Currently sitting in third place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings, the Benedictine University men's basketball team takes on two conference foes this week. On Wednesday night BenU travels to Milwaukee to oppose Wisconsin Lutheran. On Saturday, BenU hosts Concordia University Wisconsin at the Dan and Ada Rice Center.
 
Upon returning home from Puerto Rico, the Eagles (7-5, 5-2) earned an 80-70 victory on Saturday in Lisle over defending NACC champion Marian. Benedictine led by as many as 17 early in the second half, but Marian stormed back to cut the lead to four with 1:17 left. However, Marian would not score on its last for possessions, John Dodson hit a contested layup to put BenU up back up six with 47 seconds left, and Tahron Harvey hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the victory. Dodson and Michael Blaszczyk each tallied 15 points, while Kevin Rollins added 13 in 20 minutes.
  
The NACC's seventh place team will host the Eagles on Wednesday night, as BenU will head north to take on the Warriors of Wisconsin Lutheran. Dating back to December 20, the Warriors have won four straight games, winning at Concordia University Chicago, in Las Vegas against Willamette University and Wartburg College, and at Dominican University on Saturday. Wednesday will be one of just two January home games for the Warriors, as the team heads on the road four straight NACC contests before returning to Milwaukee on January 27 to oppose Rockford University.
 
Wisconsin Lutheran returns all five starters from last season's eighth place NACC finisher. Junior guard Jake Jarnigo, who earned Second Team All-NACC honors last season averaging 14 points per game, has upped his scoring average to 18.9 (third in the NACC) despite shooting 37.4% from the floor. The team also boasts the NACC's leading rebounder in senior Brett Lubbe (8.4 per game), who is also fifth in the NACC in shooting percentage (55.7%). The big front line of Lubbe (6'4), senior forward Nate Siemers (6'6), and junior center Jim Marose (6'7) have helped the Warriors become the conference's top rebounding team at 41.4 per game.
 
The Eagles have enjoyed recent success against the Warriors, taking both of last season's matchups and winning three of the last four overall. Benedictine squeaked out a 61-58 victory in Lisle last season, as Blaszczyk contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. In Milwaukee, the Eagles won 77-61 behind 29 points and nine rebounds from Tim McGinty. The Eagles limited Jarnigo in both contests, scoring a total of 14 points and shooting 6-for-24 (25%) over the two games.
  
Concordia-Wisconsin currently sits in sixth place in the NACC, but the team has won three of its last four contests. The Falcons have won at home against Dominican University and Rockford University over that span, as well as on the road at Wisconsin Lutheran. Conference-leading Aurora handed the Falcons the one defeat on December 20, narrowly defeating the Falcons 77-74 in Mequon. CUW will host Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday before traveling to Lisle on Saturday.
 
The Falcons are very balanced offensively, ranking fourth in the NACC in scoring (74.4) and boasting six different players averaging at least seven points per game. Junior forward Keith Kahlfeldt leads the team with 13.2 points per contest, while junior guard Bradley Prinsen comes in at 10.2 per game and is amongst the NACC leaders in three-point shooting (42.9%, tied for fourth in the conference). Junior forward Malcom Bowers and junior guard Mark Scholz have been very productive in limited minutes, averaging 9.8 and 7.5 points respectively despite playing less than 20 minutes per game.
 
Benedictine already won once over CUW this season, as 20 Blaszczyk points led BenU to a 63-57 victory in Mequon on December 6. Last season, both teams won at home. Benedictine took a high-scoring affair in Lisle, winning 99-94 behind 29 points and 10 rebounds from McGinty. In Mequon, the Falcons used a 50-point first half to propel the team to a 90-76 win despite five different BenU players scoring in double figures. The Falcons have not won in Lisle since the 2009-2010 season, as BenU has taken the last two matchups in the Dan and Ada Rice Center.