THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (8-6, 3-5 NSIC) continues play versus NSIC South Division teams this weekend with a pair of road games.
•On Friday, Jan. 11, SMSU will take on Concordia-St. Paul (6-7, 1-7 NSIC) with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn.
•SMSU closes the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 12, taking on NSIC South-leading Minnesota State University (11-3, 7-1 NSIC) at the Taylor Center in Mankato with game time slated for 5:30 p.m.
•SMSU is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping home games last weekend to Augustana (85-72) and Wayne State (75-68).
•It was the first time SMSU was swept in a conference home weekend since Jan. 8-9, 2016, versus Upper Iowa and Winona State.
•SMSU senior guard Ryan Bruggeman has scored 1,141 points in 74 career conference games. He is 23 points shy of tying Jordan Miller (2009-13) for the most points scored by a Mustang player in conference play in team history. Miller's 1,164 points in NSIC games ranked 17th in conference history prior to the 2018-19 season. Bruggeman is on pace to move into the Top 10 in the NSIC career scoring record book.
 
    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SERIES HISTORY VS. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•SMSU and CSP meet for the 41st time on Friday with SMSU leading 30-10 in a series that began during the 1980-81 season.
•CSP joined the NSIC prior to the 1999-2000 season.
•SMSU is 12-7 all-time in games played in St. Paul, including winning the last two meetings at the Gangelhoff Center.
•SMSU has won five straight overall and 13 of the last 16 since Feb. 11, 2011.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 13-6 all-time versus CSP.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 18.  

    LAST TIME VS. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•SMSU earned a 90-86 victory in Marshall earlier this season on Dec. 8.
•The game featured 16 lead changes and was tied 12 times.
•Ryan Bruggeman poured in a game-high 24 points on 6 of 13 shooting, while making 12 of 13 from the free throw line. He also had 10 assists for his second double-double of the season.
•Bryndan Matthews scored a team-high 21 points with eight rebounds and seven assists for the Golden Bears.
    
    SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU and MSU meet for the 61st time on Saturday with MSU leading 43-17 that started during the 1969-70 season.
•MSU leads 22-8 in games played in Mankato, including winning last season, 72-70.
•MSU has won five of the last six played in Mankato with SMSU's lone win coming on Feb. 17, 2017.
•MSU has won 11 of the last 15 games overall since the 2012-13 season, but SMSU's four victories have come in the last eight games.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-15 all-time versus MSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.

    LAST TIME VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•MSU picked up a 75-67 victory over SMSU earlier this season on Dec. 7 in Marshall.
•SMSU made just 2 of 19 3-point field goals in the game.
•Ryan Bruggeman scored a career-high 36 points for SMSU.
•Kevin Krieger scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, while Carlos Anderson added 16 points.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 8-6 overall, 3-5 NSIC, following home losses to Augustana (85-72) and Wayne State (75-68) last weekend.
•Ryan Bruggeman led the Mustangs in scoring in both games with 21 versus AU and 22 versus WSC.
•SMSU attempted a combined 13 free throws in the two losses and were outrebounded 37-26 versus AU and 45-33 versus WSC.
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 23.5 ppg with a team-high 84 assists and team-high 29 steals. He has scored 30 or more points five times this season.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer is averaging 12.4 ppg with a team-leading 35 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Kenny Byers is scoring 10.9 ppg with 4.6 rpg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease, who has missed the last two games with an injury, leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 per game.
•SMSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range, 82 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.6 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 81 points per game, while opponents are averaging 78 points per game.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU has not lost three straight games since closing the 2015-16 season with three straight losses.
•SMSU has suffered five home losses this season. The last time SMSU lost five home games came during the 2014-15 season when SMSU lost eight home games.
•SMSU has failed to shoot 50 percent from the field in all eight NSIC games this season. The Mustangs shot 50 percent or higher in five of six non-conference games.
•Senior forward Steven McNease missed both games last weekend with an injury.
•SMSU attempted a combined 13 free throws last weekend's losses, while AU and WSC combined to shoot 41.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer last weekend became just the fifth player in team history to make 200 3-pointers in a career.  He has made 205 in 110 career games. He is five away from moving into a tie for fourth in team history.
•Senior forward Michael Lee last weekend moved into eighth place in team history with 168 career 3-pointers. He is five shy of moving into a tie for seventh place.  
•SMSU ranks second in Division II in free throw pct.
•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.

    TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN THE NSIC
•SMSU has played a strong schedule through 14 games this season and the latest NCAA statistical numbers back it up.
•SMSU has the 20th toughest schedule in Division II and the toughest among all NSIC schools through games of Jan. 7.
•SMSU's Division II opponents in 10 games have a combined record of 104-61 (not including results with SMSU).

    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 1,724 career points in 110 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 guard Ryan Bruggeman ranks among the top seven for active Division II players in several career categories.
•As of Jan. 8, Bruggeman ranks fourth among all active players in assists (594), sixth in steals (185) and seventh in points scored (1,742).

    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 169-116, including 115-89 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 CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•CSP (6-8, 1-7 NSIC) earned its first NSIC win last Friday at UMary (66-61), before losing on Saturday at Minot State (88-75).
•Guard Isaiah McKay, a senior transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, is averaging 20.1 ppg with a team-best 37 3-pointers.  
•Senior guard Bryndan Matthews is scoring 20.2 ppg and averaging a team-high 8.8 rpg, while shooting 63 percent.
•Freshman guard Hayden Baughman is averaging 8.5 ppg with 30 3-pointers.  
•CSP is shooting 48 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, 70 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.5 in rebound margin.
•CSP is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents are averaging 84 points per game.
• Joey James is in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 49-84. He was the head coach at the University of South Dakota in 2013-14, finishing with a 12-18 record.

    SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
•MSU (11-3, 7-1 NSIC), the NSIC preseason co-favorite, has won four straight, including three NSIC games on the road.
•The Mavericks beat Minot State 82-76 in overtime last Friday, before earning a 90-83 win at UMary last Saturday.
•MSU will host Sioux Falls on Friday prior to taking on SMSU.  
•Junior guard Kevin Krieger, who has missed the last six games with an injury, is averaging 15.1 ppg with a team-leading 9.3 rpg.
•Junior forward Cameron Kirksey is averaging a team-high  17 ppg and shooting 58.7 percent from the field.   
•Senior guard Carlos Anderson is scoring 15.6 ppg with 6.4 rpg.
•Junior guard Juwan McCloud is averaging 13.6 ppg with a team-leading 44 assists.  
•MSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.4 in rebound margin.
•MSU is averaging 85 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76 points per game.
•Matt Margenthaler is in his 18th season with a record of 385-156. MSU has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 12 of the last 14 seasons.   

    2018-19 NCAA STATISTICS
•The latest NCAA statistics (through Jan. 7) are located on page 16.
•The Mustangs rank second in free throw pct., 15th in 3-point field goal pct., 24th in turnovers per game and 47th in 3-pointers made per game.  
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks seventh in field goals made, 10th in scoring, 11th in free throws made, 19th in total assists, 21st in assists per game and 31st in total steals.  

    2018-19 NSIC STATISTICS
•The weekly NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) are located on page 14-15.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks second in the NSIC in scoring (26.4), first in steals (2.1), fourth in assists (5.1) and fourth in free throw pct. (93.4).
•Steven McNease ranks first in the NSIC in offensive rebounds (3.5).
•SMSU ranks first in the NSIC in free throw pct. (83.5) and second with 53 steals.

    BRUGGEMAN EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD TWICE
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on both Dec. 11 and Jan. 3 this season.
•Bruggeman has earned the award four times in his career.

    BRUGGEMAN IN THE SMSU 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 eighth in scoring average.
 
    SCHAFER REACHES 1,000 POINTS
•Taylor Schafer became the 24th player in team history to reach the 1,000 career points mark earlier this season versus Northland College on Nov. 20. He currently ranks 18th on the career list with 1,102 points.

    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.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•A total of five SMSU players have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers, including 12 times this season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 34 career 20-point games, including eight 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    Ryan Bruggeman    Wayne State, 1/5/19
    22    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/24/18
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    Augustana, 1/4/19
    20    Kenny Byers    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Crown, 11/24/18
 
    KOLIN BARTLETT NOTES
•Has played in 12 games with four starts and is averaging 1.8 ppg and 0.9 rpg.
•Made three field goals vs. Augustana and Wayne State earlier this season.
•Younger brother of former Mustang Joey Bartlett (2013-17).

    RYAN BRUGGEMAN NOTES
•SMSU's all-time leader scorer with 1,724 points.
•Averaging a team-high 23.5 ppg with a team-high 84 assists.
•Has five 30-plus point games this season.  
•Scored a career-high 36 points vs. Minnesota State earlier this season (12/7/18).
•Ranks first in team history with 5.4 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 594 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 464 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 185 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 14 games with 13 starts and is averaging 10.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
•Has scored double figures in nine games.
•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 14 games and is averaging 8.9 ppg.  
•Ranks third on the team with 24 3-pointers and is fifth in scoring.
•Scored a season-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting with four 3-pointers vs. Crown (11/24/18).  
•Ranks fifth in team history with 41.7 3-point field goal pct.
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in 14 games with six starts and is averaging 7.6 ppg and 4.6 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 14 games and is averaging 0.8 ppg with 12 assists.
•Scored career-high two field goals vs. Wayne State (1/5/19).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has started all 14 games and is averaging 9.4 ppg.
•Ranks second on the team with 31 3-pointers.
•Has reached double figure scoring in six games.
•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 43.5.
•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.
•Missed the Augustana and Wayne State game with an injury.
•Has played in 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 all 14 games and is averaging 12.4 ppg.
•Leads the team with 35 3-pointers.  
•Has scored double figures in 11 games.
•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 205 3-pointers and is fourth all-time in 3-pointers attempted (524).

    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 6-5 at home this season after recording a 12-2 home mark last season.
•SMSU is a combined 116-44 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    6-5    49.8    43.5    80.1    34.8    83.2    11.3    
Away    2-1    40.1    32.9    86.7    33.0    71.3    10.3

    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 243-157 advantage over NSIC North teams in conference play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, but this season the record is even at 12-12.
•The South Division has held the advantage in every season. In 2017-18, the South led 38-26; 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.

    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 223-86 (.721) in 309 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    6-5    1-4    5-1    
    Totals    223-86    145-61    78-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 603 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 364-390 in 754 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 1,429 games compiling an all-time record of 661-768.
•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.