MINOT, N.D. – The first full week of February brings another early Wednesday night battle on the hardwood, where the Minot State men's basketball team is set up for a couple of regular season rematches.

The Beavers look for season sweeps against the Dragons of Minnesota State – Moorhead at home, and then off on the road to play the St. Cloud State Huskies.

No. 22 Minot State (21-4, 12-4 NSIC) is back at the Dome to host the Dragons (14-8, 9-7 NSIC). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Then, the Beavers head east to take on the Huskies (14-10, 10-6 NSIC) in a 1:00 p.m. start on Saturday.

This will be the second time that the Beavers meet up with the Dragons and Huskies this season. If you recall the first game of December (12/6/2024), the Beavers flexed their muscles in a 91-58 win in Minot over the Huskies. Two weeks later, Minot State followed that up with another strong performance by downing the Dragons, who were No. 6 at the time, by a final of 76-52 in Moorhead.

St. Cloud and MSU-Moorhead are having themselves some solid seasons and will certainly contend for spots in the tournament later this month. Despite the success the Beavers have had so far, these are still some competitive ball clubs, which is what makes the NSIC so tough week in week out. Believe it or not, as case in point, these two teams met up recently at the Nemzek Fieldhouse and battled all the way into double overtime. The Dragons rose to the top to win by 6 in a 104-98 victory over the Huskies.

All-time, the Beavers will meet with the Dragons for the 21^st time. As for St. Cloud, it is their 26^th as Minot State looks to add more in the wins column versus those teams.

One thing will be different this time around, and that is the Dragons will possess the services of Carson Johnson, who missed the first game against Minot State. In fact, the very first game after facing the Beavers on December 20^th, he drew into the lineup and has been a regular since then. Rather, a starter even. His night was stellar against St. Cloud, scoring 42 points in the double overtime win. The Freshman phenom has a 19.5 PPG rate, while another player to make note of is Logan Kinsey (15.2 PPG).

For St. Cloud, stepping up on the hardwood is Luke Winkel. The Freshman enters with a 13.3 PPG average. His running mates Nate Dahl (12.5 PPG) and Wyatt Hawks (10.9 PPG – 8.0 RPG) are other players to watch out for.

Minot State's starting unit has been tremendous this season. And now, they have been reeling in all kinds of milestones as of late. Caleb Van De Griend earned another Shining Five honor this week, as the big man sustains a double-double pace with 19.8 PPG and 13.3 RPG. Jalen Cook is another top option to keep an eye on as the Brooklyn Park native holds a 14.7 PPG rate. Ayouba Berthe has been red hot as of late. He has been picking up steam, jumping to 13.0 PPG.

Recent Games
The Beavers could not miss and could not be stopped against Northern State. A get-right 101-65 win last Saturday is just what the doctor ordered after a tough loss to Minnesota Crookston. Minot State shot a scorching 75 percent from three (9-12), led by Berthe's 25 points and 7-8 from the three-point line. Van De Griend was automatic again with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Cook amassed 16 points and Jaxon Gunville went for 15 points along with 4-5 shooting from the arc. On the same night, both Berthe and Sam West hit 1,000 points in their careers. Gunville also became the NCAA-era record holder for most three-point field goals made in a season. He currently stands at 82, with the old record at 80.