THIS WEEKEND - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (13-12, 9-11 NSIC) concludes the regular season this weekend with a pair of games versus NSIC South Division teams. SMSU will face Concordia University-St. Paul (11-15, 8-12 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 19, starting at 8 p.m., at the Gangelhoff Center, before taking Minnesota State University (18-8, 13-7 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 13, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. at the Taylor Center. MSU is ranked No. 5 in the first NCAA Central Region rankings released on Wednesday. SMSU is currently sixth in the NSIC South division standings, while CSP is currently seventh and MSU second, in the NSIC South standings respectively. SMSU trails Sioux Falls by two games for fourth place in the South Division standings and a possible home playoff game in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 24.

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

    NSIC/SANFORD HEALTH TOURNAMENT - Southwest Minnesota State still has a chance at hosting a first round game in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 24. SMSU trails Sioux Falls by two games in the standings, meaning SMSU must win twice, have USF lose twice and also have Upper Iowa lose once this weekend, to create a tie for fourth place. The seeds would then be sorted via the NSIC tiebreaker system. The NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament bracket can be found on page 22.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES -
•Sophomore Carter Kirk ranks first in the NSIC (conference games only) in field goal pct. (66.4).
•SMSU's 50 percent field goal pct. this season ranks second highest in team history.
•SMSU's 81.1 points per game ranks fifth highest in team history.
•Junior Joey Bartlett has scored 947 career points ranking 22nd in school history. He needs 42 points to tie James Ashley (1985-87) for 21st in team history. A total of 19 players have scored 1,000 points in program history.
•Redshirt freshman Ryan Bruggeman two weeks ago became the 16th player in team history to reach 100 assists in a single-season. He begins this weekend with a team-high 114, which currently ranks seventh in single-season team history.
•Bruggeman's 4.6 assists per game is the highest since LaRon Dawn averaged 5.2 in 2004-05 and currently ranks fourth highest in team history.
•Junior Mitch Weg has a team-high five double-doubles this season.
•SMSU opponents have made 10 or more 3-pointers in eight of the last 14 games and 11 times overall.
•SMSU has outrebounded its opponents or been tied in 23 of 25 games this season.
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher in 13 of 24 games this season and has shot 50 percent or higher in 26 of 50 halves.
•SMSU has allowed 80 or more points in 11 of 19 NSIC games.
•SMSU has trailed at halftime in 14 of 25 games this season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler recorded his 100th career victory on Dec. 5 at Upper Iowa. His 108 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. (58.0, 325 of 560).
•Sophomore MJ Delmore ranks first in school history in career 3-point field goal pct. (50.7, 72 of 142).

    SMSU IN THE NSIC STATS - In the conference stats (NSIC games only), SMSU ranks second in rebounding, third in field goal pct., seventh in scoring, 10th in 3-point field goal pct., 11th in free throw pct., 15th in 3-point field goal pct. defense, 15th in scoring defense and 16th in field goal pct. defense.
    Carter Kirk ranks first in field goal pct., Ryan Bruggeman is fourth in steals, seventh in assists per game and eighth in 3-point field goal pct., Mitch Weg ranks seventh in rebounding and eighth in field goal pct., while Taylor Schafer is 15th in 3-pointers made. A complete listing of the NSIC stats are found on page 14-15.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA STATS - SMSU ranks high in several categories in the latest Division II stats (Feb. 16). SMSU ranks 12th field goal pct. (50.0), 34th in rebound margin (5.8), 37th in assists (400), 49th in assists per game (16.0) and 85th in scoring (81.1). Mitch Weg ranks 46th in offensive rebounds (3.0), while Ryan Bruggeman ranks 38th in steals (46), 45th in total assists (114) and 64th in assists per game (4.6). A complete listing of the NCAA stats are found on page 16.

    SERIES HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul meet for the 35th time with SMSU leading 25-9 in a series dating back to 1980-81. SMSU holds a 10-6 advantage in games played in St. Paul. SMSU won the last meeting played last month in Marshall, 78-55. CSP won both games last season, including 74-67 in St. Paul on Jan. 24, 2015. SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-5 versus CSP.
    Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State meet for the 54th time in a series that started during the 1969-70 season. MSU leads the overall series 39-14, including 20-7 in games played in Marshall. SMSU's win last month in Marshall, 85-71, snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series. Prior to last month, SMSU's last win in the series came on Feb. 25, 2012, in Mankato (79-71). SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 4-11 versus MSU.  
    A complete game-by-game of each series can be found on pages 18-19.

    LAST TIME VERSUS CSP AND MSU - SMSU connected on a season-high 12 3-pointers and limited Concordia-St. Paul to 36 percent shooting in earning a 78-55 victory in Marshall on Jan. 23. SMSU's Taylor Schafer scored 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Joey Bartlett added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Drew Osmundson chipped in a season-high 10 points. The 36 percent shooting by CSP, which included just 1 of 13 from 3-point range, was a season-low for an SMSU opponent. The 23-point victory was also the largest for SMSU this season.
    Shaun Condon scored a career-high 27 points on 10 of 13 shooting with three 3-pointers to lead SMSU to an 85-71 victory over Minnesota State on Jan. 22 in Marshall. SMSU closed the night shooting 56 percent (33 of 59) from the field, including 8 of 17 from 3-point range. The Mustangs also held a 33-29 rebound advantage and committed just eight turnovers. MSU shot 47 percent from the field, but were just 3 of 15 from 3-point range.
    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 108-92, including 78-72 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 split its final two regular season home games last weekend, losing to No. 5 Augustana, 103-88, before bouncing back with an 88-76 victory over Wayne State. Joey Bartlett scored a team-high 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting in the loss to Augustana, while Shaun Condon added 17 points with three 3-pointers. In the win over Wayne State, Ryan Bruggeman scored a team-high 15 points with seven assists, five steals and four rebounds. For the season, SMSU is averaging 81 ppg, shooting 50 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and hold a +5.8 rebound margin. SMSU opponents are averaging 82 ppg and shooting 49 percent from the field.

    ABOUT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - The Golden Bears are 11-15 overall, 8-12 NSIC, and have won five of six games since losing to SMSU on Jan. 23. Senior guard Cole Olstad averages a team-high 15.2 ppg and also leads the team with 49 3-pointers and 70 assists. He ranks fourth on the CSP career scoring list with 1,441 points. Senior forward Shea Mandli is scoring 11.3 ppg with 6.3 rpg, while freshman guard Bryndan Matthews averages 11.1 ppg with 5.6 rpg. CSP is averaging 74 ppg, shooting 43 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and is a plus-2.6 in rebound margin. CSP opponents are averaging 80 ppg and shooting 45 percent from the field. CSP head coach Joey James is in his second season with a record of 30-26. He was also head coach at the University of South Dakota for one season in 2013-14.
 
    ABOUT MINNESOTA STATE - The Mavericks are 18-8 overall, 13-7 NSIC, will host Sioux Falls on Friday prior to Saturday's game with SMSU. MSU is ranked No. 5 in this week's NCAA Central Region rankings. Senior guard Jalen Pendleton leads the Mavericks averaging 17.9 ppg and has a team-high 122 assists. Junior forward Jon Fuqua is averaging 14.2 ppg and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Joey Witthus is scoring 11.8 ppg with a team-leading 64 3-pointers. MSU is averaging 83 ppg, shooting 47 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 69 percent from the free throw line and is a plus-5.0 in rebound margin. MSU opponents are averaging 76 ppg and shooting 44 percent from the field. Minnesota State head coach Matt Margenthaler is in his 14th season with a record of 326-131.

    JOEY BARTLETT NOTES - Has started all 25 games ... averaging 12.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories ... third on the team with 25 3-pointers ... scored a season-high 27 points at Fort Hays State (11/14) ... scored 25 points vs. Augustana (2/12) ... 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 five 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 25 games ... averaging 9.8 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 114 assists ... season-high nine assists vs. Minnesota State (1/22) ... has five or more assists in 13 games ... redshirted during the 2014-15 season.

    SHAUN CONDON NOTES - Has played in all 25 games with 24 starts ... averaging 8.7 ppg ... second on the team with 31 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 24 games ... averaging 4.9 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. (50.7, 72 of 142) ...  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 25 games ... averaging 9.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg ... leads the NSIC in field goal pct. ... shooting 68 percent from the field overall ... 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 15 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 25 games with 14 starts ... averaging 3.2 ppg and 2.2 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 24 games with 10 starts ... missed one game with injury ... averaging 5.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg ... scored season-high 10 points in three games ... 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 13 games ... averaging 3.2 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 25 games with two starts ... averaging 9.2 ppg ... leads team with 50 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 25 games ... a career 58 percent field goal shooter ranking first in team history ... named CoSIDA Academic All-District on Feb. 11 ... leads team in both scoring (12.7) 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 five 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 23 games ... averaging 4.2 ppg and 2.3 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 eight times this season. Sophomore Joey Bartlett has reached the 20-point mark 10 times, including twice 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 8-4 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 89-34 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    8-4    51.5    40.0    74.6    35.5    84.6    12.4         
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 196-76 (.720) in 272 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 11 seasons (through this season).

    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.

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES - Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 517 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 327-373 in 700 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 1,344 games compiling an all-time record of 600-744. 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).