THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL…
Upper Iowa (14-13, 7-11 NSIC) will hit the road for the final time in the regular season as they clash with a pair of NSIC South opponents. The Peacocks will meet the Mavericks of Minnesota State University on Friday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. in Mankato, Minn. before heading to St. Paul to match up with the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul.
   

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PEACOCK STORYLINES...

FAYETTE SPLIT: The Peacocks picked up a big weekend split at home in Fayette last time out against the #14 Northern State Wolves and the MSU Moorhead Dragons. After falling at the hands of NSU 93-80, Upper Iowa came back to top MSUM 91-78 to get back over .500 for the year. UIU put together its biggest second half of the season in the win over the Dragons, scoring 58 in 20 minutes on 71% shooting from the floor.

BROOKS BREAKING BARRIERS: With the win over MSU Moorhead, Head Coach Brooks McKowen has now tallied 85 victories since becoming the Upper Iowa head man prior to the 2013 season. McKowen is two wins away from tying legendary Peacock and Dorman Gymnasium namesake, John "Doc" Dorman. Dorman, UIU's first men's basketball coach, won 87 games from 1915-36.

20-20 VISION: Freshman Joe Smoldt (#20) has now tallied more than 20 games this season with double-digit point totals. The Reinbeck, Iowa native has put together an impressive streak of nine straight games in double figures, including a 25-point night in the loss to Northern State Saturday. For the season, Smoldt has tallied three 20-point performances, and is averaging 13.9 points per game, good for second on the team. The three-point shot has played a big role, as Smoldt ranks second in the NSIC with a 44.3% shooting clip from outside.

POP THE "CHAMPAIGN": Redshirt junior Kam Rowan, from Champaign, Ill., is having quite the stretch for the Peacocks. Rowan is averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 assists in his last three games. Over that span, the guard is shooting 18-33 (54.5%) from the floor, and is continuing to finish at the rim. For the season, the DMACC transferis averaging 11.0 points and 3.9 assists per contest.

PLAYOFF POSITIONING: If the season ended today, Upper Iowa would finish in the seventh spot of the NSIC South standings. However, the Peacocks are just two games out of fifth in the division, and would then have a shot at a home playoff game. With the new change to the format of the post-season, the seed with the better conference record would host in the first round of the 2018 NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament.

90 DEGREES: When the team heats up on offense and scores 90 points in a game, good luck stopping the Peacocks. When Upper Iowa scores 90 points this season, UIU is a perfect 6-0, including wins in three of the last four games.
 

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THE SERIES…

vs. MINNESOTA STATE: The Peacocks trail the series 21-4, with three of the four wins coming last season. MSU topped UIU 86-83 in a thriller in Dorman Gym back on Dec. 9. Last season, UIU earned an 82-77 win in Mankato, and 83-73 overtime win in Fayette, and a 63-55 win in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

vs. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The series is tied all time 14-14, but the Peacocks have won six of the last seven games including a pair of wins last season against the Golden Bears. Earlier this season, UIU topped CSP 85-75.
 

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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS…

vs. (RV) MSU MAVERICKS: Minnesota State (19-5, 15-3 NSIC) earned a road split last weekend at Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. MSU's seven-game winning streak came to an end with an 80-71 loss at SCSU, but overall the Mavericks are still receiving votes in the Top 25 nationally. Sophomore Charlie Brown leads the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game, but altogether Minnesota State has five players averaging in double figures. Chris Kendrix is the team's top rebounder, averaging 6.8 per contest.

vs. CSP GOLDEN BEARS: Concordia-St. Paul (5-19, 4-14 NSIC) dropped their opening game of the weekend to St. Cloud State, but bounced back with a hard-fought, comeback win at Minnesota Duluth. CSP erased a 16-point second-half deficit to tie it up in the final minute of the game before pulling away in overtime. The Golden Bears are led by Bryndan Matthews, who averages 17.3 points per game. Matthews also leads the squad in rebounding with 7.0 per contest, and his 27 steals are a team-best as well.