Live Stats for Northwest Missouri State
Live Stats for Fort Hays State

WHAT'S AHEAD

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- In Head Coach Chad Walthall's fifth season at the helm of the Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team, the Dragons look to continue its recent success on the court. The team won its first conference title in 32 years during the 2013-14 campaign and won 20-plus games for the second time in the last three years. MSUM finished at 21-8 and won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division title, marking its first conference title since the 1981-92 season, and is just the fifth league title in the history of the men's program. The Dragons narrowly missed out qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

The Dragons will open the season on the road in Maryville, Mo. at the Northwest Missouri State Classic. MSUM will face Northwest Missouri State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Fort Hays State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

First up, the Dragons will play host team Northwest Missouri State on Friday night. The Bearcats are coming off a 24-9 season where they finished the regular season co-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association champions under Head Coach Ben McCollum. Northwest Missouri State advanced past NSIC teams Winona State and Minnesota State Mankato in the NCAA tournament to reach the sweet 16 before falling to the eventual Division II champion Central Missouri. Senior DeShaun Cooper was named the MIAA Player of the Year in 2013-14 and Zach Schneider was the conference's Freshman of the Year.

In the 2014-15 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bearcats were picked to finish fourth out of 14 MIAA teams. Notable returners to this year's Bearcat squad include Schneider (now a sophomore) and junior Connor Crooker. Crooker received All-MIAA honorable mention honors last season while averaging 11.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 27.3 minutes per game in '13-14. Schneider posted 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting .444 from the field in 21.0 minutes per game for the Bearcats.

Next, MSUM will play Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers finished the 2013-14 season with a record of 22-8 under Head Coach Mark Johnson. After a successful conference record of 13-6, Fort Hays fell short in the first round of the MIAA tournament against Central Oklahoma. The Tigers again fell short to Missouri Southern in an 80-69 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Craig Nicholson was named to the All-MIAA first team for his efforts last season.

The Tigers were selected to finish second in the 2014-15 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. Fort Hays State received two first-place votes and 145 votes overall, six behind last year's national champion Central Missouri. Nicholson, the Tigers point guard, headlines the returnees for Fort Hays State. Nicholson, now a junior, bested his previous school record of 6.9 assists per game by posting 7.4 assists per game in 2013-14. He also led the team with 17.2 points per game.

All-NSIC Honors

Senior guard Tarell Clark and junior Jordan Riewer both were named to the All-NSIC Second Team in 2013-14. Clark led the Dragons in scoring at 12.2 points per game while Riewer averaged 10.7 per game.

Dragons Set Free Throws Record

The MSUM men set single-season team record for free throws attempt (787) and made (548) during the 2013-14 season.

Dragons Hit 20

For the second time in three years, the MSUM men have reached the 20-win plateau, both coming under Walthall. With 21 wins last season, the Dragons now have eight 20-win seasons in program history.

Cleaning the Glass

MSUM led the NSIC in offensive rebounds per game at 13.10, which is 59th-best in the nation. 

Riewer Ranked at the Line

Riewer finished third in all of Division II in free-throw percentage at 93.8 percent (minimum 2.5 made per game).