THIS WEEK
•The No. 20 ranked (NABC) Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (1-1) continues non-conference play on Wednesday night hosting NAIA member Mayville State University (N.D.) (4-2) at the R/A Facility in Marshall with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.
•SMSU is coming off a 1-1 weekend in the NSIC/MIAA Challenge held in Marshall.
•Wednesday's match-up will be counted as an exhibition game for Mayville State.
•Wednesday's game is the third of nine straight home games SMSU will play to open the season.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Wednesday's game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. MAYVILLE STATE
•SMSU and Mayville State meet for the 11th time on Wednesday with MSU leading 6-4.
•This will be the first meeting between the two programs since the 1993-94 season when SMSU earned a 91-71 victory in the PE Gym.
•MSU leads the series 4-3 in games played in Marshall.
•The first game in the series came during the 1968-69 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler has never faced MSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 15.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU finished the 2017-18 season 25-9 overall and finished 17-5 in the NSIC.
•SMSU is 1-1 overall after splitting a pair of home games last weekend.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 18 ppg with a team-high 21 assists.  
•Senior forward Michael Lee has made team-leading nine 3-pointers and is averaging 17.5 ppg.
•Sophomore guard Nick Dufault ranks third on the team with 14.5 ppg and has made eight 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Braedan Hanson is scoring 10.5 ppg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease leads the team with 5.5 rpg.
•SMSU is shooting 51 percent from the field, 59 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is minus-3.0 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 85 points per game, while opponents are averaging 84 points per game.

    SMSU SETS RECORDS IN WIN OVER FORT HAYS STATE
•SMSU set a program single-game record shooting 73.1 percent from 3-point range (19 of 26) in the win over Fort Hays State on Nov. 10.
•The 19 3-pointers tied the single-game record which was set at Minnesota-Morris on Feb. 2, 2002.
•The 19 3-pointers also set an R/A Facility record for most made 3-pointers in a game breaking the previous mark of 16 set four times.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU shot 66 percent from the field versus Fort Hays State on Saturday. It's the first time SMSU has shot 60 percent or higher in a game since Nov. 21, 2017, versus Crown College.
•SMSU shot a blistering 77 percent (20 of 26) from the field in the first half on Saturday night. SMSU shot 72.2 percent from the field in the first half vs. Crown College last season.
•Senior Michael Lee poured in a career-high 25 points with seven 3-pointers in the victory over Fort Hays State on Nov. 10.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman dished out a career-high 14 assists in the win over Fort Hays State on Nov. 10. He also recorded his sixth career double-double.  
•Bruggeman became the program's all-time leader in steals during SMSU's season opening game versus Emporia State on Nov. 9. He now has 159 in his career, surpassing  Andre Beasley's record of 157 from 1990-93.
•Senior Taylor Schafer has scored 947 career points and is on pace to become the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
•Senior Michael Lee made 80 3-pointers last season ranking seventh in team single-season history.
•SMSU shot 48.9 percent from the field last season which ranks tied for fifth in team history.
•Seven of the top nine shooting teams in program history have come under the direction of head coach Brad Bigler.
•SMSU finished last season with 12 home victories. It's the first time since 2013-14 SMSU reached double figures in home wins.
•SMSU shot 50 percent or higher in 12 games last season.

    MUSTANGS SPLIT OPENING WEEKEND
•SMSU split a pair of home games at the NSIC/MIAA Challenge held at the R/A Facility last Friday and Saturday.
•On Friday, Emporia State closed the game on a 10-1 run in the final three minutes to defeat SMSU 83-74. SMSU led the game for more than 30 minutes.
•Ryan Bruggeman scored a team-high 18 points and was one of five Mustangs to reach double figure scoring.  
•ESU finished the game shooting 55 percent from the field, including 60 percent in the first half.
•On Saturday, SMSU tied a school record with 19 3-pointers in earning a 96-85 victory over Fort Hays State.
•SMSU made 13 3-pointers in the first half in building a 56-36 halftime advantage.
•Michael Lee scored a career-high 25 points on 7 of 9 shooting including 7 of 8 from 3-point range.
•Bruggeman recorded his sixth career double-double with a career-high 14 assists while scoring 18 points.

    SCOUTING MAYVILLE STATE
•Mayville State is 4-2 overall and is coming off a 93-68 road victory over Division III Gustavus on Saturday night.
•MSU is a member of NAIA Division II and competes in the North Star Athletic Association. The Comets were picked to finish second in the eight-team NSAA this season.
•MSU won the NSAA tournament championship last season and competed in the NAIA II national tournament before losing to College of Idaho in the opening round.
•Senior guard Daniel Lindgren scored 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting with four 3-pointers for the Comets.
•Senior guard Gorg Alhag chipped in with 16 points with three 3-pointers.
•The Comets shot 60 percent from the field and made 11 3-pointers in the win over Gustavus.
•Alhag is averaging 14.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg, while junior forward Max Cooper is scoring 12.2 ppg
•MSU is shooting 55 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, 68 percent from the free throw line and is plus-6.0 in rebound margin.
•MSU is averaging 101 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 points per game.
•Darren Tighe is in his second season as head coach at MSU with a record of 22-13.
•During his first season, MSU went from nine wins to 18 and won the NSAA tournament championship to advance to the NAIA II national tournament.
•He was the head coach at Ridgewater College for three seasons from 2014-17.  



    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 10th season as head coach and has compiled an overall record of 162-111, including 112-84 in conference play.
•Bigler became the program's 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 six winning seasons, including one 28-win season, one 25-win season and two 19-win seasons.
•SMSU won NSIC tournament titles in 2012 and 2017 and also won the NSIC South Division championship in both 2016-2017 and 2017-18.  
•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 14.

    BRUGGEMAN CLOSING IN ON TOP 5 SCORING
•Ryan Bruggeman has moved into sixth in the SMSU career scoring list with 1,431 points in 98 games. He is 40 points from tying Chad Koenen (1998-2002) for fifth in team history. •Jacob Fahl (1999-2003) is the program's all-time scoring leader with 1,638 points.

    MORE BRUGGEMAN IN CAREER RECORD BOOK
•Ryan Bruggeman broke the program's career assist record during the 2017-18 season and has amassed 531 assists in 98 games. Vinard Birch (2010-14) held the previous record of 396.
•Bruggeman's 531 career assists rank him among the Top 10 in active Division II players.  
•Bruggeman also ranks first in team history in assists average, steals, free throws made, fourth in free throw pct. and sixth in scoring.

    SMSU RANKED IN THREE PRESEASON POLLS
•SMSU opened the 2018-19 regular season ranked in three preseason polls.
•SMSU was ranked No. 20 by the NABC, No. 14 by D2Bulletin and No. 22 by D2SIDA.

    BACK-TO-BACK 20-WIN SEASONS
•The 25 victories last season ranks as the fourth highest in team history.
•SMSU has recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the second time in program history and has a total of six 20-win seasons in team history.
•SMSU combined to win 53 games the last two seasons which is the best two-year combined wins total in team history.

    THREE-POINT RECORD IN 2017-18
•SMSU set a school record with 273 3-pointers made last season, breaking the previous record was 262 during the 2002-03 season.
•The Mustangs averaged eight 3-pointers made per game and connected on eight or more 3-pointers in 17 of its last 24 games to close the season.


    BRUGGEMAN EARNS PRESEASON HONOR ; SMSU PICKED SIXTH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season.
•SMSU was picked to finish sixth overall and fourth in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in October.
•Minnesota State and St. Cloud State was chosen as the overall co-favorites.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history last season since moving to Division II in 1995-96.
•SMSU is 9-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and has appeared in three region championship games, while winning region championships in both 2001 and 2009.  

    NSIC SOUTH CHAMPIONS AGAIN
•SMSU captured the program's second straight NSIC South Division title last season. The NSIC divisional format was created prior to the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU tied with St. Cloud State for second place overall in the 16-team conference.
•SMSU won overall NSIC championships in both 2001 and 2009.

    BRUGGEMAN 2017-18 POST SEASON HONORS
•SMSU senior Ryan Bruggeman was named honorable mention All-American by D2Bulletin last season.
•He is the first SMSU player to earn All-American honors since Ross DeMasi in 2009.
•He was also named first team All-NSIC, first team NABC All-Region and second team CCA All-Region.

    BRUGGEMAN SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS IN 2017-18
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman dished out a school record 218 assists last season breaking the previous record of 185 set by Marques Pena in 2000-01.
•Bruggeman's 6.4 assists per game last season ranks first in team single-season history.
•Bruggeman also made 171 free throws last season setting a school single-season record.
•The previous mark was 148 set by Scott Koenen in 2000-01.

    FINAL 2017-18 NCAA STATISTICS
•The Mustangs ranked 11th in 3-point field goal pct., 11th in turnovers per game, 16th in assist/turnover ratio, 22nd in field goal pct. and 32nd in free throw pct.
•Ryan Bruggeman finished last season ranked fifth in total assists, 13th in free throws made, 13th in assists per game, 19th in total steals, 21st in free throw attempts and 31st in assist turnover ratio.








    FINAL 2017-18 NSIC STATISTICS
•Ryan Bruggeman ranked second in assist/turnover ratio, third in steals, third in assists, eighth in scoring and 10th in free throw pct.
•Michael Lee ranked fifth in 3-point field goal pct. and sixth in 3-point field goals made.
•SMSU finished the NSIC season third in scoring defense, third in 3-point field goal pct. defense, third in field goal pct. defense, fourth in 3-point field goal pct., fifth in field goal pct., fifth in scoring offense and sixth in rebound margin.

    DOUBLE CENTURY CLUB FOR JUST THE SECOND TIME
•For just the second time in team history, SMSU featured a pair of players who dished out 100 or more assists in a single-season in 2017-18.
•Ryan Bruggeman (218) and Turner Moen (106) both reached 100 assists last season.
•The only other time SMSU featured two players with 100 more assists in one season came in 1985-86, when Tom Bowens (106) and Juan Mitchell (105) both reached the mark.

    WINS VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
•SMSU defeated No. 7 (D2SIDA)/No. 12 (NABC) Northern State 64-57 on Jan. 27, 2018, in Aberdeen, S.D., recording its lone win over a ranked team last season.
•SMSU beat No. 21 (NABC) MSU Moorhead and No. 16 Augustana (D2SIDA) during the 2016-17 season.
•Prior to victory last season over NSU, SMSU's last victory over a Top 10 team was on March 3, 2010, at No. 8 (NABC) Minnesota State in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament.

    SMSU TRUE "ROAD WARRIORS" LAST FEW SEASONS
•SMSU finished 13-7 away from Marshall last season, including 8-5 in "true" road games and 5-2 in neutral site games.
•SMSU finished 12-3 in "true" road games during the 2016-17 season, recording the most road wins in team history.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•A total of four Southwest Minnesota State players have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including one time during the 2018-19 season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 26 career 20-point games, including 14 last season, which includes a 33-point game. During the 2016-17 season, he led the team with nine 20-point games which included one 30-point game.
•Senior Taylor Schafer has six, senior Michael Lee has two, while sophomore Nick Dufault has one during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2018-19 Season
    25    Michael Lee    Fort Hays State, 11/10/18

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 1.0 ppg and 1.0 rpg.
•Had one field goal vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Averaging a team-high 18 ppg with a team-high 21 assists.
•Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Emporia State (11/9/18) and Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Dished out a career-high 14 assists vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Had 14 20-point scoring games last season, including one 33-point game.
•Set team single-season assists and free throws made record last season.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 5.4 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 531 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 397 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 159 steals.
•Has started every game in his career.
•Two-time first team All-NSIC.
•Named 2018 honorable mention All-American by D2Bulletin.
•Named NABC first team All-Region and CCA second team All-Region in 2018.
•Named MVP of the 2017 NSIC Tournament.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg.
•Tied a career-high with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting vs. Emporia State (11/9/18).
•Played as a true freshman in 2017-18.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played two games and is averaging 14.5 ppg.  
•Ranks second on the team with eight 3-pointers.
•Scored a season-high 18 points with five 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).  
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in two games and is averaging 10.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 14 points with a career-high seven rebounds vs. Emporia State (11/9/18).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has played in two games and is averaging 1.0 ppg.
•Scored one field goal vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 17.5 ppg.
•Has connected on a team-high nine 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 25 points with seven 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).

    STEVEN MCNEASE NOTES
•In first season at SMSU and has one season of eligibility remaining.
•Has played two games and is averaging 4.5 ppg and a team-high 5.5 rpg.
•Recorded career-high nine rebounds vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Scored a career-high five points vs. FHSU.
•Played last season at Copper Mountain College (Calif.)

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 9.5 ppg.  
•Scored a season-high 12 points vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Ranks sixth in school history with 175 3-pointers.

    KEVIN TOTUSEK NOTES
•Has not appeared in a game this season.
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 1-1 at home this season after finishing 12-2 last season.
•SMSU is a combined 111-40 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU was 13-7 in road/neutral site games last season and are a combined 86-77 in 163 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 2017-18:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    1-1    51.4    58.5    80.6    28.0    85.0    11.5    
Away    n/a      
           













    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished 7-1 versus teams from the NSIC North Division in conference play last season and are a combined 32-16 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•Last year's 7-1 record was the best finish for SMSU versus the North since divisions were formed.
•SMSU finished 6-2 in 2016-17, 3-5 in 2015-16; 5-3 in 2014-15; 5-3 in 2013-14; and 6-2 in 2012-13.
•Heading into the 2018-19 season, the NSIC South holds a 234-150 advantage over NSIC North teams in conference play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, including finishing 38-26 last season.
•The South Division has held the advantage in every season. 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.

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2018-19 season marks the 23rd year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 218-82 (.726) in 300 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    12-2    10-1    2-1
    2018-19    1-1    0-0    1-1    
    Totals    218-82    144-57    74-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 591 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 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 last season following a 91-85 at Sioux Falls on Nov. 25, 2017.
•SMSU is 7-6 in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games all-time.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2018-19 campaign marks the 50th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 361-385 in 746 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 25 times in 49 seasons.
•SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 17 of the last 22 seasons since 1997-98.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•Since the NSIC Tournament started in 2000, SMSU is 23-16 all-time with two championships (2012 & 2017).
•SMSU has advanced to the semifinals 11 times and have played in seven championship games (2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018).
•The Mustangs are 10-2 at home, 1-7 on the road and 12-7 in neutral sites games.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is competing in its 52nd season of men's basketball in 2018-19.
•SMSU has played 1,417 games compiling an all-time record of 654-763.
•SMSU has won two NSIC regular season championships (2001 & 2009), two NSIC South Division championships (2017 & 2018), two NSIC tournament championships (2012, 2017), two NCAA region championships (2001 & 2009) and has appeared in five NCAA tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018).
•SMSU has recorded 23 winning seasons in program history with 16 coming in the last 20 years.