Complete Release (PDF)
This Week: The No. 19 Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (4-0, 0-0 NSIC), off to its best start since the 1998-99 season, continues non-conference play this weekend at the inaugural 2008 NSIC Holiday HoopsFest in Sioux Falls, S.D. SMSU will battle Augustana College (2-1, 0-0 NSIC) on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Sioux Falls Arena beginning at 7 p.m., before concluding the two-day classic on Sunday, Nov. 30 taking on Upper Iowa University (0-3, 0-0 NSIC) at the Elmen Center on the campus of Augustana College starting at 3 p.m.
NSIC Holiday HoopsFest Schedule: Eight games will be played on the men's side of the HoopsFest Classic at both the Sioux Falls Arena and the Elmen Center.
Saturday, November 29
at Sioux Falls Arena
2 p.m. Northern State vs. Minnesota Duluth
7 p.m. Augustana vs. SMSU
at Elmen Center
3 p.m. Upper Iowa vs. Bemidji State
8 p.m. Wayne State vs. MSU Moorhead
Sunday, November 30
at Sioux Falls Arena
2 p.m. Northern State vs. Bemidji State
7 p.m. Augustana vs. MSU Moorhead
at Elmen Center
3 p.m. SMSU vs. Upper Iowa
8 p.m. Minnesota Duluth vs. Wayne State
SMSU Earns National Ranking: For the first time since Dec. 3, 2001, the SMSU men's basketball has cracked the NABC/Division II Top 25 poll (complete poll on page 5). SMSU is ranked 19th in the first regular season poll released on Tuesday, Nov. 25. It's the ninth time SMSU has been ranked in the Division II Top 25 in school history. SMSU made its first ever appearance in the national poll at No. 21 on Jan. 22, 2001, and spent seven straight weeks in the Top 25, moving as high as No. 4 on Feb. 26, 2001, before finishing ranked ninth in the final poll. SMSU was ranked No. 18 in the first regular season poll during the 2001-02 season but spent just one week ranked.
About the Opponent: Augustana is 2-1 on the season and has won its last two games. Junior forward Lee Stephens is averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game, while junior guard David Foster is averaging 13.3 ppg with a team-high eight three-pointers. Head coach Tom Billeter is in his sixth season with a record of 66-79. In his 11th season overall as a head coach his teams are 163-129.
Upper Iowa begins the weekend 0-3 following losses to Drury (Mo.) and Division I opponents Wisconsin-Milwaukee and South Dakota State. UIU plays Bemidji State at the HoopsFest Classic on Saturday before taking on SMSU on Sunday afternoon. In three games, freshman guard Dylan Diedrich is averaging a team-high 10.3 points per game with five three-pointers while sophomore guard Matt Lesan is averaging 10 points per game with five three-pointers. Head coach Brian Dolan is in his third season with a record of 12-47.
The Series Match-Up: Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana meet for the 14th time on Saturday with the Vikings leading 8-5 in a series that started in 1972-73. Augustana leads 4-2 in games played in Sioux Falls. The two teams have split the last eight games in the series. SMSU won 76-65 last season in Marshall. SMSU head coach Greg Stemen is 3-3 all-time versus Augustana.
SMSU and Upper Iowa meet for the eighth time on Sunday with SMSU leading 6-1 in a series that started in 1979-80. The two teams played three times last season with UIU winning in Fayette, before SMSU won the last two games in Marshall, including a first round game at the NSIC tournament. This will be the second time the teams have played on a neutral site. SMSU defeated UIU 87-83 at the 2005 Northern State Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. SMSU head coach Greg Stemen is 5-1 all-time versus UIU.
(All-time scores and series notes can be found on page four of this release.)
SMSU's 4-0 Start Ties for Best in History: SMSU's 4-0 start this season ties the school record for the best start to a season after four games. The 1998-99 team also began the season perfect after four games but lost its fifth game of the season to Valley City State. No team in school history has ever began a season 5-0.
SMSU Last Time Out: Junior guard
Jon DeRock came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points on 7 of 10 shooting to lead SMSU to a 78-73 road win over Division I North Dakota on Tuesday, Nov. 18. DeRock connected on 7 of 9 three-pointers while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Junior center
Nick Dale poured in a career-high 13 points with five rebounds while sophomore forward
Taylor Huseby tied a career-high with 11 points off the bench. The victory was SMSU's second all-time versus an NCAA?Division I program.
The 2008-09 Schedule: Southwest Minnesota State will play one of its most challenging schedules in school history this season. SMSU is scheduled to play 30 regular season games which includes playing in the Disney West Coast Classic. The Mustangs will play 13?games against teams that played in last year's NCAA tournament or are in transition to NCAA Division I. SMSU will also play one game versus NAIA national tournament qualifier Northwestern College (Iowa).
SMSU Begins Season on the Road: SMSU is beginning the season with its first six games away from home marking the longest stretch of road or neutral site games to begin a season in school history. In fact the six games away from home is the longest stretch of road or neutral site games since the end of the 2000-01 season when SMSU?finished the year playing six straight neutral site games in the NSIC?and NCAA tournament.
Mustangs Hit the Century Mark: Southwest Minnesota State scored 103 points in a 103-52 victory over Humboldt State (Calif.) on Nov. 8 at the Disney Classic in Anaheim, Calif. It was the first time SMSU reached the 100 points scored mark since Dec. 2, 2003, and the 38th all-time. SMSU is now 32-6 in school history when scoring 100 points including 3-0 under head coach Greg Stemen.
The Mustang Bench Key to Start: One of the keys to SMSU's 4-0 start has been its tremendous depth and great play by its non-starters. Ten players have appeared in all four games this season and all are averaging at least 11 minutes per game. Mustang non-starters are averaging 40.8 points per game compared to just 18 by their opponents. Below is a look at the season stats for the SMSU and opponents' bench players.
Bench FG% 3-FG% FT% REB PTS SMSU .472 .415 .656 20.3 40.8
Opp. .329 .143 .759 16.3 18.0
Keepin' the Opponent Under 70: Defense has been a trademark for Mustang basketball under head coach Greg Stemen. During Stemen's now eight years as head coach, SMSU is 85-18 overall, including 3-0 this season, when limiting opponents to 69 points or less.
Consecutive Three-Point Games: Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 285 straight games. The last time SMSU failed to score a three-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998 versus MSU?Moorhead in a game played at the North Dakota State Classic in Fargo.
2008 Disney Classic Champions: SMSU won the second annual Disney West Coast Classic earlier this season in Anaheim, Calif., finishing with a 3-0 record. SMSU's three victories came against teams that advanced to last season's NCAA?tournament. Senior forward
Ross DeMasi was named Most Valuable Player while junior guard
Jon DeRock was named to the all-tournament team.
SMSU Late in the Game: Making plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor is a major key for teams in earning victories. The following is SMSU's and its opponents' statistical averages in the final five minutes this season:
<5 min. FG% 3-FG% FT% REB PTS TO
SMSU .462 .000 .680 4.3 10.3 1.3
Opp. .514 .500 .682 5.5 13.5 0.8
Krome and Peschong Free Throw Pct.: Senior
Ryan Krome (6th) and junior
Andrew Peschong (8th) both rank among the top 10 in school history for career free throw percentage:
Krome, Free throw percentage: 6th (.820, 150-183)
Peschong, Free throw percentage: 8th (.807, 138-171)
DeMasi Close to All-Time Leader: Senior
Ross DeMasi is just three made field goals away from qualifying for the school field goal percentage record book. DeMasi is shooting 56.1 percent from the field in his career (197 of 351), ranking third all-time in school history, but a minimum of 200 field goals must be made to qualify.
Mustangs On the Boards Strong Again: SMSU has opened the season outrebounding its opponents in all four games by an average of 14 per game. This is a trend that has been a trademark of head coach Greg Stemen's team in recent years. Last season the Mustangs recorded the same or had more rebounds than its opponents in 25 of 29 games and finished with a plus 4.6 rebound advantage per game. During the 2006-07 season, SMSU led the NSIC in rebound margin with a 5.5 advantage per game in 18 conference games.
Rebounding Key for SMSU Victories: As noted in the information above, SMSU has been a strong rebounding team and is 37-10 when even or outrebounding its opponents since the start of the 2006-07 season, including 4-0 this season. During head coach Greg Stemen's tenure, SMSU?is 96-34 when tied or outrebounding its opponent but just 21-56 when being outrebounded.
Mustangs Home and Away: SMSU has yet to play a home game this season after?finishing 12-2 at home last season and setting a school record with 13 victories in 2006-07. SMSU is a perfect 4-0 away from home this season after earning just five road or neutral site victories all of last season. Here is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2008-09:
W-L FG% 3-FG% FT% REB PTS TO
Home - - - - - - -
Away 4-0 .434 .363 .614 49.0 80.0 13.5
Mustangs Make R/A Home Sweet Home: This season marks the 13th year that the R/A Facility has been the home arena for SMSU basketball and its proven to be a tough place for opponents to play in. SMSU?has compiled a record of 119-45 (.725) in 164 games and has had just one losing season in the arena. SMSU has recorded double figure victories in three straight seasons.
Year Overall NSIC Non-Conf.
1996-97 6-4 3-2 3-2
1997-98 8-5 4-2 4-3
1998-99 10-3 5-1 5-2
1999-00 12-3 7-2 5-1
2000-01 12-1 9-0 3-1
2001-02 12-2 7-2 5-0
2002-03 9-5 7-2 2-3
2003-04 9-5 5-3 4-2
2004-05 6-8 3-4 3-4
2005-06 10-5 3-4 7-1
2006-07 13-2 8-1 5-1
2007-08 12-2 7-2 5-0
2008-09 - - -
Totals 119-45 68-25 51-20
Kevin Andrews 08-09 Notes: Ranks fourth on the team in scoring ... has started all four games ... tied for second on the team with six three-pointers ... ranks second on the team in assists ... has not missed a game in his career.
Andy Beilke 08-09 Notes:?Team co-captain ... ranks second on the team in scoring ... second on the team in three-pointers ... scored season-high 16 points vs. Humboldt State.
Zach Bruns 08-09 Notes:?Has played in one game ... missed most of last season with an injury.
Trent Carlson 08-09 Notes:?Has played in one game ... scored eight points with two three-pointers vs. Humboldt State ... redshirt in 2007-08.
Nick Dale 08-09 Notes:?Has started all four games ... leads team with five blocked shots ... ranks second in scoring ... scored career-high 13 points in win over North Dakota ... shooting 56.3 percent from the field ... grabbed career-high 10 rebounds vs. Fort Lewis.
Ross DeMasi 08-09 Notes:?Named MVP?of Disney West Coast Classic ... leads team in rebounding ... has started all four games ... has one double-double this season and eight in his career ... grabbed career-high 16 rebounds vs. Fort Lewis ... averaging team-high 29.0 minutes per game ... has grabbed double digit rebounds in all four games.
Jon DeRock 08-09 Notes:?Leads the team in scoring ... team leader with 13 three-pointers ... scored season-high 24 points vs. North Dakota ... hit seven three-pointers vs. North Dakota ... named to all-classic team at the Disney West Coast Classic.
Taylor Huseby 08-09 Notes:?Has played in all four games ... averaging 13 minutes per game ... shooting 50 percent from the field ... tied career-high with 11 points vs. North Dakota.
Ryan Krome 08-09 Notes:?Team co-captain ... has started all four games ... ranks sixth in school history in free throw shooting ... had nine points and seven rebounds in win over Alaska-Anchorage ... has not missed a game in his career.
Andrew Peschong 08-09 Notes:?Has started all four games ... leads team with 12 assists ... ranks eighth in school history in free throw shooting.
Scott Roehl 08-09 Notes:?Has played in all four games ... fourth on the team in rebounding ... tied career-high with eight rebounds vs. Fort Lewis.
Kevin Smith 08-09 Notes:?Has played in one game scoring two points vs. Humboldt State... redshirt in 2007-08.
DeAnthony Zanders 08-09 Notes:?Has played in four games ... scored six points and had six rebounds vs. Fort Lewis ... transfer from Iowa Western C.C.
SMSU in Exhibition Action: Southwest Minnesota State finished 3-0 in exhibition action this season defeating NCAA?Division III St. Olaf 97-70 in Marshall, NCAA?Division I?South Dakota State 70-65 in Brookings, S.D. and NCAA?Division III Northwestern (Minn.) 80-46 in Marshall.
Welcome to the Show: SMSU has four new players who have seen their first regular season game action in Mustang uniforms this season. Junior guard
Jon DeRock, redshirt freshman guard
Trent Carlson and redshirt freshman forward
Kevin Smith all sat out last year as redshirts, while junior guard
DeAnthony Zanders transferred to SMSU this summer after two seasons of junior college at Iowa Western CC.
Remembering AW: Southwest Minnesota State will be wearing the initials “AW” on the back of its uniforms this season following the death of former men's basketball player Andy Wiersma. Wiersma died in a car accident south of Marshall on July 27. Wiersma played at SMSU from 2001-06 and following his senior season the men's basketball program honored Wiersma by renaming its “Mustang Award” the “Andy Wiersma Mustang Award”. The award is given each year to an SMSU men's basketball player who exemplifies the qualities of being a Mustang men's basketball student-athlete.
SMSU Signs Three In Early Signing Period:?SMSU head coach Greg Stemen has announced that three high school standouts have signed letters of intent to play basketball for SMSU starting in 2009-10. The three players who signed during the early signing period include 6-4 forward Billy Giddings from Blaine, Minn., 6-10 center Deryck Ludwig from Prior Lake, Minn., and 6-2 guard Matt Zager from Shakopee, Minn.
SMSU Versus Nationally Ranked Opponents:? SMSU is 1-0 versus nationally ranked opponents this season after defeating No. 24 Fort Lewis on Nov. 9 at the Disney Classic. Last season SMSU finished 1-5 versus Top 25 teams losing to No. 10 Southern Indiana, beating No. 14 St. Cloud State, before losing to No. 5 Winona State, No. 8 Northern State, No. 3 Winona State and to No. 4 Northern State. During head coach Greg Stemen's tenure as head coach SMSU is 3-22 versus nationally ranked teams.
Season Openers: Southwest Minnesota State is now 24-18 all-time in season openers after defeating Alaska-Anchorage on Nov. 7 and has now won 11 of its past 13 season lid-lifters. SMSU lost to Western Washington in 2002 and North Dakota in 2006 for its only two season-opening losses since the 1996-97 season.
Mustangs Finish High in NSIC Standings Again:?Southwest Minnesota State's third place finish in the NSIC?last season was its fifth top half finish in Greg Stemen's seven seasons as head coach. SMSU has finished second twice, third twice and fourth once during his tenure. SMSU has finished among the top four in the conference 11 times in the last 13 seasons.
Victory Total Sixth Best in History:?SMSU's 17 victories in 2007-08 is tied for the sixth most in one season in the school's history. SMSU has recorded seven seasons with 17 or more victories in the 41-year history of the program with four of them coming under the direction of head coach Greg Stemen.
SMSU in the Regional Poll:?Southwest Minnesota State was ranked in the NCAA North Central region rankings all six weeks during the 2007-08 season. SMSU was ranked 10th, 10th, 10th, 9th, 9th and 8th in the six polls before the regional tournament was announced.
Andrews Earns Academic All-District Honors: Junior Kevin Andrew was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V College Division third team last season. The College Division District V team consists of student-athletes from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools from the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Sports information directors in the district select the all-academic team.
Mustangs Win 12 At Home in 2007-08:?Southwest Minnesota State finished its 2007-08 home season with a 12-2 record tying for the second most home wins in one season in school history (done four previous times). SMSU also recorded 12 home wins during the 1986-87, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02 seasons. The record is 13 set during the 2006-07 season in 15 games.
New Three-Point Shooting Line: The NCAA?has made a major rule change for men's basketball in 2008-09 as the three-point line has moved to 20-feet 9-inches. The new line is back one foot from the previous 19-feet 9-inches. It's the first time the line has been moved since the three-point line was introduced in 1986-87.
A New Look Northern Sun Conference: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference will have a new look this season as the conference has expanded to 14 schools in the five-state area. Because of the expansion the 14-team schools will now play an unbalanced conference schedule. Teams will now play seven conference teams twice and the six other teams once for a 20-game conference?schedule. SMSU will play Augustana, Bemidji State, Mary, Minnesota Duluth, Upper Iowa and Winona State just once in conference play. The NSIC?tournament, which determines the league's automatic bid to the NCAA?tournament, will still be an eight-team tournament with the semifinals and finals being held at the highest remaining seed.
NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll:?Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish seventh in the 2008-09 NSIC?preseason coaches' poll. NSIC?newcomer, Minnesota State, Mankato was chosen as the preseason favorite pick earning 176 points including seven first place votes. Northern State was picked to finish second receiving 169 points and five first place votes, while Winona State, last year's NCAA?national champion, was selected third with 159 points and two first place votes.
2008-09 NSIC?Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Minnesota State (7) 176
2. Northern State (5) 169
3. Winona State (2) 159
4. Augustana 139
5. St. Cloud State 131
6. Minnesota Duluth 118
7. SMSU 116
8. Concordia-St. Paul 103
9. Wayne State 76
10. MSU Moorhead 69
11. Upper Iowa 68
12. University of Mary 55
13. Bemidji State 51
14. Minnesota, Crookston 26
( ) First Place Votes
History of the Program:?Southwest Minnesota State is in its 42nd season of men's basketball in 2008-09 and begins the season having played 1,113 games with an all-time record of 468-645. SMSU has racked up 16 winning seasons all-time with 10 coming in the last 13 years. The 2000-01 squad won a school record 28 games and captured the program's lone NSIC?championship, while also winning the NCAA?regional championship and advancing to the NCAA?Elite Eight.
SMSU Men's Basketball in NSIC Action:?The 2008-09 season marks the 40th year that SMSU men's basketball has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU has compiled an all-time record of 232-298 (.437) in 530 conference games finishing in the top half of the final conference standings 18 times in 39 seasons. SMSU has had much better success in the conference in recent years, having finished in the top half of the standings in 10 of the last 13 seasons and has recorded a conference record of 125-75 (.625) in 200 games since the 1995-96 season.
Internet Radio, Video & Stats: All SMSU?men's basketball games during the 2008-09 season can be seen and heard on the Internet. A video Webcast is available for all home games and conference games free of charge at www.northernsun.tv while the radio broadcast is available at www.SMSUmustangs.com. Fans can also follow the game on the Internet with live in-game statistics for all home games at www.SMSUmustangs.com and clicking on the “live stats”?link on the right side of the men's basketball page.
Radio Broadcasts:?SMSU?men's basketball will once again be heard all season long on KARL 105.1 FM, Marshall. Sports director Aaron Ziemer will handle the play-by-play for a sixth straight season.
