THIS WEEK
•The No. 20 (NABC) Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team, nationally ranked in two polls, opens the 2018-19 season with a pair of home games this Friday and Saturday as part of the NSIC/MIAA Challenge at the R/A Facility in Marshall.
•SMSU will face Emporia State (Kan.) on Friday with tip-off slated for 6 p.m. before taking on Fort Hays State (Kan.) on Saturday with game time slated for 4 p.m.
•Also on Friday, the University of Sioux Falls will face Fort Hays State starting at 4 p.m., while on Saturday, USF will take on Emporia State at 6 p.m.

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

    SMSU RANKED IN TWO PRESEASON POLLS
•SMSU opens the 2018-19 regular season ranked in a pair of preseason polls.
•SMSU is ranked No. 20 by the NABC and No. 14 by D2Bulletin. The NABC Top 25 poll is listed on page 18.

     SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 28-23 all-time in season opening games.
•Friday will be the first time SMSU has opened a season at home since Nov. 17, 2009.
•SMSU has won seven of its last 12 season openers and 15 of its last 22.
•SMSU lost last season's opener, 85-66 to Fort Hays State.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. EMPORIA STATE
•SMSU and Emporia State meet for the sixth time on Friday with SMSU leading the series 4-1.
•ESU's only other game in Marshall came during the 1991-92 season.
•SMSU has won the last four games including 70-66 last season in Emporia, Kan.
•ESU's only win in the series came during the 1970-71 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 3-0 all-time versus ESU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT HAYS STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Fort Hays State meet for the sixth time on Saturday with FHSU leading 3-2.
•FHSU won the season opener last season, 85-66, in game played in Emporia, Kan.
•FHSU won the only previous meeting in Marshall, 89-72 on Nov. 9, 2013.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 1-3 all-time versus FHSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU finished the 2017-18 season 25-9 overall and finished 17-5 in the NSIC.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman averaged a team-high 16.8 ppg with a team-high 218 assists. He finished the NSIC season eighth in scoring (16.9), third in assists (6.2) and third in steals.
•Senior forward Michael Lee made a team-leading 80 3-pointers, while senior guard Taylor Schafer made 55 3-pointers, while sophomore guard Nick Dufault connected on 44 3-pointers.
•SMSU shot 49 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and was plus-2.5 in rebound margin.
•SMSU averaging 79 points per game, while opponents averaged 72 points per game.


    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman needs one more steal to tie Andre Beasley (1990-93) for the school record of 157.
•Senior Taylor Schafer begins the season with 928 career points. He 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 committed 11 or less turnovers in 12 of its last 13 games to end the 2017-18 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.
•SMSU finished last season with 12 home victories. It's the first time since 2013-14 that SMSU reached double figures in home wins.
•SMSU finished 20-3 last season when opponents shot less than 50 percent from the field.  
•SMSU shot 50 percent or higher in 12 games last season.

    20-WIN SEASONS BACK-TO-BACK
•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.

    EXHIBITION RECAP
•SMSU earned a 102-66 exhibition game victory over Division III St. Olaf College last Friday night at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU was led by Ryan Bruggeman who poured in a game-high 22 points with eight assists and five rebounds. He made 9 of 15 from the field with three 3-pointers.
•Nick Dufault came off the bench to score 18 points on 6 of 8 from 3-point range.
•Taylor Schafer (18) and Kenny Byers (10) also scored in double figures for the Mustangs, who closed the night shooting 60 percent (37 of 62) from the field, including 18 of 26 from 3-point range.

    SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE
•ESU finished last season 9-19 overall and placed 12th in the MIAA with a record of 4-15.  
•The Hornets return six players from last season's team and welcome seven newcomers.
•ESU was picked to finish 11th in the 14-team MIAA 2018-19 preseason coaches' poll.
•Junior guard Hassan Thomas is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 8.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
•Senior transfer guard Sawyer Glick headlines the newcomers. He averaged 13.8 points per game with three 30 point games for Barry University last season that advanced to the Elite Eight.
•ESU shot 43 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and was plus-0.1 in rebound margin last season.
•ESU averaged 70 points per game, while opponents averaged 72 points per game.
•Craig Doty is in his first season as head coach at ESU. He coached Rock Valley College to a pair of junior college national championships and last season led Graceland University to an NAIA national title.  





    SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE
•FHSU finished last season 19-12 overall and seventh place in the MIAA with a record of 10-9.  
•FHSU was picked to finish seventh in the 14-team MIAA preseason coaches' poll.
•The Tigers have seven seniors on this season's roster.
•Senior forward Brady Werth averaged 12.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg a season ago.
•Senior guard Trey O'Neil also returns after connecting on 53 3-pointers last season.
•Mark Johnson is in his 18th season with a record of 341-161 and has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

    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 161-110, 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 17.

    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 SETS SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS MARK
•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.

    MORE BRUGGEMAN IN SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman made 171 free throws last season setting a school single-season record.
•The previous mark was 148 set by Scott Koenen in 2000-01.

    BRUGGEMAN IN CAREER RECORD BOOK
•Ryan Bruggeman broke the program's career assist record on Jan. 19, 2018, at Concordia-St. Paul and has amassed 510 assists in 96 games. Vinard Birch (2010-14) held the previous record of 396.
•Bruggeman's 510 career assists rank him among the Top 10 in active Division II players.  
•Bruggeman also ranks first in team history in assists average, second in steals, third in free throws made, fourth in free throw pct. and ninth in scoring.

    NCAA STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the final 2017-18 NCAA statistics can be found on page 16.
•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
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 14-15.
•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.

    BRUGGEMAN JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman reached the 1,000 career points milestone during last season.
•Bruggeman reached 1,000-career points during SMSU's win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 8 and currently ranks eighth in team history with 1,395 points in 96 games.
•A complete list of SMSU's 1,000-point scorers is listed on page 4.

    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 25 times during the 2017-18 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, while senior Michael Lee and sophomore Nick Dufault each have one during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2017-18 Season
(returning players)
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 2/16/18
    28    Ryan Bruggeman    vs. St. Cloud State, 2/26/18
    28    Ryan Bruggeman    at Sioux Falls, 11/25/17
    26    Ryan Bruggeman    Minot State, 2/2/18
    26    Ryan Bruggeman    at MSU Moorhead, 1/26/18
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Winona State, 12/2/17
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Upper Iowa, 12/1/17
    23    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/21/17
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    Missouri Southern, 3/10/18
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Crookston, 1/12/18
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    vs. Northern State, 2/27/18
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    at Minnesota State, 1/20/18
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    at Minnesota Duluth, 12/8/17
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    at Winona State, 1/5/18
    20    Michael Lee    Concordia-St. Paul, 2/17/18
    20     Ryan Bruggeman    vs. Northern Michigan, 11/18/17

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Averaging 2.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 34 games.
•Scored 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting vs. Crown (11/21/17).
•Scored six points on three field goals vs. Sioux Falls (12/16/17).
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Averaging a team-high 16.8 ppg and led team with 218 assists.
•Scored season-high 33 points vs. Minnesota State (2/16/18).
•Had 14 20-point scoring games last season, including one 33-point game.
•Scored double figures in all but three games.
•Set team single-season assists and free throws made record last season.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 5.3 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 510 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 385 free throws made.
•Ranks second in team history with 156 steals.
•Ranks third in team history with 84.2 career free throw pct.
•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
•Played in 32 games during his true freshman season and averaged 3.2 ppg and 2.1 rpg.
•Missed final two regular season games due to illness.
•Scored season-high 11 points vs. Wayne State (12/31/17) on 5 of 6 shooting with one 3-pointer.
•Scored 10 points at St. Cloud State (12/9/17).
•Season-high eight rebounds vs. Upper Iowa (12/1/17).

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Played all 34 games and averaged 5.9 ppg with 44 3-pointers.
•Scored double figures in seven games.
•Scored season-high 23 points vs. Crown (11/21/17) on 8 of 12 shooting with five 3-pointers.
•Scored 14 points at Minnesota State (1/20/18) with four 3-pointers.
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Played in 11 games last season and recorded seven rebounds and four assists.
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Started all 34 games and averaged 8.7 ppg with team-high 80 3-pointers a season ago.
•Scored a career-high with 20 points vs. Concordia-St. Paul (2/17/18) with career-high six 3-pointers.
•Scored 19 points with five 3-pointers at Augustana (2/17/18).
•Scored double figures in 13 games.
•Made three or more 3-pointers in 14 games last season.

    STEVEN MCNEASE NOTES
•In first season at SMSU and has one season of eligibility remaining.
•Played last season at Copper Mountain College (Calif.)

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Averaged 8.3 ppg with 55 3-pointers in 34 games.  
•Tied season-high with 16 points at Wayne State (2/9/18) and also scored 16 vs. Minnesota Crookston (1/12/18) with four 3-pointers.
•Ranks seventh in school history with 170 3-pointers.
•Connected on a team-high 58 3-pointers in 2016-17.

    KEVIN TOTUSEK NOTES
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.










    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU finished 12-2 at home during the 2017-18 season.
•SMSU is a combined 110-39 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    12-2    .511    .419    .779    34.4    83.8    9.3        
Away    13-7    .473    .394    .744    33.0    75.3    10.4     
           
    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 217-81 (.728) in 298 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    0-0    0-0    0-0    
    Totals    217-81    144-57    73-24

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 589 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 1,415 games compiling an all-time record of 653-762.
•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.