THIS WEEK - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (2-2) hits the road for a pair of non-games this Friday and Saturday versus Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams in Denver, Colo. SMSU will take on Metro State University of Denver (2-2) on Friday night with tip-off set for 8 p.m. CST at the Auraria Event Center. On Saturday, SMSU will battle with Regis University (1-2) at the Regis Fieldhouse starting at 6 p.m. CST.

    BROADCAST INFO - Both games this weekend can be heard on 105.1 FM KARL. Live stats and webcast can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES -
•SMSU's 111 points last week versus Northern State ties for the second most in team history. The last time SMSU scored 111 points came versus Martin Luther during the 1997-98 season. The school record is 126 versus Northland College during the 1999-2000 season.
•SMSU's overtime victory vs. Northern State snapped a three-game losing streak in overtime games. SMSU's last overtime win occurred on Jan. 19, 2013, at MSU Moorhead.
•SMSU is now just 4-11 in overtime games since the 2006-07 season.
•SMSU is now 3-60 all-time when an opponent scores 100 or more points following the 111-105 overtime win over Northern State.  
•SMSU ranks 11th in Division II in field goal pct. (53.2), 33rd in free throw pct. (77.6) and 37th in 3-point field goal pct. (43.1).
•Junior Mitch Weg ranks 21st in Division II in field goal pct. (70.4).
•Weg, who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds versus Northern State, is the first SMSU player to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds in a single game since Nick Smith (20-10) on Jan. 11, 2013.  
•Redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman scored a career-high 22 points in the win vs. Northern State.
•SMSU will be playing an RMAC school for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
•SMSU has outrebounded all three of its opponents this season.
•SMSU has shot 51 percent or higher in all three games this season and has shot 50 percent or higher in four of six halves.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is three victories shy of reaching 100 for his career. His 97 victories ranks second in program history. Greg Stemen (2001-09) is the all-time leader with 141 victories.
•In 2014-15, SMSU shot 50 percent or higher from the field in 14 of 29 games last season.
•In 2014-15, SMSU shot 50 percent or higher from the field in 27 of the 58 halves played last season.

    WEG NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - SMSU junior forward Mitch Weg was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball South Division Player of the Week on Monday following his performance versus Northern State last Thursday. Weg is the first SMSU player to earn the conference weekly award since the 2012-13 season. Weg scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in SMSU's 111-105 non-conference win over Northern State. His field goal with 7.8 seconds remaining in regulation tied the score at 98, sending the game into overtime. Weg also had three blocked shots and one assist with zero turnovers in 33 minutes. He closed the night connecting on 7 of 11 shots from the field and was 7 of 8 from the free throw line. It was the third 20-plus point scoring game and the fourth double-double of his career.

    SERIES HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State and Metro State will be meeting for the first time ever on Friday night.     SMSU and Regis will meet up for just the second time in program history with Regis leading 1-0. The Rangers defeated the Mustangs, 65-57 in Denver during the 1999-2000 season. This will be SMSU's first games versus a team from the RMAC since defeating Fort Lewis (Colo.), 79-65 at the Disney Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2008.  

    HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER - Brad Bigler is in his seventh season as head coach at SMSU and has compiled a record of 97-81, including 69-61 in NSIC play. His 97 victories ranks second all-time in team history. The 2012-13 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to four winning seasons, including a pair of 19-win seasons during his six seasons. In 2011-12, SMSU won 19 games, captured the NSIC tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third time in program history. SMSU's 11th head coach, Bigler spent six seasons (2003-09) as an assistant coach at SMSU, including the last three as associate head coach. Bigler, 35, played at SMSU from 1997-2002 and finished his career as one of the winningest players in school history, compiling a record of 83-36 during his four-year playing career. He was a member of SMSU's 2001 NSIC and NCAA region championship team and ended his career appearing in 118 games and currently ranks sixth in school history with 286 assists. Bigler's complete bio is found on page 15.

    ABOUT METRO STATE - The Roadrunners are 2-2 on the season heading into Friday night's game. MSUD, which was picked to win the RMAC, lost its first two games, but earned win last weekend versus Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. Senior guard Tony Dobbinson, sophomore guard Peter Moller and junior forward Andre Harris are all averaging 11 points per game through four games with Dobbinson connecting on a team-high seven 3-pointers. Harris is averaging a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. MSUD is averaging 62.2 ppg, shooting 37 percent from the field, 28 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line. MSUD opponents are averaging 63 ppg and shooting 43 percent from the field.
    Metro State head coach Derrick Clark is in his sixth season with a record of 139-28. He has led the Roadrunners to five NCAA tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2013.

    ABOUT REGIS - The Rangers, picked to finish 11th in the 16-team RMAC, are 1-2 on the season and will play at Colorado College on Tuesday and host Pittsburg State (Kan.) on Friday before facing SMSU. Freshman guard Jarrett Brodbeck is averaging a team-high 15.7 ppg with a team-leading 10 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Dexter Sienko is scoring 14 ppg and leads the team with 8.3 rpg. Regis is averaging 64.7 ppg, shooting 44 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range and 59 percent from the free throw line. Regis opponents are averaging 70 ppg and shooting 42 percent from the field.
    Regis head coach Brady Bergeson is in his first season. Prior to Regis, he spent four seasons as head coach at Western Oregon compiling a record of 69-45.


    MUSTANGS DEFEAT NORTHERN STATE - Mitch Weg scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and scored the game-tying shot near the end of regulation, to help lead Southwest Minnesota State to a thrilling 111-105 overtime victory over Northern State on Nov. 19 at the R/A Facility. Ryan Bruggeman also had a big night for SMSU, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting with four assists, three steals and three rebounds. Shaun Condon, Joey Bartlett and Carter Kirk (10) all reached double figure scoring for the Mustangs. SMSU finished the game shooting 54 percent (38 of 70) from the field with seven 3-pointers. The Mustangs were outstanding from the foul line, making 28 of 32 free throws. The Mustangs finished with a 36-33 rebound advantage.

    2015-16 NSIC PRESEASON POLL - Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish eighth overall and fourth in the South Division in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released in October. Augustana was chosen as the overall preseason favorite earning 225 points, including all 15 first-place votes and was also picked to win the South Division. SMSU junior forward Joey Bartlett was named an "NSIC Player to Watch" for the 2015-16 season.

    JOEY BARTLETT NOTES - Has started all three games ... scored a season-high 27 points at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... averaging 16 ppg ... tied for team lead with seven 3-pointers ... led the team in scoring last season with 13.8 ppg ... tied for team-lead with 58 3-pointers ...  scored double figures in 19 games ... had seven 20-point scoring games ... older brother of teammate Kolin.

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES - Has not appeared in any games ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season ... younger brother of teammate Joey.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES - Has started all three games ... averaging 10.3 ppg ... leads team with 15 assists ... scored career-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting vs. Northern State (11/19) ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    SHAUN CONDON NOTES - Has started all three games ... scored season-high 14 points vs. Northern State (11/19) ... played in just three games in 2014-15 due to an injury ... led team in 2013-14 with 39 3-pointers and shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range, ranking eighth best in team history.

    MJ DELMORE NOTES - Has played in all three games ... scored eight points vs. Northern State (11/19) ... played in 29 games with 17 starts in 2014-15 ... averaged 8.9 ppg ... had 12 double figure scoring games ... led team with 77 assists ...

    CARTER KIRK NOTES - Has played in all three games ... scored season-high 10 points vs. Northern State (11/19) ... scored nine points vs. Emporia State (11/15) ... one of two true freshman to play in 2014-15 ... played in all 29 games with 15 starts ... averaged 8.2 ppg and ranked second on the team with 5.4 rpg.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES - Has started all three games ... scored six points vs. Northern State (11/19) and Emporia State (11/15) ... only true freshman to play this season.

    JAKE MAIERS NOTES - Has not appeared in any games ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    TURNER MOEN NOTES - Has played in all three games ... scored six points vs. Northern State (11/19) and at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... grabbed five rebounds vs. Emporia State ... one of two true freshman to play in 2014-15 ... played in all 28 games with 18 starts ... averaged 7.5 ppg with 25 3-pointers ... averaged 3.7 rpg.

    DREW OSMUNDSON NOTES - Has not appeared in any games ... played in 18 games with 12 starts in 2014-15 ... missed the last 11 games with a season-ending injury ... finished third on the team with 51 assists ... averaged 5.7 ppg and 2.0 rpg.

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES - Has played in all three games ... scored career-high 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting with four 3-pointers vs. Emporia State (11/15) ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    MITCH WEG NOTES - Has started all three games ... scored season-high 21 points with 10 rebounds vs. Northern State (11/9)  ... leads the team in scoring and rebounding ... played in all 29 games with 17 starts in 2014-15 ... averaged 12.1 ppg, ranking third on the team ... led team with 6.1 rpg ... scored double figures in 19 games ... shot 55.6 percent from the field ... made team-high 76 free throws on a team-high 96 attempts ... finished ranking fourth in the NSIC in free throw pct. (84.1), seventh in field goal pct. (56.5) and seventh in rebounding (6.2).

    JOSH WEIX NOTES - Has played in all three games ... scored seven points vs. Emporia State (11/15) ... grabbed five rebounds vs. Northern State (11/19) ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES -  Southwest Minnesota State has five current players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers. Sophomore Joey Bartlett has reached the 20-point mark nine times, including once this season. Junior Mitch Weg has reached the mark three times, including once this season, while redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman has done it once this season. Senior Shaun Condon and sophomore Turner Moen have each reached 20 or more points twice in their career.

    HOME AND AWAY - SMSU is 1-0 at home this season after finishing 6-8 at home last season, suffering its first home losing season since 2004-05. SMSU is a combined 82-30 at home since the 2007-08 season. The Mustangs are 1-1 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 40-56 in 96 road/neutral site games since 2009-10. The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2014-15:
    W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    1-0    54.3    43.8    87.5    36.0    111.0    10.0    
Away    1-1    52.5    42.9    70.5    34.5    77.5    14.5        

    HOME SWEET HOME - The 2015-16 season is the 20th year that the R/A Facility has been the home arena for SMSU men's basketball. The facility has proven to be a tough place for opponents with SMSU compiling a record of 189-72 (.724) in 261 all-time games with just two losing seasons (2004-05 and 2014-15). SMSU has recorded double figure home victories in eight of the past 10 seasons.

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES - Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 495 straight games. The last time SMSU failed to score a 3-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998, versus MSU Moorhead at the North Dakota State Classic in Fargo, N.D.

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NORTH - SMSU finished 5-3 versus teams from the NSIC North Division during conference play during the 2014-15 season. SMSU closed the 2013-14 regular season with a 5-3 mark versus teams from the North Division, while finishing 6-2 in 2012-13.
    Last season the NSIC South finished 35-29 versus teams from the NSIC North. In 2013-14, the NSIC South finished 42-22 versus teams from the NSIC North during the regular season. The NSIC South holds a 124-68 advantage versus NSIC North teams in regular season games since divisions were formed in 2012-13.  
 
    WORKING OVERTIME - SMSU is 43-37 all-time in overtime games, including 1-0 this season, following the win over Northern State on Nov. 19. SMSU has struggled in overtime games in recent seasons, going 4-11 since 2006-07. SMSU's last overtime win prior to this season was Jan. 19, 2013, at MSU Moorhead. SMSU is 6-6 all-time in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games.

    SMSU SIGNS TWO DURING EARLY PERIOD - Southwest Minnesota State announced on Nov. 12 that high school standouts, guard Nick Dufault from Waseca, Minn., and forward Braedan Hanson from Grand Forks, N.D., signed Letters of Intent during the early signing period.

    2014-15 SMSU SEASON RECAP - Southwest Minnesota State University finished the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 12-17, placed fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division and 11th overall with a record of 8-14. SMSU had a 9-4 record on Jan.3, but a six-game losing streak dropped SMSU's mark to 9-10. Following three straight wins, SMSU closed the regular season with four straight losses and then dropped a 93-83 decision to St. Cloud State in the first round of the NSIC tournament. SMSU has now finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 14 of the last 18 seasons since 1997-98.

    MUSTANG HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State is in its 49th season of men's basketball and has played 1,322 games compiling an all-time record of 589-733. SMSU has won two NSIC regular season championships (2001 & 2009), one NSIC tournament championship (2012), two NCAA region championships (2001 & 2009) and appeared in three NCAA tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012). SMSU has recorded 21 winning seasons in program history with 14 coming in the last 17 years (including this season).  

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC - The 2015-16 conference season marks the 47th year SMSU men's basketball has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU has an all-time record of 318-362 in 680 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 23 times in 46 seasons. SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 14 of the last 18 seasons (including this season) since 1997-98.

    RADIO - SMSU men's basketball can be heard all season long on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik handling the play-by-play duties. Games can be heard via the Internet at marshallradio.net. All NSIC games can be viewed at SMSUmustangs.com/watch.