THIS WEEKEND - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (12-11, 8-10 NSIC) closes out its home regular season schedule this weekend with two games at R/A Facility versus NSIC South Division teams. SMSU will face No. 5 Augustana University (20-2, 17-1 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 12, starting at 8 p.m., before taking Wayne State College (5-19, 3-15 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 13, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. SMSU is currently sixth in the NSIC South division standings, while AU is currently first and WSC eighth in the NSIC South standings respectively. SMSU trails both Sioux Falls and Upper Iowa by two games for fourth place in the South Division standings and a home playoff game in the NSIC Tournament on Feb. 24.

    SENIOR NIGHT - Southwest Minnesota State will honor its lone senior on the roster, Shaun Condon, prior to the game on Saturday night. Condon, a native of Clara City, Minn., spent one season (2010-11) at the University of Mary, before transfering to SMSU in 2011. He sat out the 2011-12 season per NSIC transfer rules and also received a medical redshirt during 2014-15 season. He has appeared in 83 games at SMSU with 22 starts, scoring 609 points and connecting on 81 3-pointers. He is a career 44 percent (202 of 463) shooter from the field, including 37 percent (81 of 220) from 3-point range.  

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

    GAME DAY STORYLINES -
•SMSU's last win over a Top 25 team came on Jan. 17, 2014, versus Winona State (73-71). The last time SMSU beat a Top 10 team came at Minnesota State, 80-78, on March 3, 2010.
•Sophomore Carter Kirk ranks first in the NSIC (conference games only) in field goal pct. (65.5).
•SMSU's 100 points vs. Minnesota Crookston on Saturday was its second highest total this season.
•SMSU's current 49.9 percent field goal pct. would rank as the second highest in team history.
•SMSU is 7-3 at home this season surpassing last season's total of six home victories.
•Redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman became the 16th player in team history to reach 100 assists in a single-season last Saturday. He begins this weekend with a team-high 103.
•Bruggeman's 4.5 assists per game is the highest since LaRon Dawn averaged 5.2 in 2004-05.
•Bruggeman scored a career-high 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting with five 3-pointers in SMSU's win over Bemidji State last Friday.
•SMSU opponents have made 10 or more 3-pointers in seven of the last 12 games and 10 times overall.
•Junior Mitch Weg has a team-high four double-doubles this season.
•SMSU has outrebounded its opponents or been tied in 22 of 23 games this season.
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher in 12 of 23 games this season and has shot 50 percent or higher in 23 of 46 halves.
•SMSU has allowed 80 or more points in 10 of 18 NSIC games.
•SMSU has trailed at halftime in 13 of 23 games this season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler recorded his 100th career victory on Dec. 5 at Upper Iowa. His 107 victories ranks second in program history. Greg Stemen (2001-09) is the all-time leader with 141 victories.
•Junior Mitch Weg ranks first in school history in career field goal pct. (57.7, 314 of 544).
•Sophomore MJ Delmore ranks first in school history in career 3-point field goal pct. (49.6, 69 of 139).

    SOUTH VS. NORTH - SMSU finished 3-5 versus teams from the NSIC North Division during the conference season. SMSU is 19-13 versus NSIC North Division teams in conference play since divisions were introduced during the 2012-13 season. SMSU finished 5-3 versus teams North teams in conference play last season, recorded a 5-3 mark in 2013-14, while in 2012-13, posted a 6-2 record.
    The NSIC South holds a 161-95 advantage over NSIC North teams in regular season play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, including finishing with a 37-27 record this season. Last season the South finished 35-29 versus the North, in 2013-14 the South finished 42-22, while in 2012-13, the South went 47-17.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA STATS - SMSU ranks high in several categories in the latest Division II stats (Feb. 8). SMSU ranks 11th field goal pct. (49.9), 30th in rebound margin (5.9), 39th in assists (363), 59th in assists per game (15.8) and 97th in scoring (80.5). Mitch Weg ranks 42nd in offensive rebounds (3.1), while Ryan Bruggeman ranks 49th in total assists (103), 74th in assists per game (4.5) and 94th in assist turnover ratio (2.06). A complete listing of the NCAA stats are found on page 16.

    SMSU IN THE NSIC STATS - In the conference stats (NSIC games only), SMSU ranks second in rebounding, third in field goal pct., eighth in scoring, 12th in 3-point field goal pct., 12th in free throw pct., 13th in 3-point field goal pct. defense and 15th in scoring defense.
    Carter Kirk ranks first in field goal pct., Ryan Bruggeman is fifth in steals and seventh in assists per game, Mitch Weg ranks eighth in rebounding and 11th in field goal pct., while Taylor Schafer is 14th in 3-pointers made. A complete listing of the NSIC stats are found on page 14-15.

    SERIES HISTORY -     Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana meet for the 29th time in a series dating back to 1972-73. Augustana leads the series 17-11, but SMSU holds an 8-6 advantage in games played in Marshall. Augustana has won the last three games, including 99-75 earlier this season in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 3. SMSU's last victory came on Jan. 25, 2014, in Sioux Falls, while its last home win in the series was on Dec. 6, 2013. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 4-8 versus Augustana.
    Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State meet for the 65th time in a series dating back to 1969-70. WSC leads the series 37-27, but SMSU holds a 19-13 advantage in games played in Marshall. SMSU has won the last 16 games played in Marshall, with WSC's last win coming during the 1999-2000 season. SMSU has won 14 of the last 17 meetings since Feb. 16, 2008, including earlier this season on Jan. 2, in Wayne, 82-73. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-3 versus WSC.
    A complete game-by-game of each series can be found on pages 18-19.

    LAST TIME VERSUS AUGUSTANA AND WAYNE STATE - No. 2 Augustana forced 18 SMSU turnovers in a 99-75 victory in Sioux Falls on Jan. 3. Augustana finished the game with outscoring SMSU 27-4 in points off of turnovers. SMSU finished shooting 48 percent from the field, but were just 5 of 17 from 3-point range. Carter Kirk paced the Mustang offense scoring 14 points on 6 of 10 attempts, while Ryan Bruggeman added 12 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor and MJ Delmore scored 11 on 4 of 7 field goals and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Augustana finished the game shooting 47 percent from the floor and connected on 13 3-pointers. Casey Schilling led the Vikings scoring a game-high 23 points, while Daniel Jansen added 18 points and eight rebounds.
    SMSU held off a late Wayne State charge to earn an 82-73 win on Jan. 2 in Wayne, Neb. The Mustangs held a 67-42 lead with 10 minutes left in the game, before the Wildcats rallied to cut the deficit to 74-68 with one minute left in the game. SMSU made enough free throws down the stretch to seal the win. SMSU finished shooting 50.9 percent, while WSC  shot 42.4 percent, including making 10 3-pointers. Five Mustangs scored double-digit points as Joey Bartlett led the team with 14 points.
    The box scores from both games can be found on pages 20-21.

    HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER - Brad Bigler is in his seventh season as head coach at SMSU and has compiled a record of 107-91, including 77-71 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, 36, 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 17.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE - Southwest Minnesota State swept a pair of NSIC North teams last weekend at the R/A Facility, earning a 97-91 win over Bemidji State and a 100-68 victory over Minnesota Crookston. Ryan Bruggeman poured in a career-high 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting with five 3-pointers in the win over BSU. Mitch Weg added 21 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Mustangs, which finished shooting 61 percent (36 of 59) from the field. SMSU shot a season-high 64 percent and held a 42-17 rebound advantage in earning the win over Minnesota Crookston. SMSU had six players score in double figures with Carter Kirk leading the way with 14 points and eight rebounds. For the season, SMSU is averaging 81 ppg, shooting 50 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and hold a +5.9 rebound margin. SMSU opponents are averaging 81 ppg and shooting 49 percent from the field.

    ABOUT AUGUSTANA - The Vikings are 20-2 overall, 17-1 NSIC, and recently had their 19-game winning streak snapped last Friday with a 90-81 road loss to Northern State. Augustana rebounded the following night with a 94-86 win at No. 8 MSU Moorhead. Augustana is led by senior forward Daniel Jansen, who is averaging 19.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg, while senior forward Casey Schilling averages 19 ppg and 10 rpg. Jansen and Schilling rank first and second in the NSIC in rebounding. Senior guard Alex Richter has a team-high 48 3-pointers and averages 14 ppg, while sophomore Jordan Spencer is averaging 9.0 ppg and had dished out an NSIC-leading 155 assists. Augustana is averaging 92 ppg, shooting 49 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and is a plus-7.9 in rebound margin. Augustana opponents are averaging 72 ppg and shooting 44 percent from the field. Augustana head coach Tom Billeter is in his 13th season with a record of 233-143. He was head coach at North Dakota State for five seasons (1992-1997).
 
    ABOUT WAYNE STATE - The Wildcats are 5-19 overall, 3-15 NSIC, and begin the weekend on a three-game losing streak and have seven of their last eight. WSC plays at Sioux Falls on Friday night. WSC is led by sophomore guard Matt Thomas, who is averaging 16.9 ppg with 73 assists and 39 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Jordan Corneluis averages 10.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg and has a team-high 42 3-pointers, while redshirt freshman forward Adam Moom averages 9.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg. WSC is averaging 75 ppg, shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is a minus-4.0 in rebound margin. WSC opponents are averaging 85 ppg and shooting 51 percent from the field. WSC head coach Brian Dolan is in his third season with a record of 21-60. He was head coach at Upper Iowa for seven seasons prior to taking over at WSC.

    JOEY BARTLETT NOTES - Has started all 23 games ... averaging 11.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories ... third on the team with 22 3-pointers ... scored a season-high 27 points at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... 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 played in four games ... scored four points on two field goals vs. Minnesota Crookston (2/6) ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season ... younger brother of teammate Joey.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES - Has started all 23 games ... averaging 9.6 ppg ... scored career-high 23 points vs. Bemidji State (2/5) ... scored game-winning shot with 4.5 seconds remaining versus Minot State (12/12) ... leads team with 103 assists ... season-high nine assists vs. Minnesota State (1/22) ... has five or more assists in 12 games ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    SHAUN CONDON NOTES - Has played in all 23 games with 22 starts ... averaging 8.1 ppg ... second on the team with 24 3-pointers ... scored career-high 27 points vs. Minnesota State (1/22) ... 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 22 games ... averaging 5.0 ppg ... scored season-high 13 points vs. Minnesota Crookston (2/6) on 5 of 6 shooting ... ranks first in school history in career 3-point field goal pct. (49.6, 69 of 139) ...  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 23 games ... averaging 9.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg ... leads the NSIC in field goal pct. ... shooting 66 percent from the field ... scored career-high 19 points on 9 of 10 shooting vs. Minot State (12/12) ... first career double-double vs. Winona State (1/9) ... has five or more rebounds in 14 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 played in all 23 games with 14 starts ... averaging 3.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg ... scored season-high nine points vs. Sioux Falls (12/19) ... career-high six rebounds vs. Upper Iowa (1/8) ... only true freshman to play this season.

    JAKE MAIERS NOTES - Has played in four games and has scored four points ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    TURNER MOEN NOTES - Has played in 23 games with nine starts ... averaging 5.5 ppg and 3.2 rpg ... scored season-high 10 points at Sioux Falls (12/8) and at Wayne State (1/2) ... grabbed six rebounds at MSU Denver (11/27) and at Sioux Falls (12/8) ... 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 11 games ... averaging 3.7 ppg ... scored season-high 10 points vs. Concordia-St. Paul (1/23) ... had career-highs in rebounds (7) and assists (7) at MSU Moorhead (1/16) ... played in 18 games with 12 starts in 2014-15, but 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 23 games with one start ... averaging 9.4 ppg ... leads team with 49 3-pointers ... scored career-high 23 points at Minnesota Duluth with a career-high six 3-pointers ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    MITCH WEG NOTES - Has started all 23 games ... a career 57.7 percent field goal shooter ranking first in team history ... leads team in both scoring (12.5) and rebounding (7.3) ... scored season-high 21 points vs. Northern State (11/9) ... grabbed season-high 13 rebounds at Regis (11/28) ... leads team with four double-doubles ... played in all 29 games with 17 starts in 2014-15 ... averaged 12.1 ppg ... led team with 6.1 rpg ... 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 21 games ... averaging 4.5 ppg and 2.5 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.

    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND THEN SOME - Southwest Minnesota State has reached 100 points in two games this season. SMSU'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 College during the 1997-98 season. The school record is 126 versus Northland College during the 1999-2000 season. SMSU is 35-8 all-time when reaching 100 points in a game following its 100-68 win over Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 6.

    WEG NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - SMSU junior forward Mitch Weg was named the NSIC 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. Weg 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.  

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES -  Southwest Minnesota State has six current players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including seven 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 four times, including twice this season, redshirt freshmen Ryan Bruggeman has done it twice  this season, senior Shaun Condon has done it once this season and three times in his career, while Taylor Schafer has done it once this season. Sophomore Turner Moen scored 20 or more points twice last season.

    HOME AND AWAY - SMSU is 7-3 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 88-33 at home since the 2007-08 season. The Mustangs are 5-8 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 44-63 in 107 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 2015-16:
    W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    7-3    51.6    39.2    74.6    36.1    83.9    11.8    
Away    5-8    48.6    35.7    70.2    35.2    77.9    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 195-75 (.722) in 270 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 515 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.

    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 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 326-372 in 698 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 1,342 games compiling an all-time record of 599-743. 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).