Rochester, MN-
For many fans and followers of basketball in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, the first day of December marks a great opportunity to get an early season look at perennial powers and rising programs in men's basketball.
MCAC Inter-division games begin tonight, with teams from the Northern and Southern Divisions clashing in a Friday-Saturday format.
For the composite schedule of the action this weekend, current statistical leaders and more, please visit: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/mbkb/index
Some highlights for the weekend's schedule:
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Fond Du Lac @ Western Tech La Crosse, WI |
The Thunder are 1-0 on the young season with 71-65 win over UW-Barron county giving new head coach Bryan Burtnyk his first victory, while Western Tech (1-3) will look to leverage home court advantage to climb back towards the .500 mark. Cavalier athlete Henry Berry currently leads the league in field goal percentage. The Thunder will travel to Rochester CTC for a Saturday match-up with the Yellowjackets while Western Tech will host Central Lakes. |
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Central Lakes @ RCTC Rochester, MN |
Two of the longest tenured head coaches in the MCAC will meet Friday in Rochester; Brian LaPlante's RCTC squad sits at 4-1 with strong showings against their early season foes. Yellowjacket Jumah'Ri Turner is coming off of back-to-back Player-of-the-Week performances. Central Lakes, under Jim Russell, are 3-2 so far this winter. Various Wilson picked up the Raiders first POW mention in Week 4. Central Lakes will travel to Western Tech on Saturday, while Rochester CTC will host Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. |
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Hibbing @ M State Fergus Falls, MN |
The Hibbing Community College Cardinals are looking to get their season on track as they travel to Fergus Falls to face the Spartans of M State on December 1. Aaron Musburger is a force for HCC on the boards and from the field, currently second in the MCAC in rebounding and in the Top 10 in total points. The Spartans have some momentum after claiming their first win of the season over Itasca, 87-65 on November 28. M State is paced by Austin Miller, who has led the his team in scoring in the first four games of 2017. On Saturday, M State hosts Rainy River while Hibbing travels to St. Cloud Technical & Community College. |
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Mesabi Range @ Minnesota West Worthington, MN |
The Mesabi Range College Norsemen make the cross-state trek to Worthington where they will face the Minnesota West CTC Blue Jays on Friday. Mesabi Range is searching for their first win on the season, having dropped a pair of games to Rainy River and Vermilion to open up the 2017-18 campaign. MRC athlete Bryce Hempel has averaged over 20 points in his first two games. First-year Blue Jay head coach Aaron Poor Bear picked up his first MnWest win with a 73-70 triumph over Northeast Community College on November 20. MRC will travel to Riverland in Austin on Saturday, while Minnesota West will host Vermilion. |
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Itasca @ Anoka-Ramsey Coon Rapids, MN |
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, a 2016-17 national tournament participant, hosts Itasca Community College in Coon Rapids on Friday. Kevin Schramm is off to a fast start for the Golden Rams, including posting 21 points on NJCAA Division II Dakota County Technical College on November 22. Itasca (0-5) are looking to get some support for Trevor Elhard who has been scoring consistently for the Vikings, averaging 13 points per outing. ARCC will host Northland CTC on Saturday, while ICC will travel to Riverland. |
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Northland @ Riverland Austin, MN |
Northland Community & Technical College travels the length of the state to take on Riverland Community College in Austin. The Pioneers are 4-2, with a three game winning streak to their credit. NCTC brings a balanced attack to Riverland, with three players averaging double-figures, including Chedonio Martin, at 13.2 per game. Riverland is paced by Jace Klinkner, who leads the league at 25.4 points per outing. NCTC will face Anoka-Ramsey on Saturday while Riverland will host Itasca. |
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Rainy River @ SCTCC St. Cloud, MN |
The Cyclones host the Voyageurs in a match-up of two teams who also squared off in the 2016-17 MCAC State Tournament. Rainy River currently boasts a 3-1 mark on the season, having won three straight. SCTCC is 1-3 and looking to re-group after falling to the JV team of St. John's University on Tuesday. Rainy River is led by Davarius Wright who is scoring 22.3 points a game while the Cyclones have leaned on Mitch McDonald and Shariff Silas (both at 13.0 ppg) to carry the offensive load so far this season. |
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Vermilion @ Ridgewater Wilmar, MN |
The Vermilion Ironmen are off to a great start in 2017-18; VCC is 4-0 as they head to Wilmar to take on Ridgewater College and have won by double-digits in each contests. The Warriors opened up with a victory over Leech Lake Tribal College to give new coach Nathan Throft his first RC win but have dropped a pair of contests heading into the weekend. LeDarian McCallister came of the bench to score 30 points against MCAC power Central Lakes earlier this year and Ridgewater will look for that same output this weekend. VCC was paced by Demetrice Mitchell in their most recent win over Gogebic, scoring 34 points on the night. VCC will travel to Minnesota West on Saturday while Ridgewater will host Mesabi Range. |
MCAC Basketball schedules can be found at: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/schedule
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference website main page is: http://www.mcacsports.org/landing/index
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This release sponsored in part by Gopher Sport.
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.