MOORHEAD, Minn. -- For the first time in school history, the Minnesota State University Moorhead basketball teams will host a doubleheader in the first round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health tournament.  The Dragon women will host Sioux Falls at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, while the Dragon men will follow by hosting Southwest Minnesota State at 8 p.m.

The MSUM women have qualified for the tournament for all 14 years of its existence. The MSUM men are making their third straight appearance and hosting a first-round game for a second straight year.

Long-time MSUM play-by-play broadcaster Steve d'Eustachio takes a closer look at MSUM's history in the NSIC tournament -- as well as some tournament history as a whole:

NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament history (by Steve d'Eustachio)
The Dragon women have qualified for the NSIC playoffs in all 14 years of the tournament's existence (in 2000 under Jean Roise and 2001-present under Karla Nelson). The only other teams to have accomplished this feat are Wayne State and Winona State.  The Dragons have an overall record of 8-13 in the tournament (6-7 in the first round, 2-4 in the semi-finals and 0-2 in championship games). Their eight total wins are tied for fifth-best (with SMSU.) behind Concordia-St. Paul (17), Wayne State (16), Minnesota-Duluth (15) and Northern State (nine).

Seven of the previous 13 first-round games have been played in Moorhead with the Dragons prevailing four times against three setbacks. Their three home first round losses (Wayne St. in 2001, Northern St. in 2003 and St. Cloud St. in 2009) are the most in the tournament's history. The Dragons are tied with Wayne St. for the most first-round road wins with two (at Northern St. in 2004 and at Winona St. in 2008). The six first round victories are tied with Minnesota-Duluth behind only Wayne St. (9), Concordia St. Paul (8) and Northern St. (8). Their two semi-final victories came in 2005 at home versus Northern St. and against Northern State in St. Paul in 2007. Those two triumphs over the Wolves only led to a pair of heartbreaking eight-point losses in the championship games. The Dragons fell at home to Concordia St. Paul 86-78 on March 6, 2005 and again to the rival Golden Bears 85-77 in St. Paul, on March 4, 2007.

Only six schools have captured the 13 NSIC tournament championships. Minnesota-Duluth won all four of its titles in the first five years of the tournament (2000-2001, 2003-2004; all in St. Paul), only losing to Southwest Minn. St. (its lone championship) in 2002. Concordia St. Paul's first NSIC tournament title was the 2005 victory in Moorhead, and the Golden Bears went on to win titles in 2007 and 2008. Wayne State is tied with Concordia-St. Paul with three titles, and winning those championships in three different cities.

St. Cloud State announced its presence in its first year in the league. The Huskies entered the 2009 tournament as a six seed, won back-to-back road games in Moorhead and Winona, then defeated Concordia on March 8, 2009 for their lone title. The only other team to win a tourney title was Winona State, which claimed the title in 2011 with a win over Concordia.

There have been a total of 52 first round NSIC tournament games (four games in each of the first 13 years). Home teams have a combined record of 43-9 in first round play. MSU Moorhead has been the most actively involved in those affairs winning two on the road (72-65 at Northern St. on March 3, 2004 and 72-57 at Winona St. on March 1, 2008), and losing three at home (62-53 vs. Wayne  on February 27, 2001, 75-65 to Northern on March 5, 2003 and 61-48 vs. St. Cloud on March 4, 2009). Minnesota State Mankato was the last team to win on the road in the first round, posting a 68-59 win in Duluth on March 1, 2012.

There have been a total of 91 NSIC tournament games entering 2013, higher seeds have won 69 games while the underdogs have taken 22. Sioux Falls and Minot State will make their first ever tournament appearances and are in search of their first tournament wins. The only other school in search of its first ever NSIC tournament victory is Upper Iowa University. The Peacocks' lone tournament appearance was in 2007 where as a seven seed, gave host MSU Moorhead all they could handle before being ousted by the Dragons 75-68.  Upper Iowa had failed to qualify for the tournament in each of the previous five years.

NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament History (by Steve d'Eustachio)
The Dragon have either been all in or all out since the inception of the NSIC tournament in 2000. The Dragons will make their 12th tournament appearance Wednesday night and will host only their second playoff game in history (last season vs. Augustana College).

Mike Olson was the Dragons head coach from 2000-2002 and lost all three of his post-season tries at Winona St. (2000 and 2001) and then in 2002 at SMSU. With new coach Stu Engen, MSU Moorhead traveled to Marshall, Minn. as a seven seed on March 5, 2003 and stunned Southwest 70-62 for not only the Dragons' first ever playoff win, but it was the first-ever victory in the tournament for a visiting team. Three days later in St. Paul, the Dragons shocked Bemidji St. 79-78 in overtime in the semifinals. The Dragons lost by 29 and 23 points respectively to Bemidji St. in the regular season, but hung around to take the heavily favored Beavers to an extra frame. Trailing by a point, the Dragons fumbled the ball away underneath their bucket with 1.7 seconds left in the contest. Jake Kruse applied pressure on the in-bound pass, tipped it to himself and drained a shot as time expired lifting the Dragons to the championship game, where their hearts would be broken by Minnesota-Duluth the next day, 71-66.

The Dragons would go on to lose each of their next five first-round playoff games. They lost at Bemidji in 2004 and 2006, lost in double overtime as an eight seed in 2005 at Winona State and then were dismissed by Northern State in 2007 and 2008. The Dragons failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.

The Dragons re-appeared in the playoffs in 2011 under first-year head coach Chad Walthall and travelled to Bismarck to take on the University of Mary. The Marauders earned a 70-65 decision and ended MSU Moorhead's season. The Dragons raised the bar last year as they hosted their first-ever playoff game on Feb. 29, 2012 and defeated Augustana College 91-83. Three days later, the Dragons beat Bemidji State 73-64 in the semifinals only to lose to SMSU in the championship game, 76-72. Their overall record in the NSIC tournament is 4-11 (2-9 in the first round, 2-0 in the semi-finals and 0-2 in championship games).

Six schools have captured NSIC tournament titles. Southwest's lone championship came in their victory over MSU Moorhead last season in Rochester, Minn., while Wayne State College's only championship (under current Creighton University head coach Greg McDermott) came in 2000. Winona State leads the way with five championships (2001, 2006-2008, 2011), while Minnesota-Duluth (2002-2003), Northern State (2004-2005), and St. Cloud State (2009-2010) each have two.

 Winona St. also has the most tournament victories with 22, while SMSU and Northern each have 14. Four of the 16 schools are in search of their first NSIC tournament wins in history Wednesday night. Augustana College has been defeated in each of its four first round games. Minnesota-Crookston will make its first tourney appearance since 2006 at 0-2 alongside Upper Iowa University. The University of Sioux Falls and Minot State will make their first-ever tournament appearance Wednesday night.

 Home teams have an overwhelming edge in first round games (43-9) while higher seeds have posted wins in 69 of the 91 overall tournament games. Both of these statistics are (amazingly) exactly the same on the women's side.