trailed just 31-29 at halftime after leading for a good share of the first half. However, SNU outscored USF, 42-23, in the second half. SNU hit 16-of-27 shots for 59.26 percent after the break, including 6-of-10 from three-point range to create separation from the Cougars. As for USF, they made just 8-of-26 field goals for 30.77 percent including 3-of-11 from three-point range. Two other categories in stats favored SNU, including its 20-11 edge in points off turnovers and 20-8 margin with points in the paint. Thompson, who now has 20 career double-digit scoring games, led USF with 13 points as he hit 6-of-13 shots from the field while adding an assist, two rebounds and a steal. Cartwright had 12 points in 32 minutes. USF also had nine points from both Chase Grinde, who added three rebounds and two assists, and Austin Slater, who had a team-high nine rebounds.

G2 – Sioux Falls 83 No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 77 -- In one of the biggest wins in USF history, the Cougars (1-1) knocked off defending NCAA DII national champion and No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State (2-1), 83-77 at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City, Mo. In the victory, the Cougars upended the No. 1 Bearcats 45-straight game-winning streak on a neutral floor.  It was the longest active win streak among all NCAA Div. I, II and III schools. The Bearcat's last loss on a neutral floor came Nov. 13, 2015, vs. Upper Iowa (L, 76-72). It is USF's first win over a top-10 opponent in the DII era. In adding a little historical twist, the Cougars won for the first time in 81 years and in three meetings with NWMSU. The Bearcats had held a 2-0 lead with USF but had not met since 1939-40 or 81 years ago. In 1939-40 the Bearcats won 52-32 and they had a 39-27 win in the 1937-38 season. USF led from start to finish as they jumped ahead 26-9 by the 7:32 mark of the opening half. They led by 21, 60-39 in the second half before NWMSU closed to within two and the Cougars held on for an 83-77 win with crucial plays in the final minutes Senior Matt Cartwright led USF with 29 points as he made 9-of-18 field goals and was a sizzling 6-of-9 from three-point range.  He also had seven rebounds, two steals and an assist in 37 minutes on the floor. Junior guard Jack Thompson added 20 points as he was 7-of-18 from the floor and had a pair of triples to go with five assists and a steal. Senior forward Austin Slater had a solid post game and finished with seven points and five rebounds along with a block and two assists. Also, USF had nine points and seven rebounds from junior guard Chase Grinde while both sophomore guards Jake Kettner and Noah Puetz had eight points each. Overall, USF shot 44.4 percent from the floor on 28-of-63 shooting. In that total, USF was 11-of-25 from the three-point range as they made 5-of-12 in the opening half and followed up with 6-of-13 for 46.1 percent in the second 20 minutes. At the foul line, USF was 16-of-22 for 72.7 percent.  

G3 – USF 71 Dakota State 61 -- Matt Cartwright scored 28 points and Jack Thompson had a 17 to USF to a 71-61 nonconference victory over Dakota State (2-6) in USF's home opener at the Stewart Center. Cartwright hit 12-of-24 field goals, including 2-of-6 from three-point range while grabbing five rebounds and recording an assist and steal. Thompson was 6-of-11 from the floor and added nine assists, three rebounds and two steals in a solid floor game. Also for USF, Wesley Oba helped USF to a 31-26 rebound edge by recording a game-high 10 boards. He also had six points including a flush near the end of the game off a pass from Thompson.  USF outscored Dakota State, 29-21, in the first half and had a 42-40 edge in the second 20 minutes for the 71-61 win and a second straight decision over the Trojans. Overall, USF was 27-of-59 from the field for 45.8 percent, which included 7-of-19 from the three-point range for 36.8 percent. The Cougars, which had a 19-6 margin in points from turnovers, made 10-of-14 free throws for 71.4 percent. USF also had a 9-2 margin in fast-break points and had a 12-11 margin in points off the bench.

G4 – USF 74 Chadron State 56 -- The trio of Matt Cartwright, Chase Grinde and Jake Kettner combined for 69 points to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (3-1) to a third straight nonconference win in a 96-78 decision over Chadron State (0-4) on Friday night. For the third straight game, Cartwright, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., scored at least 28 points in a win. In his 28 tonight, he hit 9-of-13 from the field with 3-of-4 from three-point range and 7-of-9 free throws while adding four rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.   Junior guard Chase Grinde had a season-high with 24 points as he surpassed double digit scoring for the 35th time and the first time this season. He now has six 20-point games in his career. On the night, the Spring Grove, Minn., native, made 10-of-14 field goals, including 1-of-3 from three and 3-of-3 at the foul line while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing three assists in 24 minutes. Also for USF, Jake Kettner of New Ulm, Minn., had a career-high of 19 points as he was 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from three while hitting 5-of-6 foul shots. The Cougars, which defeated Chadron State for a third straight time in the series, had a season high with 20 assists, committed just seven turnovers and owned a 32-26 edge in rebounds. The Cougars raced to a 47-29 lead by halftime and with 49 points in the second half recorded a season-high points in the 96-78 decision. The point total is the highest offensive output most since recording a 96-51 win over Minot State in the NSIC playoffs on Feb. 27, 2019. On the night, USF hit 54.2 percent from the field on 32-of-59 shooting. USF was 7-of-15 from the three-point range and 25-of-32 for 78.1 percent at the foul line. USF had a 28-20 margin with points in the paint, 33-31 total in bench points and a 10-8 advantage in points off the break.

G. 5 -- SMSU 70 USF 69:  In  a back and forth tussle, USF dropped a close 70-69 decision to Southwest Minnesota State (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener at the Stewart Center on Tuesday night (Nov. 23). SMSU now has a 23-15 lead in the all-time series. In the series, SMSU has won five of the seven games decided by two points or fewer. SF was led by senior guard Matt Cartwright, who had 19 points, including 4-of-11 from three-point range. USF had three players in double-digits with junior guard Chase Grinde adding 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Jack Thompson added 10 points with a team-high six assists, two rebounds and a steal. 
 

G6 - Mary 83 USF 74 -- USF, which had a career-high 15 points from Wesley Oba and 17 points by Matt Cartwright, dropped an 83-74 nonconference decision to U-Mary (2-3) on Friday (Nov. 26) at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic. Oba finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. In total USF had five players in double digits as Jack Thompson and Jake Kettner both scored 11 points and Chase Grinde had 10 points and seven rebounds. USF led, 36-28, at halftime but was outscored 55-38 in the second half by the Marauders. USF finished 29-of-66 from the field for 43.9 percent and made 8-of-25 from three-point range for 32 percent. In addition, USF, which was outrebounded, 37-36, hit 8-of-13 free throws for 61.5 percent. 
 

G7 -- Sioux Falls 80 MSUM 76 -- Matt Cartwright scored a game-high 22 points while Jack Thompson added 16 points and Chase Grinde had 15 to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team to 80-76 win over Minnesota State Moorhead in nonconference play at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic which concluded on Saturday (Nov. 27). In a game that featured numerous runs by both sides and 24 lead changes as well as 22 ties, the Cougars prevailed with a closing run of 11-2 over the final 2:58 of regulation. USF trailed, 74-69 before Cartwright hit a three and was fouled with the "and 1" drawing USF within a point at 74-73. The Cougars then closed on a 7-2 run for the win. Key in the final moments was four points from Thompson in the final 1:20 of the game. His foul shots gave USF a 75-74 lead and with 37 seconds left and converted a drive into points for a four-point lead (78-74).

Breaking Down USF – Inside the Numbers

Through five games, USF is averaging 75.0 points per game (10th, NSIC), while allowing 74.0 points per game (13th, NSIC) for a margin of 1.0 points per game (11th, NSIC). From the field, USF is hitting 44.1 percent on 190-of-431 field goals while holding opponents to  45.1 percent (172-of-381) from the field.  USF is fifth in the league at 36.9 percent on made threes, converting 55-of-149. Opponents are hitting 39.9 percent on 57-of-143, a mark that is 15th in the NSIC. 35.9 percent from three on 28-of-78. In USF which is averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game, which places USF seventh in the NSIC. The Cougars are hitting free throws at 71.4 percent on 90-of-126  or 11th  in the NSIC. USF is outrebounding opponents at a 34.1-to-32.9 or 1.3 which is 13th in the league. USF  is sixth in the NSIC in offensive boards at 10.9 per game.  

Player Profiles – Inside look

Senior forward Matt Cartwright scored 58 points and averaging 19.3 points in the past three games. He now is  averaging a league-best 22.1 points and 3.0 rebounds with seven straight double-digit (12, 29, 28, 28, 19, 17, 22) scoring games. Cartwright (155 total points) has scored 28 or more points in three games as he is hitting 53-of-116 for 45.7 percent and 25-of-55 from three-point range for 45.5 percent, a total which is fourth in the NSIC. His 3.6 threes per game ranks first in the NSIC. He is also hitting 24-of-31 (77.4%) from the foul line. During his career at USF and Augustana, Cartwright has 972 points and has made 42 starts in 78 games. He also has 174  career threes and 237 rebounds along with 95 assists and 49 steals. His career-high is 37 points against Minnesota Crookston in 2018-19 with a high of 29 points at USF against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 13. He has totaled 44 double-digit scoring games with 14 of 20 points or more.

Sophomore guard Jack Thompson is supplying 13.4 points per game and is hitting 87.5 percent from the foul line (14-of-16). He is averaging 5.0 assists per game and has five steals. He ranks fourth in the NSIC in assists and fourth in assist-turnover ratio at 2.9. An honorable mention All-NSIC in 2019-20, he has started 41-of-48 games with 25 career double-digit scoring games with six in seven games this season He has a season-high of 20 points against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State. Thompson had a career-high of 27 points on Jan. 31, 2021 with a career-best five triples against Augustana on Jan. 4, 2020. He also has nine of nine assists against Dakota State on Nov. 16, 2021. He has scored 522 career points, including 312 a year and 94 this season.

Junior guard Chase Grinde, who has 38 double-digit scoring games and six 20-point games, is supplying 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Grinde, who has 818 career points (82 in 2021-22) had a season-high 24 points against Chadron State. His career-high is 29 against MSU Moorhead on Feb. 8, 2020 and four times has registered nine rebounds in a game. His career-best in assists is eight against Minot State. Grinde, who has hit 68-of-175 from three for 38.9 percent, has made 69 starts in 82 games at USF. Grinde has 397 rebounds, 185 assists, 85 steals and 21 blocked shots. He is averaging 10.0 ppg in his career. He has hit 309-of-637 field goals for 48.5 percent. He is 32-of-71 from the field for 45.1 percent and 6-of-21 from three-point range.

Freshman Jake Kettner, who has hit 11-of-21 field goals for 52.4 percent over the past three games,  is averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He has hit 7-of-18 from the three-point range. Kettner has seven starts in 19 games with 124 career points. During his career, Kettner has totaled 19 assists, seven steals and knocked down 49 field goals on 128 attempts for 38.3 percent. Kettner had a career-high of 19 points against Chadron State on Nov. 19, 2021. He also has a high of eight rebounds against Upper Iowa on Jan. 8, 2021, and six assists against Augustana on Feb. 13, 2021.  He has three double-digit scoring games in his career. 

Sophomore forward Wesley Oba has made four starts in 19 games with USF with 83 career points and 111 career rebounds with nine blocks and 10 steals. This year he has averaged 7.0 rebounds and 3.9 points per game. He set a career-high of 15 points at U-Mary after hitting 6-of-8 field goals for 75 percent. He also had nine rebounds in that game. He has three career games of double-digit points. He had a high of 10 rebounds against Minnesota State on Jan. 31, 2021, and Dakota State on Nov. 16, 2021. This season his is 11-of-24 for 45.8 percent from the field and 30-of-60 from the field for 50 percent. He is 5-of-8 on free throws and 19-of-24 for 79.2 percent. Of his 111 rebounds, he has 35 offensive boards in his career with 18 this year. 

Senior center Austin Slater, who has a career total of five double-doubles and 15 double-digit scoring and 11 double-digit rebound games, is supplying 4.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He is hitting 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from the field and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) at the foul line. Slater has 35 rebounds of which 15 are off the offensive glass. In his career, Slater has totaled 549 points and 567 rebounds, including 205 off the offensive glass. He has 43 blocked shots, 35 steals and made 17-of-59 from the three-point range for 28.8 percent. He is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 68.1 percent at the foul line for his career. Slater has made 61 starts and played in a team-high 107 games.

USF Men's BB HC Chris Johnson is USF's all-time wins leader

USF Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Johnson, who was named the NSIC Coach of the Year in the history-making 2019-20 season, is in his 14th season (15th overall) at the helm of the men's basketball program. Since taking over as the program's 22nd coach in 2008, Johnson has guided the Cougars to six 20-win seasons, three post-season appearances, two conference tournament championships and one regular season conference crown. In the Covid- In 2019-20, USF had a program-best 22-8 overall record and captured its first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division title. With a 17-5 mark, USF, which finished second overall and earned the No. 1 seed in the South in the NSIC Postseason Tourney, registered the program's top record in NSIC play. As a result, Johnson was named the NSIC Coach of the Year for the first time.

During Johnson's tenure, USF is 244-174 (.583), with a 73-69 win (Feb. 18, 2017) at Concordia St. Paul making him the program's career wins leader. He is 228-159 (.589) at USF. On that special night, Johnson passed Shane Murphy (154, 2001-08). He registered his 200th overall career win on Dec. 14, 2018 against Minnesota-Duluth on the road. Johnson registered his 200th win at USF against SMSU, 74-56, on Nov. 30, 2019, at the Stewart Center.  The milestone came in his 376th career game. He has compiled a 130-51 mark at home and a 76-91 road record with an 18-14 mark on a neutral floor. In NSIC play, he has a 97-92 record, including a 56-39 mark in home league games and 41-53 mark in away games. Johnson is 5-8 in the postseason. He is also 54-6 in non-conference games.

Johnson has led the team to 15 wins 10 times and recorded six 20-win seasons with the 25-10 campaign in 2009-10 the best finish. Just twice in his 14-year coaching career has one of his teams finished below .500. At the NCAA DII level, USF's mark of 22-8 in 2019-20 is a program-best. With the 17-5 mark in the NSIC in 2019-20, USF had its best league mark. This past season of success followed a 20-10 in 2017-18 for the second 20-win season in three years. USF, which was 10-4 at home and 9-2 on the road with a 3-2 neutral court mark, had a 79-68 win over Minot State in the first round of the NSIC Tourney before falling to Minnesota State, 60-59, in the quarterfinals. Johnson is the only coach in the league to lead his team to five straight appearances in the NSIC Postseason Tournament.