This Week in Upper Iowa Men’s Basketball... After playing five games in eight days, the Peacocks earned a little rest – six days to be exact – before they hit the road again. This time, they will head to Marshall, Minnesota to take on Southwest Minnesota State (10-9, 7-5) on Friday the 25th at 8 p.m. before facing the University of Sioux Falls (7-9, 3-9) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Series... New to the NSIC this season, the Cougars and Peacocks have met only twice in Division II play, including once this season. Both teams have a win in the series, but it will be the Peacocks who are looking for a sweep with a win on Saturday.
Meanwhile, since the 2007-08 season, the Peacocks and the Mustangs have squared off a total of eleven times, but UIU has managed just two wins in that time span. The Peacocks last defeated SMSU during the 2010-11 season as they earned a 75-74 victory at home in overtime. UIU dropped its first matchup with SMSU earlier this season.
Leading the Mustangs... Jordan Miller (14.9 ppg, 41% FG, 33% 3FG, 6.3 rpg, 3.2 apg) || Nick Smith (13 ppg, 60% FG, 6.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg) || Matt Zager (10.1 ppg, 56% FG, 45% 3FG, 3.5 rpg) || Lavione West (8.4 ppg, 46% FG, 2.6 rpg)
Leading the Cougars... James Rader (11.3 ppg, 53% FG, 3.8 rpg) || Derek Brown (10.1 ppg, 46% FG, 48% 3FG, 1.8 spg) || A.J. Holland (9.8 ppg, 39% FG, 32% 3FG, 4.1 rpg, 2.7 apg) || David Maxwell (7.8 ppg, 42% FG, 4 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Starting a New Win-Streak... After Winona State snapped the Peacocks two-game win streak, UIU stormed back to winning ways earning the weekend sweep against Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State this past Friday and Saturday. The Peacocks shot a combined 59 percent from the floor and averaged 42.5 points in the second half of those two games. The Peacocks also averaged18 assists per contest. Sam Elgin led the way for UIU with 39 combined points on 13-of-24 shooting. Elgin’s 27 points on Saturday against BSU was just two points shy of his career-high. Jake Hughes was second on the squad, averaging 13.5 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds per game. Those wins push UIU’s record to 13-5 overall – coach Brian Dolan’s highest win total in his seven seasons with the team.
Disturbingly Dominant Defense... Compared to where the defense was last year (72 ppg allowed), the Peacocks have not only improved their defense this season, but they have made it their backbone and trademark. Giving up just 61.7 points per game to opponents, UIU is boasting the number two ranked scoring defense in the conference. The Peacocks have allowed only four teams to reach 71 points or more and only two opponents have shot 50% or better against UIU this season. The Peacocks have also limited two of their past four NSIC opponents to 56 points or less.
NSIC Rankings... As mentioned above, the dominant defense UIU has played this year has been a mainstay for the Peacocks this year. In turn, their aggressive play has helped them climb the ranks in the NSIC, and not just on defense. Not only is UIU's defense ranked second in scoring defense (61.7 ppg), but the team, as a whole, is seventh in scoring offense (69.6), fifth in scoring margin (+7.9), second in free throw percentage (76%), third in field-goal percentage defense (41%), third in 3-point field goal defense (31%) and the Peacocks have the fifth best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13).
Last Time... Back on the fourth of January, – when the Peacocks last faced the Cougars – UIU sunk a season-high 39-of-47 free throws to earn a nine-point victory at home, 71-62. Hughes and Elgin both had 16 points in that game with 21 of those coming from the free throw line. Jake Shonka came off the bench for UIU and contributed 11 points, while snagging four rebounds, blocking two shots and hitting all five of his free throw attempts.
After defeating USF, the Peacocks could not complete the sweep at home against SMSU, falling 74-69. The Mustangs, who went to the NCAA Tournament last season, were only one of two teams this season that have shot better than 50 percent from the floor against the Peacocks. Jordan Miller led the way for SMSU going 8-of-16 from the floor for a game-high 23 points. Nick Smith was the only other Mustang in double-figures with 14 points. UIU was led by Hughes who had 13 points and Elgin who had 12.
Making the Most of Your Senior Year... Senior Jake Hughes leads the team in assists this season with 51, while he ranks second on the team with 19 steals. What’s more impressive is his league-leading 63 percent field goal percentage. The point guard from Cedar Rapids has sunk 61-of-96 shots this season, including 11-of-21 bombs from downtown. Teammates, Sam Elgin and Tucker Wentzien are also in the NSIC rankings. Wentzien ranks 20th in scoring with 12.2 points per game, while Elgin isn’t far behind at 22nd in the league with 12.1 ppg. Elgin is also third in the conference with a 90 percent free-throw percentage. Lastly, Wentzien is 19th in the NSIC in rebounding, pulling down an average of 5.3 per contest. All three aforementioned players are seniors.
Wentzien’s Milestone... Speaking of Wentzien, the senior surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in his career last Tuesday night against the Warriors of Winona State. The Solon, Iowa native joined Upper Iowa’s exclusive club on a turn-around jumper mid-way through the second half and finished the evening with a team-high 11 points. His feat comes nearly three years after Matt Lesan joined the club in 2010 as the 21st member. Lesan also broke the 1,000-point barrier against Winona State in a 66-58 loss. Lesan finished his career with 1,383 points over his four years at UIU. Wentzien - the 22nd member - now sits at 1,029 in his career after two 13-point outings against UMC and BSU. Jim Bushkofsky is the all-time leading scorer in Upper Iowa men's basketball history as he finished his four-year career with 2,194 points at the end of the 1973-74 season. Bushkofsky also holds the record for most points scored in a season with 855 during his junior campaign. Bushkofsky's hall-of-fame plaque and his jersey hang in the hall-of-fame hallway of Dorman Gym.
Peacocks Sweep in Bismark, N.D.... Last time the Peacocks were on the road, redshirt-Junior guard Joey Woods led them to a weekend sweep of NSIC-North opponents Minot State and U-Mary with an average of 14.5 points, 3 assists, 2.5 steals and 3 rebounds per contest. UIU recorded a season-high 84 points against the Beavers as five different Peacocks finished with double-figures offensively, led by Woods' 18, before following that up the very next night with a 67-63 victory at U-Mary. Wentzien led the charge offensively against the Marauders with 16 points, while Hughes, Grant Lang and Woods all scored in double-digits.
Up Next... With just ten games remaining in the season, it's still no cake-walk for the Peacocks. Six of those ten remaining teams have a win-loss record of 8-4 or better. After facing the Mustangs and Cougars, the Peacocks will head home to take on a pair of NSIC-North opponents. First, the Peacocks will face 8-4 MSU Moorhead on Friday, February 1st, before hosting 9-3 Northern State on Saturday, Feb. 2nd. Both of those games are set to tip-off at 8 p.m. Click here to view the Peacocks remaining schedule.
Tune In...Don't forget to click on the live option links above to follow all of the Peacock action as it happens live! Keep in mind that the live video link is being supplied by SMSU and USF and will include the Mustangs’ and the Cougars’ audio broadcast. You can listen to the UIU audio broadcast provided by play-by-play announcer Zach Carlyle and color commentator Cooper Weidenthaler by clicking here. The Peacock Athletic Fund Pregame Show will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled tip-off.
