THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa will hit the road to begin their conference schedule with a two-game series at the University of Sioux Falls this weekend. The Peacocks will clash with the Cougars on Friday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. Live stats, radio coverage, and a webcast all produced by Sioux Falls will be available through the links above or at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The games will also stream live on the new NSIC Network app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV.

HUSTLING PAST THE HUSKIES… The Peacock offense picked up right where it left off last season, scoring a combined 217 points and reaching the century mark in two wins over St. Cloud State University last weekend. The league's third-best offense during the 2019-20 campaign now sits in first-place in the NSIC following the high-scoring affairs. UIU's starting five all reached double-digit point totals both afternoons, four of which surpassed the 30-point mark for the weekend. During Saturday's action, the game teetered back-and-forth for the first eight minutes prior to a 16-5 UIU run. From then on, the Peacocks never looked back, extending their lead by as many as 27 points and finishing the game ahead 107-84.

The rematch on Sunday was a much closer game despite the Huskies never taking the lead. The Peacocks claimed an 11-point advantage after a 9-0 run midway through the first half and carried it to the break. Upper Iowa was ahead by double-digits for the majority of the second-frame. UIU led by a game-high 16-points with 13:39 on the clock and held an 80-67 advantage with 6:59 left in regulation. The Huskies used an 11-2 run to put them within two possessions with 5:22 to go. A three-for-one in the final minute of play including a layup with 1.6 seconds to spare forced overtime. In the extra period, a pair of unanswered buckets capped off by an emphatic slam dunk from Dylan Jones gave the Peacocks some separation via a four-point lead. Upper Iowa carried the advantage to the finish resulting in the 110-106 victory.

DUAX DOES IT ALL… Lucas Duax earned a spot on the NSIC's week one top performers list. Duax tallied 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the pair of wins. The redshirt sophomore converted 14-27 (51.8%) of his attempts from the field including a 4-7 (57.1%) mark from beyond the arc. His 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game are all the second best totals on the team. The NSIC's reigning top thief is set to make a significant impact on both sides of the ball this season after displaying his defensive talents last winter by snatching 65 steals.

SIXTEEN AWAY FROM 1K… After scoring a team-high 38 points this weekend, Jareese Williams sits just 16 points away from eclipsing the 1,000-point milestone. Williams registered a career-high 10 rebounds and a career third-best 26 points on Sunday afternoon. The redshirt senior is currently fifth league-wide in rebounds per game with 8.5. The NSIC's deadliest three-point shooter from a year ago hopes to lead the undefeated Peacocks to new heights this season. Williams would become just the 29th player to join Upper Iowa men's basketball 1,000-point club. Joe Smoldt currently sits in 17th place in the UIU record book with 1,227 career points.

TOP PEACOCKS… Jake Hilmer currently leads the league in assists with 16 after dishing out seven on Saturday and nine on Sunday along with 16 points each day. Hilmer's cumulative 12-13 (92.3%) rate from the free throw line helped UIU fend off the Huskies and placed him just outside the NSIC's top ten in the category. As a team, Upper Iowa leads the NSIC in free throw percentage (85.2%), assist to turnover ratio (1.74), and turnover margin (+6.5). Smoldt scored steadily over the weekend putting up 17 and 18, respectively. His 17.5 points per game gives him a share of 11th place in the league, one spot behind Duax and three after Williams. Smoldt's 7-of-16 (43.6%) rate from three gives him the eighth best mark in the NSIC while his 3.5 trifectas per game sit in second. 

Jones' efficiency in the paint put him in the top five in the NSIC for field goal percentage after one weekend of play. The sophomore converted 10 out of 15 attempts (66.7%) in the opening series. Baden Noennig provided a serious spark off of the bench. After scoring nine points and grabbing two boards on Saturday, Noennig scored in double-digits for the first time in his career on a perfect 5-5 from the field in addition to hauling in six rebounds, three of which came off of the offensive glass.

LAST YEAR'S BATTLES… The two teams went toe-to-toe in a race for the NSIC South Division title last year. The pursuit came down to the final game of the regular season where Concordia University, St. Paul upset the Peacocks and Sioux Falls triumphed over Wayne State College giving sole possession of the division to the Cougars and second-place to UIU. Upper Iowa defeated Sioux Falls in both of their matchups last season. Each of the two games finished within three scores as UIU defeated USF 68-60 in their first bout on the road before taking down the Cougars 75-69 in Dorman. Williams put on a show in the latter, scoring 30 second-half points on an impeccable stat line of a 7-9 (77.8%) rate from the field, a 6-7 mark (85.7%) from beyond the arc, and a 10-10 count from the charity stripe. Upper Iowa holds the advantage in the all-time series 9-7 following the pair of victories.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS… Sioux Falls is led by 2019-20 NSIC Coach of the Year Chris Johnson. The 2020-21 season marks Johnson's 13th year at the helm of the Cougars. USF is 2-0 thus far after a pair of narrow wins over the University of Mary. Returning to the team are three All-NSIC honorees. Redshirt junior Chase Grinde earned first-team honors after averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while connecting on 48.8% of his attempts from the floor. Redshirt senior Teathloach Pal was named to the second-team after averaging 10.7 points and an NSIC fourth-best 9.3 rebounds per contest. Rounding out the trio is Jack Thompson, a member of the All-NSIC third team following a healthy contribution of 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game during his freshman campaign. Troy Houghton and Austin Slater complete the Cougar's starting five and returning players as the USF supporting cast is composed of 10 newcomers. Slater and Houghton combined for 15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game last winter.  As a team, Sioux Falls allowed a league-low 66.2 points per game while carrying a +3.7 scoring margin on the other end. The team was also top five in the league in steals with 6.37 per game and rebounds with 35.7 per night.