THIS WEEK - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (5-2, 1-1 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Tuesday night with a road match-up versus the University of Sioux Falls (5-2, 1-1 NSIC). Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stewart Center on the campus of USF. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1, but was postponed due to a snow storm in the area. Following Tuesday's game, SMSU will have played seven of its first eight games on the road, but will return to the R/A Facility this weekend to host U-Mary on Friday night and Minot State on Saturday night.

    BROADCAST INFO - Tuesday's game can be heard on 105.1 FM KARL. Live stats and webcast can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES -
•If SMSU connects on a 3-pointer on Tuesday, it will be the 500th consecutive game SMSU has made at least one 3-pointer. The last time SMSU failed to score a 3-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998, versus MSU Moorhead.
•SMSU's 17-point second half deficit at Upper Iowa on Saturday was its largest come-from-behind victory since rallying from an 18-point deficit in the second half last season at Bemidji State on Feb. 6.
•SMSU has trailed at the half in five of seven games this season.
•SMSU shot a season-high 55 percent in the win at Upper Iowa.
•SMSU has outrebounded its opponents in six of seven games this season.
•SMSU has shot 51 percent or higher in five of seven games this season and has shot 50 percent or higher in eight of 14 halves.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler recorded his 100th career victory last Saturday at Upper Iowa. His 100 victories ranks second in program history. Greg Stemen (2001-09) is the all-time leader with 141 victories.
•SMSU ranks 25th in Division II in field goal pct. (50.1), 48th in free throw pct. (75.0) and 51st in rebound margin (6.1).
•Junior Mitch Weg ranks 17th in Division II in field goal pct. (67.2), 20th in offensive rebounds (3.8) and 98th in rebounding (8.0).
•Weg ranks first in school history in career field goal pct. (58.5, 250 of 427).
•Redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman ranks 73rd in Division in free throw pct. (88.0)
•Weg, who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds versus Northern State on Nov. 19, 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.  
•Sophomore MJ Delmore ranks first in school history in career 3-point field goal pct. (50.5, 55 of 109).

    SERIES HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls meet for the 25th time with SMSU leading 15-9 in a series that started during the 1968-69 season. The series is tied--with each team winning on its home floor--since USF joined the NSIC for the 2012-13 season. USF leads 9-3 in games played in Sioux Falls, including winning the past three games. SMSU's last win at USF was on Dec. 30, 2008, in the Stewart Center. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 3-3 versus Sioux Falls. Complete game-by-game of the series can be found on page 16.

    HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER - Brad Bigler is in his seventh season as head coach at SMSU and has compiled a record of 100-82, including 70-62 in NSIC play. He earned his 100th career victory on Dec. 5 at Upper Iowa. The 100 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 SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE - The Mustangs split a pair of road games to open NSIC play last weekend. SMSU opened with an 86-75 setback to Winona State on Friday night, shooting a season-low 40 percent, including just 6 of 24 from 3-point range. WSU finished the night shooting 53 percent and connecting on 14 3-pointers. Joey Bartlett and Ryan Bruggeman each led the Mustangs with 12 points, while Bartlett grabbed eight rebounds. On Saturday, SMSU rallied from a 17-point second half deficit with 14 minutes remaining to earn an 87-81 win. Mitch Weg scored a team-high 17 points, while Shaun Condon and Taylor Schafer each chipped in with 12 points. SMSU shot a season-worst 58 percent (15 of 26) from the free throw line, but limited UIU to just 39 percent shooting in the second half.
    For the season, SMSU is averaging 81 ppg, shooting 50 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line. SMSU opponents are averaging 78 ppg and shooting 48 percent from the field.

    ABOUT SIOUX FALLS - The Cougars are 5-2 overall, 1-1 NSIC, defeating Upper Iowa (85-79) last Friday, before falling at Winona State (80-69). The loss on Saturday snapped a four-game winning streak. USF, which is 3-0 at home this season, is led by junior guard Mack Johnson, who is averaging 19 ppg with a team-leading 15 3-pointers. Johnson scored a career-high 39 points in the win at UIU and followed that with a 28-point performance versus Winona State to earn NSIC South Player of the Week honors on Monday. Junior forward Daniel Hurtt is scoring 12 ppg with a team-high 6.3 rpg, while shooting 54 percent from the field. USF is averaging 81 ppg, shooting 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range and 68 percent from the free throw line. USF opponents are averaging 66 ppg and shooting 39 percent from the field. USF ranks sixth in the country in rebound margin (10.4) and 21st in field goal pct. defense (39.1).
    Sioux Falls head coach Chris Johnson is in his eighth season with a record of 129-94.
    
    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND THEN SOME - 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. 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 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.

    JOEY BARTLETT NOTES - Has started all seven games ... averaging 12.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg ... scored a season-high 27 points at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... third on the team with nine 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 ... 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 seven games ... averaging 9.0 ppg ... leads team with 30 assists ... has five or more assists in four 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 seven games ... averaging 8.9 ppg ... second on the team with nine 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 seven games ... averaging 3.9 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 seven games ... averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.7 rpg ... has scored season-high 10 points in two games ... has five or more rebounds in four 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 seven games ... averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg ... scored season-high eight points at Upper Iowa (12/5) ... 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 seven games ... averaging 4.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg ... scored eight points at Winona State (12/4) ... grabbed six rebounds at MSU Denver (11/27) ... 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 played in one game ... 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 seven games ... averaging 9.3 ppg ... leads team with 15 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 seven games ... a career 58.5 percent field goal shooter, ranking first in team history ... leads team in both scoring (15.4) and rebounding (8.0) ... 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 seven games ... averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.7 rpg ... scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting at MSU Denver (11/27) ... season-high six rebounds at Winona State (12/4) ... 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 the 2014-15 home season 6-8. It was the program's first home losing season since 2004-05. SMSU is a combined 82-30 at home since the 2007-08 season. The Mustangs are 4-2 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 43-57 in 100 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    4-2    49.2    37.1    71.9    35.5    76.2    14.2        

    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 499 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. During the 2013-14 regular season, SMSU had a 5-3 mark versus teams from the North Division, while in 2012-13, SMSU had a 6-2 record.
    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.

    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.

    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.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC - This season marks the 47th year SMSU men's basketball has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU has an all-time record of 319-363 in 682 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.

    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.