Augustana Sixth, USF 11th In NSIC Men’s Basketball Poll

BURNSVILLE, MN -- Winona State was selected as the 2012-13 NSIC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ favorite in the overall poll and in the NSIC South Division poll. They received 219 points and ten first place votes. Defending NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions of Southwest Minnesota State came in second with 209 points and four first place votes. Minnesota State was third with 185; St. Cloud State was fourth with 174 and MSU Moorhead fifth with 170 points and a first place vote. Augustana was sixth with 155 points and a first place vote. MSU Moorhead was the coaches pick in the NSIC North Division as they amassed 46 points and five first place votes.

Overall	Points	North Division	Pts
1. Winona State (10)	219	1. MSU Moorhead (5)	46
2. Southwest Minnesota State (4)	209	2. St. Cloud State (2)	43
3. Minnesota State	185	3. Northern State (1)	35
4. St. Cloud State	174	4. Minnesota Duluth	34
5. MSU Moorhead (1)	170	5. Bemidji State	25
6. Augustana (1)	155	6. U-Mary	21
7. Minnesota Duluth	139	7. Minnesota, Crookston	10
8. Northern State	133	Minot State	10
9. Concordia-St. Paul	105	South Division	Pts
10. Wayne State	102	1. Winona State (6)	48
11. Sioux Falls	85	2. SMSU (1)	42
12. Bemidji State	72	3. Minnesota State	36
Upper Iowa	72	4. Augustana (1)	33
14. U-Mary	53	5. Concordia-St. Paul	24
15. Minot State	26	6. Wayne State	18
16. Minnesota, Crookston	21	7. Upper Iowa	12
first place votes in ( )		8. Sioux Falls	11

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.

The NSIC Standings
The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 16-team NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament will be play on Feb. 27 and March 2 at the higher seed. The semifinals and championship will be March 8-9 at Taylor Arena in Rochester, Minn.

The 2012-13 men’s basketball season gets underway on Friday, November 9 and NSIC action on December 1.

2012-13 NSIC Men's Basketball Players to Watch

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE - #1 Cameron McCaffrey (G, 6-1, 170, Sr., Portland, Ore. / Century HS) started all 28 game last season and averaged 14.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. The senior averaged 29.5 minutes per contest and dished out 50 assists while picking up 20 steals. McCaffrey scored in double figures 22 times and reached 20 points five times, including a season-high 27 points against Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 8. A 6-foot-1 guard, McCaffrey hit 39 3-pointers and shot 42.0 percent from the field. McCaffrey is a two-time Academic All-NSIC honoree and a first team All-NSIC selection in 2011.

SIOUX FALLS - #34 David Maxwell (F, 6-5, 215, Sr., Parkston, S.D. / Parkston HS) returns for his senior season after averaging 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 25 starts last season. Following a rocky start, Maxwell heated up in the final five games where he shot an impressive 61% from the field and 67% from beyond the arc to average 13.2 points per game. He truly saved the best for last, charting a season-high 16 points, eight rebounds, and one steal against Lindenwood in the championship game of the NCAA Transitional Tournament hosted by Black Hills State. Maxwell’s performance earned all-tourney honors. He finished 2011 ranked second on the team in assists, free throws made and steals.

Complete NSIC Release

Courtesy: Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference