MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team opens the 2019-20 season this Friday and Saturday hosting Nebraska-Omaha, Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Missouri at the R/A Facility.
 
The Mustangs will play two games each day, first taking on UNO on Friday at 2 p.m., before closing with UWW at 7:15 p.m. Missouri and UWW will play each other at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, while Missouri and UNO play at 5:30 p.m.
 
On Saturday, UWW and UNO play at 9 a.m. before SMSU takes on Missouri at 10:45 a.m. The third place game will take place at 12:30 p.m. followed by the championship game 2:15 p.m.
 
UWW is the defending national runners-ups from last season, losing to Alabama in the championship game, 79-73, in Champaign, Ill.
 
SMSU head coach Derek Klinkner enters his seventh season on the sideline and has 15 players on the 2019-20 roster with eight returning letter winners from last season's team that finished 12-11 overall and placed fifth at the national tournament.
 
The team features six seniors along with two juniors, one sophomore and six freshmen. Senior Walter Johnson is the team's top returning scorer, averaging 24 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field. Senior Jesus Villa played in 11 games last season and averaged 18 points per game and shot 46 percent from the field.
 
The Mustangs averaged 56 points per game a season ago and shot 50 percent from the field.
 
Southwest Minnesota State is scheduled to play in seven tournaments during the regular season before competing at the 43rd annual National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament from March 19-21, 2020, in Wichita, Kan.