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THIS WEEK: Minot State University returns to the Minot State Dome after a month layoff, taking on Upper Iowa on Friday (8 p.m.) and Winona State Saturday (6 p.m.). After beginning the season with seven Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North games, MISU battles NSIC South teams for the first time. Minot State last played at home Dec. 11.

RECORDS: MISU is 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the NSIC. Upper Iowa is 9-4 overall and is 5-2 in NSIC play. Winona State come into the weekend at 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Matt Murken begins his first season at the helm of the Beavers. He is 4-7 with Minot State and is 50-23 overall. Upper Iowa's head coach is Brian Dolan, who is in his seventh season at the school.  Mike Leaf has had a great career as head coach at Winona State as he is 337-129 overall in 15 seasons.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MSU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected. The Friday game against Upper Iowa will also be available on KMSU Channel 19 in Minot with MISU student Kyle Patterson providing play-by-play.

RANKINGS: Winona State comes into the weekend receiving votes in the latest NABC Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. Minot State and Upper Iowa were not ranked.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers had their best weekend since joining NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun as MISU swept a pair of conference games, winning at Minnesota Duluth 62-57 and knocking off No. 19 ranked St. Cloud State 68-62. UI split a pair of games last weekend, topping Sioux Falls 71-62 Friday and falling 71-62 Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State. WSU won in overtime both nights at SMSU (91-83) and USF (76-71).

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State played both teams last season in a nonconference tournament in Winona. The Beavers lost to both teams and trail the series 1-0 to both Upper Iowa and Winona State.

NOTING THE PEACOCKS: Upper Iowa's loss at Southwest Minnesota State snapped a three-game winning streak for the Peacocks and was just the second loss in nine games for UIU… The Peacocks played two NCAA Division I teams in exhibition play, falling in respectable scores to both Bradley (68-54) and Southern Illinois (73-62)… UIU has wins over Winona State and Minnesota State while the teams were ranked in the top 25… Senior Tucker Wentzien sits at 964 career points and leads the team with a 12.2 points per game scoring average in 2012-13… The Peacocks have a solid 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season, averaging just 11.2 turnovers per game… Sam Elgin, second on the team in scoring at 12.0 ppg., has made 45 of 50 free throws.

NOTING THE WARRIORS: Winona State won both games last weekend in overtime to extend their winning streak to five games… Senior Clayton Vette is one of the top players in the region, averaging 18.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He has six double doubles this season and 19 for his career… The Warriors captured the NCAA Division II title in 2006 and 2008 and have been to 12 NCAA tournaments including eight since 2001 and seven straight from 2005-20011… Xavier Humphrey is averaging 11.3 points per game, good for second on the team, but where he really stands out is passing. Humphrey has 41 assists on the season, tops for the Warriors, while turning the ball over just 25 times. Caleb Palkert has 22 blocks in 14 games and is fourth on the team in rebounding at 4.5 per game despite averaging just 16.8 minutes per game. The Warriors haven't played on the road since a 66-63 win over Concordia St. Paul Dec. 8.

WHITE OUT THE DOME: Minot State has multiple promotions running this weekend, beginning with Alumni/Booster Appreciation Night Friday. To celebrate Minot State's Alumni and Beavers Booster members, food will be served before the game on the third floor of the MSU Dome, good with a valid Appreciation Night card. The night is also a “White Out” at the Dome as fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. Minot State and Montana Mike's Steakhouse have partnered together to hand out “White Out” T-Shirts to the first 500 fans.

NIFTY FIFTY: Minot State first-year head coach Matt Murken notched his 50th career win with a 68-62 win over No. 19 ranked St. Cloud State Saturday. Murken is a solid 50-23 (.685) in his three-year career has head coach. The win over SCSU marked the first win for Minot State over a ranked NCAA Division II team and gave the Beavers their first winning streak under Murken.

FACING REJECTION: Friday night was a milestone game for Minot State senior Kelvin Fraser (F, Brooklyn, N.Y.) as he swatted his 100th shot in his MISU career. Fraser finished with a season-high five blocked shots against Minnesota Duluth and his 100t h block came late in the game to preserve a close game. He added three more on Saturday to push his school record to 103 total.

E.J. A CONSISTENT THREAT: Minot State junior E.J. Williams (G, Raleigh, N.C.) has turned into a consistent scorer for the Beavers as he has emerged as the team's leading scorer despite coming off the bench in seven of the team's 11 games. He has scored in double figures in five straight games, scoring 17 and 10 respectively against Duluth and SCSU last weekend. On the year, Williams is averaging 10.4 points per game.

NORTH VS. SOUTH: This marks the first weekend in the Northern Sun where teams from the North Division (which Minot State is a member) battle the South Division. The NSIC split the conference into North/South Divisions when Minot State and the University of Sioux Falls were granted membership for this season. This weekend also marks the longest road trip for member schools as Upper Iowa and Minot State are the two school's furthest apart at 691 miles.

KORF HAS A LONG DISTANCE PLAN: While MISU sophomore Thomas Korf (F, St. Cloud State, Minn.) has been known to hit a 3-pointer or two, his long distance shooting sizzled in a pair of wins over Duluth and No. 19 St. Cloud State last weekend. Korf hit 8 of 14 3s, including 5 of 5 in the first half against Duluth, to lead the Beavers two a pair of wins. Korf scored 19 and 12 points respectively and upped his per game scoring average from 4.8 to 6.7 over the weeken. On the year, Korf has hit 19 of 47 3s for a 40.4 percentage and has only scored three two-point baskets. In two seasons, Korf has 86 triples.