THIS WEEK
•The No. 20 ranked (NABC) Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (2-1) continues non-conference play this week hosting three NCAA Division III teams from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) at the R/A Facility.  
•On Monday night, SMSU takes on Bethany Lutheran College (2-3) with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.
•SMSU will then host Northland College (1-2) on Tuesday with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.
•SMSU closes the week facing Crown College (2-1) on Saturday with game time at 1 p.m.
•This week's game are the fourth, fifth and sixth of nine straight games SMSU will play at home to open the season.
•Bethany Lutheran head coach Matt Fletcher, played at SMSU from 2004-08, scoring 1,375 points and connecting on a school record 305 3-pointers. He also ranks first in team history in free throw pct. (85.3) and is second in 3-point field goal pct. (44.8).   

    BROADCAST INFO
•All three games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. BETHANY LUTHERAN
•SMSU and Bethany Lutheran meet for just the second time with SMSU winning the previous meeting, 91-64, on Nov. 23, 2004, in Marshall.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler has never faced BLC.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 16.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHLAND
•SMSU and Northland meet for just the third time with SMSU leading 2-0.
•SMSU won 95-72 during the 1975-76 season in LaCrosse, Wis., then earned a 126-71 victory in Marshall during the 1999-2000 season. The 126 is the current school record for points scored in a single-game.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler has never faced Northland.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 16.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. CROWN
•SMSU and Crown will meet for the fourth time with SMSU winning all three games in Marshall.
•SMSU won last season, 116-80, and also won 101-50 in 1997 and 84-44 in 1998.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 1-0 all-time versus Crown.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 16.

    SMSU ALL-TIME VERSUS THE UMAC
•SMSU is 50-40 all-time versus current members of UMAC with a majority of the games coming against Minnesota-Morris (41-37) when UMM was a member of the NSIC.  

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU begins the week 2-1 following an 83-70 victory last Wednesday over Mayville State.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 23 ppg with a team-high 24 assists.  
•Senior forward Michael Lee has made team-leading nine 3-pointers and is averaging 12.3 ppg.
•Sophomore guard Nick Dufault ranks second on the team with 13 ppg and has made eight 3-pointers.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer is averaging 12.7 ppg with eight 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Braedan Hanson is scoring 10.3 ppg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease leads the team with 6.0 rpg.
•SMSU is shooting 53 percent from the field, 57 percent from 3-point range, 80 percent from the free throw line and is minus-1.0 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 84 points per game, while opponents are averaging 79 points per game.

    SMSU SETS RECORDS VERSUS 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
•Seniors Ryan Bruggeman and Taylor Schafer will be appearing in their 100th career games on Monday.
•SMSU has shot 66 percent and 57 percent from the field in its two victories this season.
•SMSU connected on a season-high 37 field goals versus Mayville State on Nov. 14.
•SMSU committed a season-low eight turnovers in the win over Mayville State.
•Schafer has scored 966 career points and is on pace to become the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
•Bruggeman made a career-high 15 field goals in the win over Mayville State.
•SMSU shot 66 percent from the field versus Fort Hays State on Nov. 10. It was the first time SMSU 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 versus FHSU on Nov. 10. SMSU shot 72.2 percent from the field in the first half versus Crown College last season.
•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.

    MUSTANGS PULL AWAY FROM MAYVILLE STATE
•Ryan Bruggeman connected on a career-high 15 field goals and scored a season-high 33 points (one point shy of tying his career-high) with eight rebounds and three assists to pace SMSU to an 83-70 non-conference victory over Mayville State last Wednesday night.
•SMSU finished the game shooting 57 percent (37 of 65) from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range and committed just eight turnovers.
•Taylor Schafer poured in a season-high 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting with three 3-pointers to help pace the Mustang offense.
•Nick Dufault and Braedan Hanson each added 10 points off the bench, while Hanson grabbed six rebounds.
•Steven McNease finished with seven rebounds.

    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 163-111, including 112-84 in conference play.
•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 15.

    SCOUTING BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE
•Bethany Lutheran is 2-3 overall after losing 82-80 at Luther College (Iowa) on Saturday.
•BLC was picked to win the UMAC in 2018-19.
•BLC won the UMAC Tournament last season and advanced to the second round in its inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
•Freshman guard Cire Mayfield is averaging 18.6 ppg and has dished out a team-high 27 assists.  
•Junior forward Trenton Krueger is scoring 12.6 ppg with a team-leading 9.4 rpg.
•BLC is shooting 48 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.4 in rebound margin.
•BLC is averaging 86 points per game, while opponents are averaging 89 points per game.
•Matt Fletcher is in his second season as head coach with a record of 22-12.

    SCOUTING NORTHLAND COLLEGE
•Northland College is 1-2 overall following a 95-69 road loss to Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon.
•Northland was picked to finish seventh in the UMAC in 2018-19 after closing with a 12-13 record last season.  
•Junior guard Larry Benny is averaging 19.5 ppg with a team-leading nine 3-pointers.  
•Senior guard Brandon Galland is scoring 17 ppg with six 3-pointers.
•Freshman forward Modesta Britten is averaging a team-high 10.7 rpg and is scoring 11.7 ppg.  
•NC is shooting 39 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3-point range, 66 percent from the free throw line and is minus-11.0 in rebound margin.
•NC is averaging 70 points per game, while opponents are averaging 80 points per game.
•Scott Sorenson is in his seventh season as head coach with a record of 50-103.  

    SCOUTING CROWN COLLEGE
•Crown College is 2-1 and will play at Bethel College on Tuesday before facing SMSU. Saturday's game is an exhibition for the Storm.
•Crown was picked to finish fifth in the UMAC in 2018-19 after finishing with a 13-13 record last season.  
•Junior forward Timothy Wendel is averaging 20 ppg with seven 3-pointers.  
•Senior guard Deegan Oyugi is scoring 19.3 ppg and shooting 56 percent from the field.
•Junior forward Gunnar Ledin has a team-high eight 3-pointers and is scoring 17.3 ppg.  
•Crown begins the week shooting 44 percent from the field, 32 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is plus-5.0 in rebound margin.
•Crown is averaging 86 points per game, while opponents are averaging 81 points per game.
•Luke Herbert is in his ninth season as head coach.  

    BRUGGEMAN CLOSING IN ON TOP 5 SCORING
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks sixth in the SMSU career scoring list with 1,464 points in 99 games. He is seven 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 steals record on Nov. 9 and now has amassed 161. He broke the previous record of 157 set by Andre Beasley from 1990-93.
•Bruggeman is also the program's all-time leader in assists with 534 in 99 games. He set the record during the 2017-18 season, surpassing the record of 396 held by Vinard Birch (2010-14).
•Bruggeman's 534 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.

    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 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.

    2018-19 NCAA STATISTICS
•The latest NCAA statistics (through Nov. 15) are located on page 14.
•The Mustangs ranks third in 3-point field goal pct., 10th in 3-pointers made per game and 20th in field goal pct.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks sixth in total assists and fifth in assists per game.

    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 twice during the 2018-19 season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 27 career 20-point games, including one this season, which includes a 33-point game versus Mayville State.  
•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
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Mayville State, 11/14/18
    25    Michael Lee    Fort Hays State, 11/10/18






    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has started three games and is averaging 1.3 ppg and 0.7 rpg.
•Has two field goals this season.
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Averaging a team-high 23 ppg with a team-high 24 assists.
•Scored a season-high 33 points and made a career-high 15 field goals vs. Mayville State (11/14/18).
•Dished out a career-high 14 assists vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•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 534 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 399 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 161 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 three games and is averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.7 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 three games and is averaging 13 ppg.  
•Ranks second on the team with eight 3-pointers and is second in scoring.
•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 three games and is averaging 10.3 ppg and 5.0 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 three 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 three games and is averaging 12.3 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).
•Ranks fourth in team history with 44.5 3-point pct.
•Made 80 3-pointers last season ranking seventh in team single-season history.

    STEVEN MCNEASE NOTES
•In first season at SMSU and has one season of eligibility remaining.
•Has played three games and is averaging 3.7 ppg and a team-high 6.0 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 three games and is averaging 12.7 ppg.  
•Scored a season-high 19 points vs. Mayville State (11/14/18).
•Ranks sixth in school history with 178 3-pointers and is sixth all-time in 3-pointers attempted (453).

    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 2-1 at home this season after finishing 12-2 last season.
•SMSU is a combined 112-40 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    2-1    53.4    56.9    80.0    30.0    84.3    10.3    
Away    n/a  

    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.

    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.







    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.
    
    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 219-82 (.727) in 301 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    2-1    0-0    2-1    
    Totals    219-82    144-57    75-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 592 straight games.
•The last time SMSU failed to score a 3-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998, versus MSU Moorhead (0 for 10) at the North Dakota State Classic.

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    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 1,418 games compiling an all-time record of 655-763.
•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.