WINONA, Minn. – The 2018 NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Wednesday night with Winona State University hosting the University of Minnesota Duluth at 7 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium.
The winner will advance to The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the remainder of the tournament scheduled for February 24-27.
Winona State (19-9, 14-8 NSIC) is the four seed in the South and Duluth (11-17, 7-15 NSIC) is the five seed from the North. WSU tied for the fifth-best record overall in the NSIC this season.
The Warriors are hosting an opening round conference tournament game for the second time in head coach Todd Eisner's three-year tenure.
Wednesday night's game will be aired on Stretch Internet, HBC25 and KQAL radio.
Tickets for the game can be purchased, here. All fans must purchase tickets to the game as no passes will be accepted or complimentary tickets issued. The first 250 WSU students will be admitted free of charge.
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SCOUTING DULUTH: The Bulldogs (11-17, 7-15 NSIC) dropped eight of their last 10 games, including back-to-back losses to conclude the regular season. Winona clobbered Duluth, 71-52, in McCown Gymnasium earlier this season. WSU outscored UMD 34-20 in the paint thanks to the slashing abilities of Devin Whitelow and Caleb Wagner (31 combined points), and the post presence of Tommy Gathje (10). The Bulldogs were held to 23% shooting (5-22) from beyond the arc in that game. Duluth ranks second-to-last in scoring offense (69.8 ppg) and three-point shooting (34%), and is last in the NSIC in field goal percentage (41.8%). Brandon Myer ranks fourth in the league in scoring (20.1) and rebounding (7.6), but was held in check by the Warriors in the last meeting, scoring just four points on 2-of-13 shooting.
TALE OF TWO SEASONS: The Warriors sat at a pedestrian 8-6 (3-5 NSIC) when the calendar flipped to 2018. Having suffered two straight disappointing road losses at Crookston and Bemidji, in which the offense produced just 57.5 points per game, Winona State came back with a vengeance in the New Year. The Warriors ripped off four straight wins after the break and won 11 of their final 14 regular season contests. Offensively, WSU averaged 80.4 ppg over its final 14 games, compared to 70.4 ppg over its first eight NSIC tilts.
HOME COOKING: Winona State is 12-3 in McCown Gymnasium this season. The Warriors are averaging 83.1 points per game (78.9 overall) on 50% shooting (47.7% overall) at home this season. The Warriors rank third in the NSIC in three-point shooting (40.8%), and are shooting a scorching 42% from beyond the arc at home.
DOWNTOWN: Winona drained a season-high 17 three-pointers on January 13 to defeat St. Cloud in overtime, 102-100. The Warriors are 12-5 when launching at least 25 three-pointers in a contest, and are 5-0 when knocking down at least 13 three-pointers in a game. Winona State has connected on at least one three-pointer in 530 consecutive games dating back to 2000.
PROTECT THE ROCK: The Warriors have committed the fewest turnovers (251) among NSIC teams this season. Their +2.68 turnover margin leads the league, and their 1.68 assist/turnover ratio is also the best. Winona's team assist/turnover ratio ranks sixth in Division II and the Warriors are second in the country with the fewest turnovers/game (9.0).
HELPING HANDS: Point guard Caleb Wagner leads the team in assists (133) and ranks fifth in the NSIC with 4.8 assists/game. His 2.96 assists/turnover ratio ranks second in the league and is 19th among all Division II players. Freshman guard Devin Whitelow owns a 3.8 assist/turnover ratio which would rank third in DII if he met the assists/game minimum of 3.0 (Whitelow 2.75).
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Senior Corey Jeffs ranks third on the team in points (12.0 ppg) and leads the Warriors in rebounds/game (5.1). The Melbourne, Australia native will be playing in his 112th career game on Wednesday, which is tied for 19th in Winona State history. Jeffs' career-high 33 points against St. Cloud earlier this year are the most by a Warrior in a single game this season.
