MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The second-ranked MSU Moorhead men's basketball team is set to begin 2024 with a pair of road NSIC games this weekend. The Dragons will meet up with Augustana at 5:30 p.m. on Friday before taking on Wayne State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Live stats and video will be available at msumdragons.com 

Opening Tip

Quick Hits...The Dragons enter Friday's matchup with the Vikings riding a two-game win streak over Augustana. MSUM handled Augie at home 76-57 a year ago. Prior to that, MSUM defeated the Vikings in the 2022 NSIC Tournament, 69-53. Augustana has won all but four of the last 13 contests between the two. The Dragons have won 12 straight against Wayne State with their last loss to the Wildcats coming on February 9, 2013, a 73-70 affair. 

Home Sweet Pentagon...Friday's game against the Vikings will be played inside the Sanford Pentagon rather than Augie's Elmen Center.  Currently, MSUM has won seven of its last nine games inside the Sanford Pentagon with the most recent loss coming as part of a regular season challenge against Black Hills State on November 18, 2022. The first win in that stretch came on February 27, 2022 against St. Cloud State in the NSIC Tournament. Since its unveiling in 2013, MSUM is 18-8 all-time inside the Pentagon. 

Hitting His Stride...Transfer big man Jacob Jennissen is beginning to settle in nicely with the Dragons. In MSUM's win over Minnesota Crookston on December 15, Jennissen went for a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to help push the Dragons to an 84-67 win. It was the first double-double of Jennissen's collegiate career and he also added three blocked shots to the mix. In total, Jennissen has had four games with two or more blocked shots this season. 

Career Kinsey...Sophomore stretch Logan Kinsey played a career game against Minot State on December 16, helping the Dragons to a 77-74 win. Kinsey netted a career-high 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the floor. Kinsey also made two of three long range attempts in the game while also snagging seven rebounds. Prior to the game against the Beavers, Kinsey's previous career high was 14 points.

Taking Advantage...MSUM has been strong in gaining second chance points so far this season. The Dragons combined for 25 second chance points against Minnesota Crookston and Minot State in their previous two contests. This came in part thanks to 25 offensive rebounds over the two games including 16 o-boards against the Beavers. 

Spreading The Wealth...The Dragons have employed team-focused offense with multiple players showcasing their ability to score. MSUM had four players in double figures against Minnesota Crookston and also had four score 10 or more against Minot State. It has been a consistent approach all season as MSUM has had eight games where four or more players have scored in double figures. 

What They Do Well...MSUM will need to contain Augie's stellar grad student Isaac Fink, who leads the team in points (18.7) and rebounds (6.8) per game. Fink connects on 46 percent of this shot attempts while accounting for nearly 24 percent of Augie's points this season. Wayne State is one of the best in the NSIC in turning teams over. The Wildcats average a league-best 8.1 steals per game while forcing 14.1 turnovers per game overall. Their turnover margin (+3.64) is second to MSUM (+5.25) in the NSIC.

Scouting Report

Augustana (7-6, 2-5 NSIC)

The Vikings split their most recent NSIC series on December 13 and 16. Augustana fell to Southwest Minnesota State 71-62 on December 16, but topped Wayne State 101-88 three days prior. The Vikings last played on December 30 in a 77-68 win over NAIA Briar Cliff. The only other conference victory Augustana has accrued this season was a 92-87 decision over Concordia, St. Paul on December 2. On the year, Augustana is led by their stellar graduate student Isaac Fink, who leads the team in points (18.7) and rebounds (6.8) per game. Fink connects on 46 percent of his field goal attempts and is aided by senior guard Jadan Graves. The Syracuse, N.Y., native averages 15.8 points per game for the Vikings including an impressive 45.6 percent clip from long distance. As a team, Augustana had made 45 percent of their field goal attempts during the season and continue to be a strong rebounding team. On average, the Vikings pull in nearly three more rebounds than their opponents while also holding a +1.4 scoring margin this year. 

Tom Billeter is in his 21st season at the helm of Augustana men's basketball. 

Wayne State (8-6, 1-6 NSIC)

Wayne State has won just one game in conference so far this season, a 73-62 win over Southwest Minnesota State on November 21. However, the Wildcats have faced a tough portion of the league with losses to ranked foes Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State as well as Winona State, Concordia, St. Paul and Augustana. Wayne State's most recent game was on December 30, an 83-52 win over NCAA Division III Buena Vista. The Wildcats are paced by junior college transfer Trey Deveaux, who nets a team-best 16.1 points per game while averaging 5.8 rebounds a contest. Deveaux has been a model of efficiency for Wayne State as he has shot 49 percent from the floor so far this season. The Wildcats offer forth two other double figure scorers in sophomore guards David Harmon and Alec Millender, who combine to score 22 points a game on average. Wayne State is active on defense as they force over 14 turnovers per game, leading to a +3.7 turnover differential in 2023-24. 

Jeff Kaminsky is in his eighth season as head coach of Wayne State.