PREVIEWING MONDAY'S GAME
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (24-7), currently riding a season-high 10-game winning streak, faces No. 11 ranked Northern State (30-3) in the championship game of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Tuesday with tip-off set for 5 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
•SMSU is the No. 1 seed from the South Division, while NSU is the No. 1 seed from the North Division and the over NSIC champion.
•This will be the eighth time the two teams have played in the NSIC Tournament, but the first time ever in a championship game.
•NSU holds a 4-3 series advantage in NSIC Tournament games.
•SMSU's win at NSU on Jan. 27 started its current winning streak.
•NSU has not lost since the SMSU loss and has won nine in a row.  
•SMSU advanced to Tuesday's game with a 73-66 win over St. Cloud State on Monday afternoon, while NSU earned an 79-78 last-second victory over Minnesota State.
•The winner of tonight's game will receive the NSIC's automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament in March.
•The complete NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament bracket can be found on page 23.

    SWEET HOME ALABAM...(NO)! SWEET HOME SIOUX FALLS
•Southwest Minnesota State has made the city of Sioux Falls its "second home" the past two seasons.
•SMSU is a combined 10-1 in games played in Sioux Falls since last season, which includes games at USF (3-1), Augustana (2-0) and the Sanford Pentagon (5-0).

    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 4TH IN SECOND NCAA REGIONAL POLL
•SMSU was ranked fourth in the second NCAA Central Region poll released last Wednesday, Feb. 21.
•SMSU was sixth in the first weekly ranking on Feb. 14
•The final weekly ranking will occur on Feb. 28.
•The 64-team NCAA tournament will be announced on Sunday, March 4.
NCAA Central Region Poll (Feb. 21)
    Rank    (First-Place Votes)                   D2 Record    In-Region    
    1     Northwest Missouri State (MIAA)     20-3     19-3
    2     Northern State (NSIC)     25-3     24-3
    3     Southern Nazarene (GAC)     20-2     20-2
    4     Southwest Minnesota State (NSIC)     20-7     20-7
    5     St. Cloud State (NSIC)     19-6     19-6
    6     Missouri Southern State (MIAA)     17-7     17-7
    7     Minnesota State (NSIC)     19-8     17-8
    8     Central Missouri (MIAA)     17-7     17-7
    9     Washburn (MIAA)     15-7     15-7
    10     Central Oklahoma (MIAA)     16-9     16-9

    SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
•Since the NSIC Tournament started in 2000, SMSU is 23-15 all-time entering Tuesday's game with two championships (2012 & 2017).
•SMSU has now 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 12-6 in neutral sites games.
•A complete listing of each game is located on page 4.   

    10-GAME WINNING STREAK THIRD LONGEST
•SMSU's current 10-game winning streak is the third longest in team history and the longest since the 2008-09 NCAA Elite Eight team won 15 straight.
•The 2000-01 team that also advanced to the Elite Eight holds the program record with 17 consecutive victories.

    KIRK SETS TWO SMSU REBOUND RECORDS
•Senior Carter Kirk became the program's career rebound leader during SMSU's win versus Augustana on Feb. 24. Kirk has pulled down 864 in his career, surpassing Frank Belmont, who recorded 848 from 1971-75.  
•Kirk also broke the school single-season rebound record in SMSU's win over St. Cloud State on Feb. 26. Kirk has 323 rebounds this season, moving past Juan Mitchell, who held the record of 313 set in 1986-87.

    BRUGGEMAN SETS SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS MARK
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman has dished out a school record 187 assists this season breaking the previous record of 185 set by Marques Pena in 2000-01. Bruggeman finished with 166 assists last season and had 126 during the 2015-16 season.
•Bruggeman's 6.0 assists per game this season ranks first in team history.

    MORE BRUGGEMAN IN SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman has made 151 free throws this season setting a new school single-season record.
•The previous mark was 148 set by Scott Koenen in 2000-01.  

    BRUGGEMAN AND KIRK NAMED ALL-NSIC
•SMSU junior Ryan Bruggeman was named first team All-NSIC, while senior Carter Kirk was named second team All-NSIC on Feb. 22.
•Bruggeman is the first SMSU player to earn All-NSIC first team accolades in back-to-back seasons since Jordan Miller in 2012 and 2013. He is also just the seventh player in program history to earn first team All-NSIC honors twice in a career.  
•In NSIC play, Bruggeman finished second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.9), third in assists (6.3), third in steals (1.6) eighth in scoring (16.9) and 10th in free throw pct. (83.5).
•In NSIC games, Kirk led the league in rebounding (10.6), was fourth in field goal pct. (60.9) and ranked 18th in scoring (15.0).

    20-WIN SEASONS IN TEAM HISTORY
•The 24 victories this season ranks as the fourth highest in team history.
•SMSU has recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons and sixth in team history.
•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 52 victories the last two seasons which is the best two-year combined wins total 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 160-108, 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.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 24-7 overall and finished 17-5 in the NSIC.
•SMSU is currently on a season 10-game winning streak and has won 12 of its last 14 games.
•Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 16.7 ppg with a team-high 187 assists. He finished the NSIC season eighth in scoring (16.9), third in assists (6.2) and third in steals.
•Carter Kirk is scoring 15.1 ppg with a team-high 10.4 rpg. He also has a team-high 31 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 10.7 ppg with 30 3-pointers, 48 assists and 39 steals.
•Michael Lee has made a team-leading 72 3-pointers, while Taylor Schafer has made 48 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, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.3 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 79 points per game, while opponents are average 72 points per game.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•Seniors Turner Moen and Carter Kirk are both tied for sixth in team history with 121 games played.
•Michael Lee has made 72 3-pointers this season moving into 10th in team single-season history.
•Carter Kirk's 864 career rebounds rank ninth among active players in Division II.
•Ryan Bruggeman's 479 career assists currently ranks 15th among all active Division II players.
•During it's current 10-game winning streak, SMSU has committed 11 or less turnovers in all 10 game games.
•SMSU is shooting 48.8 percent from the field this season which ranks fifth highest in team history. Seven of the top nine shooting teams in team history have come under head coach Brad Bigler.
•SMSU has made eight or more 3-pointers in 16 of its last 21 games.
•SMSU has committed nine or less turnovers in 11 games this season .  
•SMSU finished with 12 home victories this season. It's the first time since 2013-14 that SMSU has reached double figures in home wins.
•SMSU is 19-2 when opponents shoot less than 50 percent from the field.  
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher in 11 games this season. Last season, SMSU shot 50 percent or higher in 15 games.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHERN STATE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State meet tonight for the 94th time with NSU leading 62-31.
•The two teams have split four neutral site games all-time with three coming in the NSIC Tournament.
•NSU holds a 4-3 record in games played in the NSIC Tournament.
•NSU has won six the last nine games since the 2014-15 season.
•NSU earned an 81-68 non-conference win earlier this season in Marshall. It was the fourth straight year the teams have played a non-conference regular season game.
•SMSU would even the season series on Jan. 27 with a 64-57 victory in Aberdeen. .  
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-7 all-time versus Northern State.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 20.

    THIS SEASON VERSUS NORTHERN STATE
•In Northern State's 81-68 win in Marshall on Nov. 15, the Wolves shot 64 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 55 percent (31 of 56) from the field.
•The Wolves also held a 37-29 rebound advantage.
•Carter Kirk poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead SMSU.
•Ryan Bruggeman added 15 points, while Turner Moen added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs.
•Logan Doyle (17) and Carter Evans (15) combined to score 32 points on 14 of 21 shooting and also combined to record 14 rebounds to pace the Wolves attack.
•In SMSU's 64-57 victory on Jan. 27 in Aberdeen, Carter Kirk pulled down a school record-tying 21 rebounds and scored 19 points.
•NSU shot a season-low 34.5 percent in the game and scored a season-low 57 points.  
•The game box scores are located on pages 21-22.

    SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
•Northern State, ranked in the Top 15 in both national polls, is 30-3 overall and finished first in the NSIC North with a 20-2 record.
•DJ Pollard is averaging a team-high 12.5 ppg with 42 3-pointers.
•Ian Smith is scoring 12.1 ppg and has dished out a team-high 139 assists.
•Darin Paterka is averaging 12.2 ppg with a team-high 55 3-pointers, despite missing six games.
•NSU is shooting 51 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-8.5 in rebound margin.
•NSU is scoring 80 points per game, while opponents are averaging 65 per game.
•Head coach Paul Sather is in his eighth season with a record of 156-81. He compiled a record of 94-62 in five seasons as head coach at Black Hills State (2005-10).  

    NCAA STATISTICS
•A complete listing of SMSU and Mustang individuals in the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 26) can be found on page 18.
•SMSU ranks 10th in 3-point field goal pct., 12th in turnovers per game, 18th in assist/turnover ratio, 29th in field goal pct. and 30th in free throw pct.
•Carter Kirk ranks fourth in total rebounds, sixth in double-doubles, 17th in field goal pct. and 18th in rebounds per game.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 10th in total assists, 18th in free throws made, 23rd in assists per game, 25th in total steals, 28th in free throw attempts and 34th in assist turnover ratio.
•Turner Moen is ranked 29th 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 479 assists in 93 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.

    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 ninth 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 is now 12-5 away from Marshall this season, including 8-5 in "true" road games and 4-0 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 1,340 points in 93 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 10th all-time with 1,293 points in 121 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 22 times this season.
•Junior Ryan Bruggeman has 24 career 20-point games, including 12 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.
•Senior Carter Kirk has seven 20-point games, junior Taylor Schafer has six, seniors Turner Moen and KJ Davis have two, while 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    vs. St. Cloud State, 2/26/18
    28    Ryan Bruggeman    at Sioux Falls, 11/25/17
    26    KJ Davis    vs. Augustana, 2/23/18
    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    Carter Kirk    U-Mary, 2/21/18
    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 2.4 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 31 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 eight 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 16.7 ppg and leads team with 187 assists.
•Scored season-high 33 points vs. Minnesota State (2/16/18).
•Has 12 20-point scoring games this season, including one 33-point game.
•Has scored double figures in all but three games this season.
•Set team single-season assists and free throws made record this season.
•Ranks first in team history averaging 5.2 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 479 assists.
•Ranks third in team history with 149 steals.
•Ranks third in team history with 365 free throws made.
•Ranks fourth in team history with 83.9 career free throw pct.
•Has started every game in his career.
•Two-time first team All-NSIC.
•Named MVP of the 2017 NSIC Tournament.

    Kenny Byers NOTES
•Has played in 29 games during his true freshman season and is averaging 3.4 ppg and 2.3 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 10.7 ppg and has connected on 30 3-pointers while starting all 31 games this season.
•Has scored double figures in 17 games this season.
•Scored a career-high 26 points with four 3-pointers vs. Augustana (2/24/18).
•Led the team a season ago with 47 steals.

    Nick Dufault NOTES
•Has played 31 games and is averaging 6.2 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 11 games this season and recorded seven rebounds and four assists.
•Sat out last season as a redshirt.

    Carter Kirk NOTES
•Has started all 31 games and averaging 15.1 ppg and team-high 10.4 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 28 of 31 games this season.
•Team-high 17 double-doubles and has 23 in career.
•Has reached double figuring scoring in 26 games, including six 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 first in team history with 864 rebounds.
•Shot a team-high 61.7 percent from the field a season ago.

    Michael Lee NOTES
•Has started all 31 games and is averaging 8.7 ppg with team-high 72 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 12 games.
•Has made three or more 3-pointers in 12 games this season.
•Tied for second on the team last season with 52 3-pointers.

    Turner Moen NOTES
•Averaging 7.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg while starting all 31 games.
•Second on the team with 97 assists and second with 56 steals.
•Ranks fourth in team history in steals (144), fifth in 3-point field goal pct. (42.0) and tied for ninth in assists (262).
•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 8.2 ppg with 48 3-pointers in 31 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 seventh in school history with 163 3-pointers.
•Connected on a team-high 58 3-pointers last season.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU finished 12-2 at home this season after recording a 9-3 home mark last season.
•SMSU is a combined 110-39 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 12-5 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 85-75 in 160 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    12-5    .468    .401    .746    33.9    75.4    10.5    
           
    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.
•Ryan Bruggeman was the lone SMSU player to be named first team All-NSIC in 2016-17.
•Brad Bigler was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the second time during his tenure (2012-13).

    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 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    
    Totals    215-81    142-57    73-24

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 586 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 1,412 games compiling an all-time record of 652-760.
•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 23-15 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
    2018    U-MARY    W 78-73
    2018    vs Augustana    W 79-64
    2018    vs St. Cloud State    W 73-66
BOLD indicates home game