The Upper Iowa men's basketball team will play their first home NSIC games this weekend against Wayne State and Augustana. The Peacocks will kick off the weekend against the Wayne State Wildcats with a 7:30 tipoff on Friday night followed by a 5:30 tipoff on Saturday afternoon against the Augustana Vikings.

Upper Iowa is coming off a frustrating loss in the first NSIC game of the season, falling to the Winona State Warriors 50-72. The Peacocks kept things close after a hard fought first half that saw 12 points from Joe Smoldt. The Peacocks trailed by only two going into the half but the Warriors were able to quiet the UIU offense in the second half. The Warrior defense held Upper Iowa to just 16 points in the entire second half while putting up 36 on the other end of the floor to close out the game 72-50.

Through the first six games of the season, Upper Iowa's offense has been led by sophomore Joe Smoldt who is averaging 16 points per game. Smoldt is on the cusp of breaking into the NSIC's top ten scorers and currently ranks 8^th in assists per game and 3^rd in minutes per game. This season, Smoldt has already recorded two 20-point games and has reached double-digits in every game but one.

One key factor for Upper Iowa's success is going into the half with the lead. This season, the Peacocks have not lost a game where they have had the advantage at the break, posting a 2-0 record so far. However, in games where UIU has trailed going into the locker room, they have posted a 1-3 record. The Peacocks battled back from a six-point half-time deficit against Drury, outscoring the Panthers 46-35 in the second half to secure the come from behind victory.

About the opponents…

Wayne State Wildcats… Wayne State comes into Fayette after a hot start to the 2018-19 season, winning six of their first seven games. A trio of Wildcat seniors are pacing the WSC offensive efforts this year, Trevin Joseph Jr. and Kendall Jacks are leading the offense with 13.6 points per game, they are trailed closely by Vance Janssen who is averaging 13.1. WSC is among the top teams in the NSIC when it comes to rebounding, collectively pulling in 38.2 boards per game.

Augustana Vikings… The Vikings have had mixed results to kick off the 2018-19 season, going 3-3 through their first six games of the season, including a tightly contested loss to Wayne State last week. Sophomore forward Tyler Riemersma leads the Vikings offense with 15.2 points per game and recorded his first double-double of the season in the loss to Wayne State. Augie has struggled to defend shots from beyond the arc this year, ranked at the bottom of the NSIC in three-point defense, which bodes well for UIU as they are ranked first for made three-pointers per game.

The Series…

Vs. Wayne State… The Peacocks have found success against the Wildcats over the years, posting a 14-6 record against Wayne State. Recently, Upper Iowa has controlled the series, sweeping the Wildcats each of the last five season for a 10-0 record. UIU's success at home against WSC extends even further with the Wildcats' last win in Dorman coming back in the 2009-10 season.

Vs. Augustana… The Vikings and Peacocks have met 24 times in program history with Augie holding the advantage at 17-7 overall. Over the last two seasons, the two sides have split the victories with each team defending their home floor.

Both games this weekend can be viewed at uiupeacocks.com/live on a live webcast with live stats available as well as on the NSIC channel through Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple and Android tvs. Locally, the game against WSC will be aired on KCRG TV 9.3 and the Augie game on 9.2.