THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (1-1) continues non-conference play on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16, with a pair of games at the Minnesota Duluth American Family Insurance Classic inside Romano Gymnasium.
•SMSU will face Stonehill College (Mass.) (1-1) on Friday with game time set for 5 p.m.
•SMSU closes the weekend facing the Northern Michigan University (1-1) on Saturday with game time at 3 p.m.
 
    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games will be broadcast on Marshall Radio. Friday's game will air on 105.1 FM KARL, while Saturday's game will be on 94.7 FM KKCK. Dan Paluch will provide play-by-play for both games.
•Live stats, radio broadcast and video can be found at SMSUmustangs. com.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS STONEHILL COLLEGE
•Southwest Minnesota State and Stonehill will be meeting for the first time ever on Friday night.  
•Stonehill is a member of the 14-team Northeast-10 Conference.
•SMSU has played just one current member of the Northeast-10 Conference in program history. The Mustangs lost to Bentley University (Mass.) in the third place game of the 2000 Disney Tip-Off Classic in Orlando, Fla.  

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTHERN MICHIGAN
•Southwest Minnesota State and Northern Michigan meet for the sixth time on Saturday afternoon with SMSU leading 4-1. A complete listing of each game is located on page 4.
•NMU won the first-ever meeting during the 1986-87 season, but SMSU has won four straight since the 2013-14 season.  
•SMSU won the last match-up, 85-78, on Nov. 18, 2017, played in Moorhead, Minn.  

    MUSTANG 2019-20 TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU set a team record last season shooting 81.3 percent from the free throw line, but are shooting just 50 percent following two games this season.
•Junior Kenny Byers recorded a pair of double-doubles in last weekend's opening two games and now has three in his career.  
•SMSU held a 44-27 rebounds advantage at Central Missouri in the season opener and was outrebounded 36-35 in the loss to Arkansas-Monticello. Last season, SMSU outrebounded its opponent just twice in its last 21 games and finished last in the NSIC in rebound margin (-8.5).  
•Redshirt freshman Brian Dayman reached double figures for the first time in his career last Sunday with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers versus Arkansas-Monticello. He also grabbed six rebounds in the win over Central Missouri.
•Junior Nick Dufault ranks fourth in team history in 3-point field goal pct. (43.4).
•SMSU is shooting 40 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 50 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.0 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 59 points per game, while opponents are averaging 64 points per game.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 11th season as head coach with an overall record of 180-125, including 122-96 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
•The 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to seven 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 NSIC South Division championships in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.  
•SMSU has played in five NSIC Tournament championship games during his tenure (2010, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019).
•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.

    BIG VICTORIES OVER THE LAST THREE-PLUS SEASONS
•Southwest Minnesota State has posted a combined record of 72-30 the past three-plus seasons (start of 2016-17 to current) which includes two NSIC South Division titles and three appearances in the NSIC Tournament championship game.
•The 71 victories entering this season is the best three-year run in program history.

    SMSU FINISHES 1-1 IN OPENING WEEKEND
•Southwest Minnesota State split a pair of games at the Central Region Tip-Off Classic hosted by Central Missouri last weekend.
•SMSU defeated Central Missouri, 62-58, on Saturday night with Kenny Byers tying a career-high with 20 points, while also grabbing 11 rebonds.
•Nick Dufault added 16 points with four 3-pointers to help the Mustangs.
•SMSU held on for the win despite making just 17 of 33 free throws.
•SMSU lost to Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday by a score of 70-55.
•SMSU trailed 46-45 with eight minutes remaining, but UAM used a 20-4 run to pull away and earn the victory.
•Byers once again led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
•Brian Dayman added 10 points and five rebounds for SMSU.

    SCOUTING STONEHILL
•Stonehill is 1-1 on the season after defeating the University of District Columbia, 61-55, before losing to Saint Thomas Aquinas College, 85-70, last weekend.
•Stonehill was picked to finish second in the in the seven-team Northeast Division of the Northeast-10 Conference.
•The Skyhawks return 12 letter winners and four starters from last season's team that finished 14-15 overall, 8-13 in conference play.
•Senior guard Will Moreton is averaging 18.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg through two games with six 3-pointers.
•Senior guard Brandon Twitty is averaging 17 ppg with a team-high 14 field goals.
•Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus is in his seventh season with a record of 98-77. He has led the Skyhawks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, including an NCAA East Region title in 2016.  
•Stonehill is shooting 40 percent from the field, 28 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.0 in rebound margin.
•Stonehill is averaging 66 points per game, while opponents average 70 points per game.

    SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
•NMU is 1-1 on the season and will play at Minnesota Duluth on Friday. The Wildcats opened the season with a 76-63 win over Lewis (Ill.), before dropping a 69-46 decision at McKendree (Ill.).
•NMU finished last season 17-12 overall and placed third in the GLIAC North Division with a record of 11-9. The Wildcats just missed qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.  
•NMU was picked to finish sixth in the six-team North Division of the GLIAC preseason coaches' poll.
•Junior guard Alec Fruin averages 13 points with four 3-pointers through two games.
•Senior guard Myles Howard was named five-player preseason all-conference after leading the league in blocks last season and averaging seven rebounds per game.   
•NMU head coach Matt Majkrzak is in his first season. He was head coach at Bryant & Stratton College in Wisconsin last season. He was also an assistant coach at Bemidji State and Chadron State.
•NMU is shooting 39 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 78 percent from the free throw line and is minus-5.0 in rebound margin.
•NMU is averaging 61 points per game, while opponents average 66 points per game.  

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE IN 2019-20
•SMSU returns five letter winners and two starters from last season's team that finished 18-14 overall and advanced to the NSIC Tournament championship game for the third straight season.
•SMSU must replace 66 percent of its scoring from last season as three of the team's top four scorers graduated.
•The 2019-20 team does not have a senior on the roster and features four juniors, two sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and five true freshmen.
•Junior guard Kenny Byers started 31 games last season and is the squad's top returning scoring after ranking third averaging 10.2 points per game. Byers closed the season shooting 49 percent (130 of 226) from the field and connected on 21 3-pointers. He finished third on the team in steals (30) and was fourth in rebounding (4.0).
•Junior forward Braedan Hanson started 22 games and averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
•Junior guard Nick Dufault ranked fifth on the team in scoring (7.8), while ranking third with 49 3-pointers.
•Sophomore guard Grant Kramer played in all 32 games and averaged 2.6 ppg, while sophomore forward Kevin Totusek appeared in five games and scored six points.  
•SMSU added junior forward transfer Weston Baker Mcgrath, who played two seasons at Division II Nebraska-Kearney. He started 24 games last season and averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.1 rpg.

    SMSU PICKED 12TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 12th overall and sixth in the South Division in the 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Minnesota State was chosen as the South Division and overall favorite, while Minnesota Duluth was picked to win the North Division.
•SMSU junior guard Kenny Byers was named a "Player to Watch".

    SMSU IN THE 2019-20 NCAA STATISTICS
•The current 2019-20 NCAA statistics are located on page 16.
•In 2018-29, the Mustangs ranked second in free throw pct., fourth in 3-point field goal pct and fifth in turnovers per game.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Two current SMSU players, juniors Nick Dufault and Kenny Byers  have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Byers has reached 20 points one this season and twice last season, while Dufault had one 20-point game last season and also had another during the 2017-18 season.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    23    Nick Dufualt    Crown, 11/21/17
    22    Nick Dufualt    Crown, 11/24/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Central Missouri, 11/9/19
    20    Kenny Byers    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/18
    20    Kenny Byers    Crown, 11/24/18
Bold indicates 2019-20 season

    A LOOK BACK AT SMSU IN 2018-19
•SMSU concluded the 2018-19 season with an 18-14 overall record, placed fifth in the NSIC South Division with a 10-12 mark and finished ninth in the overall standings.
•SMSU won three straight games in the NSIC Tournament to advance to the championship game for the third straight season before losing to Northern State, 72-68.
•SMSU finished the season shooting 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and was minus-5.4 in rebound margin.
•SMSU averaged 80 points per game, while opponents averaged 78 points per game.

    REPLACING ALL-AMERICAN RYAN BRUGGEMAN
•One of several key players SMSU must replace from last season's team is guard Ryan Bruggeman, who closed his career as one of the most decorated players in program history.
•Bruggeman set the program's all-time scoring record with 2,246 points in 128 games. He is also the all-time leader in field goals made, free throws made, assists, free throw percentage and steals.
•A three-time All-NSIC honoree, Bruggeman was a third team All-American in 2018-19 and was selected to play in the NABC/Reese's All-Star game in March.
•Bruggeman finished the conference season ranking first in scoring (27.0), first in steals (2.4), second in field goals made (217), fourth in free throw pct. (92.0), fourth in assists (5.1) and 13th in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
•He was the sixth SMSU player and the first since 1990-91 to lead the conference in scoring after averaging 27 per game in 22 league games.
•The 27 ppg is the highest scoring average in the NSIC since MSU Moorhead's Greg Duke also averaged 27 ppg in 1996-97.  

    SMSU IN THE FINAL 2018-19 NSIC STATISTICS
•The final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) are located on pages 14-15.

    SMSU SETS RECORDS VERSUS FORT HAYS STATE
•SMSU set a team single-game record last season shooting 73.1 percent from 3-point range (19 of 26) in a home victory over Fort Hays State on Nov. 10, 2018.
•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.

    WESTON BAKER MAGRATH NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 4.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Played previous two seasons at Nebraska-Kearney and averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 2018-19.
•Led UNK in blocked shots last season with 33.
•Scored a 2018-19 season-high 18 points versus Northeastern State.
 
    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has started both games and leads team in scoring (19.0) and rebounding (11.0).
•Tied career-high with 20 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds at Central Missouri (11/9/19).
•Played 32 games with 31 starts last season and averaged 10.2 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Named to the 2019 NSIC All-Tournament team.
•Scored double figures in 17 games.
•Scored 20 points with seven field goals vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/8/18).
•Played as a true freshman in 2017-18.

    BRIAN DAYMAN NOTES
•Has played in two games and is averaging 5.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
•Scored 10 points vs. Arkansas-Monticello (11/10/19).
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has played in two games and ranks second in scoring (10.0).
•Has made a team-high five 3-pointers.
•Averaged 7.8 ppg in 32 games in 2018-19.  
•Ranked third on the team with 49 3-pointers last season.
•Made five 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/10/18) and at MSU Moorhead (2/9/19).
•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 in 3-point field goal pct. (43.4).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    KADEN EVANS NOTES
•Missed the first two games with an injury.
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has started both games and is averaging 2.5 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Played in 32 games with 22 starts last season, averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 17 points vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Poured in 16 points with four 3-pointers vs. UMary (1/19/19).
•Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/19/18) and at Wayne State (2/22/19).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has started both games this season and is averaging 5.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
•Scored seven points with four assists vs. Arkansas-Monticello (11/10/19).
•Played in 32 games in 2018-19 and averaged 2.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg.
•Tied career-high with eight points vs. Upper Iowa (2/15/19).
•Recorded a career-high 11 rebounds with eight points at Minnesota State (1/12/19).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    CLIFF MCCRAY NOTES
•Has started two games and is averaging 5.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
•Scored seven points with seven rebounds at Central Missouri (11/9/19).
•Only true freshman expected to play in 2019-20.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Has appeared in two games and is averaging 7.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
•Scored eight points with six rebounds at Central Missouri (11/9/19).
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    KEVIN TOTUSEK NOTES
•Has not appeared in a game this season.
•Played in five games in 2018-19 and averaged 1.2 ppg.
•Scored four points vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU finished the 2018-19 season 12-5 at home.
•SMSU is a combined 122-44 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 1-1 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 93-87 in 180 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    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    
Away    1-1    40.0    36.7    50.0    39.5    58.5    14.0
            
    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished with a 5-3 record versus the NSIC North Division in 2018-19 and are a combined 37-19 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU finished 7-1 in 2017-18; 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 260-188 advantage over NSIC North teams in conference play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, but last season the North finished 38-26. It's the first time in seven seasons the North finished with a winning record.
•Prior to last season, the South Division held the advantage in every season. In 2017-18, (38-26); in 2016-17 (35-29); in 2015-16 (37-27); in 2014-15 (35-29); in 2013-14 (42-22), while in 2012-13 (47-17).

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2019-20 season marks the 24th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 229-86 (.727) in 315 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    12-5    7-4    5-1    
    2019-20    0-0    0-0    0-0
    Totals    229-86    151-61    78-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 623 straight games.
•The last time SMSU failed to connect on 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 scored 100 or more points three times last season, defeating Bethany Lutheran, 101-81, Crown College, 100-81 and Minnesota Crookston, 100-78.
•It was the first time SMSU scored 100 or more three times in a season since 2000-01.
•SMSU is 40-8 all-time when scoring 100 points.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 46-39 all-time in overtime games, including 1-0 last season following an 84-78 win over Wayne State on March 4.
•SMSU is 7-6 in double overtime games and 0-2 in triple overtime games all-time.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU has made five NCAA Tournament appearances (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018) in program history since moving to Division II in 1995-96.
•SMSU is 9-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games appearing in three region championship games with region titles and Elite Eight appearances in both 2001 and 2009.  

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2019-20 campaign marks the 51st season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 371-397 in 768 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 25 times in 50 seasons.
•SMSU has finished in the top half of the NSIC standings in 17 of the last 23 seasons since 1997-98.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 53rd season of men's basketball in 2019-20.
•SMSU has played 1,449 games compiling an all-time record of 672-777.
•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 24 winning seasons in program history with 17 coming in the last 21 years.