THIS WEEKEND
With an opportunity to clinch a home playoff berth and finish as high as second in the Northern Sun North Division, excitement surrounds the University of Mary men's basketball team on the final weekend of the regular season when the Marauders hosts the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and St. Cloud State University Huskies on Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, at the McDowell Activity Center. Alumni Weekend starts on Friday when two teams tied for second in the NSIC North, the Marauders and the Bulldogs, take to the floor at 8 p.m. Senior Day on Saturday features the Marauders and the Huskies at 6 p.m.

ON THE LINE
The Marauders can earn just their second Northern Sun home playoff game since joining the conference in 2006-07. In the first nine years in the league,  U-Mary earned its lone home tournament game in 2011 when the Marauders finished the regular season with 16 straight wins.

PLAYOFF PUSH
Two regular season Northern Sun games remain for the Marauders, who are looking to earn a home playoff game for the first round of the NSIC tournament on Wednesday, February 24. The top four teams in both the NSIC North and NSIC South earn home court in the opening round. Currently the Marauders are in a three-way tie for second in the NSIC North with Northern State and Friday's foe, Minnesota Duluth. Additionally, St. Cloud State University is a fifth NSIC North team still in the running for an opening round home playoff game.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 1
The Marauders are 11-9 and tied for second in the NSIC North Division with two games to play. Northern State and Minnesota Duluth are also 11-9. Two games back at 9-11 is St. Cloud State. #10 MSU Moorhead at 17-3 has already clinched home court and the North Division title.
U-Mary can finish anywhere from second place with a sweep of UMD and SCSU to fifth place if the Marauders are swept
The Marauders clinch home court in the opening round of the NSIC playoffs on Wednesday, Feb. 24, by either winning one of two home games this weekend or if St. Cloud State loses at least once
If the Marauders sweep their weekend games with the Bulldogs and Huskies, U-Mary will be the second seed in the NSIC North and host the seventh seed in the NSIC South
If U-Mary loses to UMD but defeats SCSU, and NSU sweeps Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston, the Marauders are the fourth seed and will host
If U-Mary is swept and SCSU sweeps Minot State and the Marauders, and NSU wins at least one of two games, the Marauders will be the fifth seed in the NSIC North and will play on the road
If U-Mary defeats UMD but loses to SCSU, and UMD then beats Minot State on Saturday, plus NSU wins two games, the Marauders will be the third seed and UMD will be fourth
Several other scenarios also exist but are contingent on what North State does at home
NSIC Tiebreakers (in order): 1. Head-to-head. 2. Divisional Win-Loss percentage. 3. Head-to-head competition of descending divisional teams (win-loss record against teams who finished highest in the standings). 4. Point rating system - divisional games only. 5. Head-to-head competition of descending teams using NSIC overall standings (win-loss record against teams who finished highest in the standings). 6. Point rating system - NSIC overall standings non-divisonal games only.  7. Coin flip.
Should the Marauders beat UMD and SCSU, U-Mary will have split the season series with both teams. U-Mary also has split with Northern State. In a tiebreaker of any sort under that scenario, the Marauders should win the tiebreaker due to a win over #10 MSU Moorhead, the only team in that group to defeat the Dragons.

RECORDS
U-Mary is 16-10 overall and 11-9 in the Northern Sun (6th overall, 2nd North)
Minnesota Duluth is 15-11 overall and 11-9 in the NSIC (6th overall, 2nd North)
St. Cloud State is 12-14 overall and 9-11 in the NSIC (10th overall, 5th North)

LAST TIME OUT
U-Mary swept a road series, defeating Bemidji State 81-77 and Minnesota Crookston 83-67
Minnesota Duluth lost twice at home, 75-71 to MSU Moorhead and 78-72 to Northern State
St. Cloud State split two home games, defeating Northern State 102-82 before losing 90-82 at MSU Moorhead

HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. BULLDOGS
U-Mary trails Minnesota Duluth 5-9 in the all-time series
The Marauders first victory over the Bulldogs was an 80-77 overtime win on 1.16.09.
The two teams split a pair of games last year with the home team winning each meeting. With UMD winning the first game at home, U-Mary will have to win at home Friday to gain a split for the second straight year.
Last Meeting In a battle for second place in the NSIC North, U-Mary fell 100-74 at Minnesota Duluth on January 23, 2016. Knotted at 26-26, the Bulldogs outscored the Marauders 21-10 the rest of the half and eventually built a 30 point lead. Five Marauders reached double figures in points, led by 17 from Marquealis Edwards. Isaac Lindquist added 14 points, Bryan Jefferson and Rickey Suggs had 11 each and Brandon Tyler scored 10. Pierre Newton and Taylor Lavery both scored 26 points and Brendon Pineda 17 for the Bulldogs.


HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. HUSKIES
U-Mary is 8-10 all-time against St. Cloud State
The Marauders are 5-2 at home, 3-6 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground
U-Mary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06
U-Mary's first signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07
The two teams have split the last two years; last season the visiting team won both games. However, since SCSU won the first meeting at home, the Marauders will need a win Saturday to split the 2015-16 season series.
Last Meeting U-Mary suffered a 90-84 loss at St. Cloud State on January 22, 2016. Down 13 at intermission, the Marauders eventually fell behind by as many as 17 points in the second half. Behind an improved defensive effort and increased offensive efficiency, U-Mary continued to fight and closed within four points in the final seconds. SCSU hit 13 treys in the game, including 11 in the opening half, while U-Mary checked in at nine. Marquealis Edwards led U-Mary with 19 points. Bryan Jefferson scored 18 points, Devan Douglas had 13 and Brandon Tyler scored 12. Scottie Stone hit six treys and scored 32 points on his way to NSIC Player of the Week honors. Gage Davis added 20 points

LAST WEEK REWIND
The University of Mary jumped into a tie for second in the NSIC North Division after a weekend sweep of Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston. Behind a career-high 33 points from Bryan Jefferson, the Marauders rallied past the Beavers 81-77. Down 75-69 with 3:57 remaining, the Marauders closed the game on a 12-2 run. Jefferson scored seven straight points to get U-Mary back in the game before Brandon Tyler hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 73 seconds left to push the Marauders lead to 79-77. Jefferson made 14-of-19 shots in the game and made all five free throws. Rickey Suggs had 15 points off the bench, Marquealis Edwards added 11 points and Isaac Lindquist scored 10. Jordan Rhodes had 28 points and 11 rebounds for BSU... Rickey Suggs scored a team-high 17 points off the bench in an 83-67 Marauders win at Minnesota Crookston. A 26-10 second half run broke open a tie game for U-Mary and the lead grew to as many as 22 points when Suggs stole the ball on consecutive Golden Eagles possessions and took the balls in for a pair of layups. U-Mary shot over 55 percent for the game. Bryan Jefferson and Devan Douglas both added 11 points. Gable Smith led UMC with 14.   

SENIOR NIGHT
Three seniors take to the court for the final time this weekend. Here are comments on each by U-Mary head coach Joe Kittell:

Devan Douglas (G, 6-3, 215, Sr., Clinton, Iowa)
"I'm extremely happy for the success Devan has had this season. He has been through a lot of ups and downs with injuries while at the University of Mary but his hard work finally paid off and got him on the floor. We wish Devan the best and know he will bring excitement and energy to whatever he does. Thank you for everything Devan."
In 54 games at U-Mary Devan is averaging 8.1 PPG with a 51.6 FG%.

Marquealis Edwards (G, 6-2, 195, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.)
"I would like to thank Marquealis for his commitment to the program for the past few years. Q has been an great player on the floor but even a better guy off. I've truly enjoy having him around and he will always be remembered in our program."
Marquealis has started all 57 games he played, averaging 12.2 PPG and 5.6 RPG while dishing 216 assist with 86 steals.  

Brandon Tyler (G, 6-4, 200, Sr., Oshkosh, Wis.)
"We want to thank Brandon for his four dedicated years to the University of Mary. Brandon has been extremely resilient in all the ups and downs over the years and has turned into a very reliable young man. We will greatly miss Brandon for his leadership and dependability. An very excited to see where the future takes him."
Brandon started all 26 games this season and has 120 treys in his 91 game career at U-Mary.

CONSISTENCY
The Marauders have started the same lineup for all 26 games this season: senior guards Devan Douglas, Marquealis Edwards and Brandon Tyler and junior forwards Bryan Jefferson and Isaac Lindquist.

RISING TIDE
A week ago the Marauders were in fourth place in the NSIC North and ninth overall. After a pair of road wins, the Marauders improved to second place in the North (3-way tie) and sixth in the league overall.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
The Marauders lost two straight home games when U-Mary held the lead in the last four minutes. Last weekend the tide turned. Trailing Bemidji State 75-69 with 3:57 left in the game, U-Mary went on a 12-2 run to win the game 81-77.  

11th HEAVEN
The 11 conference wins is the second-most for U-Mary since joining the NSIC. The high-water mark is 18 in 2010-11 and ties the 2009-10 mark of 11.

THE BORTKE COURT MAC ATTACK
After struggling at home the last few seasons, U-Mary is once again finding success at the McDowell Activity Center (MAC). The playing floor was christened Bortke Court in honor of long-time U-Mary men's basketball coach and athletic director Al Bortke in July 2009. Here is the Marauders NCAA Division II home record:
2006-07:   5-  7
2007-08:   4-  7
2008-09:   7-  5
2009-10: 11-  2
2010-11: 12-  1
2011-12:   3-10
2012-13:   3-  9
2013-14:   6-  7
2014-15:   4-  8
2015-16:   6-  6
The Marauders once won 27 straight home games for Coach Bortke
at the MAC (February 19, 1976 thru November 11, 1978).

WINNING
With 16 wins the Marauders are guaranteed a winning record this season. In the school's NCAA/NSIC era, there are only two other winning seasons; a 23-6 mark in 2010-11 and a 15-13 record in 2009-10.

SWEET 16
U-Mary's win at Minnesota Crookston gave the Marauders their 16th win this season. It is the most wins for the Marauders since posting 23 in 2010-11.
16 wins is the second-most wins for U-Mary since beginning NCAA and NSIC play with the 2006-07 season
The 16 wins equals the Marauders win total from the previous two seasons combined

SENSATIONAL SUGGS
Rickey Suggs may be coming off the bench for the Marauders but he is producing like a starter. The junior forward had another big weekend for the Marauders, averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per games while making 12-of-19 shots. In his last six games he is averaging 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while making 68.6 percent of his field goals. For the year Suggs averages 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG and is shooting 55 percent.

700 CLUB
Two Marauders passes 700 career points last weekend and a third is close behind. Junior forward Bryan Jefferson scored 44 points last weekend and now sits with 740 career points. Junior guard Damonta Henry scored 15 points and is at 705 for his career. Senior Marquealis Edwards is right on the doorstep with 698 points.
 
BOARD GAMES
The Marauders have been tremendous on the boards this season. U-Mary is 4th in the NSIC and 57th nationally in rebounding margin at +4.2 rebounds/game.

90
Seven times the Marauders have scored 90 or more points in a game. That EXCEEDS the U-Mary total of six from the previous NINE YEARS COMBINED! In only two other seasons during the NCAA era has U-Mary reached at least 90 points in a game twice (2009-10 and 2010-11).

80
In 26 games this season U-Mary has scored at least 80 points 11 different times. Out of the school's ten NCAA era seasons (beginning with 2006-07), the previous high for 80 points in a season was seven in 2009-10.

BEST START
It took only 16 games for the Marauders to win 13 games this season, the fewest games needed to reach that level in U-Mary's NCAA era, which began with the 2006-07 season.

LEGAL THEFT
The Marauders lead the NSIC in steals with 6.7/game. Marquealis Edwards is 5th in the Northern Sun individually with 1.7 steals/game.

JEFFERSON STEPS FORWARD
As evidenced by his career-high 33 points at Bemidji State on Saturday, junior forward Bryan Jefferson continues to develop into one of the top players in the Northern Sun. The Aurora, Ill., native has led the Marauders in scoring ten times this season and rebounding seven times. He has posted double digit point totals in 24 of 26 contests. Averaging 15.8 points per game, he is 12th in the NSIC in scoring. Additionally Jefferson is 9th in rebounding (6.5/game) and 6th in field goal shooting (.594). He is second on the squad in assists (2.1/game) and fourth in steals (20).

CLUTCH
Marquealis Edwards has shined in the closing minutes of close games this season for U-Mary. Twice he has scored the winning points in the closing seconds and twice he has key free throws to cement wins. His latest starring role came in the 77-73 win over #3 MSU Moorhead. The senior guard scored the last four points of the game, hitting the winning layup with 15 seconds remaining and adding two free throws with 1.2 seconds left. The Minneapolis, Minn., native the winning layup with three seconds left in a 77-76 win over Southern Arkansas. In a 60-58 win over Northern State Edwards scored the last two U-Mary points with two seconds left. He also hit two free throws in the closing seconds of a 69-65 win at USF.

STAT STUFFER
It's no surprise that Marquealis Edwards would post the Marauders first triple double of the NCAA era when he recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Presentation. The senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn., ranks among Northern Sun leaders in five categories: 5th in steals (1.7/game), 13th in rebounds (5.9/game), 9th in assists (3.5/game), 23rd in scoring (13.1/game) and 8th in free throw percentage (.831).

SEVENTH HEAVEN
Seven Marauders average at least 7.8 points per game. Bryan Jefferson averages a team-high 15.8 PPG and Marquealis Edwards is right behind at 13.1 PPG. Brandon Tyler and Isaac Lindquist are at 9.8 PPG, followed by Devan Douglas (8.8 PPG), Rickey Suggs (8.0 PPG) and Damonta Henry (7.8 PPG). Suggs and Henry are doing their damage off the bench.