THE GAMES
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (20-5, 15-5 NSIC), currently tied atop the NSIC South Division standings, will conclude the regular season with a pair of road games this Friday and Saturday. SMSU will battle Minnesota State University (18-8, 13-7 NSIC) on Friday night with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato. On Saturday night, SMSU wraps-up the regular season with a match-up versus Concordia-St. Paul (5-22, 2-18 NSIC) with game time set for 6 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center.

    THE STANDINGS
•SMSU begins the weekend tied for first in the NSIC South Division standings and tied for second overall, two games behind MSU Moorhead.
•SMSU will be looking to secure its first NSIC South Division title since divisions were formed prior to the 2012-13 season.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•The game can also be viewed online at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SMSU RANKED THIRD IN FIRST NCAA REGIONAL POLL
•SMSU was ranked third in the first NCAA Central Region poll released on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
•Weekly rankings will also occur on both Feb. 22 and March 1.
•The 64-team NCAA tournament will be announced on March 5.
NCAA Central Region Poll (Feb. 15)
    Rank    (First-Place Votes)                   D2 Record    In-Region    
    1    Northwest Missouri State     20-0     19-0
    2     Arkansas-Monticello     16-2     16-2
    3     Southwest Minnesota State     20-5     20-5
    4     East Central     17-6     17-6
    5     MSU Moorhead     20-4     20-4
    6     Arkansas Tech     15-4     15-4
    7     Upper Iowa     18-8     16-8
    8     Augustana       16-7     16-7
    9     Northern State     18-7     18-7
    10     Central Missouri     14-6     14-6

    BEST START IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU opened the season with a program best 6-0 record.
•SMSU's 20-5 record matches the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the best record after 25 games in school history.

    SMSU RECORDS 20 VICTORIES
•SMSU has recorded 20 victories for the fifth time in team history and the first since the 2008-09 season.
•It's the first 20-win season for head coach Brad Bigler.

    SMSU CLINCHES HOME GAME FOR POSTSEASON
•SMSU has clinched a home game in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
•It will be SMSU's first tournament home game since Feb. 26, 2014.
    
    SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State meet for the 56th time with MSU leading 40-15.
•The teams first met during the 1969-70 season.
•MSU leads 21-7 in games played in Mankato.
•MSU has won eight of the last 10 games since the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU has lost four straight in Mankato, with its last victory coming on Feb. 25, 2012.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 5-12 all-time versus MSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 18.

    EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU defeated MSU, 58-56, in Marshall on Jan. 21.
•Ryan Bruggeman scored the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds remaining.
•Carter Kirk led SMSU with 11 points and nine rebounds.
•MSU led 19-2 in the game's first eight minutes.
•The SMSU/MSU game box score is located on page 17.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul meet for the 37th time with SMSU leading 26-10.
•The teams first met during the 1980-81 season.
•CSP joined the NSIC during the 1999-2000 season.
•SMSU is 10-7 all-time in games in St. Paul.
•SMSU has lost two straight in St. Paul, with its last win coming on Feb. 8, 2014.
•CSP has won three of the last five games the past two-plus seasons.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-6 all-time versus CSP.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 20.

    EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•SMSU defeated CSP, 81-56, in Marshall on Jan. 20.
•Joey Bartlett scored 15 points to lead SMSU.
•SMSU limited CSP to just 30 percent shooting
•The SMSU/CSP game box score is located on page 19.

    ROAD WARRIORS
•SMSU is 10-2 in "true" road games this season, recording its most road victories since the 2008-09 team won a program best 11.
•The 10 road wins is ties the 2000-01 team for the second highest in team history.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES
•SMSU's 20 victories is its highest win total since recording 28 during the 2008-09 season.
•SMSU is 9-0 when holding opponents to less than 70 points.
•SMSU's 113 points in its victory over MSU Moorhead on Jan. 27 was the second highest total in team history.
•Joey Bartlett ranks eighth on the SMSU all-time scoring list with 1,281 points.   
•Bartlett needs seven 3-pointers to move into sole possession of fifth place in team history with 174 and passing Jacob Fahl.
•Mitch Weg now has 739 rebounds and has moved into sole possession of second all-time in team history.  
•SMSU is 18-2 when committing 15 or fewer turnovers, but 2-3 when committing more than 15.
•SMSU is 11-2 in games decided by four or less points or played in overtime.
•SMSU opponents made 10 or more 3-pointers in 11 games last season and averaged 8.8 per game. This season, opponents are averaging 7.6 per game and have reached double figures seven times.
•SMSU has recorded a pair of six-game winning streaks this season with both winning streaks ending with losses to Upper Iowa.

    NCAA NATIONAL STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 13) can be found on page 16.
•SMSU ranks among the top 50 in three categories.
•SMSU ranks 30th in won-lost pct.
•SMSU ranks 42nd in field goal pct.
•SMSU ranks 49th in rebound margin.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 60th in total assists, 79th in assists per game and 97th in assist turnover ratio.

    NSIC STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU in this week's NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 14-15.
•SMSU ranks first in steals.
•SMSU ranks second in rebound margin.
•SMSU ranks fifth in scoring offense.
•SMSU ranks seventh in field goal pct. defense.
•SMSU ranks seventh in scoring defense.
•SMSU ranks seventh in free throw pct.
•SMSU ranks eighth in field goal pct.
•Carter Kirk ranks third in field goal pct., fourth in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks fifth in free throw pct., sixth in steals and sixth in assists.
•Mitch Weg ranks fifth in field goal pct. and 11th in rebounding.
•KJ Davis is ninth in steals.
•Joey Bartlett ranks fourth in free throw pct.

    SMSU IN THE NABC NATIONAL POLL
•SMSU did not receive votes in this week's poll announced on Feb. 14. SMSU had received votes the past five polls.
•SMSU was ranked No. 22 in the Jan. 3 poll.
•SMSU debuted at No. 25 on Dec. 20.
•SMSU has been ranked 20 times all-time in the NABC poll.

    SMSU IN D2SIDA NATIONAL POLL
•SMSU did not receive votes in this week's poll.
•SMSU was ranked No. 21 in the Feb. 7 Top 25 poll.
•The poll is voted on by Sports Information Directors.
•Complete poll listed on page 22
•This season is the first time in the three-year existence of the poll SMSU has been ranked.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler is in his eighth season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 128-100, ranking second in team history for wins.
•Greg Stemen holds the all-time record with 141 wins in nine seasons from 2001-09.
•Bigler has a record of 93-79 in NSIC play.
•The 2012-13 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to four winning seasons, including a pair of 19-win 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's complete bio is found on page 21.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 20-5 overall, 15-5 NSIC, after defeating Wayne State, 85-82, last Friday and losing 97-79, to Augustana last Saturday.
•SMSU has five players averaging double figures in scoring.
•Ryan Bruggeman leads the team in scoring at 14 ppg, has dished out a team-high 110 assists and is first with 36 steals.
•Taylor Schafer is scoring 11.5 ppg with a team-high 42 3-pointers.
•Joey Bartlett is averaging 12.2 ppg with 37 3-pointers.
•Carter Kirk is averaging a team-high 7.9 rpg and scoring 10.6 ppg
•SMSU is averaging 82 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line.

    ABOUT MINNESOTA STATE
•MSU is 18-8 overall, 13-7 NSIC, and has won five of its last six games since losing to SMSU on Jan. 21.  
•Jon Fuqua is scoring 15.3 ppg and leads the team with 6.4 rpg. He ranks 43rd in Division II in field goal pct. (56.6).
•Joey Witthus is scoring 14.9 ppg with 54 3-pointers to lead the Mavericks.
•Aarias Austin averages 11.1 ppg and has connected on 52 3-pointers.
•MSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line.
•MSU is scoring 79 points per game, while opponents are averaging 74 per game.
•MSU ranks 10th in Division II in fewest turnovers.
•Matt Margenthaler is in his 16th season with a record of 481-338. MSU has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 11 of the last 12 seasons.  

    ABOUT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•CSP is 5-22 overall, 2-18 NSIC, and has lost 16 of its last 17 games. CSP's lone win came at home versus Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 4.
•CSP plays host to Sioux Falls on Friday night.
•Bryndan Matthews is scoring a team-high 15.1 ppg and averaging a team-high 7.4 rpg.
•Diallo Powell is averaging 11 ppg with 38 3-pointers.
•CSP is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 68 percent from the free throw line.
•CSP is scoring 69 points per game, while opponents are averaging 80 per game.
•Joey James is in his third season as head coach with a record 37-49. He was the head coach at South Dakota in 2013-14, finishing with a 12-18 record.

    WINS VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
•SMSU's win over No. 16 Augustana (D2SIDA) on Dec. 30 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.

    BARTLETT AND WEG REACH 1,000 CAREER POINTS
•Senior Joey Bartlett became the 20th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points in SMSU's win over Emporia State on Nov. 13, 2016. He currently ranks eighth all-time in team history.
•Senior Mitch Weg became the 21st member of the 1,000 point club in a victory at Augustana on Dec. 30, 2016. He currently ranks 13th all-time in school history.
•The all-time scoring list is located on page 3.

    JOEY BARTLETT NOTES
•Averaging 12.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg.
•Ranks second on the team with 37 3-pointers.
•Ranks sixth in team history with 167 3-pointers.
•Ranks eighth in scoring and 10th in blocked shots (59) in team history.
•Scored season-high 26 points vs. Minnesota Duluth.
•Older brother of teammate Kolin.
SMSU Career 3-Point Field Goals
    1.     305    Matt Fletcher (118 games) - 2004-08
    2.     268    Adam Tesch (112 games) - 1998-02
    3.     253      Jordan Miller (115 games) - 2009-13
    4.    210    Travis Krenske (86 games) - 2005-08
    5.    173    Jacob Fahl (120 games) - 1999-03
    6.     167    Joey Bartlett (113 games) - 2013-17

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in just one game this season due to an injury.
•Has played in six career games.
•Younger brother of teammate Joey.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Has started 25 games and leads the team with 110 assists.
•Averaging 14 ppg, ranking first on the team.
•Career-high 27 points vs. Northern State on Jan. 28 and at Augustana on Dec. 30.
•Scored 25 points in victory at Wayne State on Dec. 31.
•Ranks third in team history averaging 4.5 assists per game.
•Ranks eighth in team history with an 82.2 career free throw pct.
•Led team with 126 assists last season.

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•First season with SMSU.
•Has started 22 games and is averaging 10.2 ppg, ranking fifth on the team.
•Second on the team with 32 steals.
•Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Emporia State.
•Has 24 3-pointers ranking fourth on the team.

    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Has started 21 games and is averaging 10.6 ppg and a team-leading 7.9 rpg.
•Has a team-high six double-doubles this season.
•Scored career-high 20 points at Michigan Tech (11/18/16).
•Ranks second in team history with career 57.3 field goal pct.  
•Finished second in the NSIC in field goal pct. last season.  

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has played in 23 games. Missed one game with injury.
•Averaging 6.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg.
•Third on the team with 33 3-pointers.
•Tied a career-high 14 points vs. Concordia (1/20/17).

    JAKE MAIERS NOTES
•Has played in four career games and scored four points.
•Has not played this season due to an injury.

    TURNER MOEN NOTES
•Has started 25 games.
•Averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg.
•Ranks second on the team with 62 assists.
•Season-high 13 points vs. MSU Moorhead and at Winona State.
•Career-high eight assists vs. Concordia (1/20/17).

    DREW OSMUNDSON NOTES
•Has played in 25 games averaging 1.7 ppg.
•Scored a season-high six points twice versus Sioux Falls.
•Has recorded 51 assists ranking third on the team.


    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has played in 25 games with two starts.
•Scored a season-high 22 points at Northern Michigan and at Bemidji State.
•Third on the team in scoring at 11.5 ppg.
•Has made a team-high 42 3-pointers.
•Has a team-high four 20-point games this season.
•Led team with 57 3-pointers last season.

    MITCH WEG NOTES
•Has started 22 games this season.
•Averaging 9.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg, ranking second on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring.
•Shooting team-high 63.2 percent from the field.
•Scored season-high 20 points at Northern State.
•Ranks first in team history shooting 58.8 percent (433 of 737) from the field.
•Ranks second in team history with 739 rebounds.
•Ranks seventh in team history with 264 free throws made.
•Named CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2015-16.  
•Led team in both scoring and rebounding last season.
SMSU Career Rebounds
    1.     848         Frank Belmont - 1971-75
    2.     739         Mitch Weg - 2013-17

    BRUGGEMAN EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD
•Sophomore Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Jan. 3.
•Bruggeman averaged 26 points on 57 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in road victories over Augustana University (78-76) and Wayne State (85-73).

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Southwest Minnesota State has six players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 12 this season.
•Sophomore Taylor Schafer leads the team this season with four 20-point games.
•Senior Joey Bartlett leads all current players having reached the 20-point mark 13 times in his career.
20-Point Games - THIS SEASON
    27    Ryan Bruggeman    Northern State, 1/28/17
    27    Ryan Bruggeman    Augustana, 12/30/16
    26    Joey Bartlett    Minnesota Duluth, 12/9/16
    25    Ryan Bruggeman    Wayne State, 12/31/16
    24    Joey Bartlett    Upper Iowa, 1/7/17        
    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    Taylor Schafer    Winona State, 1/6/17
    20    Joey Bartlett    Upper Iowa, 12/2/16
    20    Carter Kirk    Michigan Tech, 11/18/16
    20    Mitch Weg    Northern State, 11/15/16    

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 8-3 at home this season and 97-37 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•The Mustangs, 12-2 in road/neutral site games this season, are a combined 66-69 in 125 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    8-3    .477    .380    .737    37.8    84.5    11.9        
Away    12-2    .495    .336    .752    36.1    79.9    12.4         
    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2016-17 season marks the 21st year the R/A Facility has been the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 204-79 (.721) in 283 all-time games with just two losing seasons.
•SMSU has recorded double figure home victories in eight of the past 11 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    8-3    8-3    0-0    
    Totals    204-79     134-56    70-23

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 546 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.

    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND THEN SOME
•Southwest Minnesota State reached 100 points for the first time this 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 44-38 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU is 1-1 this season, losing 99-96 to Upper Iowa (1/7), before defeating MSU Moorhead, 113-105 (1/27).
•SMSU has struggled in overtime games in recent seasons, going 5-12 since 2006-07.
•SMSU is 6-6 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. (SMSU beat Northern State in a non-conference game on Nov. 15).
•SMSU is now 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 was 6-2 in 2012-13.
•The NSIC South now holds a 196-124 advantage over NSIC North teams in regular season play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, including finishing 35-29 this 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.

    2016-17 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish eighth overall and fifth in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in October.
•Minnesota State was chosen as the overall preseason favorite earning 220 points, including all 11 first-place votes and was also picked to win the South Division.
•SMSU senior Mitch Weg was named a "Player to Watch"

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•This year marks the 48th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 341-379 in 720 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 23 times in 47 seasons.
•SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 14 of the last 19 seasons since 1997-98.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 50th season of men's basketball in 2016-17.
•SMSU has played 1,370 games compiling an all-time record of 619-751.
•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 22 winning seasons in program history with 15 coming in the last 19 years (including this season).