THE GAME
•The No. 24 (D2SIDA) ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (22-5, 17-5 NSIC) opens the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament this Wednesday hosting the University of Minnesota Duluth (4-24, 3-19 NSIC)  at the R/A Facility in Marshall with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. SMSU is the No. 1 seed from the South Division, while UMD is the No. 8 seed from the North Division. The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday to face either Sioux Falls or Minot State at 5:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Wednesday's game will be SMSU's first NSIC tournament home game since Feb. 26, 2014. The complete NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament bracket can be found on page 20.

    NSIC SOUTH CHAMPIONS
•SMSU captured 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.
•SMSU won overall NSIC championships in 2001 and 2009.

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

    GAME DAY STORYLINES
•SMSU's 22 victories is the third highest in team history and highest win total since recording 28 during the 2008-09 season.
•SMSU is 10-0 when holding opponents to less than 70 points.
•Carter Kirk's 7.7 per game rebound average would be the highest since Scott Roehl averaged 10.2 in 2010-11.
•Joey Bartlett ranks eighth on the SMSU all-time scoring list with 1,304 points.   
•Bartlett needs four 3-pointers to move into sole possession of fifth place in team history with 174 and passing Jacob Fahl.
•Mitch Weg has 746 career rebounds and is in sole possession of second all-time in team history.  
•SMSU is 20-2 when committing 15 or fewer turnovers, but 2-3 when committing more than 15.
•SMSU is 12-2 in games decided by four or less points or played in overtime.
•SMSU has recorded a pair of six-game winning streaks this season with both winning streaks ending with losses to Upper Iowa.
    
    SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•SMSU is 16-15 all-time in the NSIC tournament since it began in 2000.
•The Mustangs are 8-2 at home, 1-7 on the road and 7-6 in neutral sites games.
•SMSU's last home tournament game was on Feb. 26, 2014, earning an 82-65 victory over U-Mary.
•SMSU has advanced to the semifinals nine times and played in five championship games (2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012), including winning its lone tournament championship in 2012.
•SMSU last played in the semifinals in 2014.
SMSU All-Time in the NSIC Tournament
    2000     NORTHERN STATE     W 79-67
    2000     vs Wayne State     L 72-84
    2001     MINNESOTA-MORRIS     W 92-60
    2001     vs Minnesota Duluth     W 78-71
    2001     vs Winona State     L 78-94    Championship Game
    2002     MSU MOORHEAD     W 84-56
    2002     vs Northern State     W 77-70
    2002     vs Minnesota Duluth     L 57-59    Championship Game
    2003     MSU MOORHEAD     L 62-70
    2004     at Winona State     L 65-71    
    2005     at Northern State     L 83-94     
    2006     WAYNE STATE       W 71-57                     2006     at Winona State     L 58-75                     2007     BEMIDJI STATE     W 86-43
    2007     vs Northern State     W 82-63                    2007     at Winona State     L 70-80    Championship Game
    2008     UPPER IOWA     W 76-63
    2008     vs Northern State     L 70-74                    2009     NORTHERN STATE     L 63-72
    2010     at Minnesota State     W 80-78    
    2010     vs Winona State     W 81-67    
    2010     at St. Cloud State     L 67-68    Championship Game
    2012     MINNESOTA DULUTH     W 99-92                     2012     vs Winona State     W 69-64                     2012     vs MSU Moorhead     W 76-72    Championship Game            2013    at MSU Moorhead    L 78-87        
    2014    U-MARY    W 82-65                    2014    vs Wayne State    W 68-45                    2014    vs Minnesota State    L 57-68
    2015    at St. Cloud State    L 83-93
    2016    at Northern State    L 80-82
BOLD indicates home game

    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 22-5 record matches the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the best record after 27 games in school history.

    SMSU REACHES 22 VICTORIES
•SMSU's 22 victories ranks as the third highest in team history.
•SMSU has now recorded 20 or more victories five times in team history and the first since the 2008-09 season.
•Both the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams won 28 games.
    
    SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA DULUTH
•Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth meet for the 83rd time on Friday with UMD leading 51-31.
•The teams first met during the 1972-73 season.
•SMSU leads 21-16 in games played in Marshall.
•SMSU has won 13 of the last 15 games since the 2005-06 season.
•UMD won on Jan. 20, 2012, and Jan. 30, 2016, both in Duluth.
•UMD's last win in Marshall came on Dec. 12, 2004.
•Wednesday will be the fourth meeting in the NSIC Tournament with SMSU holding a 2-1 lead.
•SMSU defeated UMD, 99-92, in the first round of the 2012 tournament in Marshall.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-2 all-time versus UMD.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 18.

    EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. MINNESOTA DULUTH
•SMSU defeated UMD, 94-76, in Marshall on Dec. 9.
•Joey Bartlett scored a game-high 26 points with five 3-pointers.
•Carter Kirk and Taylor Schafer each added 16 points, while Kirk tied a school record with six blocked shots.
•Luke Harris led UMD with 25 points on 9 of 13 shooting
•The SMSU/UMD game box score is located on page 17.

    THE 2016-17 SEASON IN SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
•The following is where SMSU players rank this season in the school single-season record book:
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks fifth in assists (126) and is 11 shy of moving into sole possession of second all-time. Marques Pena (2000-01) holds the record of 185.
•Mitch Weg ranks fourth in field goal pct. (.622).
•Carter Kirk ranks fifth in field goal pct. (.616).
•SMSU's 81.6 ppg ranks fifth highest.
•SMSU's 49 percent field goal shooting ranks third highest.

    NCAA NATIONAL STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 20) can be found on page 16.
•SMSU ranks among the top 60 in three categories.
•SMSU ranks 25th in won-lost pct.
•SMSU ranks 31st in field goal pct.
•SMSU ranks 51st in free throw pct.
•SMSU ranks 59th in steals.
•SMSU ranks 60th in rebound margin.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 42nd in total assists, 61st in assists per game and 80th in assist turnover ratio.

    FINAL NSIC STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU in the final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 14-15.
•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.
•SMSU ranked sixth in scoring defense.
•SMSU ranked seventh in free throw pct.
•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.
•Mitch Weg ranked fifth in field goal pct. and 12th in rebounding.
•KJ Davis ranked seventh in steals.
•Michael Lee ranked 11th in 3-point field goal pct.

    ROAD WARRIORS
•SMSU is 12-2 in "true" road games this season, recording the most road wins in team history.
•SMSU is 14-2 in all games played away from the R/A Facility, the highest total since the 2008-09 team won 15 away/neutral site games. The 2000-01 team won 16 away/neutral site games.

    SMSU IN THE NABC NATIONAL POLL
•SMSU received votes in this week's poll on Feb. 21. SMSU has received votes in six of the last seven 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 RANKED NO. 24 D2SIDA NATIONAL POLL
•SMSU is ranked No. 24 in this week's Top 25 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 130-100, 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 2012-13 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has now led SMSU to five winning seasons (including this season), 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 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 22-5 overall, and finished 17-5 in NSIC play, after defeating Minnesota State (67-64) and Concordia-St. Paul (89-76) on the road last weekend.
•SMSU has five players averaging double figures in scoring.
•Ryan Bruggeman leads the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg, has dished out a team-high 126 assists and is first with 38 steals.
•Taylor Schafer is scoring 11.8 ppg with a team-high 49 3-pointers.
•Joey Bartlett is averaging 12.1 ppg with 40 3-pointers.
•Carter Kirk is averaging a team-high 7.7 rpg and scoring 10.5 ppg
•SMSU is averaging 82 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line.

    ABOUT MINNESOTA DULUTH
•UMD is 4-24 overall and finished 3-19 in NSIC play.
•UMD has lost 14 straight games since beating Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 6 and is 1-11 in road games.
•Luke Harris is averaging 10.7 ppg with 42 3-pointers.
•Logan Rohrscheib is scoring 10.1 ppg with 59 3-pointers.
•Brandon Myer leads the team with 4.0 rpg.
•UMD is shooting 43 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 73 percent from the free throw line.
•UMD is scoring 70 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76 per game.
•Matt Bowen is in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 55-86. He was the head coach at Bemidji State for six seasons prior to UMD.

    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 12.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
•Ranks second on the team with 40 3-pointers.
•Ranks sixth in team history with 170 3-pointers.
•Ranks eighth in scoring and 10th in blocked shots (60) 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.     170    Joey Bartlett (115 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 27 games and leads the team with 126 assists.
•Averaging team-high 14.1 ppg.
•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 first in team history averaging 4.6 assists per game.
•Ranks seventh in team history with an 82.6 career free throw pct.
•Led team with 126 assists last season.

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•First season with SMSU.
•Has started 24 games and is averaging 10.3 ppg, ranking fifth on the team.
•Second on the team with 37 steals.
•Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Emporia State.
•Has 26 3-pointers ranking fourth on the team.

    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Has started 23 games and is averaging 10.5 ppg and a team-leading 7.7 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 57.5 field goal pct.  
•Finished second in the NSIC in field goal pct. last season.  

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has played in 25 games. Missed one game with injury.
•Averaging 6.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg.
•Third on the team with 39 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 all 27 games.
•Averaging 6.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg.
•Ranks second on the team with 66 assists.
•Season-high 13 points vs. MSU Moorhead and at Winona State.
•Career-high seven assists vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/9/16).

    DREW OSMUNDSON NOTES
•Has played in 27 games averaging 1.6 ppg.
•Scored a season-high six points twice versus Sioux Falls.
•Has recorded 55 assists ranking third on the team.

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has played in 27 games with two starts.
•Scored a career-high25 points at Concordia-St. Paul (2/1817).
•Third on the team in scoring at 11.8 ppg.
•Has made a team-high 49 3-pointers.
•Has a team-high five 20-point games this season.
•Led team with 57 3-pointers last season.

    MITCH WEG NOTES
•Has started 22 games this season.
•Averaging 9.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg, ranking second on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring.
•Shooting team-high 62.2 percent from the field.
•Scored season-high 20 points at Northern State.
•Ranks first in team history shooting 58.6 percent (434 of 741) from the field.
•Ranks second in team history with 746 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.     746         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).

    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.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Southwest Minnesota State has six players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 14 this season.
•Sophomore Taylor Schafer leads the team this season with five 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    Taylor Schafer    Concordia-St. Paul, 2/18/17
    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    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 2/17/17
    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, 14-2 in road/neutral site games this season, are a combined 68-69 in 127 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    14-2    .501    .361    .754    35.4    79.7    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 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 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 1,372 games compiling an all-time record of 621-751.
•SMSU has won two NSIC regular season championships (2001 & 2009), one NSIC South Division championship (2017), one NSIC tournament championship (2012), two NCAA region championships (2001 & 2009) and has 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).