PREVIEWING THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (21-7), currently riding a season-high seven-game winning streak, opens first round play in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament hosting the University of Mary (6-20) on Wednesday with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU is the No. 1 seed from the South Division, while U-Mary is the No. 8 seed from the North Division.
•The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday to face either Augustana or Bemidji State at 5:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•The complete NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament bracket can be found on page 22.

    NSIC SOUTH CHAMPIONS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
•SMSU captured the program's second straight NSIC South Division title with a pair of home wins last weekend. 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 2001 and 2009.

    SMSU 6TH IN FIRST NCAA REGIONAL POLL
•SMSU was ranked sixth in the first NCAA Central Region poll released on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
•Weekly rankings will also occur on both Feb. 21 and Feb. 28.
•The 64-team NCAA tournament will be announced on Sunday, March 4.
NCAA Central Region Poll (Feb. 14)
    Rank    (First-Place Votes)                   D2 Record    In-Region    
    1     Northwest Missouri State (MIAA)     19-2     18-2
    2     Northern State (NSIC)     23-3     22-3
    3     Southern Nazarene (GAC)     19-1     19-1
    4     St. Cloud State (NSIC)     18-5     18-5
    5     Central Missouri (MIAA)     17-5     17-5
    6     Southwest Minnesota State (NSIC)     18-7     18-7
    7     Washburn (MIAA)     14-6     14-6
    8     Minnesota State (NSIC)     19-6     17-6
    9     Missouri Southern State (MIAA)     15-7     15-7
    10     Central Oklahoma (MIAA)     16-7     16-7

    FINAL HOME GAME FOR THREE SENIORS
•Wednesday night's game will be the final home game for SMSU's three seniors, KJ Davis, Carter Kirk and Turner Moen.
•Davis, a junior college transfer, is a two-year letter winner and has played in 62 games with 59 starts. He has scored 622 points with 84 steals and 91 assists.
•Kirk is a four-year letter winner, having played in 118 games with 73 starts. He ranks 11th in program history with 1,240 points and is second with 828 rebounds. He is the program's all-time leader in field goal percentage (58.8) and also ranks sixth in free throws attempted (409), sixth in blocked shots (85) and eighth in field goals made (500).
•Moen has played in 118 games with 93 starts during his four-year career. He has scored 792 points, while ranking fifth in team history with 133 steals, fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (41.8) and tied for 10th with 253 assists

    SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•SMSU is 20-15 all-time in the NSIC tournament, with two championships (2012 & 2017), since the tournament began in 2000.
•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).
•A complete listing of each game is located on page 4.   

    20-WIN SEASONS IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU secured its second straight 20-win season and sixth in team history last weekend.
•The last time SMSU won 20 or more games in back-to-back seasons came during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 campaigns.
•SMSU has a combined 49 victories the last two seasons which ties the 2000-01 (28) and 2001-02 (21) teams for the best two-year mark in team history.

    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 157-108, including 112-84 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 three of 19-win seasons, including this season.
•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 19.

    MUSTANGS WIN DIVISION TITLE WITH TWO VICTORIES
•SMSU closed out the regular season with a pair of home victories over Minnesota State (82-70) and Concordia-St. Paul (80-59) to claim its second straight NSIC South Division championship last weekend.
•Ryan Bruggeman poured in a season-high 33 points, while dishing out six assists and recording three steals in the win over MSU.  
•Carter Kirk picked up his 14th double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
•KJ Davis poured in a career-high 22 points on 6 of 9 shooting with three 3-pointers to pace the Mustangs versus CSP, while Michael Lee also scored a career-high with 20 points, connecting on a career-high six 3-pointers.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 21-7 overall, 17-5 NSIC, is currently on a season seven-game winning streak and has won nine of its last 11 games.
•Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 16.4 ppg with a team-high 164 assists. He finished the NSIC season eighth in scoring (16.9), third in assists (6.2) and third in steals.
•Carter Kirk is scoring 14.9 ppg with a team-high 10.3 rpg. He also has a team-high 26 blocked shots and is shooting 61 percent from the field. Kirk led the NSIC in rebounding (11.0) and finished fifth in field goal pct. (61.0).
•KJ Davis is scoring 10.6 ppg with 25 3-pointers, 47 assists and 37 steals.
•Michael Lee has made a team-leading 65 3-pointers, while Taylor Schafer has made 44 3-pointers and Nick Dufault has connected on 41 3-pointers.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.9 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 79 points per game, while opponents are average 72 points per game.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•During it's current seven-game winning streak, SMSU has committed 10 or less turnovers in six games.
•SMSU has made eight or more 3-pointers in 14 of its last 18 games.
•SMSU has committed nine or less turnovers in 11 games.
•SMSU tied a season-low with just two turnovers in the win versus Concordia-St. Paul last Saturday.
•SMSU tied a season-high with 14 3-pointers in the win over CSP last Saturday.
•SMSU is shooting 48.7 percent from the field this season which ranks tied for fifth highest in team history. Seven of the top nine shooting teams in team history have come under head coach Brad Bigler.
•Carter Kirk's 828 career rebounds rank 11th among active players in Division II. He currently ranks second in SMSU history behind Frank Belmont (1971-75), who recorded 848.  
•Ryan Bruggeman's 456 career assists currently ranks 15th among all active Division II players.
•Turner Moen ranks fifth in team history with 133 steals. He recently moved past SMSU head coach Brad Bigler (131) for fifth all-time.
•Ryan Bruggeman's 164 assists this season is the third highest single-season total in team history. His 5.9 assists per game is the highest single-season total in team history. Bruggeman finished with 166 assists last season. Marques Pena holds the record with 185 in 2000-01.
•Ryan Bruggeman has made 138 free throws this season and is just 10 away from tying Scott Koenen (2000-01) for the program single-season record for free throws made.  
•SMSU has 11 home victories this season which is the first time since 2013-14 that SMSU has reached double figures in home wins.
•SMSU is 18-2 when opponents shoot less than 50 percent from the field.  
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher in 10 games this season. Last season, SMSU shot 50 percent or higher in 15 games.





    SERIES HISTORY VS. U-MARY
•Southwest Minnesota State and U-Mary meet for the 17th time on Wednesday night with SMSU leading 13-3.
•SMSU leads 8-1 all-time in games played in Marshall, with U-Mary's lone victory coming on Dec. 11, 2015.
•SMSU won earlier this season, 83-61, on Feb. 3 in Marshall.
•This will be the second time the two teams have played in the NSIC Tournament with SMSU winning 82-65 in the first round of the 2014 tournament.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-3 all-time versus U-Mary.
•Game-by-game results of the series are on page 20.

    LAST TIME VERSUS U-MARY
•Carter Kirk scored 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to pace SMSU over U-Mary on Feb. 3.
•SMSU shot 61 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring U-Mary 48-29, to pull away for the victory.
•Turner Moen and Ryan Bruggeman each scored 14 points to help the SMSU charge with Moen adding six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
•Trevor Zacher led the Marauders with a career-high 27 points on 8 of 11 shooting with four 3-pointers.
•The game box score is located on page 21.

    SCOUTING U-MARY
•U-Mary finished the regular season 6-20 overall and placed eighth in the NSIC North Division with a 4-18 NSIC record.
•U-Mary snapped a seven-game losing streak last Saturday night with an 80-70 home win versus Minnesota Crookston.
•Keith Hunter is averaging a team-high 13.4 ppg with 42 3-pointers. •Trevor Zacher is scoring 11.6 ppg and 4.7 rpg, while connecting on a team-high 46 3-pointers.
•Javian White is averaging 9.2 ppg with a team-high 104 assists.
•U-Mary is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 74 percent from the free throw line and is minus-4.5 in rebound margin.
•U-Mary is scoring 70 points per game, while opponents are averaging 77 points per game.
•Head coach Joe Kittell is in his third season with a record of 37-49.  

    NCAA STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 19) can be found on page 18.
•SMSU ranks eighth in turnovers per game, 16th in 3-point field goal pct., 18th in assist/turnover ratio, 32nd in field goal pct. and 40th in free throw pct.
•Carter Kirk ranks sixth in total rebounds, 11th in double-doubles, 19th in rebounds per game and 18th in field goal pct.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 16th in total assists, 19th in free throws made, 24th in assists per game, 25th in assist turnover ratio, 30th in free throw attempts and 34th in total steals.
•Turner Moen is ranked 35th in assist/turnover ratio.

    FINAL NSIC STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) can be found on pages 16-17.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranked second in assist/turnover ratio, second in steals, third in assists, eighth in scoring and seventh in free throw pct.
•Carter Kirk ranked first in rebounding and second in field goal pct.
•Turner Moen ranked fourth in steals and seventh in assist/turnover ratio.
•KJ Davis has moved into eighth in steals.
•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.

    BRUGGEMAN SETS SMSU ASSISTS RECORD AND MORE
•Ryan Bruggeman broke the program's career assist record on Jan. 19 at Concordia-St. Paul.
•He now has amassed 456 assists in 90 games, breaking the previous record of 396 held by Vinard Birch (2010-14).
•Bruggeman also ranks first in team history in assists average, third in steals, third in free throws made, fourth in free throw pct. and ninth in scoring.

    SECOND TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN THE NSIC
•SMSU has played a strong schedule this season and the latest NCAA statistical numbers back it up.
•SMSU has played the 68th toughest schedule in Division II and the second toughest among all NSIC schools as of Monday, Feb. 19.
•SMSU's Division II opponents have a combined record of 346-305 (not including games with SMSU).

    KIRK TIES SCHOOL SINGLE-GAME RECORD
•Carter Kirk's 21 rebounds at Northern State on Jan. 27 tied the school single-game record joining Frank Belmont versus Colorado Tech (1972-73) and Sam Leggett versus Northern State (Nov. 28, 1975) for the team record.
•Kirk became the first SMSU player to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Juan Mitchell versus Winona State on Feb. 28, 1987.
•The 21 rebounds are tied for the eighth highest in Division II this season.

    WINS VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
•SMSU defeated No. 7 (D2SIDA)/No. 12 (NABC) Northern State on Jan. 27, 64-57, in Aberdeen, S.D., recording its third win over a ranked team in the last two seasons.
•SMSU beat No. 21 (NABC) MSU Moorhead and No. 16 Augustana (D2SIDA) last season.
•Prior to this season, 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 TWO SEASONS
•SMSU finished the regular season 10-5 away from Marshall this season, including 8-5 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 last season 19-3 in away/neutral site games setting a program record for victories away from Marshall.

    BRUGGEMAN & KIRK JOIN 1,000-POINT CLUB
•Senior Carter Kirk and junior Ryan Bruggeman both reached 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 ninth in team history with 1,283 points in 90 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 11th all-time with 1,240 points in 118 games.   
•A complete list of SMSU's 1,000-point scorers is listed on page 4.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Southwest Minnesota State has five players who have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 19 times this season.
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman has 23 career 20-point games, including 11 this season, which includes a 33-point game. Last season he led the team with nine 20-point games which included one 30-point game.
•Junior Taylor Schafer and senior Carter Kirk have six 20-point games, Turner Moen has two 20-point games, senior KJ Davis, junior Michael Lee and redshirt freshman Nick Dufault each have one during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2017-18 Season
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 2/16/18
    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
    25    Carter Kirk    Bemidji State, 1/13/18
    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
    22    KJ Davis    Concordia-St. Paul 2/17/18
    22    Carter Kirk    U-Mary, 2/3/18
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Crookston, 1/12/18
    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
    20    Carter Kirk    Northern State, 11/15/17
    20    Carter Kirk    at Emporia State, 11/11/17

    KIRK NAMED NSIC SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK...AGAIN
•Senior Carter Kirk was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 15.
•Kirk averaged 20 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 67 percent from the field in home victories over Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.
•Kirk was also named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Jan. 2, averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds, while shooting 70 percent from the field in home games versus Augustana and Wayne State.

    BRUGGEMAN NAMED NSIC SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Dec. 4.
•He averaged 24 points, 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 54 percent from the field in home victories over Upper Iowa and Winona State.

    Kolin Bartlett NOTES
•Averaging 2.6 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 28 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).
•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 seven 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 16.4 ppg and leads team with 164 assists.
•Scored season-high 33 points vs. Minnesota State (2/16/18).
•Has 11 20-point scoring games this season, including one 33-point game.
•Has scored double figures in all but three games this season.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 5.1 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 456 assists.
•Ranks third in team history with 143 steals.
•Ranks third in team history with 352 free throws made.
•Ranks fourth in team history with 83.6 career free throw pct.
•Has started every game in his career.
•Named MVP of the 2017 NSIC Tournament.
•Named to the 2017 NCAA Central All-Tournament team.

    Kenny Byers NOTES
•Has played in 26 games during his true freshman season and is averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.5 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).

    KJ Davis NOTES
•Averaging 10.6 ppg and has connected on 25 3-pointers while starting all 28 games this season.
•Has scored double figures in 16 games this season.
•Scored a career-high 22 points with three 3-pointers vs. Concordia-St. Paul (2/17/18).
•Led the team a season ago with 47 steals.

    Nick Dufault NOTES
•Has played 28 games and is averaging 6.8 ppg with 41 3-pointers.
•Has scored double figures in seven games.
•Scored season-high 23 points vs. Crown (11/21/7) on 8 of 12 shooting with five 3-pointers.
•Scored 14 points at Minnesota State (1/20/18) with four 3-pointers.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    Braedan Hanson NOTES
•Has played in 10 games this season and recorded seven rebounds and four assists.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    Carter Kirk NOTES
•Has started all 28 games and averaging 14.9 ppg and team-high 10.3 rpg while shooting 61 percent from the field.
•Tied school single-game record with 21 rebounds at Northern State (1/27/18).
•Has seven or more rebounds in 25 of 28 games this season.
•Team-high 14 double-doubles and has 21 in career.
•Has reached double figuring scoring in 22 games, including five 20-point games.  
•Scored a career-high 25 points vs. Bemidji State (1/13/18).
•Recorded 19 points and 21 rebounds at Northern State (1/27/18).
•Ranks first in team history with a career 58.8 field goal pct.  
•Ranks second in team history with 828 rebounds.
•Shot a team-high 61.7 percent from the field a season ago.

    Michael Lee NOTES
•Has started all 28 games and is averaging 8.5 ppg with team-high 65 3-pointers.
•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).
•Has scored double figures in 11 games.
•Has made three or more 3-pointers in 11 games this season.
•Tied for second on the team last season with 52 3-pointers.

    Turner Moen NOTES
•Averaging 7.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg while starting all 28 games.
•Second on the team with 88 assists and second with 45 steals.
•Ranks fifth in team history in 3-point field goal pct. (41.8), sixth in steals (133) and tenth in assists (253).
•Scored a season-high 15 points vs. Sioux Falls (12/16/17).
•Tied career-high with 10 rebounds vs. Bemidji State (1/13/18).
•Recorded first career double-double at Minnesota Duluth (12/8/17) with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
•Ranked second on the team last season with 73 assists.

    Taylor Schafer NOTES
•Averaging 8.4 ppg with 44 3-pointers in 28 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.
•Has nine double figure scoring games this season.
•Ranks 10th in school history with 159 3-pointers.
•Connected on a team-high 58 3-pointers last season.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 11-2 at home this season after finishing 9-3 last season.
•SMSU is a combined 109-39 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 10-5 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 83-75 in 158 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    11-2     .513    .422    .781    34.4    84.2    9.2        
Away    10-5    .464    .391    .733    34.2    75.3    10.4    
           
    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished 7-1 versus teams from the NSIC North Division in conference play this season and are a combined 32-16 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•This year's 7-1 record is the best finish for SMSU versus the North since divisions were formed.
•SMSU finished 6-2 last season, recorded a 3-5 mark in 2015-16; 5-3 in 2014-15; 5-3 in 2013-14; and 6-2 in 2012-13.
•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 this 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.

    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.

    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 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's 28 victories last season tied the 2000-01 and 2008-09 teams for the most in team history.
•SMSU 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 captured the program's second NSIC tournament championship 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 statistics (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 was 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.

    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 216-81 (.727) in 297 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    11-2    10-1    1-1    
    Totals    214-81    142-57    72-24

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 583 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 last season 2-1 in overtime games.
•SMSU is 7-6 in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games all-time.

    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 361-385 in 746 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 25 times in 49 seasons, which includes this season.
•SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 17 of the last 22 seasons (including this season) since 1997-98.

    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 1,409 games compiling an all-time record of 649-760.
•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 four NCAA tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017).
•SMSU has recorded 23 winning seasons in program history with 16 coming in the last 20 years (including this season). 

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•SMSU is 20-15 all-time in the NSIC tournament, with two championships (2012 & 2017), since the tournament began in 2000.
    2000     NORTHERN STATE     W 79-67
    2000     vs Wayne State     L 72-84
    2001     MINNESOTA-MORRIS     W 92-60
    2001     vs Minnesota Duluth     W 78-71
    2001     vs Winona State     L 78-94    Championship Game
    2002     MSU MOORHEAD     W 84-56
    2002     vs Northern State     W 77-70
    2002     vs Minnesota Duluth     L 57-59    Championship Game
    2003     MSU MOORHEAD     L 62-70
    2004     at Winona State     L 65-71    
    2005     at Northern State     L 83-94     
    2006     WAYNE STATE       W 71-57                   
 2006     at Winona State     L 58-75                   
 2007     BEMIDJI STATE     W 86-43
    2007     vs Northern State     W 82-63                  
 2007     at Winona State     L 70-80    Championship Game
    2008     UPPER IOWA     W 76-63
    2008     vs Northern State     L 70-74                  
 2009     NORTHERN STATE     L 63-72
    2010     at Minnesota State     W 80-78    
    2010     vs Winona State     W 81-67    
    2010     at St. Cloud State     L 67-68    Championship Game
    2012     MINNESOTA DULUTH     W 99-92                     
2012     vs Winona State     W 69-64                   
 2012     vs MSU Moorhead     W 76-72    Championship Game          
 2013    at MSU Moorhead    L 78-87        
    2014    U-MARY    W 82-65                    
2014    vs Wayne State    W 68-45                    
2014    vs Minnesota State    L 57-68
    2015    at St. Cloud State    L 83-93
    2016    at Northern State    L 80-82
    2017    MINNESOTA DULUTH    W 79-54
    2017    vs Sioux Falls    W 79-68
    2017    vs Augustana    W 97-89 2ot
    2017    vs Upper Iowa    W 71-58    Championship Game
BOLD indicates home game