This Week in Upper Iowa Men’s Basketball... The Peacocks return to Dorman Gym this weekend after splitting two NSIC-South contests last week. On Friday, UIU will host the Dragons of Minnesota State University Moorhead (15-5, 9-5) before taking on the Wolves of Northern State University (16-5, 11-3) on Saturday. Both games will begin at 8 p.m.

The Series… The Peacocks and Dragons have met 13 times over the past eight seasons. MSU Moorhead has a slight 7-6 edge in a series that seems dependent on home-court advantage. The home team has won three out of every four games in the series, including the Peacocks’ 76-72 victory over the Dragons at home last season.
UIU and NSU have also met 13 times over the last eight seasons, but the Wolves hold a 12-1 advantage in the series. The Peacocks’ lone victory over NSU came back in January of 2011 at home in a thrilling 58-57 upset.

Leading the Dragons… Anthony Tucker (20.2 ppg, 50% FG, 40% 3FG, 5.4 rpg, 4.1 apg) || Alex Novak (12.7 ppg, 57% FG, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg) || Jordan Riewer (11.7 ppg, 44% FG, 38% 3FG, 2.9 rpg) || Tyler Vaughan (9.3 ppg, 45% FG, 1.2 spg)

Leading the Wolves… Collin Pryor (15.8 ppg, 48% FG, 7.7 rpg, 1.1 spg) || Dustin Tetzlaff (10.7 ppg, 45% FG, 45% 3FG) || Geoffrey Firmin (8 ppg, 44% FG, 3 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Enter “Sam”-man… Senior wing Sam Elgin recorded his first collegiate double-double last Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls. He tied Tucker Wentzien for the team-high with 17 points and his 12 rebounds were a career-high.

Halfway Home… The Peacocks are 12-0 this season when leading after the first half of play. Compare that with a 2-6 mark when they are trailing at the break and you can see why a fast start is the key to a Peacock victory.

Say Goodbye Seniors… The UIU seniors are doing their best to make the most of their final year in the Peacock uniform. Jake Hughes, who turned 22 years-old last Saturday, sits atop the NSIC with a field goal percentage of 62.5. Tucker Wentzien leads the team in scoring and rebounding and both marks are good for an NSIC ranking. The Solon, Iowa product’s 13.1 points per game is good for 16th in the conference, while his 5.4 rebounds per game is a top-20 mark in the NSIC as well. Wentzien, who surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in his career in January, led UIU in scoring this past weekend with 38 combined points on 17-of-24 shooting. He now has 1,067 points over his four seasons at UIU – a number which leaves him with the 18th rank in Upper Iowa men’s basketball history. He needs only three points to surpass Ron Jarms and move into 17th all-time in the record books. Click here to view the full list of all-time leading scorers at UIU.

Disturbingly Dominant Defense... Despite giving up 74 points on the road to both Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls, the Peacocks still have the third-best scoring defense in the league. At 63 points per game allowed, UIU has made defense a focal point this season, leading the Peacocks to their best start in Division II play. Furthermore, UIU has allowed only five teams all season to reach 71 points or more and only two teams have shot 50% or better against UIU this season.

NSIC Rankings... As mentioned above, the dominant defense UIU has played has become 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 third in scoring (63 ppg), but the team, as a whole, is ninth in scoring offense (69.5), sixth in scoring margin (+6.3), sixth in free-throw percentage (73%), seventh in field-goal percentage (46%), sixth in field-goal percentage defense (42%), second in three-point field goal defense (32%) and the Peacocks have the fifth best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12). UIU is also listed in the top-10 in rebounding margin (+1.4), rebounding defense (31.3), assists per game (12.6), steals per game (6.2) and turnover margin (+1.15).

Playoff-Bound... With just eight games remaining in the season, securing a home playoff game is still no cake-walk for the Peacocks. Right now, UIU sits in fourth place in the NSIC behind Minnesota State, Winona State and Augustana. The Peacocks will see both the Vikings of Augustana and the Mavericks of Minnesota State one more time each before the season is over. With the rule-change in the offseason, every NSIC team will make the playoffs, but only the top four in each division will earn a home game in the opening round. UIU will still face four teams this year with a record better than 15-5. After taking on the Dragons and Wolves this weekend, UIU will hit the road to face two more NSIC-North teams. The Peacocks will face Minnesota Duluth next Friday and St. Cloud State next Saturday. 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! Follow along with the live stats links, or listen to the UIU broadcasters by clicking on the listen live or watch live links. The Peacock Athletic Fund Pregame Show will begin roughly 15 minutes before the scheduled tip-off. Click here to listen or watch all the action live.

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