THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa men's basketball has been invited to the prestigious Small College Basketball Tournament held in Aberdeen, S.D. this weekend on Nov. 17-18. The Peacocks take on No. 1 Northwest Missouri State on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 21 Northern State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… There will be a pair of live options for both games this weekend while the Peacocks are on the road. Both live stats and a webcast can be found through the links attached with this story. Northern State will be the site host, so all games will be streamed live on the NSIC Network, compatible with Roku and Smart devices. All live options can be found every game day at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
ALERT THE MEDIA… Small College Basketball will be hosting a press conference with the eight head coaches, and it will be held this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. CST. There will be a direct link attached to this story or fans can be on the lookout for a post on our social media platforms.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION… Graduate guard
Jake Hilmer has been tabbed on the national leaderboards as he paces all of Division II in points per game with 34.5. He also ranks fourth in total free throws made with 26 (26-27). The team is fifth in the nation for free throws made per game with 26.5 after going 53-60 from the charity stripe last weekend.
HILMER IN THE HEADLINES… Hilmer received two major awards after his performance last weekend at the JustAgame Crossover tournament. He earned GLVC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, while also garnering national recognition as the D2CIDA Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Week.
Hilmer averaged 34.5 points over two games as he currently leads the nation in points per game. He shot 49% (20-of-41) from the field, 38% (3-of-8) from three, and 96% (26-of-27) from the foul line. The Walker, Iowa native's outing in the Wisconsin Dells was highlighted by Sunday's 93-87 win over Michigan Tech as he netted 39 points, while going 3-3 from long distance and 18-18 from the charity stripe.
SCOUTING THE NO. 1 BEARCATS… Northwest Missouri State was ranked No.1 in the NABC Preseason Coaches' Poll. After the first week of competition, the Bearcats were ranked 22nd in the D2CSC Men's Basketball Division II National Poll. Northwest is ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense and first in the MIAA by allowing 55 points per game. The Bearcats are 1-1 on the season so far, defeating Northern State 65-47 and then dropping to Southwest Minnesota State 63-56 at the Hillyard Tip Off Classic. They are led in scoring by Bennett Stirtz who averages 20 points per game.
SCOUTING THE NO. 21 WOLVES… Northern State is a familiar foe as they compete in Upper Iowa's former league, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Wolves are 0-2 on the season after dropping to Northwest Missouri State 65-47 and Missouri Western 75-72, two teams that are ranked in the Central Region top 10. Northern State is averaging 59.5 points, 33 rebounds, six assists and three steals per game. Josh Dilling leads the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game and is shooting 51.9% from beyond the arc.
ON THE HORIZON… The Peacocks continue their non-conference tilt next weekend as they play a pair of games in St. Paul Minn. on Nov. 25-26. UIU will face Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Concordia University, St. Paul on Sunday at 6 p.m.
