SIOUX FALLS (Feb. 3, 2021) -- The No. 22 University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team will continue a challenging road swing as the Cougars face off with Wayne State (6-4, 6-2 NSIC) in a first place showdown on Feb. 5-6 at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb. Tip-off includes 6:30 pm on Friday, Feb. 5 and 2:30 pm on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Follow USF - Broadcast & Social Media
Follow USF Men's Basketball on twitter at @USFCooBBall. All USF's home games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Blue Frame at NSIC Network on USFCougars.com schedule page. Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for USF home games while John Gaskins will handle road games, which will be streamed on Blue Frame. USF Men's Games will be available on KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at  www.sidearmstats.com/mbball.  

Breaking down the 1st-place matchup - USF vs WSC
In what will be the 29th and 30th meetings of the two squads, USF comes in nationally ranked but faces a talented WSC team which is 6-2 in South Division play. The Cougars have won four straight with the last WSC win a 78-64 decision on Feb. 10-2018. Since then, USF has a 77-71  (1-4-2019) and 75-64 (2-22-2020) home wins with a 77-65 (1-3-2020) and a 79-77 (2-23-2019) road wins at Rice Auditorium. As the team meet in Wayne this weekend, both are among the NSIC leaders. The Wildcats rank in the league's top five in nine statistical categories. At 76.0 points per game, they rank sixth and sit fourth in defensive scoring at 70.2 points per game. 

Led by All-League forward Jordan Janssen, who is averaged a double-double of 17.1 ppg and 10.2 rebounds, the Wildcats also rank third in rebounds at 37.8 per game and fourth in offensive rebounds at 10.5 per game. After opening the season with two home losses against No. 2 Northern State (10-0), WSC has six wins in eight games. Last weekend, they won a pair of close games against Winona State by 58-57 and 84-78 scores. 

USF, which split a pair of games at Minnesota State (7-3, 6-2 NSIC) in Mankato a week ago, is ranked No. 22 in DII by the NABC. In fact, USF has been ranked in seven of the eight national polls by the organization of coaches this season. 

After USF dropped a 90-59 decision to MSU on Friday when the Cougars shot just 28.8 percent have being off since Jan. 9 due to CoVID-19 protocols, USF rebounded with a 74-62 decision as sophomore guard Jack Thompson registered a career-best with 27 points. It was his seventh 20-point game of his career. In addition, USF's All-NSIC forward Teathloach Pal also played a pivotal role with a season-high 25 points and 14 rebounds, which was his 15th career-double-double. In that game, Pal, who leads USF in scoring at 14.0 points and rebounding at 9.0 per game, had eight offensive boards. Pal is third in NCAA DII in offensive rebounds per game at 5.0. USF also received 10 points from Chase Grinde, who hit a clutch three as USF closed game two with a 13-4 win for its fifth win in eight matchups with Minnesota State on the past three plus seasons.

Under the guidance of reigning NSIC Coach of the Year Chris Johnson, the Cougars have become one of the top rebound units in the nation. They lead the NSIC in four rebounding categories. USF is second in the nation in rebound margin at 11.7 per game and its 41.5 rebounds per game is 13th in DII and at the top of the NSIC. USF is ninth nationally and first in the NSIC in offensive rebounds at 14.67 a game and lead the NSIC in rebounding defense (29.8 rpg). 

USF comes into the game averaging 70.5 points per game but hold opponents to 68.5 per game for third in the league. USF is also the league's best in field goal defense, allowing just 40.3 percent per game. USF opened the season with a pair of nonconference and two conference home wins. USF turned back U-Mary, 64-60, and 71-68 in overtime. Then, they recorded 68-55 and 87-76 decisions over Upper Iowa at the SC. USF. has won 15 of its last 18 regular season NSIC games dating to a year ago when they were the NSIC South champs and No. 2 seed in the NSIC Tourney.

Cougars picked second in NSIC South 
 

The Cougars earned three first place votes and was picked second in the South in the 2020-21 NSIC Coaches Preseason Poll released in late December.

In the South poll, USF totaled 41 points and the three first place votes to finish just behind Augustana, which amassed 46 points and four first place votes.  Winona State was third with 36 points and the other first place vote. In the North Division preseason voting, Northern State picked up seven first place votes for 49 points. MSU Moorhead was second with 43 points and the other first place vote. The NSIC / Sanford Health Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place Thursday-Sunday, February 25-28 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The top for teams from each division will make up the eight-team field for the 2021 tournament.  

Wayne State 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 d efeating 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 WSCY, 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)

USF ranked No. 22 in NABC National DII Poll

1. Colorado School of Mines (12), 9-0, 394, 1

2. Northern State (2) (S.D.), 10-0, 384, 2

3. Northwest Missouri State (2), 12-1, 373, 3

4. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.), 14-1, 352, 4

5. West Texas A&M, 5-1, 326, 5

6. Findlay (Ohio) 11-1, 319, 7

7. Truman State (Mo.), 10-1, 299, 8

8. Mercyhurst (Pa.), 6-0, 284, 10

9. Colorado Mesa, 11-1, 262, 6

10. Lubbock Christian (Texas), 10-0, 254, 14

11. Alabama Huntsville, 6-1, 242, 12

12. Hillsdale (Mich.), 11-1, 231, 15

13. Point Loma (Calif.), 3-0, 186, 18

14. Texas A&M Kingsville, 11-1, 172, 22

15. Dallas Baptist (Texas), 10-2, 165, 11

16. Queens (N.C.), 9-3, 140, 20

17. Washburn (Kan.), 11-3, 126, 13

18. Lee (Tenn.), 7-1, 119, 24

19. St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), 0-0, 92, 21

20. Valdosta State (Ga.), 9-3, 84, 16

21. Fairmont State (W. Va.), 3-1, 76, 25

22. Sioux Falls, 5-1, 71, 19

23. Northwest Nazarene (Idaho), 8-1, 56, NR

24. Glenville State (W. Va.), 5-0, 47, NR

25. St. Edward's (Texas), 8-3, 35, 17

Others receiving votes: West Liberty (W.Va.) 17, Missouri-St. Louis 13, Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 13, West Virginia State 12, Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 10, Flagler (Fla.) 10, Dominican (N.Y.) 9, Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 9, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 6, Gannon (Pa.) 6, Minnesota State 2, Union (Tenn.) 2, Charleston (W.Va.) 1.

Dropped out:  West Liberty (9), Missouri Western (23).