Chicago, Il., -- North Park Men's Basketball (3-1, 0-0) squeaked by with a 76-75 win last week against Anderson University and will have another tough opponent coming to town this week.  The Vikings will host the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (5-0, 0-0) on Saturday, a team that has received votes in the national DIII rankings and has had an average margin of victory of 12 points this season in all of their games. 

The Pointers are coming off hosting their "Pre-Thanksgiving Tournament" where they beat CCIW foe Millikin 69-63 in the championship.  Defensively, the Pointers' numbers don't jump off the page when it comes to steals and blocks, but they hold their opponents to 65 points a game by playing stout team defense and winning the rebounding margin, not allowing many offensive rebounds and taking advantage of the turnovers they do cause, scoring 15 points per game in transition.  Four players for Stevens Point are averaging at least 11 points, but it's Josiah Butler and Cal Krohn who lead the charge averaging 20 points and 14.8 points per game respectively.  Butler holds the team high for an individual scoring effort so far this season, putting up 26 points against Edgewood last week in their 86-75 win, knocking down 13 of his 15 free throws. 

For the Vikings, they are coming off a nail biter win against Anderson University, seeing guard Mike Vuckovic and big man Julian Campbell put up 18 points each to lead the Vikings.  Vuckovic was hot from three, shooting 4-7, while Campbell held down the paint, shooting 75% (9-12) and scoring all of his points inside.  Senior guards William Bates and Kolden Vanlandingham combined for 18 points, each scoring nine, and provided a defensive spark with both players notching two steals to lead the team.  Vanlandingham has been crucial for the Vikings' early successes, averaging 9.8 rebounds a game (3rd in CCIW), 5.8 assists per game (2nd in CCIW), and 2.3 steals per game (2nd in CCIW).  Both Vanlandingham and Vuckovic are top five so far this season in assists, with Vuckovic averaging 3.8 per game, showcasing their willingness to make the right plays more times than not, and finding guys for easy baskets.  In his first year as a starter, Vuckovic is making a name for himself, being 2nd in the CCIW in scoring with 22.3 points per game and top-15 across all shooting categories. 

North Park and UW Stevens Point will tip off on Saturday, November 29th at 4pm at Carlson Gymnassium.