PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (1-2) continues non-conference play this Friday and Saturday at the Microtel Classic in Moorhead, Minnesota.
•SMSU will take on Michigan Tech University (2-0) on Friday starting at 5 p.m., before facing Northern Michigan University (2-0) on Saturday with tip-off slated for 2 p.m.
•Both MTU and NMU are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
•Both games will take place at Nemzek Fieldhouse on the campus of MSU Moorhead.
•Following this weekend's games, SMSU will host Division III Crown College on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in its final non-conference game of the season.

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

    SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN TECH
•Southwest Minnesota State and Michigan Tech meet for the 30th time on Friday with MTU leading 21-8.
•The teams were members of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) from 1969-80, with the first 22 meetings in the series serving as conference games.
•SMSU snapped a five-game losing streak to MTU last season with a 73-69 win in Houghton, Mich.
•SMSU's win last season as its first-ever in 13 games at MTU.
•Prior to last season, SMSU's last victory in the series came during the 1987-88 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 1-4 all-time versus Michigan Tech.  
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHERN MICHIGAN
•Southwest Minnesota State and Northern Michigan meet for the fifth time with SMSU leading 3-1.
•SMSU has won the last three games in the series.
•SMSU won last season, 87-69, in Marquette, Mich., on Nov. 19, 2016.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 3-0 all-time versus Northern Michigan.
•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 137-103, 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 DROPS HOME OPENER TO NORTHERN STATE
•Northern State used a strong second half to pull away and defeat Southwest Minnesota State, 81-68, in non-conference play on Wednesday night in Marshall.
•NSU shot 64 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 55 percent (31 of 56) from the field. The Wolves also held a 37-29 rebound advantage.
•Carter Kirk poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead SMSU. It was his second straight 20-point game.
•Ryan Bruggeman added 15 points, while Turner Moen added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs.
•SMSU closed the game shooting 44 percent (28 of 63) from the field, including just 2 of 12 from 3-point range.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 1-2 overall this season.
•SMSU has three players averaging double figure scoring this season.
•Carter Kirk leads the team with 19 ppg and 7.3 rpg.
•Ryan Bruggeman is averaging 13.3 ppg with a team-high 20 assists.
•KJ Davis is scoring 11.3 ppg with three 3-pointers.
•Michael Lee and Taylor Schafer have each made a team-leading four 3-pointers.
•SMSU averaging 68 points per game, while opponents are average 77.
•SMSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range and 65 percent from the free throw line.
 

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU has been outrebounded in two of three games.
•SMSU made just two 3-pointers in Wednesday's loss to NSU. Last season SMSU made less than three 3-pointers in a game just once.
•Carter Kirk has scored 20 points in each of the last two games.
•Carter Kirk ranks first in school history in career field goal pct. (58.3).
•Ryan Bruggeman is eighth in Division II (as of Nov. 15) in assists per game (8.5) and 12th in total assists (17) after two games.
•Bruggeman ranks fourth in team history with 312 assists. He is nine 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 finished 26-3 last season when committing 15 or fewer turnovers, but 2-3 when committing more than 15.  

    SCOUTING MICHIGAN TECH
•MTU is 2-0 on the season after opening the season last weekend at home with victories over Wisconsin-Parkside (82-57) and Lewis (87-80).  
•MTU was picked to finish third in the GLIAC North Division.
•Junior guard Kyle Monroe is one of four Huskies averaging double figure scoring with a team-high 25 ppg with six 3-pointers.
•Sophomore guard Tommy Lucca, the GLIAC Freshman of the Year last season, scored 14 in the season opener, but missed the second game with an injury.
•Senior guard Dillon Gordon is averaging 11.5 ppg with seven 3-pointers.  
•MTU is averaging 85 points per game, while opponents average 69.
•MTU is shooting 55 percent from the field, 48 percent from 3-point range and 89 percent from the free throw line.
•Head coach Kevin Luke is in his 24th season with a record of 407-256.

    SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
•NMU is 2-0 on the season after opening the season last weekend with neutral site victories over Lewis (79-78) and Wisconsin-Parkside (83-68) in Houghton, Michigan.  
•NMU was picked to finish fifth in the GLIAC North Division.
•Junior guard Isaiah Johnson is one of four Wildcats averaging double figure scoring with a team-high 17 ppg with six 3-pointers.
•Junior guard Naba Echols is averaging 15.5 ppg with three 3-pointers and a team-high 11 assists.  
•NMU is averaging 81 points per game, while opponents average 73.
•NMU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 73 percent from the free throw line.
•Head coach Bill Sall is in his fifth season with a record of 31-77. He was previously head coach at GLIAC rival Ferris State from 2002-13, recording a mark of 200-222.

    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

    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 (Nov. 15) can be found on page 17.
•Ryan Bruggeman is 23rd in Division II in assists per game (6.7) and 15th in total assists (20).

    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.

    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.

    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.
    
    CURRENT MUSTANGS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•To see where 2017-18 Mustangs rank in the SMSU career record book, go to page 4.

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in three games averaging 2.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg.
•Scored four points on 2 of 3 shooting vs. Northern 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
•Averaging 13.3 ppg and leads team with 20 assists.
•Had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists vs. Emporia State.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 4.8 assists per game.
•Ranks fourth in team history with 83.7 career free throw pct.
•Has started all 65 games in his career.
•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 last season.
•Scored 528 points last season, ranking 12th highest in team history and highest since 2000-01.

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

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•Averaging 11.3 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 three games and is averaging 1.7 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 team-high 19 ppg and 7.3 rpg while shooting 65 percent from the field.
•Had a double-double vs. Fort Hays State.
•Tied a career-high with 20 points vs. Emporia State and Northern State.
•Ranks first in team history with career 58.3 field goal pct.  
•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.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Averaging 4.7 ppg with four 3-pointers.
•Tied for second on the team last season with 52 3-pointers.
•Averaged 6.8 ppg and 2.8 rpg last season
•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
•Averaging 6.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
•Scored a season-high 11 points vs. Northern State.
•Started all 34 games last season.
•Averaged 6.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg a season ago.
•Ranked second on the team with 73 assists.

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Averaging 9.3 ppg with four 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 10 points vs. Fort Hays State.
•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.

    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 two 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    Northern State, 11/15/17
    20    Carter Kirk    Emporia State, 11/11/17

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 0-1 at home this season after finishing 9-3 last season. SMSU is a combined 98-38 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    0-1    .444    .167    .625    29.0    68.0    8.0        
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 205-80 (.720) in 285 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    0-1    0-0    0-1    
    Totals    205-80    134-56    71-24

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 548 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.

    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.

    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 1,384 games compiling an all-time record of 629-755.
•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.