USF (6-8, 3-7 NSIC) is set for home cooking and looks to get back to the .500 mark this weekend at the Stewart Center. It won't be easy, as the Cougars host Upper Iowa (7-9, 5-5 NSIC) before facing off against No. 16 Winona State University, the top team in the NSIC (15-2, 10-0 NSIC). The Warriors enter the weekend riding an 11-game winning streak.

CAT SCRATCHES

1. The Cougars (6-8) are 186th in this week's Bennett Rankings, down 17 spots from the prior week but are now slotted 25th by Bennett for strength of schedule. Upper Iowa  is 96th in the Bennett poll (15th SOS), while the WSU Warriors enter the weekend with a no. 18 ranking (40th SOS).

2. The Cougars committed a season-low six turnovers in their last win, a 92-70 dismantling of MSU Moorhead, but have coughed up the ball a total of 54 times during their current three-game losing streak. USF ranks 13th in the NSIC in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.91).

3. Mack Johnson's 21-point night against Waldorf College is the most points scored by a USF true freshman in almost five seasons; 2008-09 GPAC Freshman of Year Skyler Bloch scored 22 points in USF's 106-101 overtime loss to Hastings College on December 13, 2008.

4. Jordan Stotts' 34-point outing against Upper Iowa is the most points scored by a Cougar player since Jan. 11, 2011 (Eric Tisby, 37).

5. Charles Ward tallied the first double-double of the season in the Cougars' tough loss at St. Cloud State, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

6. The Cougars' strongest scoring signal remains from long-distance, as they are draining the NSIC's third-most (59th nationally) three-pointers per game, at 8.36 per contest. USF has made 117 3's in 14 games.

7. Senior Derek Brown was the league leader in free throw percentage last week, at 96.3% (26-for-27), but fell out of the rankings after making just one trip to the line last weekend (currently does not average at least two made FTs per game). He is 27-for-28 (96.4%). Classmate Robert Goffney is sixth in the NSIC, at 84.5% (49-for-58).

8. Eight different Cougars have posted 10-point games including Derek Brown (nine times), Charles Ward and Jordan Stotts (eight times).

9. Rob Goffney ranks 8th in the NSIC in assists per game, at 3.5 dimes a night.

10. USF slipped from 1st to 2nd this week in the NSIC in free throw percentage. The Cougars are shooting 75.2% (267-for-355) from the line. The new league leader is Bemidji State; the Beavers have made 253 of 335 free throw attempts (75.5%).

On the plus side
Plus/minus captures the impact of great defense, selfless offense and every other hidden contribution that can change the course of a game. Freshman Mack Johnson is USF's best two-way player at the moment and the team's most entrenched building block. Johnson isn't just plus-29 this season, the Cougars are a staggering minus-105 when he's off the court. USF scores an average of +2.07 for each point scored against them when Johnson is in the lineup.  The only other Cougar starter (averages more than 20 minutes a game) who is on the plus-side is sophomore Jordan Stotts (+7). For example, when the Cougars beat Wayne State on Dec. 6, Stotts had only 14 points, but he deflected three passes, took two charges and was plus-16 on the night, the highest figure for any player in USF's win.

The Cougars' most efficient lineup has been the combination of Derek Brown, Jordan Stotts, Preston Rayburn, Mahlon Jones and Mack Johnson, who are a combined plus-63.40. The quintet has played together for a little less than nine minutes (8:50) this season, where they have outscored their opponents 31-17.

Steer Clear of I-80
USF is 1-7 when their opponent scores 80 or more points; the Cougars defeated Southwest Minnesota State 87-83 in overtime back on Nov. 30. The Cougars will have to box out and dive on the floor for loose balls this weekend if they want to maintain a winning home record, as Upper Iowa (82.4) and Winona State (79.8) both rank in the top-half of the NSIC in scoring offense. The Cougars slipped one spot this week and are ranked sixth in the NSIC at 80 points per game.

Scouting Upper Iowa
The Peacocks (7-9, 5-5) have won their last two games (Minot State, U-Mary) by an average of 12.5 points and notched W's four of their last six NSIC contests. UIU is shooting 44.3-percent from the floor, 36.5-percent from deep and have made 285 of 395 free throw attempts. The Peacocks collect 35.0 rebounds per contest and have been outrebounded by opponents in 10 of 16 games. UIU was beaten on the boards by both Minot State and U-Mary, but the Peacocks stepped beyond the arc (17 combined 3's) to secure the back-to-back wins. Junior and one-time USF Cougar Grant Lang owns the league's third-best three point percentage (46.6) and ranks 2nd with 41 total triples.

Woods Got the Goods
UIU guard Joey Woods is hitting 52.4-percent of his shots, the 3rd best clip in the NSIC (30th in NCAA Division II) and leads the team with a 16.1 points per game average. He hands out an average of 4.9 assists per game (2nd in the NSIC) and has tallied seven or more dimes in five games this season. Woods was lights out in the Peacocks' 79-71 victory against U-Mary, where he went 8-for-9 from the field and made 10 of 12 free throw attempts for 26 points. He finished with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting (7-7 FT) in USF's first matchup against the Peacocks (a 96-87 UIU victory). Woods has shot at or over 50-percent in 10 of 16 games this season and in eight of those he's added at least four assists.

Fowls In a Foul Mood
The Peacocks have heard 325 blown whistles this season, the second-highest total in the NSIC (Northern State, 336). UIU commits an average of 20.3 fouls per contest, while they and their opponents have combined for at least 40 interruptions on six occasions. USF has been charged with 310 fouls in its first 14 games.

Scouting Winona State
The Warriors earned wins over the University of Mary and Minot State last weekend, moving the team to 15-2 overall and 10-0 in NSIC play. The team moved up five spots to No. 16 in the rankings, climbing from 21st a week ago. Winona State has been balanced on offense, with ten different players scoring in double figures at least once this season. Taylor Cameron (12.4) and Riley Bambenek (12.5) are neck-in-neck for the team lead. Six different Warriors are averaging at least seven points per game. The Warriors lead the NSIC in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 37.8 percent from the floor. The team also tops the conference in blocked shots, swatting 4.47 per contest. Defensively, WSU is first in the league in points allowed per game (65.5) and second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.0 percent). The Warriors offense is fifth in the NSIC in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5) while sitting sixth in overall field goal percentage (48.7). The Warriors are also seventh in the conference in scoring, averaging 79.8 points per game.

Taylor Cameron has recorded a pair of game-winning baskets for WSU this season. The senior drove for a layup with two seconds left to give the Warriors a 71-69 win at Concordia-St. Paul on Dec. 6. Six different Warriors have already made at least ten triples on the year, led by Riley Bambenek's 21. WSU is shooting 39.5 percent from behind the 3-point line on the season, fifth in the NSIC. Kellen Taylor is third in the NSIC in rebounding, grabbing 8.1 boards per game. WSU has made at least one 3-point basket in 429 consecutive games. The last time a Warrior squad did not make a 3-pointer came on Nov. 29, 2000 in a 79-57 win over Saint Mary's.