PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (10-4, 6-2 NSIC) hits the road for the first time in 2018 with a pair of games versus teams from the NSIC South Division.  
•SMSU begins the weekend in second place in the NSIC South Division standings and fourth overall.
•SMSU will face Winona State University (8-6, 3-5 NSIC) on Friday, Jan. 5, beginning at 8 p.m., at McCown Gymnasium.
•SMSU closes the weekend with a 6 p.m. match-up versus Upper Iowa University (9-8, 2-6 NSIC) on Saturday, Jan. 6, at Dorman Gymnasium.
•SMSU defeated both Winona State (79-76) and Upper Iowa (93-86) earlier this season in Marshall.

    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.  

    KIRK JOINS BRUGGEMAN IN 1,000 POINT CLUB
•Senior Carter Kirk and junior Ryan Bruggeman both joined the 1,000 career points milestone in December.
•Bruggeman reached 1,000 career points during SMSU's win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 8 and currently ranks 18th in team history with 1,054 points in 76 games.
•Kirk became the 23rd SMSU player to reach 1,000 career points in SMSU's win over Wayne State on Dec. 31. He currently ranks 21st all-time with 1,018 points in 104 games.   
•A complete list of the top 25 scorers in team history is listed on page 4.

    KIRK NAMED NSIC SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Senior Carter Kirk was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Jan. 2.
•Kirk averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds, while shooting 70 percent from the field in home games versus Augustana and Wayne State.
•He scored 17 points with 12 rebounds vs. Augustana.
•He scored 23 points and had 18 rebounds vs. Wayne State.

    TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN THE NSIC
•SMSU has played a strong schedule through 14 games this season and the latest NCAA statistical numbers back it up.
•SMSU has the 28th toughest schedule in Division II and the toughest among all NSIC schools as of Monday, Jan. 1.
•SMSU's 12 Division II opponents have a combined record of 78-49 (not including games with SMSU).

    SERIES HISTORY VS. WINONA STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State meet for the 107th time on Friday with WSU leading 68-38.
•The teams first met during the 1968-69 season.
•SMSU has won the last three games in the series, which is its longest streak in the series since winning three in a row from 2001-02.
•SMSU has not won four straight in the series since 1980-82.
•WSU holds a 25-7 advantage since 2004-05, but SMSU has won five of the last eight meetings.
•SMSU's win last season at WSU was its first since the 2002-03 season, snapping a 15-game losing streak at McCown Gym.
•WSU hold a 39-11 advantage in games played in Winona.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-11 all-time versus WSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series are on page 19.

    LAST TIME VERSUS WINONA STATE
•SMSU used 24 points from Ryan Bruggeman—his third straight 20-point game—to hold off Winona State and earn a 79-76 victory on Dec. 2.
•Taylor Schafer tied a season-high with 14 points, connecting on four 3-pointers, while Turner Moen added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists to pace the Mustangs.
•SMSU shot 49 percent (27 of 55) from the field, including 10 of 23 from 3-point range.
•SMSU also made 15 of 17 from the free throw line.
•WSU, which was led by a team-high 16 points from Tommy Gathje on 6 of 7 shooting with four 3-pointers, shot 50 percent (25 of 50) from the field, including 12 of 22 on 3-pointers.
•The game box score is located on page 21.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. UPPER IOWA
•Southwest Minnesota State and Upper Iowa meet for the 29th time on Saturday with SMSU leading 18-8.
•The teams first met during the 1979-80 season.
•SMSU leads 6-4 in games played in Fayette, but lost last season's game at Dorman Gym, 77-75.
•UIU has won two of the last three games in Fayette.
•UIU has won six of the last nine games overall.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 10-7 all-time versus UIU.
•Game-by-game results of the series are on page 20.

    LAST TIME VERSUS UPPER IOWA
•Ryan Bruggeman scored a game-high 24 points, dished out nine assists and pulled down five rebounds, while teammate KJ Davis scored a career-high 19 points to lead SMSU to a 93-86 victory over Upper Iowa on Dec. 1.
•Carter Kirk scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds with four assists to help the SMSU charge, while Michael Lee chipped in with 12 points before fouling out early in the second half.
•Carson Parker scored a team-high 20 points for the Peacocks and also grabbed seven rebounds.
•The game box score is located on page 22.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his ninth season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 146-105, including 101-81 in conference play.
•Bigler became the all-time wins leader on Dec. 2, 2017, passing Greg Stemen (141, 2001-09).
•The 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to five winning seasons, including one 28-win season and a pair of 19-win seasons.
•SMSU won NSIC tournament titles in 2012 and 2017 and also won the NSIC South Division championship in 2017.  
•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 SPLITS HOME GAMES LAST WEEKEND
•SMSU split a pair of home games last weekend, losing 89-78 to Augustana, before earning an 86-65 win over Wayne State.
•Carter Kirk scored 17 points with 12 rebounds in the loss to Augustana.
•SMSU shot 49 percent from the field and connected on 11 3-pointers, but made just 7 of 16 from the free throw line.
•SMSU shot 53 percent from the field in the win over WSC with nine 3-pointers.
•Kirk recorded career-highs in both points (23) and rebounds (18) in the victory.
•Kenny Byers scored a career-high 11 points versus WSC.
•SMSU held a 44-26 rebound advantage in the victory.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 10-4 overall, 6-2 NSIC.
•SMSU has three players averaging double figure scoring.
•Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 16.5 ppg with a team-high 76 assists.
•Carter Kirk is scoring 13.9 ppg with a team-high 9.9 rpg. He also has a team-high 15 blocked shots and is shooting 58 percent.
•KJ Davis is scoring 10.3 ppg with 10 3-pointers.
•Michael Lee has made a team-leading 26 3-pointers while Taylor Schafer has connected on 20 3-pointers.
•SMSU averaging 81 points per game, while opponents are average 74.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.6 in rebound margin.









    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU ranks third in the NSIC in scoring offense (82.1).
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher in three of its last four games and five times this season. Last season, SMSU shot 50 percent or higher in 15 games.
•SMSU has made eight or more 3-pointers in each of the last four games.
•SMSU shot a season-low 39 percent in the win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 8.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler became the program's all-time leader in victories on Dec. 2 in a win over Winona State.
•Ryan Bruggeman is second place in team history with 368 assists. Vinard Birch (2010-14) is the all-time leader with 396.
•Bruggeman ranks first in team history in assists average, fourth in free throw pct. and fifth in free throws made.  
•Taylor Schafer ranks 10th in team history with 135 3-pointers.  •Carter Kirk ranks first in school history in career field goal pct. (57.9) and is eighth in rebounds (680).
•SMSU ranks 14th in Division II in fewest turnovers per game.
•SMSU shot a season-high 89 percent (25 of 28) from the free throw line versus Upper Iowa on Dec. 1.
•SMSU's 116 points on Nov. 21 versus Crown was the second highest point total in school history.
•SMSU made 33 free throws in the win over Northern Michigan on Nov. 18. It was the first time SMSU made more than 30 in a game since connecting on 33 versus Wayne State on Dec. 7, 2013.
•SMSU limited Michigan Tech to just 15 points in the second half on Nov. 17. It was the first time SMSU has held an opponent to less than 20 points in a half since Feb. 8, 2014, when Concordia-St. Paul scored 17 first half points.
 •SMSU shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the second half in the loss to Fort Hays State in the season opener. It was the first time SMSU shot less than 30 percent in a half since Nov. 29, 2016, versus Sioux Falls.

    SCOUTING WINONA STATE
•WSU is 8-6 overall, 3-5 NSIC, after losing a pair of games last weekend at Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.
•Mason Domask leads the team averaging 12.6 ppg with 31 3-pointers.  
•Tommy Gathje is averaging 12.1 ppg with 4.8 rpg and 22 3-pointers.
•Corey Jeffs is scoring 11.8 ppg with a team-high 5.4 rpg.
•WSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.1 in rebound margin.
•WSU is scoring 77 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 per game.
•Head coach Todd Eisner is in his third season with a record 35-35. He recorded 417 career victories as a head coach at Midland (Neb.), Benedictine (Kan.), Bellevue (Neb.) and Viterbo (Wis.) prior to WSU.

    SCOUTING UPPER IOWA
•UIU is 9-8 overall, 2-6 NSIC, following last Sunday's loss at Minnesota Crookston. UIU will host Sioux Falls on Friday night.
•Carson Parker leads the team averaging 17.5 ppg with 30 3-pointers. He also ranks second the squad with 6.3 rpg.  
•Dennis Austin is averaging 13.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
•Munachiso Okonkwo is the team-leader with 7.4 rpg.
•Joe Smoldt leads the club with 46 3-pointers and is averaging 12.2 ppg.  
•UIU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is minus-2.2 in rebound margin.
•UIU is scoring 79 points per game, while opponents are averaging 81 per game.
•Head coach Brooks McKowen is in his fifth season at UIU with a record of 80-63. He led the Peacocks to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
•McKowen was an assistant coach at SMSU from 2011-13.

    NCAA STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics (Jan. 1) can be found on page 17.
•SMSU ranks 14th in fewest turnovers per game (10.2), 16th in 3-point field goal pct. (41.9) and 34th in assist/turnover ratio (1.38).
•Carter Kirk ranks seventh in total rebounds (139) and 24th in rebounds per game (9.9).
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 21st in free throw made (71), 20th in total assists (76), 41st in assists per game (5.4) and 42nd in assist turnover ratio (2.81).

    NSIC STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 15-16.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.6), third in assists (6.3) and eighth in scoring (17.9).
•Carter Kirk ranks first in rebounding (10.8) and 10th in blocked shots (1.0).
•Turner Moen ranks fourth in 3-point field goal pct. (52.9).
•KJ Davis ranks eighth in free throw pct. (89.3).

    SMSU RANKED IN THREE PRESEASON POLLS
•SMSU opened the 2017-18 regular season ranked in three separate preseason polls.
•SMSU was 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.

    SMSU TRUE "ROAD WARRIORS" LAST TWO SEASONS
•SMSU is 5-2 away from Marshall this season, including 3-2 in "true" road games and 2-0 in neutral site 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.
    
    CURRENT MUSTANGS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•To see where 2017-18 Mustangs rank in the SMSU career record book, go to page 4.

    BRUGGEMAN NAMED NSIC SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Dec. 4.
•It's the second time in his career he has earned the honor.
•He averaged 24 points, 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 54 percent from the field in home victories over Upper Iowa (93-86) and Winona State (79-76).
•He scored 24 points in each of the two games.

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in 14 games averaging 4.0 ppg and 3.2 rpg.
•Scored 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting vs. Crown.
•Scored six points on three field goals vs. Sioux Falls (12/16).
•Played in just two games last season due to an injury.
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    VYDAL BRADFORD NOTES
•Has played in four games this season.
•Scored 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting vs. Crown.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Averaging a team-high 16.5 ppg and leads team with 76 assists.
•Scored season-high 28 points at Sioux Falls.
•Has five 20-point scoring games this season.
•Has scored double figures in every game this season.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 4.8 assists per game.
•Ranks second in team history with 368 assists.
•Ranks fourth in team history with 83.8 career free throw pct.
•Has started all 76 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.
•Scored 528 points last season, ranking 12th highest in team history and highest since 2000-01.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has played in 14 games during his true freshman season.
•Scored season-high 11 points vs. Wayne State on 5 of 6 shooting with one 3-pointer.
•Scored 10 points at St. Cloud State.
•Season-high eight rebounds vs. Upper Iowa (12/1).

    KJ DAVIS NOTES
•Averaging 10.3 ppg and has connected on 10 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 19 points with 12 free throws made vs. Upper Iowa.
•Has scored double figures in eight games this season.
•Led the team with 47 steals last season.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played 14 games and is averaging 7.0 ppg with 19 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 23 points vs. Crown on 8 of 12 shooting with five 3-pointers.
•Scored 12 points at St. Cloud State with two 3-pointers and also scored 12 points vs. Augustana with four 3-pointers.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in four games this season.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    CARTER KIRK NOTES
•Averaging 13.9 ppg and team-high 9.9 rpg while shooting 58 percent from the field.
•Has reached double figuring scoring in 10 games, including three 20-point games.  
•Grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored a career-high 23 points vs. Wayne State (12/31).
•Recorded 17 points and 17 rebounds vs. Northern Michigan.
•Has seven or more rebounds in 13 of 14 games this season.
•Ranks first in team history with a career 57.9 field goal pct.  
•Ranks eighth in team history with 680 rebounds.
•Shot a team-high 61.7 percent from the field a season ago.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Averaging 7.2 ppg with team-high 26 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 17 points vs. Crown with four 3-pointers.
•Has scored double figures in four games.
•Has made three or more 3-pointers in five games.
•Tied for second on the team last season with 52 3-pointers.

    TURNER MOEN NOTES
•Averaging 7.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
•Scored a season-high 15 points vs. Sioux Falls (12/16).
•Recorded first career double-double at Minnesota Duluth with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
•Second on the team with 39 assists and second with 20 steals.
•Ranked second on the team last season with 73 assists.

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Averaging 8.8 ppg with 20 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 14 points vs. Crown, Winona State and Sioux Falls.
•Ranks 10th in school history with 135 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 25 points at Concordia-St. Paul (2/18/17).
•Connected on a team-high 58 3-pointers last season.

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU is 2-0 versus teams from the NSIC North Division in conference play this season and are a combined 27-15 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU finished 6-2 versus the NSIC North in conference games last season.
•SMSU recorded a 3-5 mark versus the North in 2015-16; 5-3 in 2014-15; 5-3 in 2013-14; and 6-2 in 2012-13.
•The NSIC South holds a 204-132 advantage over NSIC North teams in conference play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, but this season the record is 8-8 (Dec. 31).
•In 2016-17, the South finished 35-29; 2015-16, the South led 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.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Southwest Minnesota State has five players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including nine 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 17 career 20-point games, including five this season.
•Junior Taylor Schafer has six 20-point games, senior Carter Kirk  has four, Turner Moen has two 20-point games and redshirt freshman Nick Dufault has one.
20 or More Point Games - 2017-18 Season
    28    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 11/25/17
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Winona State, 12/2/17
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Upper Iowa, 12/1/17
    23    Carter Kirk    Wayne State, 12/31/17
    23    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/21/17
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Duluth, 12/8/17
    20     Ryan Bruggeman    Northern Michigan, 11/18/17
    20    Carter Kirk    Northern State, 11/15/17
    20    Carter Kirk    Emporia State, 11/11/17

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 5-2 at home this season after finishing 9-3 last season. •SMSU is a combined 103-39 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•The Mustangs finished 19-3 in road/neutral site games last season and are a combined 78-72 in 150 road/neutral site games since 2009-10, including 5-2 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    5-2    .514    .441    .731    37.0    86.6    10.0        
Away    5-2    .456    .390    .711    34.3    74.4    10.4    
           
    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'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.  
 
    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.

    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.

    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 210-81 (.721) in 291 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    5-2    4-1    1-1    
    Totals    210-81    138-57    72-24

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 569 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 has reached 100 points once this season in a 116-80 win over Crown College on Nov. 21. It was the second highest point total in team history.
•SMSU is 37-8 all-time when scoring 100 points in a game.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 45-39 all-time in overtime games, including 0-1 this season after losing 91-85 at Sioux Falls on Nov. 25.
•SMSU finished 2-1 last season in overtime games.
•SMSU is 7-6 all-time in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games.


    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 350-382 in 732 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 1,395 games compiling an all-time record of 638-757.
•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.