THE GAME
•The No. 24 (D2SIDA) ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (23-5, 17-5 NSIC) faces the University of Sioux Falls (15-16, 10-12 NSIC) in the quarterfinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Sunday, Feb. 26, with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. SMSU opened the tournament with a 79-54 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday nigh, while USF earned an 80-77 road victory over Minot State. The winner of Sunday's game will play in the semifinals on Monday starting 8 p.m. versus either Augustana or Northern State. The complete updated NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament bracket can be found on page 21.

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

    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.

    BRUGGEMAN NAMED ALL-NSIC; BIGLER EARNS TOP HONOR
•Ryan Bruggeman was named first team All-NSIC on Thursday.
•He leads SMSU in scoring (13.8), assists (132), steals (38) and free throws made (99).
•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.

    GAME DAY STORYLINES
•SMSU has held opponents to 30 or less points in the first half in five of its last seven games.
•SMSU's 25-point victory on Wednesday ties for its largest margin of victory this season.
•SMSU shot a season-high 92 percent (12 of 13) from the free throw line on Wednesday.
•SMSU tied a season-low with seven turnovers on Wednesday.
•SMSU's 23 victories is the third highest in team history and highest win total since recording 28 during the 2008-09 season.
•SMSU is 11-0 when holding opponents to less than 70 points.
•Carter Kirk's 7.5 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 1,310 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 750 career rebounds ranking second all-time in team history.  
•SMSU is 21-2 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 17-15 all-time in the NSIC tournament since it began in 2000.
•The Mustangs are 9-2 at home, 1-7 on the road and 7-6 in neutral sites games.
•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's all-time NSIC tournament games is listed on page 22.
    
    SMSU RANKED SECOND IN NCAA REGIONAL POLL
•SMSU was ranked second in this week's NCAA Central Region poll released on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
•The final weekly ranking will occur on March 1.
•The 64-team NCAA tournament will be announced on March 5.
NCAA Central Region Poll (Feb. 22)
    Rank    (First-Place Votes)                   D2 Record    In-Region    
    1    Northwest Missouri State    21-1     20-1
    2     Southwest Minnesota State     22-5     22-5
    3     Arkansas Tech     18-4     18-4
    4     MSU Moorhead     22-4     22-4
    5     Arkansas-Monticello     17-4     17-4
    6     Augustana     18-7     18-7
    7     East Central     19-7     19-7
    8     Northern State     20-7     20-7
    9     Upper Iowa     19-9     17-9
    10     Southern Nazarene     15-10     15-10

    BEST START IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU opened the season with a program best 6-0 record.
•SMSU's 23-5 record matches the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the best record after 28 games in school history.

    SMSU REACHES 23 VICTORIES
•SMSU's 23 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. SIOUX FALLS
•Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls meet for the 29th time on Sunday with SMSU leading 18-10.
•SMSU has won twice this season, winning 74-72 on Nov. 29 in Marshall and then earning an 87-86 win in Sioux Falls on Dec. 17.
•This will be the first-ever meeting in the NSIC Tournament.
•SMSU leads the series 6-4 since USF joined the NSIC prior to the 2012-13 season.
 •SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 6-4 all-time versus USF.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU has won twice this season, winning 74-72 on Nov. 29 in Marshall and then earning an 87-86 win in Sioux Falls on Dec. 17.
•The SMSU/USF box scores are located on pages 17-18.

    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 (132) and is five shy of moving into sole possession of second all-time. Marques Pena (2000-01) holds the record of 185.
•Carter Kirk ranks fourth in field goal pct. (.629).
•Mitch Weg ranks fifth in field goal pct. (.616).
•SMSU's 81.5 ppg ranks fifth highest.
•SMSU's 49.2 percent field goal shooting ranks second highest.

    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 HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler is in his eighth season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 131-100, 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 2016-17 and 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 20.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 23-5 overall, and finished 17-5 in NSIC play.
•SMSU has five players averaging double figures in scoring.
•Ryan Bruggeman leads the team in scoring at 13.8 ppg, has dished out a team-high 132 assists and is first with 38 steals.
•Taylor Schafer is scoring 11.9 ppg with a team-high 51 3-pointers.
•Joey Bartlett is averaging 11.9 ppg with 40 3-pointers.
•Carter Kirk is averaging a team-high 7.5 rpg and scoring 10.7 ppg
•SMSU is averaging 82 points per game, while opponents are averaging 75.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line.


    ABOUT SIOUX FALLS
•USF is 15-16 overall after beating Minot State on Wednesday night.
•Drew Guebert hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining.
•Guebert is scoring 15.4 ppg with 74 3-pointers and averaging 5.2 rpg to pace the Cougars.
•Mack Johnson is averaging 14.7 ppg with 48 3-pointers.
•USF is shooting 46 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line.
•USF is scoring 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 per game.
•Head coach Chris Johnson, the school's all-time leader in victories, is in his ninth season with a record of 156-121.

    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.

    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.

    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 11.9 ppg and 4.9 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 (116 games) - 2013-17

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in two games this 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.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Has started 28 games and leads the team with 132 assists.
•Averaging team-high 13.8 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 25 games and is averaging 10.2 ppg, ranking fifth on the team.
•Second on the team with 37 steals.
•Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Emporia State.
•Has 27 3-pointers ranking fourth on the team.

    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Has started 24 games and is averaging 10.7 ppg and a team-leading 7.5 rpg.
•Shooting a team-high 62.9 percent from the field.
•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 58.0 field goal pct.  
•Finished second in the NSIC in field goal pct. last season.  

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has played in 26 games. Missed one game with injury.
•Averaging 6.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Second on the team with 41 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 28 games.
•Averaging 6.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
•Ranks second on the team with 66 assists.
•Season-high 15 points vs. Minnesota Duluth (2/22).
•Career-high seven assists vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/9/16).

    DREW OSMUNDSON NOTES
•Has played in 28 games averaging 1.5 ppg.
•Scored a season-high six points twice versus Sioux Falls.
•Has recorded 59 assists ranking third on the team.








    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has played in 28 games with two starts.
•Scored a career-high 25 points at Concordia-St. Paul (2/1817).
•Tied for second on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg.
•Has made a team-high 51 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 8.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg, ranking second on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring.
•Shooting 61.6 percent from the field.
•Scored season-high 20 points at Northern State.
•Ranks first in team history shooting 58.5 percent (435 of 744) from the field.
•Ranks second in team history with 750 rebounds.
•Ranks seventh in team history with 267 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.     750         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 finished 9-3 at home this season and is 98-37 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    9-3    .481    .379    .747    37.2    84.0    11.5        
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 205-79 (.722) in 284 all-time 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    
    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 549 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 15 of the last 20 seasons since 1997-98.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 50th season of men's basketball in 2016-17.
•SMSU has played 1,373 games compiling an all-time record of 622-751.
•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).