This Week in Men’s Basketball...

Following a short two-game road stretch, the Peacocks return home for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and are looking to snap a three-game slide.  On Friday, UIU welcomes the Dragons of MSU Moorhead to Dorman Gym before hosting the UM, Crookston Golden Eagles on Saturday.  Both contests are slated for 8 p.m.

Scouting the Dragons

The Dragons enter Friday’s game with an 8-5 record overall which includes a 5-4 record in league games.  The Dragons have alternated wins and losses for the last seven games and won their last time out against Northern State, 72-71.

The Dragons are in the middle of the NSIC in scoring offense, but make the second-most three-point buckets of any team in the league by shooting 41.2% from beyond the three-point arc.

Friday’s opponent also allows the least amount of rebounds to their opponents per game (30.2).

Scouting the Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles enter Friday’s game at Winona State with a 5-8 record overall and a last-place 1-8 mark in the conference.  UMC is 0-4 in their last four games with the latest loss coming against U-Mary, 71-55.

The Golden Eagles rank as the worst offensive team in the NSIC by only scoring 67.3 points per game but have recorded the third-most steals in the conference (7.46 per game).

UMC also is one of the worst rebounding squads in the NSIC by having a rebounding deferential of -1.4 (13th) and   block the least amount of shots in the league (1.62 per game).

Series History

Since transitioning to NCAA Division II, the Peacocks are 3-5 when playing the Dragons of MSU Moorhead and are 6-2 against the UM, Crookston Golden Eagles.

Upper Iowa hasn’t lost to UM Crookston since February 25, 2007, a stretch of four games.

The Last Meeting

The Peacocks and Dragons last met on January 23, 2010 in Moorhead, Minn. where UIU handed the home team a 63-45 loss.

The night prior, UIU defeated UM, Crookston, 71-52 in Crookston, Minnesota.

Sharing the Rock

UIU ranks third in the NSIC in assists per game with 14.64 per game.  Guard Jake Hughes sits in ninth individually by dishing out 3.45 assists per game.

Live Stats and Web Cast

Live stats and a free webcast will be available for this weekend’s games.  Visit upperiowaathletics.com for further details.

Looking Ahead

The Peacocks open a four-game stretch away from Fayette next weekend when they head west to take on Augustana and Wayne State.

Friday’s game against the Vikings of Augustana is slated for 4 p.m. while the matchup with Wayne State is set for a 6 p.m. tipoff.