PREVIEWING THIS WEEK
•The nationally ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team opens the 2017-18 season with a pair of games at the MIAA-NSIC Challenge in Emporia, Kansas.
•SMSU will face Fort Hays State (Kan.) on Friday, Nov. 10, starting at 5:30 p.m., before taking on Emporia State (Kan.) on Saturday, Nov. 11, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. Both games will be held at White Auditorium.
•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 before losing to eventual national champion Northwest Missouri State.

    BROADCAST INFO
•This weekend's games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

     SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 28-22 all-time in season opening games.
•SMSU has won seven of its last 11 season openers and 15 of its last 21.
•SMSU has not played a season opener at home since Nov. 17, 2009.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT HAYS STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Fort Hays State meet for the fifth time on Friday with the series tied 2-2.
•This will be the fourth time the teams have meet in a season opener.
•FHSU won, 89-72, in Marshall to open the 2013-14 season and then earned a 76-75 victory in Hays, Kan., to open the 2015-16 season.
•Last season, SMSU picked up an 84-60 victory in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SMSU defeated FHSU, 82-63, in the semifinals of the 2001 NCAA North Central Region Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 1-2 all-time versus FHSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 20.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. EMPORIA STATE
•SMSU and Emporia State meet for the fifth time on Saturday with SMSU leading the series 3-1.
•SMSU has won the last three games including 77-74 in Sioux Falls last season.
•ESU won the only prior meeting in Emporia, 83-63, during the 1970-71 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 2-0 all-time versus ESU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 20.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler is in his ninth season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 136-101, 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.

    EXHIBITION OPENER RECAP
•Southwest Minnesota State earned a 104-66 exhibition game victory over Division III St. Olaf College last Friday night at the R/A Facility.
•Michael Lee led four Mustangs in double figures with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting with six 3-pointers.
•KJ Davis added 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Carter Kirk chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds.
•Taylor Schafer came off the bench to score 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
•SMSU closed the game shooting 64 percent (42 of 66) from the field and held a 40-26 rebound advantage.
•SMSU finished 11 of 22 from 3-point range.
•St. Olaf shot 37 percent (23 of 63) from the field, including 4 of 22 from 3-point range.
 
    SMSU RANKED IN THREE PRESEASON POLLS
•SMSU opens the regular season ranked in three separate preseason polls.
•SMSU is ranked No. 15 by the NABC, No. 14 by D2Bulletin and No. 13 in the D2SIDA poll.
•SMSU closed the 2016-17 regular season ranked No. 18 in the final NABC Top 25 poll.
•This season's NABC preseason poll is listed on page 19.

    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.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•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.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU opened last season with a program best 6-0 record.  
•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 was the highest in a single-season since Scott Roehl averaged 10.2 in 2010-11.  
•Ryan Bruggeman finished the season ranking fifth in team history with 292 assists. He passed SMSU head coach Brad Bigler during the 2017 NCAA tournament. He needs 12 from tying Marques Pena (1998-2001) for fourth all-time.
•Bruggemans's 34 points versus Sioux Falls in the NSIC tournament quarterfinals was SMSU's first 30-point game since Feb. 21, 2004.
•SMSU finished 26-3 last season when committing 15 or fewer turnovers, but 2-3 when committing more than 15.  
•SMSU finished last season 14-3 in games decided by four or less points or played in overtime.

    SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE
•FHSU finished last season 18-11 overall and tied for fourth place in the MIAA with a record of 11-8.  
•The Tigers return three starters from last season's team.
•FHSU was picked to finish seventh in the 14-team MIAA preseason coaches' poll.
•Senior forward Hadley Gillum is the top returner and lone senior for the Tigers after earning All-MIAA honorable mention honors last season. He averaged 13.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg, ranking 14th in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in rebounding.  
•Mark Johnson is in his 17th season with a record of 322-149 and has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

    SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE
•ESU finished last season 13-16 overall and tied for ninth place in the MIAA with a record of 9-10.  
•The Hornets return six players from last season's team.
•ESU was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team MIAA preseason coaches' poll.
•Junior guard Brandon Hall was an All-MIAA second team honoree last season averaging 13.7 ppg and dishing out 4.0 assists per game.  
•Shaun Vandiver is in his seventh season as head coach with a record of 78-93.


    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" IN 2016-17
•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.

    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.

    NCAA NATIONAL STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the final 2016-17 NCAA statistics can be found on page 17.
•SMSU ranked among the Top 60 in several categories including:
•SMSU ranked 17th in won-lost pct.
•SMSU ranked 23rd in total rebounds.
•SMSU ranked 29th in field goal pct.
•Ryan Bruggeman finished the season ranked 22nd in total assists, 46th in assists per game, 47th in free throws made and 78th in free throw pct.
•Carter Kirk finished ranked 76th in total rebounds.


    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
•Played in just two games last season due to an injury.
•Scored four points vs. Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 22.
•Has played in seven career games.
•Younger brother of teammate Joey.

    VYDAL BRADFORD NOTES
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Started all 34 games last season and led the team in scoring, field goals and assists.
•Set sophomore school record for points, assists and steals in a season.
•Named MVP of NSIC Tournament.
•Named to the 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.
•Career-high 34 points vs. Sioux Falls Feb. 26.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 4.7 assists per game.
•Ranks tied for fourth in team history with an 83.6 career free throw pct.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Begins first season at SMSU.

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•Second season with SMSU.
•Started 31 games last season and averaged 9.5 ppg, ranking fifth on the team.
•Led the team with 47 steals.
•Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Emporia State and Wayne State.
•Recorded 29 3-pointers ranking tied for fourth on the team.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Started 30 games last season and averaged 10.2 ppg and a team-leading 7.3 rpg.
•Shot a team-high 61.7 percent from the field.
•Had a team-high six double-doubles this season.
•Scored career-high 20 points at Michigan Tech (11/18/16).
•Ranks tied for first in team history with career 57.8 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 six players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 21 during the 2016-17 season.
•Sophomore Ryan Bruggeman led the team with nine 20-point games last season which included one 30-point game.
20 or More Point Games - 2016-17 Season (current team)
    34    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 2/26/17
    29    Ryan Bruggeman    East Central, 3/12/17
    27    Ryan Bruggeman    Northern State, 1/28/17
    27    Ryan Bruggeman    Augustana, 12/30/16
    26    Ryan Bruggeman    Augustana, 2/27/17
    25    Taylor Schafer    Concordia-St. Paul, 2/18/17
    25    Ryan Bruggeman    Wayne State, 12/31/16
    22    Taylor Schafer    Bemidji State, 1/14/17
    22    Taylor Schafer    Northern Michigan, 11/19/16
    21    Taylor Schafer    Fort Hays State, 11/12/16
    20    Ryan Bruggeman    Northwest Missouri State, 3/14/17
    20    Ryan Bruggeman    Upper Iowa, 2/28/17
    20    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 2/17/17
    20    Taylor Schafer    Winona State, 1/6/17
    20    Carter Kirk    Michigan Tech, 11/18/16

    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 73-70 in 133 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 2016-17:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    9-3    .481    .379    .747    37.2    84.0    11.5        
Away    19-3    .491    .360    .744    36.0    79.1    11.8         
    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 545 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.  

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 51st season of men's basketball in 2017-18.
•SMSU has played 1,381 games compiling an all-time record of 628-753.
•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 (including this season).