THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL…  The Peacocks continue their non-conference tilt this 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 4 p.m. UIU enters this weekend 2-2 on the season, while SMSU is 2-1 and CSP sits at 3-2. 
 
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. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday.
 
HIT THE REWIND… Upper Iowa men's basketball competed in the Small College Basketball Champions Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. last weekend and went 1-1 against ranked opponents Northwest Missouri State and Northern State.
 
The Bearcats led the entire game against the Peacocks and held a 17-point advantage with eight minutes remaining in the contest. The Peacocks were unwilling to give into defeat and cut the deficit to six points (86-80) with just over a minute remaining. Northwest strung together five straight points before UIU netted their last basket of the game with a Jake Hilmer jumper, coming up eight points shy at the final buzzer. 
 
The Peacocks led 41-38 at halftime against Northern State and entertained a back-and-forth battle until seven minutes remained in the contest, where they gained a lead that they did not relinquish. The Peacocks strung together a 12-3 one to take hold of the lead they did not relinquish, and one final 6-0 push with just a few minutes remaining to push the score to 83-75. NSU nailed a three-pointer and Hilmer sank one from the charity stripe to seal the final 84-78 decision in favor of UIU. 
 
FINISH ON A HIGH NOTE…  The Peacocks have continuously played an impressive second half of basketball over the course of their four games this season. They average 49 points in the second half, where they score 83.5 points per game. They average 52% from the floor as a unit, 6% higher than their 46% from the field for the entirety of the game. Hilmer is averaging 19.5 and shooting 57.5% from the field, while Noah King is bringing in 9.8 points and netting 45.2%. Other standouts include Kyle Hrncir, who is shooting 70% from the field in the last 20 minutes, complemented by Caleb Delzell who is knocking down 61.5% (42.9% from long distance). 
 
NATIONAL RECOGNITION… Hilmer has stayed afloat at the number one spot in Division II for points per game with 27.8. He is followed by fellow GLVC opponent Milos Vicentic from McKendree who is putting up 27.7 points per contest. 
 
The Peacocks have made an impressive 81.44% from the charity stripe this season which ranks them seventh in the nation. They have converted a total 79 of 97 attempts. Concordia University Irvine paces the country in Division II with 86.42%, knocking down 70-81 from the free throw line. 
 
SCB ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM… Seniors Jake Hilmer and Nick Reid were named to the 2023 Small College Basketball Champions Classic All-Tournament Team, alongside nine other student-athletes, for their performances in Aberdeen last weekend. Hilmer notched 42 points, knocked down 15-29 from the floor, added seven assists and went 12-15 from the foul line. Reid had a breakout game in the team's win against Northern State where he hauled in 15 rebounds and netted 20 points. He scored 27 for the tournament, going 9-17 from the floor (3-9 from deep) and adding two blocks. 
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS (RV) …  Southwest Minnesota State comes into the weekend looking to build off an early season win over the former No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State. The Mustangs were paced in scoring by Senior Guard Cliff Cofield, who poured in 20 points on an impressive 8-9 from the field en route of the win. Coefield, who is averaging 14.0 points per game this season, is no stranger to competing against the Peacocks, as he scored 11 points in the last meeting between the two schools in NSIC action. In the same game a season ago, SMSU center Jake Phipps scored his career-high of 28 points on 12-17 shooting. Phipps has grabbed 9.7 rebounds per game so far this season and is contributing 12 points per contest. 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS… Concordia, St. Paul is led by a high-powered offensive attack, averaging 86.4 points through the first five games, including a 108-point outburst in a win against Northern Michigan. Leading the charge are a pair of dynamic guards, NSIC Player of the Week Antwan Kimmons, and fellow backcourt mate Jordan Horn, both of which are averaging over 15 points a game. 
 
The high-powered offense is paced by a lethal three-point shooting attack with 53 makes from deep (10.6 per game), first in the NSIC. Rounding out the offensive scheme for the Golden Bears is an ability to get to the free throw line, attempting 120 free throws this season, which leads the NSIC. 
 
ON THE HORIZON… UIU opens their conference schedule on the road next weekend versus Truman State on Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. Their GLVC flow is put on pause as the Peacocks host non-conference opponent North Central (MN) for their home opener on Tues. Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.