In a close series all-time it's no surprise that the Muskies and Eagles have split their last six meetings. The teams split two games played on back-to-back nights at Lakeland last season with very different results. Lakeland was a 114-83 winner Feb. 19, 2021 as Aiden Polzin exploded for a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference-record 46 points, but just 22 hours later Edgewood dominated in a 91-67 victory. Both teams held serve at home in the previous season; before that, Lakeland had won seven of eight in the series, which dates back to 1981. The series has included several streaks, as the Muskies won the first six meetings before the Eagles responded with eight straight wins.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Marian 75-59 Wednesday
The Muskies had an easy time of it with the Scarlet Hawks, taking the lead for good with a 21-3 run in the first half and continuing to build the lead from there to win for the first time in 2022. Lakeland shot 50% from the field and also outrebounded IIT 42-30 for its biggest rebounding margin of the season. The Muskies led by as many as 28 points in the second half and 13 different players scored led by Jequan Pegeese with 20 points and Cam Jaeger with 17. Lakeland evened its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference record at 3-3 and also inched back over the .500 mark overall on the season at 7-6.

Edgewood last time out: Lost at Aurora 95-75 Wednesday
The Eagles were unable to keep up with the hot-shooting Spartans and lost for the second time in NACC play. Aurora shot 58.8% in the first half in building a 48-35 halftime lead and would lead by as much as 23 in the second half. Eli Hartjes (17) and Jake Schroeckenthaler (16) combined for 33 points and 20 rebounds made 14 of 22 shots from the field, but Edgewood committed 26 turnovers, easily a season high. Aurora's Shamar Pumphrey just missed a triple-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and five players scored in double figures for the Spartans.

About the Eagles: Edgewood struggled to a 0-5 start that included a pair of losses to nationally ranked teams, but suddenly turned things around in December with a win over NACC favorite Wisconsin Lutheran and had won six of eight games before Wednesday's loss to Aurora. Edgewood has an outstanding post tandem in Hartjes and Schroeckenthaler, who combine to average more than 41 points and 20 rebounds per game. Hartjes (20.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg) in particular has been a monster with six double-doubles, five of those with at least 25 points and four with at least 13 rebounds, and all coming after averaging 6.1 points per game in the 2020-21 season. Schroeckenthaler was a first team all-NACC selection last year and is averaging a double-double with 19.6 points and 10.6 boards per contest. On the other hand, Edgewood ranks far and away at the bottom of the NACC with 47 made three-pointers this season; in fact, its 3.4 triples per contest is 408th of 411 NCAA Division III teams.