THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (5-2, 0-1 NSIC) concludes its nine-game season-opening homestand with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games at the R/A Facility.
•On Friday, Dec. 7, SMSU will take on Minnesota State University (4-2, 1-0 NSIC) with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
•SMSU wraps-up the weekend on Saturday, Dec. 8, battling Concordia-St. Paul (4-2, 0-1 NSIC) with game time slated for 6 p.m.
•SMSU had its five-game winning streak snapped last Saturday with a home loss to Sioux Falls to open NSIC play.
•SMSU continues to rank first in Division II (Dec. 3) in 3-point field goal pct. at 49.1 percent.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Friday's game will be broadcast live regionally on Midco Sports Network.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU and Minnesota State meet for the 60th time on Friday with MSU leading 42-17.
•The two teams first met during the 1969-70 season.
•MSU leads 17-9 in games played in Marshall, but SMSU has won the last three games played in the R/A Facility.
•MSU's last win in Marshall came on Feb. 21, 2015.
•MSU has won 10 of the last 14 games overall since the 2012-13 season, but SMSU's four victories have come in the last seven games.
•The teams split two regular season games last season, but MSU defeated SMSU in the NCAA Central Region semifinals in Maryville, Mo.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-14 all-time versus MSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 18.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•SMSU and Concordia-St. Paul meet for the 40th time on Saturday with SMSU leading 29-10.
•The two teams first played during the 1980-81 season.
•CSP joined the NSIC during the 1999-2000 season.
•SMSU is 17-3 all-time in games played in Marshall and have won seven of the last eight played at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU has won four straight and 12 of the last 15 since Feb. 11, 2011.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 12-6 all-time versus CSP.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU had its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday and is 5-2 overall, 0-1 NSIC.
•SMSU has six players averaging double figures in scoring.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 21.3 ppg with a team-high 50 assists and team-high 17 steals.  
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer is averaging 12.9 ppg with a team-high 19 3-pointers.
•Sophomore guard Nick Dufault is averaging 12.9 ppg and has made 17 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Kenny Byers is scoring 11.6 ppg with 5.3 rpg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease leads the team in rebounding with 9.1 per game.
•SMSU is shooting 52 percent from the field, 49 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.0 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 88 points per game, while opponents are averaging 79 points per game.


    BRUGGEMAN AMONG THE BEST ACTIVE D2 PLAYERS
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman ranks among the top 10 for active Division II players in several career categories.
•He begins the week fourth among all active players with 560 career assists, sixth in steals with 173 and 10th in points with 1,544.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•Senior Michael Lee played in his 100th career game last Saturday night. Fellow seniors Ryan Bruggeman and Taylor Schafer have each appeared in 103 career games.  
•SMSU scored a season-low 72 points in the loss to USF on Saturday.  
•SMSU shot 54 percent or higher from the field in each of its five victories, but have shot 44 percent (ESU) and 36 percent (USF) in its two losses.
•SMSU has scored 100 or more points twice this season. The last time SMSU reached 100 twice in a season came in 2015-16. The last time SMSU scored 100 or more three times in a season occurred during the 2000-01 season.
•SMSU made a season-high with 39 field goals versus Crown College on Nov. 24.
•Schafer reached the 1,000 career points mark on Nov. 20 vs. Northland. He is the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points and currently ranks 22nd all-time with 1,014.
•SMSU shot 60 percent from the field versus Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 19. It was the second time SMSU shot 60 percent or higher in a game this season.

    MUSTANGS DROPS NSIC OPENER TO COUGARS
•The University of Sioux Falls shot 56 percent from the field, including connecting 10 on 3-pointers, to earn a 94-72 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Marshall.
•USF closed the game shooting 56 percent (31 of 55) from the field and held a 41-28 rebound advantage.
•SMSU, which had its five-game winning streak snapped, was paced by Ryan Bruggeman, who poured in 31 points with seven assists and five steals.
•The Mustangs, which entered the game ranked first in Division II in 3-point field goal pct., made just 8 of 22 from long-range for a season-low 36 percent.
•SMSU shot 41 percent (25 of 61) overall from the field—its second lowest shooting of the season.
•Michael Lee added 15 points for the Mustangs, while Kenny Byers chipped in with 10 points.
•Steven McNease pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the Mustangs.

    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 made 3-pointers tied the single-game record which was set at Minnesota-Morris on Feb. 2, 2002.
•The 19 made 3-pointers also set an R/A Facility single-game record breaking the previous mark of 16 set four times.

    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 an overall record of 166-112, including 112-85 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 17.

    SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
•MSU is 4-2 overall, 1-0 NSIC, after earning a 91-72 home victory over Concordia-St. Paul to open league play on Saturday.
•MSU was picked as the co-favorite to win the NSIC overall title in the preseason coaches' poll.  
•Junior guard Kevin Krieger is averaging 16.8 ppg with a team-leading 9.5 rpg.
•Junior forward Cameron Kirksey averaged 19 points through three games but has not played the last three games.   
•Senior guard Carlos Anderson is scoring 14.8 ppg with 6.2 rpg.
•Junior guard Juwan McCloud is averaging 11.3 ppg with a team-leading 19 assists.  
•McCloud scored 24 points with four 3-pointers in the win over CSP on Saturday, while freshman guard Tre Baumgardner came off the bench to score 18 points with four 3-pointers.
•MSU is shooting 45 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.8 in rebound margin.
•MSU is averaging 83 points per game, while opponents are averaging 79 points per game.
•Matt Margenthaler is in his 18th season with a record of 379-155. MSU has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 12 of the last 14 seasons.   

    SCOUTING CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•CSP (4-2, 0-1 NSIC) opened the season with four victories, but have dropped its last two games, including 91-72 at Minnesota State on Saturday. CSP plays at Sioux Falls on Friday.
•Guard Isaiah McKay, a senior transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, leads the squad averaging 23.2 ppg with 24 3-pointers.  
•Senior guard Bryndan Matthews is scoring 22.2 ppg and averaging a team-high 10 rpg, while shooting 59 percent.
•Freshman guard Hayden Baughman is averaging 10.8 ppg with 18 3-pointers.  
•CSP is shooting 50 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point range, 66 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.2 in rebound margin.
•CSP is averaging 89 points per game, while opponents are averaging 85 points per game.
• Joey James is in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 47-78. He was the head coach at South Dakota in 2013-14, finishing with a 12-18 record.

    BRUGGEMAN MOVES INTO TOP 4 IN SCORING
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks fourth in the SMSU career scoring list with 1,544 points in 103 games. He is 21 points from tying Jordan Miller (2009-13) for third 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 earlier this season and now has amassed 173 in 103 games. 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 560. He set the record during the 2017-18 season, surpassing the record of 396 held by Vinard Birch (2010-14).
•Bruggeman ranks first in team history in assists, assists average, steals and free throws made, while ranking third in free throw pct. and fourth in scoring.

    SCHAFER REACHES 1,000 POINTS
•Taylor Schafer reached the 1,000 career points mark on Nov. 20 vs. Northland. He is the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points and currently ranks 22nd all-time with 1,018.

    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 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in October.
•Minnesota State and St. Cloud State was chosen as the overall co-favorites.

    2018-19 NCAA STATISTICS
•The latest NCAA statistics (through Dec. 3) are located on page 14.
•The Mustangs rank first in the country in 3-point field goal pct., seventh in field goal pct., 19th in 3-pointers made per game, 27th in scoring, 37th in free throw pct. and 41st in total 3-pointers.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks eighth in assists per game, 18th in total assists, 30th in steals per game and 36th in field goals made.  
•Steven McNease ranks 37th in rebounds per game.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•A total of five Southwest Minnesota State players have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including five times this season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 28 career 20-point games, including two this season, which includes a 33-point game versus Mayville State and a 31-point game versus Sioux Falls.
•Senior Taylor Schafer has six, senior Michael Lee and Nick Dufault each have two, while sophomore Kenny Byers has one during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2018-19 Season
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Mayville State, 11/14/18
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 12/1/18
    25    Michael Lee    Fort Hays State, 11/10/18
    22    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/24/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Crown, 11/24/18

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in six games with three starts and is averaging 1.7 ppg and 1.0 rpg.
•Has five field goals this season.
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).




    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•Averaging a team-high 21.3 ppg with a team-high 50 assists.
•Has a pair of 30-plus point games this season.  
•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).
•Ranks first in team history averaging 5.4 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 560 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 416 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 173 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 all seven games and is averaging 11.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 20 points on nine field goals with a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Played as a true freshman in 2017-18.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played seven games and is averaging 12.9 ppg.  
•Ranks second on the team with 17 3-pointers and is tied for second in scoring.
•Scored a season-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting with four 3-pointers vs. Crown (11/24/18).  
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in seven games with four starts and is averaging 10.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 17 points vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/19/18).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has played in seven games and is averaging 0.3 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 seven games and is averaging 10 ppg.
•Has connected on 16 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 25 points with seven 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Ranks fourth in team history in 3-point pct. at 44.2.
•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.
•Has played seven games and is averaging 6.6 ppg and a team-high 9.1 rpg.
•Recorded career-high 18 rebounds and scored career-high 16 points vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Played last season at Copper Mountain College (Calif.)

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has started seven games and is averaging 12.9 ppg.
•Leads the team with 19 3-pointers.  
•Reached 1,000 career points during win vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Twice has scored a season-high 19 points vs. Mayville State (11/14/18) and Bethany Lutheran (11/19/18).
•Ranks fifth in school history with 189 3-pointers and is sixth all-time in 3-pointers attempted (481).

    KEVIN TOTUSEK NOTES
•Has played in two games and is averaging 3.0 ppg.
•Scored four points vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 5-2 at home this season after recording a 12-2 home mark last season.
•SMSU is a combined 115-41 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU finished 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 2018-19:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    5-2    52.4    49.1    77.4    35.7    88.3    12.0    
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 (2016-18) 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 made 3-pointers last season, breaking the previous record of 262 set 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.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018) 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 was the first SMSU player to earn All-American honors since Ross DeMasi in 2009.
•Bruggeman 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.

    WINS VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
•SMSU has yet to face a nationally-ranked team in 2018-19.
•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.
•Prior to the 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 222-83 (.727) in 305 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    5-2    0-1    5-1    
    Totals    222-83    144-58    78-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 596 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.

    MUSTANGS REACH 100 AND THEN SOME
•Southwest Minnesota State has scored 100 or more points twice this season, defeating Bethany Lutheran, 101-81, on Nov. 19 and Crown College, 100-81.
•The last time SMSU reached 100 twice in a season came during the 2015-16 season, while the last team SMSU scored 100 or more three times in a season occurred during the 2000-01 season.
•SMSU is now 39-8 all-time when scoring 100 points.

    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 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.

    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 361-386 in 747 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 tournament games.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is competing in its 52nd season of men's basketball in 2018-19.
•SMSU has played 1,422 games compiling an all-time record of 658-764.
•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.