MINOT, N.D. -- The Minot State men's basketball team will conclude the 2017 portion of its schedule with home games against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth this weekend in the Minot State Dome.

The Beavers will host St. Cloud State on Saturday (Dec. 30) at 6 p.m. in the Dome and then face Minnesota Duluth on Sunday (Dec. 31) at 4 p.m.

Minot State, which is currently 11-1 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, is off to one of the top starts in school history. The Beavers 11-1 start trails only the 1971-72 team for the best start in MSU history as that team began the season with a 22-1 record.

The Beavers meeting on Saturday with St. Cloud State features two of the top teams in the NSIC. Minot State is currently second in the North Division with a 5-1 conference record, while the Huskies occupy the third spot in the standings with a 4-1 conference slate.

Saturday's game will also feature two of the top players in the NSIC in Minot State's Tyler Rudolph and St. Cloud State's Gage Davis. Rudolph currently ranks third in the conference averaging 22.7 points per game and is second in the league shooting 62.3 percent from the floor, while Davis has battled injuries in the early part of the season but is a two-time First Team All-NSIC selection.

St. Cloud State owns a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams and swept the season series last year.

On Sunday, the Beavers will ring in the new year by hosting Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers have won four straight games in the series and own a 6-4 advantage all time. Minnesota Duluth brings a 3-7 overall record and an 0-5 mark in conference play into the weekend.

Minot State, which received 11 votes in the latest NABC Top 25 Poll, has shot better than 50 percent from the floor as a team in each of the last three games. Additionally, all five starters are shooting at least 50 percent from the field in the last three contests.

In addition to Rudolph, junior David Akibo is averaging in double figures at 11.9 points per game while senior Nathaniel Moore is scoring 10.1 points per contest.