THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will complete its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference homestand this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 1-2) when the Bulldogs host Winona State University and Upper Iowa University at Romano Gymnasium. Friday's contest versus the Warriors will tip off at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's contest against the Peacocks will commence at 5:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors are 14-6 and 8-4 in the NSIC this season. Winona State is on an upswing with three straight wins and has currently  won four of the last five after falling the previous five games. During its current winning streak, it has shot 50 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three while averaging 84 points.

The Warriors have been good at protecting the ball and getting the most of their possessions this season (8.1 turnovers per game and 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio). They are second in the nation in turnover per game. Winona State also hits the second most three-pointers in the league with over 10 triples a contest. However, it is shooting 38 percent from behind the arc. Winona State is scoring 75.5 points per game and giving up 71.3 points.

Kevion Taylor leads the Warriors with 16.8 points per game. He is shooting 47 percent overall and 39 percent from long distance. He has the most threes (44) on the team. Taylor  is also leading the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Caleb Wagner is averaging 11.8 in the scoring department. Devin Whitelow is averaging 4.4 assists per game, which is fifth in the NSIC. He is the national leader is assist-to-turnover ratio (88a/15to).   

SCOUTING REPORT ON UPPER IOWA: The Peacocks are 6-14 and 3-11 in the NSIC. They are currently trying to snap a funk of eight straight losses and have loss nine of the last 10 games.

Upper Iowa is scoring 78.9 points per game and giving up 86.3 points per game. It is eighth in scoring and last in defensive scoring in the NSIC. The Peacocks spread the floor and jack up and make the most three-pointers in the conference. They are making on average 11.8 triples, the eighth most in the country. They are making 40.3 percent from three.

Jareese Williams and Munachiso Okonkwo have led the Peacocks in scoring the past six outings. Williams leads the team with 15.5 points per game and Okonkwo is third with 12.2 points this season. Joe Smoldt is second with 13.8 points per game and leads Upper Iowa with 3.8 assists per game as well. Okonkwo has a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Warriors will go head-to-head for the 102nd time on Friday. UMD leads the all-time series 64-37. Winona State won the previous four battles until the Bulldogs knocked off the Warriors in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament last season. UMD's last two victories over Winona State have come in the first round of the conference tournament. 

The Bulldogs and Peacocks have played 16 times overall with Upper Iowa leading the all-time series 9-7. UMD won the most recent encounter in last season's 72-69 win in Fayette, Iowa. UMD haven't won back-to-back games over the Peacocks since the 2011-12 season.  

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents stack up with its records, in the NSIC and in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Coaches Poll.

THE BROADCAST: The games this weekend will be carried live through a video stream with live stat capabilities. Bulldog Productions will be producing the broadcast with Josh Wallace and Matt Johnson providing the call of the action. The stream is available for free at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

LAST TIME OUT: UMD lost to Minnesota State University Moorhead on Friday night but turned around the following night to knock off the NSIC-leading Northern State University to earn a weekend split at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs lost 79-58 to the Dragons as Addison Park and Travaun Coad registered over 20 points each for the Dragons. Junior forward Brandon Myer collected 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks Friday. Senior forward Sean Burns directed UMD to a 76-70 win Saturday over the Wolves with a game-high 23 points. Junior guard Trevor Entwisle had 12 points including a key three-pointer to take the lead. 

3X NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior forward Brandon Myer was been named the NSIC North Division Player of the Week three times already this season. He has took home the award five times in his career, winning the honor twice last season as well. He last won the citation on Jan. 21 after averaging a team-leading 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in the two games. He shot a team high 68 percent (19-for-28) overall and also 56 percent (5-for-9) from three.

NEW PROGRAM RECORDS: In addition to junior forward Brandon Myer setting the individual free throw marks in a single game, UMD also raised the bar breaking the team records as well. The 39-for-49 effort at the line vs. SCSU set the program marks for most free throw made (36 vs. Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 30, 1998) and most free throw attempts (48 vs. Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 30, 1998) in a single game.

ROAD SWEEP: The sweep last weekend at Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul was the first NSIC road weekend sweep since defeating Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State on Dec. 5-6, 2014.

ROAD DOGG: The Bulldogs are 6-3 this season on the road. The six road wins is the most since the 2014-15 season. The last time they had seven road wins in a season was seven years ago during Gary Holquist's last season as coach in 2011-12.

FINDING THE RHYTHM ON OFFENSE: After shooting under 40 percent in three straight contests, the Bulldogs have shot at least 44 percent in eight of the last nine games. 

FINDING THE RHYTHM ON OFFENSE II: During that span, UMD has shot over 50 percent three times (St. Cloud State- 12/1, Minnesota Crookston- 1/5, Concordia-St. Paul- 1/19).

GET OUT IN FRONT: UMD is 9-1 this season when it carries a lead into the half. Michigan Tech was the lone team to come back after trailing going into the second half.

AND FINISH STRONG: UMD is also 8-1 when leading with five minutes remaining. That lone loss came in the 73-70 overtime defeat at Mary.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: The Bulldogs, for the third consecutive season, are getting the most out of their possessions. They are giving the ball away 10.4 times per game. That is the 13th best clip in the nation. 

BALL CONTROL AT ITS FINEST: The Bulldogs have a team assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.37. Good execution and decision-making have UMD ranked 31st in the country.

GET A HAND ON IT: The Bulldogs are ranked in the NSIC with 6.4 steals per game. They have a season high 12 steals on three occasions this season.

GIVING OUT DIMES: UMD has the third best assist per game in the NSIC. The Bulldogs are averaging 14.2 assists per game. They are assisting on 52.9 percent of their make field goals.

CLEANING THE GLASS: The Bulldogs have won the battle on the glass 11 times this season including seven of the last eight games. They carry a positive 2.7 rebounding margin, which is fourth in the conference.

ALPHA DOG: Junior forward Brandon Myer is leading the team is scoring with 22.1 points per game. He has the fifth best scoring average in the NSIC and is 32nd in the nation.

REBOUNDING KING: It just not scoring. Junior forward Brandon Myer leads the NSIC with 9.8 rebounds per game. He has the 17th most rebounds in the nation and is 13th in the country in defensive rebounding (7.2).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: Combine those successes together, junior forward Brandon Myer has compiled seven double-doubles this season. That gives him a total of 14 career double-doubles. He is one behind the NSIC pace (Bryndan Matthews, Concordia-St. Paul) this season.

PICKPOCKET ARTIST: Junior forward Brandon Myer is among the leaders in the NSIC in steals per game. He has 1.6 steals per contest, second in the conference. Myer amassed a collegiate high six steals in the contest against Wisconsin-Superior and repeated that same feat against Southwest Minnesota State.

AND THE NEW MEMBER TO 1K CLUB: Every dog has his day and junior forward Brandon Myer had his on Jan. 11. Myer became the 38th Bulldog to join the exclusive 1,000-point club when he went off for 31 points against Mary,tying his season high. He is the last player since Reece Zoelle to hit the grand achievement back on Jan. 23, 2015.

SAVING HIS BEST FOR LAST: Senior forward Sean Burns is throwing up career marks this season. His 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game are career bests for a season. Burns established new single-game marks in points (26 vs. Mary 1/11) and rebounds (15 vs. Mary 1/11) this year. He has also tied his single-game collegiate high in assists and steals.

RELENTLESS POST FINISHER: Senior forward Sean Burns is second in the conference in field-goal percentage at a robust 60.1 percent. Only 18 other qualifying players sport a better shooting percentage. His rebounding average is seventh in the NSIC but it's the work he does on the offensive glass. He notches 2.6 offensive boards, which is No. 2 in the NSIC.

FOR THREE!: Junior guard Logan Rohrscheib can spot up and get a clean look from outside. The three-point specialist has a team-high 38 baskets from long-range. Rohrscheib has 20 other buckets from inside the arc.

THE MARKSMAN: Junior guard Logan Rohrscheib has led the team in three point baskets each of the last two seasons and is on pace to do so again. His 38 three-point baskets are 12 more than the next Bulldog. At his current pace, Rohrscheib could ascend into the top five of the Bulldog three-point field goals all-time list.

DEBUTED IN STYLE: Justin Wieck's first game as the head coach was a successful one. Wieck grabbed his first win at the Division II level on Nov. 10, 2018 against St. Scholastica.

...WHILE HITTING TRIPLE DIGITS: The 116 points scored against the Saints is the most since a 126-124 overtime win over Bemidji State University on Feb. 25, 2009. Its the first time UMD has reached triple digits since Jan. 30, 2015.

BLOWOUT BASH: That 48-point victory over the Saints was the largest margin of victory by UMD since it won by 56 points against Northland College (95-39) on Dec. 3, 2004.

PULLING RANK: With UMD's 91-81 victory over then-No. 13 St. Cloud State earlier this season it was the first win over a ranked opponent on Jan. 3, 2016 against Minnesota State University Mankato, who was ranked No. 25 at the time.

NSIC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: The Bulldogs were tabbed with a 10th place finish in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' poll released on Oct. 18. UMD exceeded expectations placed on them a season ago and received 103 points in the poll. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the North Division.

St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University were selected by the NSIC coaches as the preseason favorites in the NSIC for the 2018-19 season. Both St. Cloud State and Minnesota State received 209 points with the Mavericks garnering eight first places votes and the Huskies with five. NCAA National runner-up Northern State University was picked to finish fifth overall with 177 points. 

In the divisional rankings, St. Cloud State was the unanimous choice in the north, picking up all seven first place votes. In the south, Minnesota State and Sioux Falls shared the top spot as both had 43 points and four first place votes.

St. Cloud State senior guard Gage Davis was the North Division Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. SMSU junior guard Ryan Bruggeman and Trevon Evans were named the South Division Co-Preseason Player of the Year. Bruggeman is the preseason favorite again for a second straight year.

ON TAP: UMD will embark on a four-game road stint next weekend with Augustana University and Wayne State College on the schedule next.