THIS WEEK - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (4-1, 0-0 NSIC) opens the 2015-16 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season this Friday and Saturday with a pair of road games. SMSU will take on Winona State University (1-4, 0-1 NSIC) on Friday, Dec. 4, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. at McCown Gymnasium. The Mustangs close the weekend on Saturday, Dec. 5, facing Upper Iowa University (5-4, 1-0 NSIC) at Dorman Gymnasium with game time set for 6 p.m.
    Southwest Minnesota State was scheduled to open NSIC play on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the University of Sioux Falls, but that was postponed due to a snow storm in the area. The game will now be played on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the Stewart Center on the campus of USF starting at 7 p.m.  

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

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC - Friday's game will begin 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 since 1997-98.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES -
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is one victory shy of reaching 100 for his career. His 99 victories ranks second in program history. Greg Stemen (2001-09) is the all-time leader with 141 victories.
•SMSU ranks 17th in Division II in free throw pct. (77.8), 20th in field goal pct. (51.3) and 30th in rebound margin (8.2).
•Junior Mitch Weg ranks eighth in Division II in field goal pct. (72.7), 12th in offensive rebounds (4.4) and 41st in rebounding (9.6).
•Redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman ranks 30th in Division in free throw pct. (94.7)
•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.  
•SMSU has outrebounded all five of its opponents this season.
•SMSU has shot 51 percent or higher in four of five games this season and has shot 50 percent or higher in six of 10 halves.
•SMSU's 111 points versus Northern State on Nov. 19 tied 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 prior to this season occurred on Jan. 19, 2013, at MSU Moorhead.
•SMSU is now 4-11 in overtime games since the 2006-07 season.

    SERIES HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State meet for the 102nd time in a series dating back to 1968-69 with WSU leading, 66-35. WSU holds a 38-10 advantage in games played in Winona, including winning the last 15 games played at McCown Gym. SMSU's last victory versus WSU in Winona occurred during the 2001-02 season. WSU has won 23 of the last 27 meetings since 2004-05. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 4-9 versus Winona State.
    Southwest Minnesota State and Upper Iowa meet for the 21st time with SMSU leading 16-4 in a series dating back to 1979-80. SMSU leads 5-3 in games played in Fayette. UIU has won the last three games in the series, including 105-103 in overtime last season in Fayette. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-3 versus Upper Iowa.  
    Complete game-by-game results of both series can be found on pages 16-17.

    HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER - Brad Bigler is in his seventh season as head coach at SMSU and has compiled a record of 99-81, including 69-61 in NSIC play. His 99 victories rank 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 SMSU - Southwest Minnesota State closed non-conference play last weekend with a pair of road victories in Denver. SMSU opened the weekend with a 75-59 win over MSU Denver on Friday night with Mitch Weg scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Josh Weix scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Carter Kirk added 10 points and five rebounds. On Saturday, Weg scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to help SMSU defeat Regis (Colo.), 65-63. Taylor Schafer drilled five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 17 points.
    SMSU is averaging 81 ppg, shooting 51 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 78 percent from the free throw line. SMSU opponents are averaging 76 ppg and shooting 48 percent from the field.

    ABOUT WINONA STATE - The Warriors are 1-4 overall, 0-1 NSIC, after losing at Upper Iowa, 79-74 to open conference play last Saturday. The Warriors have lost four straight games. Junior forward Kyle Bauman is one of three Warrior players to average double figure scoring this season at 10.6 ppg and is also the team leader in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Senior forward Mark Blacklock (10.4) and junior guard Riley Bambenek (10.0) also both average scoring in double figures. WSU is averaging 69 ppg, shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line. WSU opponents are averaging 74 ppg and shooting 49 percent from the field.
    Winona State head coach Todd Eisner is in his first season with a record of 1-4. Prior to taking over at WSU this summer, Eisner was head coach at Midland University (Neb.), Viterbo (Wis.), Bellevue (Neb.) and Benedictine (Kan.).




    ABOUT UPPER IOWA - The Peacocks are 5-4 overall, 1-0 NSIC, after defeating Winona State last Saturday. UIU hosts Sioux Falls on Friday night. After losing three straight games to begin the season, UIU has won five of its last six games entering the weekend. Junior center Josh Weeber is averaging 13.1 ppg with 19 3-pointers, while junior guard Luke Lenhart is scoring 12.1 ppg and has connected on a team-high 22 3-pointers. UIU is averaging 80 ppg, shooting 45 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line. UIU opponents are averaging 78 ppg and shooting 44 percent from the field.
    Upper Iowa head coach Brooks McKowen is in his third season with a record of 38-31. He was an assistant coach at SMSU prior to taking over at UIU.

    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND MORE - Southwest Minnesota State's 111-105 overtime win over Northern State on Nov. 19 tied for the second most points scored in a game in school history. SMSU is now 34-8 all-time when reaching 100 points in a game.

    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 Nov. 23. 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.

    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 five games ... averaging 12.8 ppg and 4.4 rpg ... scored a season-high 27 points at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... second on the team with eight 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 five games ... averaging 9.0 ppg ... leads team with 23 assists ... has five or more assists in three games ... 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 five games ... averaging 8.0 ppg ... third on the team with five 3-pointers ...  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 five games ... averaging 4.8 ppg ... 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 five games ... averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg ... has scored season-high 10 points in two games ... has five or more rebounds in three games ... 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 five games ... averaging 2.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg ... 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 five games ... averaging 4.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg ... 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 five games ... averaging 9.4 ppg ... leads team with 13 3-pointers ... scored career-high 17 points at Regis (11/28) with five 3-pointers ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    MITCH WEG NOTES - Has started all five games ... leads team in both scoring (17.0) and rebounding (9.6) ... scored season-high 21 points vs. Northern State (11/9) ... grabbed season-high 13 rebounds at Regis (11/28) ... leads team with three double-doubles ... played in all 29 games with 17 starts in 2014-15 ... averaged 12.1 ppg ... led team with 6.1 rpg ... scored double figures in 19 games ... shot 55.6 percent from the field ... 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 five games ... averaging 6.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg ... scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting at MSU Denver (11/27) ... has grabbed five rebounds in two games ... 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, including three times this season. 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 3-1 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 42-56 in 98 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    3-1    50.2    41.0    73.7    35.5    73.8    14.8        

    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 497 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 1,324 games compiling an all-time record of 591-733. 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).  

    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.