THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (8-4, 3-3 NSIC) returns home to the R/A Facility for a pair of NSIC games versus teams tied for first place in the NSIC South Division standings.
•On Friday, Jan. 4, SMSU will take on Augustana (9-3, 5-1 NSIC) with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m., while on Saturday, Jan. 5, the Mustangs will face Wayne State College (10-2, 5-1 NSIC) with game time slated for 6 p.m.
•SMSU, which opened the season with nine straight home games, has played its last four games (three regular season, one exhibition) away from home and will be making its first R/A Facility appearance since Dec. 8.
 
    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. AUGUSTANA
•SMSU and Augustana meet for the 36th time on Friday with Augustana leading 20-15.
•The teams first met during the 1972-73 season.
•Augustana holds a slight 9-8 advantage in games played in Marshall and has won four straight at the R/A Facility, including last season 89-78, on Dec. 30.
•SMSU's last win in Marshall came on Dec. 6, 2013.  
•SMSU won two of the three games played last season, earning a 81-77 win at Augustana and then picking up a 79-64 victory in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-11 all-time versus Augustana.
•Game-by-game results of the series are located on page 18.
    
    SERIES HISTORY VS. WAYNE STATE
•SMSU and Wayne State meet for the 70th time on Saturday with WSC leading 37-32.
•The teams first met during the 1969-70 season.
•SMSU leads the series 22-13 in games played in Marshall, including winning 19 straight.
•WSC's last victory in Marshall came on Feb. 12, 2000.
•SMSU has won 14 of the last 15 games overall since Dec. 3, 2011, with WSC's lone victory coming on Feb. 14, 2015, in Wayne.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 16-3 all-time versus WSC.
•Game-by-game results of the series are on page 19.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 8-4 overall, 3-3 NSIC, and is coming off a 79-75 road win over Sioux Falls last Sunday.
•Ryan Bruggeman led the Mustangs with 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
•SMSU committed just six turnovers in the game and finished with 11 3-point field goals.
•SMSU played an exhibition game at the University of Nebraska on Dec. 30, losing 79-38. The Mustangs shot 30 percent in the game and made just three of 21 3-point attempts.
•SMSU has three players averaging double figures in scoring this season.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 23.8 ppg with a team-high 72 assists and team-high 27 steals. He has scored 30 or more points five times this season.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer is averaging 12.6 ppg with a team-leading 29 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Kenny Byers is scoring 11.4 ppg with 4.7 rpg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 per game.
•SMSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.2 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 82 points per game, while opponents are averaging 78 points per game.

    BRUGGEMAN BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman became SMSU's all-time leader scorer during the Mustangs' win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 15, breaking the record with a pull-up jumper in the second half.
•He has scored 1,681 career points in 108 games, surpassing the record held by Jacob Fahl (1999-2003), who scored 1,638 points in 120 games.

    BRUGGEMAN AMONG THE BEST ACTIVE D2 PLAYERS
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman ranks among the top 10 for active Division II players in several career categories.
•As of Jan. 1, Bruggeman ranks fourth among all active players in assists (582), sixth in steals (183) and seventh in points scored (1,681).

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU committed a season-low six turnovers at Sioux Falls last Sunday and forced USF into 13 second half turnovers.
•SMSU tied a season-high with 30 3-point attempts in the win at USF.  
•Taylor Schafer is one 3-point field goal made from becoming the fifth player in team history to make 200 in a career.
•Steven McNease ranks first in the NSIC in offensive rebounds with 21.
•SMSU ranks fourth in Division II in free throw pct. and ranks first in the NSIC.
•SMSU has failed to shoot 50 percent from the field in NSIC play this season. The Mustangs shot 50 percent or higher in five of six non-conference games.
•SMSU has shot 49 percent or higher in six of its eight victories.
•SMSU ranks second in the NSIC (league games only) in steals with 43.
•SMSU has scored 90 or more points in five games.
•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 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 169-114, including 115-87 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 AUGUSTANA
•Augustana is 9-3 overall, 5-1 NSIC, and is riding a six-game winning streak since opening conference play with a home loss to Wayne State on Dec. 1.
•The Vikings are coming off a dramatic 72-71 road win over Wayne State on Sunday, with Matt Cartwright hitting a long-range 3-pointer at the buzzer.
•Sophomore forward Tyler Riemersma is averaging a team-high 17.3 ppg and also leads the team with 9.5 rpg.  
•Senior forward Matt Cartwright is averaging 14.8 ppg with 28 3-pointers and is a perfect 21 of 21 from the foul line.
•Freshman forward Michael Schaefer is scoring 11.9 ppg and averages 5.9 rpg.
•AU is shooting 45 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-8.7 in rebound margin.
•AU is averaging 78 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 points per game.
•Head coach Tom Billeter is in his 16th season with a record of 296-169. He has a career record of 393-219 in 21 seasons as a head coach (North Dakota State, 1992-97).

    SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
•WSC is 10-2 overall, 5-1 NSIC, and will play at Sioux Falls on Friday night before facing SMSU.
•The Wildcats had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Sunday at home with a last-second 72-71 loss to Augustana.  
•Senior guard Trevin Joseph, who has led the team in scoring six times this season, scored 21 points in the loss on Sunday.
•Joseph is averaging a team best 15.7 ppg with 20 3-pointers.
•Senior guard Kendall Jacks is averaging 14.5 ppg and shooting 54 percent from the field.
•Senior guard Vance Janssen has dished a team-high 37 assists and is averaging 13.3 ppg.
•WSC is shooting 49 percent from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range, 80 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.5 in rebound margin.
•WSC is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents are averaging 64 points per game.
•Jeff Kaminsky is in his third season as head coach with a record of 34-38. He has also been head coach at Valley City State and Wisconsin-Superior.

    BRUGGEMAN EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Dec. 11.
•He averaged 30 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in SMSU's split with Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. He shot a combined 53 percent (19 of 36) from the field and made 21 of 23 (91 percent) free throws during the two games.
•He scored 36 points versus MSU and added 24 points and 10 assists versus CSP.
•It's the third time in his career he has earned the award.

    MORE BRUGGEMAN IN CAREER RECORD BOOK
•Ryan Bruggeman holds several career records at SMSU, including points, free throws made, assists and steals.
•He broke the steals and points scored record earlier this season, while becoming the assists and free throws made all-time leader last season.
•He also ranks second in free throw pct., fourth in field goals made and ninth in scoring average.
 
    SCHAFER REACHES 1,000 POINTS
•Taylor Schafer reached the 1,000 career points mark earlier this season on Nov. 20 vs. Northland College. He is the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points and currently ranks 19th all-time with 1,079.

    2018-19 NCAA STATISTICS
•The latest NCAA statistics (through Jan. 1) are located on page 16.
•The Mustangs rank third in free throw pct., 30th in 3-point field goal pct. and 49th in 3-pointers made per game.  
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks ninth in free throws made, 13th in scoring, 11th in field goals made, 16th in total assists, 18th in total steals and 30th in assists per game.  

    2018-19 NSIC STATISTICS
•The weekly NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) are located on page 14-15.
•Ryan Bruggeman leads the conference in both scoring and steals while ranking fifth in assists.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•A total of five SMSU players have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 10 times this season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 32 career 20-point games, including six this season, which includes five 30-point games.
•Senior Taylor Schafer has six, senior Michael Lee and sophomores Nick Dufault and Kenny Byers each have two during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2018-19 Season
    36    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 12/7/18
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Mayville State, 11/14/18
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 12/30/18
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 12/1/18
    30    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Duluth, 12/15/18
    25    Michael Lee    Fort Hays State, 11/10/18
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/18
    22    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/24/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Crown, 11/24/18

    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in 10 games with three starts and is averaging 1.0 ppg and 0.9 rpg.
•Has five field goals this season.
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•SMSU's all-time leader scorer with 1,681 points.
•Averaging a team-high 23.8 ppg with a team-high 72 assists.
•Has five 30-plus point games this season.  
•Scored a career-high 36 points vs. Minnesota State (12/7/18).
•Ranks first in team history with 5.4 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 582 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 458 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 183 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 played 12 games with 11 starts and is averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg.
•Tied a career-high with 20 points with seven field goals vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/8/18).
•Scored 20 points on nine field goals vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Played as a true freshman in 2017-18.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played 12 games and is averaging 9.7 ppg.  
•Ranks third on the team with 22 3-pointers and is fourth in scoring.
•Scored a season-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting with four 3-pointers vs. Crown (11/24/18).  
•Ranks fourth in team history with 42.9 3-point field goal pct.
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in 12 games with five starts and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 4.7 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 12 games and is averaging 0.6 ppg with 11 assists.
•Scored one field goal vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18) and one at St. Cloud State (12/14/18).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has started 12 games and is averaging 8.5 ppg.
•Ranks second on the team with 24 3-pointers.
•Scored a career-high 25 points with seven 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18).
•Ranks third in team history in 3-point pct. at 43.4.
•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 all 12 games with five starts and is averaging 6.0 ppg and a team-high 8.5 rpg.
•Recorded career-high 18 rebounds and scored career-high 16 points vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Has two double-doubles on the season.
•Played last season at Copper Mountain College (Calif.).

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has started 12 games and is averaging 12.6 ppg.
•Leads the team with 29 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 199 3-pointers and is sixth all-time in 3-pointers attempted (510).

    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.

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU has a 1-1 record versus the NSIC North Division this season and are a combined 33-17 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the start of the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU's 7-1 record last season was its best finish 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.
•The NSIC South holds a 240-152 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 AND AWAY
•SMSU is 6-3 at home this season after recording a 12-2 home mark last season.
•SMSU is a combined 116-42 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 2-1 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 88-78 in 166 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    6-3    50.7    45.7    79.7    36.0    86.1    11.6    
Away    2-1    40.1    32.9    86.7    33.0    71.3    10.3

    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.

    BACK-TO-BACK 20-WIN SEASONS
•SMSU's 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.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018) 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.





    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, which is 2-1 in road games this season, 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.

    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 223-84 (.726) in 307 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    6-3    1-2    5-1    
    Totals    223-84    145-59    78-25


    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 601 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
•SMSU 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 time 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 364-388 in 752 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 1,427 games compiling an all-time record of 661-766.
•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.