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THIS WEEK: Minot State University heads back to Utah to participate in the Westminster College Tournament Friday and Saturday, taking on the host Griffins Friday at 7 p.m. (MT) and battling Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) Saturday at 5 p.m. (MT).

TRADITION IN TRANSITION: Minot State is in its third season of a four-year transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. MSU advanced to Year Three Provisional status in July and is expected to complete the transition in July 2012. Minot State was selected to join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012-13.

RECORDS: Minot State is 1-10 overall and is 0-0 as an NCAA DII Independent. WC comes into the tournament at 10-2 overall. RMC is 5-6 overall in nonconference play.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's head coach is Peter Stewart, who begins his second season with the Beavers. Stewart is 14-27 with MSU and overall.  The Griffins are coached by first-year head coach Adam Hiatt, who is 10-2 overall. RMC's head coach is Bill Dreikosen, who has a record of 185-165 in 12 seasons.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: MSU provides live stats as well as links to live audio and a MSU photo gallery all at (www.msubeavers.com).
RANKINGS: Minot State was not ranked in the latest NABC Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. Westminster is ranked No. 10 in the latest NAIA Division I Coaches' Top 25 Poll. RMC was not ranked.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State battled undefeated Minnesota State Moorhead in a clash of future Northern Sun rivals Wednesday, Dec. 7, before falling 68-60 in Moorhead, Minn. Westminster earned an impressive 73-60 win over NCAA Division I Northern Colorado on the road Dec. 1. RMC has lost three straight heading into the weekend, losing to former DAC teams South Dakota Mines 87-75 and Black Hills State 82-71 on the road Dec. 2 and 3.

OVERALL SERIES: This is the first meeting between Minot State and Westminster College. The Battlin' Bears have a slight lead in the all-time series against MSU, holding a 14-13 edge. MSU has won the past three games by a combined eight points.

NOTING THE GRIFFINS: Westminster College has started the exact same way in all 12 games this season… The Griffins are second in all of NAIA Division I from the free-throw line, hitting 76.9 percent as a team. Of the seven players who have shot over 15 free throws on the season, three have hit 80 percent or better. Leading scorer Jake Orchard (16.67 points per game) has missed nine free throws in 67 attempts for a 86.6 average, while AJ Reilly (84.5 percent) and Tanner Gregory (84.2) also have stellar numbers from the charity stripe… WC has a solid 1.150 assist-to-turnover ratio, led by Gregory's 3.000 average.

NOTING THE BATTLIN' BEARS: Rocky Mountain College earned one of its biggest wins of the season, topping in-town rival Montana State-Billings in its last outing, but the game didn't count as RMC designated it as an exhibition game. The Battlin' Bears were defeated by MSU-B earlier in the season in a counter… RMC will play nearly all of its December games on the road as they have seven straight away from Billings, Mont., in December and eight straight overall. So far, RMC is just 1-4 during that span… Leading scorer Matt Fogarty has hit 23 of 28 free throws and exactly half of his 128 field goal attempts for a 13.73 average… The Bears have four players averaging in double figures as Anthony Carter (10.82), Nile Finney (10.27) and Joel Barndt (10.18) all join Fogarty.

LINE WORK: Minot State's Yonas Behre (Jr., G, Toronto, Ontario) has been early perfect from the free-throw line this season, hitting 40 of 43 overall for a 93.0 percent clip. Behre missed a free throw against Minnesota State Moorhead Dec. 7, snapping a three-game streak where he hadn't missed from the line. Over his last four games, Behre is 21 for 22.

SHOOTING WOES: The Beavers have struggled all season shooting the ball from the floor, as evident by their 38.5 overall percentage on field goals. MSU has failed to reach 40 percent in seven games and four straight. MSU's best shooting night came in a loss to No. 16 ranked Winona State on the road, hitting 45.8. MSU's second best shooting night came in the team's only win, knocking down 30 of 71 shots from the floor in the 92-88 double overtime win. The 30 field goals is a season best as well.

STREAK SNAPPED: Minot State redshirt freshman Thomas Korf (F, St. Cloud, Minn.) went 0 for 2 on 3-pointers in the loss to Minnesota State Moorhead, snapping a 10-game streak with at least one triple to start his career. Korf leads the team with 20 3s on the season and has hit two or more 3-pointers seven times.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Of the four major statistical categories – rebounds, assists, steals and blocks – on junior Josh Johnson (F, Lufkin, Texas) has double figure totals in all four. Johnson either leads the team or is second in just about every category. He has more blocks (11) than the rest of the team combined, is tied for second in points (118) and is second outright in rebounds (60) and steals (10).