PREVIEWING THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (1-1) opens its 2017-18 home season on Wednesday night taking on Northern State University (1-1) in a non-conference game starting at 7:30 p.m. at the R/A Facility in Marshall.  
•The two teams will meet again on Jan. 27 in Aberdeen, S.D., as part of the conference season.
•Both SMSU and NSU opened its seasons last weekend versus MIAA opponents and both finished with 1-1 records.
•SMSU opened the season Friday with an 85-66 loss to Fort Hays State (Kan.), before earning a 70-66 road win over Emporia State (Kan.) on Saturday night.
•NSU opened the season on Friday with a 69-57 victory over Washburn (Kan.), before falling to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State, 71-60, on Sunday.
•Following Wednesday's game, SMSU will play at the Microtel Classic hosted by MSU Moorhead this Friday and Saturday. SMSU takes on Michigan Tech on Friday at 5 p.m., before facing Northern Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m.

    BROADCAST INFO
•SMSU games, home and away, will be broadcast all season long on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

     HOME OPENERS
•SMSU has won its last three home openers, including last season versus Sioux Falls to open conference play, 74-72.
•SMSU's last home opening loss came against Fort Hays State on Nov. 9, 2013.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHERN STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State meet for the 92nd time on Wednesday with NSU leading 61-30.
•NSU leads 24-19 in games played in Marshall, including winning two of the last three at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU has won five of the last seven played in the R/A Facility since March 14, 2009.
•This is the fourth straight season the teams have played a non-conference game during the regular season.
•The teams split a pair of games last season. SMSU won the non-conference match-up, 83-82 in Aberdeen, before NSU earned a 96-86 victory in Marshall.  
•NSU has won five the last seven games since the 2014-15 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-6 all-time versus Northern State.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler is in his ninth season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 137-102, ranking second in team history for wins.
•Greg Stemen holds the all-time record with 141 wins in eight seasons from 2001-09.
•Bigler has a record of 95-79 in NSIC play.
•The 2016-17 and 2012-13 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has now led SMSU to five winning seasons, including one 20-plus win season and a pair of 19-win seasons.
•In 2011-12, SMSU won 19 games, captured the NSIC tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
•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's complete bio is found on page 18.

    SMSU SPLITS OPENING WEEKEND IN KANSAS
•SMSU opened the season last Friday with an 85-66 loss to Fort Hays State (Kan.), before earning a 70-66 road win over Emporia State (Kan.) on Saturday night.
•SMSU shot just 30 percent in the second half in its season-opening loss to FHSU and finished the game with 15 turnovers
•SMSU rebounded on Saturday shooting 54 percent to defeat ESU.
•Carter Kirk averaged 18.5 points and seven rebounds in the two games while shooting 63 percent (15 of 24) from the field. He had a double-double in the loss to FHSU
•KJ Davis averaged 13 points and shot 50 percent (11 of 22) from the field
•Ryan Bruggeman dished out a team-high 17 assists in the two games and averaged 12.5 ppg. He had a double-double in Saturday's win over ESU.
•Kirk led SMSU in the loss to FHSU with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth career double-double.
•Kirk tied a career-high with 20 points on 10 of 15 shooting versus ESU.
•Bruggeman recorded his third career double-double on Saturday with  10 points and 10 assists.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 1-1 overall this season.
•SMSU has three players averaging double figure scoring this season.
•Carter Kirk leads the team with 18.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
•KJ Davis is scoring 13 ppg with three 3-pointers.
•Ryan Bruggeman is averaging 12.5 ppg with a team-high 17 assists.
•Michael Lee has made a team-leading four 3-pointers.
•SMSU averaging 68 points per game, while opponents are average 76.
•SMSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line.
 
    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•Ryan Bruggeman is eighth in Division II in assists per game (8.5) and 12th in total assists (17) after two games.
•Bruggeman ranks fourth in team history with 309 assists. He is 12 shy of tying Jordan Miller (2009-13) for third all-time with 321. Andrew Peschong (2006-10) is second with 342, while Vinard Birch (2010-14) is the all-time leader with 396.
•SMSU shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the second half in the loss to FHSU last Friday. It's the first time SMSU shot less than 30 percent in a half since Nov. 29, 2016, versus Sioux Falls.
•SMSU was outrebounded 42-28 versus Fort Hays State, but came back to hold a 29-23 rebound edge over Emporia State.
•SMSU has committed a combined 29 turnovers in two games, including 15 in the loss to Fort Hays State.
•SMSU finished 26-3 last season when committing 15 or fewer turnovers, but 2-3 when committing more than 15.  

    TIDBITS FROM THE 2016-17 SEASON
•SMSU's 28 victories a season ago tied the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the program single-season record. SMSU won region titles in both 2001 and 2009 and finished as region runner-up in 2017.
•SMSU scored 2,749 points in 2016-17, the second highest output in team history. The 2000-01 team scored 2,897 points.
•SMSU had a season-high eight-game winning streak heading into the NCAA region title game last season. SMSU also had one winning streak of seven games and two streaks of six straight wins during the season.  
•Ryan Bruggeman scored 528 points last season ranking as the 12th highest in school single-season history. The point total is the most by an SMSU player since Scott Koenen scored 549 in 2000-01.
•SMSU finished 13-1 when holding opponents to less than 70 points.
•SMSU finished 22-2 when holding opponents to less than 80 points.
•Carter Kirk's 7.3 per game rebound average last season was the highest in a single-season since Scott Roehl averaged 10.2 in 2010-11.  
•SMSU finished last season 14-3 in games decided by four or less points or played in overtime.

    SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
•NSU, the preseason pick to win the NSIC overall and North Division titles, is 1-1 on the season.  
•NSU opened the season on Friday with a 69-57 victory over Washburn (Kan.), before falling to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State, 71-60, on Sunday.
•Senior guard DJ Pollard is one of four Wolves averaging double figure scoring with a team-high 11.5 ppg with four 3-pointers.
•Senior center Carter Evans is averaging 11 ppg with 5.0 rpg.
•Senior guard Darin Peterka and junior guard Ian Smith are both averaging 10 ppg.  
•NSU is averaging 65 points per game, while opponents average 64.
•NSU is shooting 44 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free throw line.
•Head coach Paul Sather is in his eighth season with a record of 127-79. He compiled a record of 94-62 in five seasons as head coach at Black Hills State (2005-10).

    SMSU SEVENTH IN D2SIDA REGIONAL POLL
•SMSU is ranked seventh in the first regular season D2SIDA Central Region poll released on Monday, Nov. 13.
•Each of the eight regions has six representatives from D2SIDA that coordinate the regional committee, with a regional poll that will be released every Monday during the regular season.
•The D2SIDA weekly rankings are independent of the official NCAA Regional Rankings that will be released towards the end of the regular season and determine the NCAA Tournament teams.
D2SIDA Central Region Poll (Nov. 13)
    Rank    (First-Place Votes)                   W-L    Pts.    Prev.
    1.     Northwest Missouri State (6)    2-0    60    1
    2.    Arkansas-Monticello                               2-0    54    3
    3.    Augustana    2-0    44    5
    4.    Central Missouri    2-0    40    6
    5.    Arkansas Tech    2-0    32    7
    6.    Northern State     1-1    28    4
    7.    Southwest Minnesota State    1-1    19    2
    8.    Pittsburg State    2-0     15     NR
    T9.    East Central    0-0    10    10
    T9.    Minot State    2-0    10    NR

    2017-18 NSIC PRESEASON POLL; BRUGGEMAN PRESEASON POY
•SMSU was picked to finish second overall and first in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in October.
•Northern State was chosen as the overall favorite earning 213 points, including all eight first-place votes.
•SMSU earned 211 points and seven first place votes in the overall poll.  
•SMSU earned 45 points and four first place votes in the NSIC South Division poll.
•SMSU junior guard Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year.

    SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE IN 2016-17
•SMSU finished the 2016-17 season 28-6 overall and won the NSIC South Division with a 17-5 conference record.
•SMSU also won the NSIC Tournament championship and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
•SMSU had four players average double figures in scoring.
•Ryan Bruggeman led the team in scoring (15.5), field goals made (181) and assists (166).
•Taylor Schafer averaged 11.3 ppg with a team-high 58 3-pointers.
•Carter Kirk finished the season averaging a team-high 7.3 rpg and ranking fourth in scoring at 10.2 ppg.
•SMSU averaged 81 points per game, while opponents averaged 74.
•SMSU shot 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line.

    SMSU FALLS IN 2017 NCAA REGION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
•SMSU dropped a 55-52 contest at Northwest Missouri State in the 2017 NCAA Central Region championship game.
•Ryan Bruggeman led SMSU with 20 points on 9 of 17 shooting.
•Bruggeman was named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament team.
•SMSU advanced to the title game with victories over Arkansas Tech (93-82) and East Central (74-70).

    SMSU REACHES 28 VICTORIES IN 2016-17
•SMSU's 28 victories last season tied the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the most in team history.
•SMSU has recorded 20 or more victories five times in team history.

    2016-17 NSIC SOUTH CHAMPIONS
•Last season SMSU earned the program's first NSIC South Division title since divisions were formed prior to the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU tied with Northern State for second place overall in the 16-team conference.

    2017 NSIC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
•SMSU captured the program's second NSIC tournament championship last season defeating Upper Iowa, 71-58, in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SMSU won its first NSIC tournament in 2012 in Rochester, Minn.

    BRUGGEMAN NAMED ALL-NSIC; BIGLER EARNS TOP HONOR
•Ryan Bruggeman was the lone SMSU player to be named first team All-NSIC in 2016-17.
•In the final NSIC stats (conference games only), Bruggeman finished fourth in the league in assists (4.5), fourth in free throw pct. (.843), fifth in steals (1.4), 11th in assist/turnover ratio (2.2) and 20th in scoring (15.0).
•Bruggeman is the first SMSU player to earn first team All-NSIC honors since Jordan Miller in 2012-13.
•Brad Bigler was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the second time during his tenure (2012-13). Tim Miles (2000-01) and Greg Stemen (2008-09) are the only other coaches to earn the award in team history.

    SMSU TRUE "ROAD WARRIORS" LAST TWO SEASONS
•SMSU is 1-1 away from Marshall this season, including 1-0 in "true" road games.
•SMSU finished 12-3 in "true" road games last season, recording the most road wins in team history.
•SMSU closed the season 19-3 in away/neutral site games setting a new program record. The 2000-01 team that advanced to the Elite Eight held the previous record of 16 away/neutral site victories.

    NCAA 2017-18 STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics can be found on page 17.
•Ryan Bruggeman is eighth in Division II in assists per game (8.5) and 12th in total assists (17).

    FINAL 2016-17 NSIC STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU in the final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 15-16.
•SMSU ranked first in steals.
•SMSU ranked third in rebound margin.
•SMSU ranked third in field goal pct.
•SMSU ranked fifth in scoring offense.
•SMSU ranked fifth in field goal pct. defense.
•Carter Kirk ranked second in field goal pct., fifth in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranked fourth in free throw pct., fourth in assists, fifth in steals and 11th in assist/turnover ratio.
•KJ Davis ranked seventh in steals.
•Michael Lee ranked 11th in 3-point field goal pct.
    
    CURRENT MUSTANGS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•To see where 2017-18 Mustangs rank in both the SMSU single-season and career record book, go to page 4.

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in two games averaging 1.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Scored field goal vs. Fort Hays State.
•Played in just two games last season due to an injury.
•Has played in nine career games.
•Younger brother of teammate Joey.

    VYDAL BRADFORD NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Has started all 64 games in his career.
•Had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists vs. Emporia State.
•Led the team in scoring, field goals and assists last season.
•Named MVP of the 2017 NSIC Tournament.
•Named to the 2017 NCAA Central All-Tournament team.
•Averaged team-high 15.5 ppg.
•Led team with nine 20-point scoring games.
•Scored 528 points last season, ranking 12th highest in team history and highest since 2000-01.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 4.8 assists per game.
•Ranks fourth in team history with 83.8 career free throw pct.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has played in two games during his first season at SMSU.

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•Averaging 13 ppg and has connected on three 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 16 points vs. Emporia State.
•Started 31 games last season and averaged 9.5 ppg, ranking fifth on the team.
•Led the team with 47 steals.
•Recorded 29 3-pointers ranking tied for fourth on the team.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played two games and is averaging 2.5 ppg.
•Scored season-high five points vs. Fort Hays State with one 3-pointer.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.







    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Averaging 18.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg while shooting 63 percent from the field.
•Had a double-double vs. Fort Hays State.
•Tied a career-high with 20 points vs. Emporia State.
•Averaged 10.2 ppg and a team-leading 7.3 rpg last season.
•Shot a team-high 61.7 percent from the field a season ago.
•Had a team-high six double-doubles last season.
•Ranks first in team history with career 58 field goal pct.  

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Played in 32 games a season ago. Missed two games with injury.
•Averaged 6.8 ppg and 2.8 rpg.
•Tied for second on the team with 52 3-pointers.
•Shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range, ranking seventh highest in team history.
•Tied a career-high with 14 points three times, including versus Arkansas Tech (3/11/17).

    TURNER MOEN NOTES
•Started all 34 games last season.
•Averaged 6.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
•Ranked second on the team with 73 assists.
•Season-high 15 points vs. Minnesota Duluth (2/22).
•Career-high seven assists vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/9/16).

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Played in 34 games with two starts last season.
•Scored a career-high 25 points at Concordia-St. Paul (2/18/17).
•Third on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg.
•Connected on a team-high 58 3-pointers.
•Had five 20-point games this season.
•Led team with 57 3-pointers last season.

    WINS VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS LAST SEASON
•SMSU's win over No. 16 Augustana (D2SIDA) on Dec. 30, 2016, was its first over a nationally ranked team since defeating No. 16 Winona State on Jan. 17, 2014.
•SMSU also defeated No. 21 (NABC) MSU Moorhead on Jan. 27, 2017.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Southwest Minnesota State has four players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including one this season.
•SMSU had a player score 20 or more points 21 times during the 2016-17 season.
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman led the team with nine 20-point games last season which included one 30-point game. He has 12 career 20-point games.
•Junior Taylor Schafer has six 20-point games, while seniors Carter Kirk and Turner Moen each have two 20-point games.
20 or More Point Games - 2017-18 Season
    20    Carter Kirk    Emporia State, 11/11/17

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU finished 9-3 at home last season and are a combined 98-37 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•The Mustangs finished 19-3 in road/neutral site games last season and are a combined 74-71 in 135 road/neutral site games since 2009-10, including 1-1 this season.
•The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2017-18:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    0-0    -    -    -    -    -    -        
Away    1-1    .473    .355    .656    28.5    68.0    14.5
         
    HOME SWEET HOME
•This season marks the 22nd year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 205-79 (.722) in 284 games with just two losing seasons.
SMSU in the R/A Facility
    Year    Overall    NSIC    Non
    1996-97    6-4    3-2    3-2    
    1997-98    8-5    4-2    4-3    
    1998-99    10-3    5-1    5-2    
    1999-00    12-3    7-2    5-1    
    2000-01    12-1    9-0    3-1    
    2001-02    12-2    7-2    5-0    
    2002-03    9-5    7-2    2-3
    2003-04    9-5    5-3    4-2    
    2004-05    6-8    3-4    3-4
    2005-06    10-5    3-4    7-1    
    2006-07    13-2    8-1    5-1
    2007-08    12-2    7-2    5-0
    2008-09    13-3    8-2    5-1
    2009-10    12-3    7-3    5-0
    2010-11    10-3    8-3    2-0
    2011-12    10-2    9-2    1-0
    2012-13    7-4    7-4    0-0
    2013-14    11-4    8-3    3-1
    2014-15    6-8    4-7    2-1
    2015-16    8-4    7-4    1-0
    2016-17    9-3    8-3    1-0
    2017-18    0-0    0-0    0-0    
    Totals    205-79     134-56    71-23

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 547 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.

    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND THEN SOME
•Southwest Minnesota State reached 100 points once last season in a 113-105 overtime win over MSU Moorhead on Jan. 27. It was the second highest point total in team history.
•SMSU is 36-8 all-time when scoring 100 points in a game.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 45-38 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU finished 2-1 last season in overtime games, losing 99-96 to Upper Iowa (1/7), before defeating MSU Moorhead, 113-105 (1/27) and Augustana, 97-89 in double overtime (2/27).
•SMSU is 7-6 all-time in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games.

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished 6-2 versus teams from the NSIC North Division in conference games this season last season. (SMSU beat Northern State in a non-conference game on Nov. 15).
•SMSU is 25-15 versus NSIC North Division teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season (five seasons).
•SMSU finished 3-5 versus North teams in 2015-16; 5-3 in 2014-15; 5-3 in 2013-14; and 6-2 in 2012-13.
•The NSIC South holds a 196-124 advantage over NSIC North teams in regular season play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, including finishing 35-29 last season.
•In 2015-16, the South led the North 37-27; in 2014-15, the South finished 35-29; in 2013-14, the South finished 42-22, while in 2012-13, the South went 47-17.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2017-18 campaign marks the 49th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 344-380 in 724 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 24 times in 48 seasons.
•SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 16 of the last 21 seasons since 1997-98.

    SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•SMSU is 20-15 all-time in the NSIC tournament since it began in 2000 with two championships.
•The Mustangs are 9-2 at home, 1-7 on the road and 10-6 in neutral sites games.
•SMSU has advanced to the semifinals 10 times and have played in seven championship games (2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017), winning championships in both 2012 and 2017.    

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU made its fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament last season and first since 2012. SMSU is 8-4 in 12 all-time tournament games.
•SMSU has appeared in three region championship games in team history winning titles in both 2001 and 2009.  

    2017-18 NCAA RULES CHANGES
•The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel announced several slight rule changes ahead of the 2017-18 men's basketball season, most notably extending the coach's box to 38 feet.
•The coach's box in previous years was 28 feet, but NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee members believe this will allow coaches to improve communication with their teams, especially when the teams are at the opposite end of the court.
•The panel also approved a rule permitting a reset of the shot clock to 20 seconds when the ball is inbounded in the frontcourt after a foul by the defense. If more than 20 seconds remains on the shot clock, the shot clock will not be reset.

     SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is now 28-23 all-time in season opening games following Friday's loss to FHSU.
•SMSU has won seven of its last 12 season openers and 15 of its last 22.
•SMSU has not played a season opener at home since Nov. 17, 2009.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 51st season of men's basketball in 2017-18.
•SMSU has played 1,383 games compiling an all-time record of 629-754.
•SMSU has won two NSIC regular season championships (2001 & 2009), one NSIC South Division championship (2017), two NSIC tournament championships (2012, 2017), two NCAA region championships (2001 & 2009) and has appeared in four NCAA tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017).
•SMSU has recorded 22 winning seasons in program history with 15 coming in the last 19 years.