VALLEY CITY, N.D. – After over a week off due to bad weather in North Dakota, Valley City State will be back in action Friday, December 5^th and Saturday, December 6^th for conference games with Bellevue and Dakota State.

On Friday, the Vikings head to Bellevue, Nebraska to take on the Bruins. The Viking men come I to the contest 4-3 on the season and 0-3 in the Frontier Conference. The Bruins are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The Bruins received votes in lates NAIA poll that came out on Wednesday. Dakota State is 6-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Frontier Conference.

After a 4-0 start to the season, the Vikings have dropped the last three games by a combined 18 points. Two of those losses came to top 25 teams. Montana Western was ranked 24^th, now they are 23^rd. The Vikings lost a high scoring game to the Bulldogs, 107-104. The 104 points is the most the Vikings have scored in a losing effort since a 108-105 overtime loss to Brandon University in 2023.

The Vikings split with Bellevue and Dakota State last season during the regular season. After a 105-66 loss in Bellevue, the Vikings held on for a 67-66 win in Valley City. The two teams met in Valley City in the NSAA Men's basketball tournament, and the Vikings won that game 67-64 before falling to Dickinson State in the semifinals. The Vikings hold a 9-8 advantage in the series, winning six of the last eight games.

The Vikings and Dakota State played two close game last season. In Madison, South Dakota, the Vikings trailed by as much as 13 points in the second half but used a 24-6 run in a span of about ten minutes to take a five-point lead. The teams went back and forth from there before a Lamar Grayson basket with one second left sent the game into overtime. The Vikings would prevail in the extra session 83-79. The game in Valley City was back and forth with the Trojans winning 66-61. Since 2003, Valley City State has won 25 games in the series while Dakota State has won 24.

Tipoff both nights is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Watch Friday's Game  Watch Saturday's Game Live Stats Friday Live Stats Saturday