THIS WEEK: Minot State hits the road for its first round Dakota Athletic Conference postseason tournament game, traveling to Dickinson State Wednesday (7 p.m. MT).
RECORDS: The Beavers are 12-16 overall and 6-8 in Dakota Athletic Conference play, good for tie for fifth in the conference. MSU earned the fifth seed due to a tiebreaker with Dakota State. Dickinson State ended up in a tie for second place at 9-5 in conference play but is the fourth seed due to a tiebreaker. The Blue Hawks are 16-12 overall.
COACHES CORNER: Minot State's head coach is Peter Stewart, who is in his first season with MSU. Stewart's record is 12 wins and 16 losses overall and with the Beavers. Ty Orton is in his fourth season with the Blue Hawks and sports a 57-56 record with the university. Orton is 129-139 overall in his career.
ON THE AIR: The game is broadcast locally on KRZZ 1390-AM.
RANKINGS: Neither team was ranked latest NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll, but Dickinson State did received one vote.
RECENT HISTORY: Minot State split two games against nationally ranked teams, losing Friday to Black Hills State and upending South Dakota Mines. The Blue Hawks also topped Mines and lost to Hills on the weekend
OVERALL SERIES: Minot State holds a 44-32 lead in the series dating back to 1976, but has lost three straight to the Blue Hawks.
NOTING THE BLUE HAWKS: Dickinson State, South Dakota Mines and Jamestown College all finished with 9-5 records, but the Blue Hawks slipped to fourth due to tiebreaker… The Blue Hawks post player Matt Lee has led DSU all season in rebounds, but now is the team's assists and steals leader as well, dishing out 2.85 assists per game and swiping 1.8 steals… Dickinson's John Hanstad is 6th in NAIA Division II in 3-pointer shooting percentage at 46.2… After moving to No. 23 in the country on Jan. 17 and despite going 4-5 since, Dickinson State has received exactly one vote in the past five polls.
CAREER SEASON: Minot State's junior Kelvin Fraser (F, Brooklyn, N.Y.) needed just 26 games to become the Beavers all-time blocked shots leader. Fraser swatted 12 shots in the Beavers win over South Dakota Mines Saturday, pushing his season total to 79. Fraser has been held without a block in just three games all season. Fraser's 12 blocks, also a single-game record, is the most by any individual in NAIA Division II this season.
TIED FOR THE TOP: MSU's Jason West (Sr., G, Lompoc, Calif.) also has a NAIA Division II single-game high (tied with on other player) this season as he finished with 10 steals against Dickinson State (Jan. 12). West is No. 3 in the country in steals per game at 2.85 and also ranks in the top 50 in assists in NAIA Division II at No. 33 (114).
HOT AND COLD: Minot State has topped 90 points four times this season and pushed passed the century mark twice. But, the Beavers have been held to fewer than 60 points seven times. MSU's high water mark of 103 points came in game No. 2 against Graceland University. The Beavers have been held to its low point of 50 points three times.
– GO BEAVERS –
