GAME TWENTY-THREE
AT MINNESOTA DULUTH
ROMANO GYMNASIUM || DULUTH, MINN.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2015 || 8:00 PM 
LIVE STATS || LIVE VIDEO 

GAME TWENTY-FOUR
AT ST. CLOUD STATE
HALENBECK HALL || ST. CLOUD, MINN.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2015 || 6:00 PM
LIVE STATS || LIVE VIDEO || LIVE AUDIO
WEEKLY NOTES

UPPER IOWA || MINNESOTA DULUTH || ST. CLOUD STATE || NORTHERN SUN 
THIS WEEKEND IN MEN'S BASKETBALL
 
The Peacocks (13-9, 9-7 NSIC) split at home this past weekend and now head north for a pair of dog fights against Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Feb. 6 and the Huskies of St. Cloud State on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Bulldogs are 11-11 so far this season with an 8-8 mark in conference. The Huskies check in at 13-9 overall and 9-7 in NSIC play.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
 
1     REBOUNDING FROM A LOSS: The Peacocks have responded well following a loss this season, having dropped back-to-back games just once all year. In the game after a loss, UIU is 7-1, including wins over Sioux Falls, Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State and Wayne State by more than 10 points. 

2     BOOST OFF THE BENCH: The Peacocks rank third in the NSIC in scoring at 83.3 points per game despite having just two players in the top 30 individual scorers in the conference. UIU's strength may come from their depth, as they average scoring 35.4 bench points per game compared to 26.3 points from their opponent's bench. Through 22 games, Upper Iowa has scored more bench points than its opponent 16 times and has outscored opponents benches by 200 total points (779-579). 
 
3     FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: UIU is 6-2 when playing on Friday's this season compared to just 7-6 on all other days of the week. The Peacocks have won the last four Fridays, including two overtime games against SMSU (Jan. 9, 105-103) and Minot State (Jan 16, 107-101). 

4     FANS OF FEB: Last season, Upper Iowa was 7-1 in the month of February, including a 3-0 record on the road. Of the seven wins, one was against the Bulldogs of UMD in Dorman Gymnasium on Feb. 14. The lone loss, however, was also against one of this weekend's opponents, the Huskies of St. Cloud State. The Peacocks fell to SCSU 97-94 on Feb. 15.
 

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THE SERIES...

VS MINNESOTA DULUTH: (6-6) - The Peacocks have won three straight against the Bulldogs, albeit by a total of eight points. UIU swept UMD last season, including an 86-81 victory in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.

VS ST. CLOUD STATE: (3-13) - Despite the lopsided appearance of the all-time record, UIU has fared well against the SCSU of late. The Peacocks have won two of the last three games against the Huskies. Upper Iowa has also battled hard in its last three losses in the series, losing by just three last year (97-94) and had a pair of close losses in 2012 (74-68 in OT and 75-72).

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ABOUT THE OPPONENTS... 

MINNESOTA DULUTH: The Bulldogs are 11-11 overall this season and 8-8 in the NSIC. UMC is 5-5 at home this season, but went 3-1 in its last homestand from Jan. 9 through Jan. 17. Minnesota Duluth has four players who averaged 11 points per game or more, led by senior center Brett Ervin's 18.9 ppg, third best in the NSIC. Junior guards Pierre Newton (13.7 ppg), Brendan Pineda (11.7 ppg) and Taylor Lavery (11.0 ppg) round out the top scorers for the Bulldogs. Duluth ranks 14th in offense per game at 68.8 points per game, but is 5th in defense per game, allowing just 69.1 points per game. 

ST. CLOUD STATE: The Huskies are 13-9 and 9-7 in conference. SCSU has won its last two games and six of its last eight, helping St. Cloud State climb from sixth in the NSIC North at 3-5 to third in the division at 9-7. The Huskies feature one of the conference's top scorers in junior guard Jordan Poydras, who averages 18.5 points per game. Sophomore guard Scottie Stone (13.0 ppg) and junior center James Fort (11.1 ppg) are the only other Huskies to average double figures, but senior guard Kevin Levandoski (9.9 ppg) and junior forward Donnell Cegers (9.4 ppg) have the ability to score 10 or more.