Basketball Game Preview: Dakota Cougars vs. Lincoln Abes

The Dakota Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the Lincoln Abes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Dakota will head into Wednesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking two-point defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Roseville on Wednesday. Dakota claimed a resounding 61-34 win over Roseville. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Cougars have posted since December 20, 2024.

Meanwhile, Lincoln waltzed into their match on Wednesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Big Reds, sneaking past 53-50. Given the Abes' advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Big Reds are ranked 46th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lincoln has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.3 points per game. As for Dakota, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 10-7.

Dakota ended up a good deal behind Lincoln in their previous matchup on January 15th, losing 68-52. Can Dakota avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.