THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (13-10, 8-10 NSIC) closes out its regular season home schedule this Friday and Saturday facing at pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division opponents at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU will take on Upper Iowa University (6-18, 3-15 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 15, starting at 7:30 p.m., before closing the weekend with a 6 p.m. match-up versus Winona State University (11-13, 8-10 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 16.
•SMSU begins the weekend tied for fifth place along with Winona State in the NSIC South standings, while UIU begins the weekend in eighth place.  
•Saturday's game is "Senior Night" at the R/A Facility as SMSU's five seniors, Kolin Bartlett, Ryan Bruggeman, Michael Lee, Steven McNease and Taylor Schafer will be recognized prior to tip-off.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman needs three more points to reach 2,000 in his career. He would become just the seventh player among Minnesota's Division II schools to reach the milestone.
 
    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. UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and Upper Iowa meet for the 29th time on Friday with SMSU leading 20-8.
•The teams first met during the 1979-80 season.
•SMSU leads 9-4 in games played in Marshall, including winning last season, 93-86.
•Prior to last season, UIU had won four straight in Marshall.  
•SMSU has won four straight in the series after UIU had won six of the previous seven games.
•SMSU won earlier this season on Jan. 26 in Fayette, Iowa, 91-87.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 12-7 all-time versus UIU.
•Game-by-game results of the series are on page 18.
•This season's first game box score is located on page 20.
    
    SERIES HISTORY VS. WINONA STATE
•SMSU and Winona State meet for the 109th time on Saturday with WSU leading 70-38.
•The teams first met during the 1968-69 season.
•WSU holds a 27-7 advantage since 2004-05, but the teams have split the past 10 meetings.
•WSU has won the last two games, including 85-67 earlier this season in Winona on Jan. 25.
•WSU hold a 27-23 advantage in games played in Marshall, but SMSU has won the last two at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-13 all-time versus WSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series on page 19.
•This season's first game box score is located on page 21.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU is 13-11 overall, 8-10 NSIC, after dropping road games last weekend to MSU Moorhead (98-79) and Northern State (91-81).
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman led the Mustangs with 22 points in Friday's loss to MSUM.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer tied a career-high with 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting in the loss to NSU.
•Bruggeman is averaging a team-high 25.1 ppg with a team-high 133 assists and team-high 51 steals. He has scored 30 or more points eight times this season.
•Schafer is averaging 13.5 ppg with a team-leading 58 3-pointers.
•Sophomore forward Kenny Byers is averaging 10.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
•Senior forward Steven McNease, who has missed 11 of the last 12 games with an injury, leads the team in rebounding with 7.9 per game.
•SMSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is minus-4.0 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 81 points per game, while opponents are averaging 80 points per game.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU has shot 50 percent or higher from the field in five of its last eight games.  
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman needs three more points to reach 2,000 in his career.
•With two victories this weekend SMSU can match last season's home win total of 12.
•Senior guard Taylor Schafer moved up to 11th in team history with 1,252 career points.
•SMSU (as of Feb. 12) ranks third in Division II in free throw pct. and eighth in 3-point field goal pct.
•Bruggeman ranks first in the NSIC in scoring (26.9), first in steals (2.2), sixth in free throw pct. (91.5) and fourth in assists (5.0).
•SMSU has outrebounded its opponent just once in its last 13 games. SMSU begins the weekend ranked 15th in the NSIC in rebound margin (-7.6).
•SMSU has scored 100 or more points three times this season for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The last time SMSU reached 100 points four times in a season came during the 1996-97 season, when SMSU reached the century mark five times.

    BRUGGEMAN SMSU ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman became SMSU's all-time leader scorer during the Mustangs' win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 15.
•He has scored 1,997 career points in 120 games, surpassing the record held by Jacob Fahl (1999-2003), who scored 1,638 points in 120 games.
•Bruggeman also ranks sixth in NSIC history for career points (conference games only) with 1,414 in 86 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 Feb. 11, Bruggeman ranks second among all active players in free throws made (514), fourth in assists (643), fifth in points scored (1,997), fifth in steals (207) and sixth in field goals made (687).

    BRUGGEMAN SETS SCHOOL SINGLE-GAME RECORDS
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman set a pair of school single-game records in SMSU's 100-78 victory over Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 1.
•He finished the game with a record 49 points, breaking the previous record of 48 set by Terence Williams on Nov. 23, 1990, at Mayville State.
•Bruggeman also set a program single-game record with 20 field goals made on 27 attempts. The previous record was 19 set by Williams versus Mayville State in 1990, along with Charlie Taylor versus MSU Moorhead on Jan. 26, 1983.  

    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 174-121, including 120-94 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 UPPER IOWA
•The Peacocks (6-18, 3-15 NSIC) have lost 12 straight games with its last victory coming on Dec. 30 versus Winona State.
•The Peacocks have five players averaging double figures in scoring.
•Sophomore guard Jareese Williams leads the team averaging 14.7 ppg and has connected on a team-high 62 3-pointers.
•Sophomore guard Joe Smoldt has drilled 55 3-pointers and ranks second on the team averaging 14 ppg.
•Senior forward Munachiso Okonkwo averages 11.7 ppg and a team-high 5.5 rpg.
•UIU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is minus-8.9 in rebound margin.
•UIU is scoring 78 points per game, while opponents are averaging 86 per game.
•Head coach Brooks McKowen is in his sixth season at UIU with a record of 80-69. He led the Peacocks to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
•McKowen was an assistant coach at SMSU from 2011-13.

    SCOUTING WINONA STATE
•The Warriors (11-13, 8-10 NSIC) split two home games last weekend, losing to Minot State, 87-72, before crushing UMary, 84-56, on Saturday. WSU plays at Sioux Falls on Friday before taking on SMSU.
•Sophomore guard/forward Kevion Taylor is averaging a team-high 16.6 ppg, a team-high 6.4 rpg and also ranks first with 56 3-pointers.   
•Junior guard Caleb Wagner is scoring 12.5 ppg and has connected on 37 3-pointers.
•WSU is shooting 44 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 78 percent from the free throw line and is minus-1.1 in rebound margin.
•WSU is averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 points per game.
•Head coach Todd Eisner is in his fourth season with a record 57-52. He recorded 417 career victories as a head coach at Midland (Neb.), Benedictine (Kan.), Bellevue (Neb.) and Viterbo (Wis.) prior to WSU.

    2018-19 NSIC STATISTICS
•The weekly NSIC statistics (NSIC games only) are located on pages 14-15.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks first in the NSIC in scoring (26.9), first in steals (2.2), sixth in free throw pct. (91.5) and fourth in assists (5.0).
•Senior Michael Lee ranks 11th, while senior Taylor Schafer ranks 12th in 3-point field goals per game.
•SMSU ranks first in free throw pct., third in steals and fourth in 3-point field goal pct. defense.  

    2018-19 NCAA STATISTICS
•The latest NCAA statistics (through Feb. 11) are located on page 16.
•The Mustangs rank third in free throw pct., eighth in 3-point field goal pct and eighth in turnovers per game.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks fifth in field goals made, seventh in scoring, 12th in free throws made, 17th in free throw pct., 19th in total assists, 25th in total steals and 36th in assists per game.

    BRUGGEMAN EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD FOUR TIMES
•Senior guard Ryan Bruggeman has been named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week four times this season (Dec. 11, Jan. 3, Jan. 21, Feb. 4) and has earned the award six times in his career.

    BRUGGEMAN IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman holds numerous program career records, including points, field goals made, free throws made, free throws attempted, free throw percentage, assists and steals.
•He broke the steals, points and field goals made record earlier this season, while becoming the assists and free throws made all-time leader last season.
•SMSU record book stats are located on page 4.

    SCHAFER REACHES 1,000 POINTS
•Senior Taylor Schafer became the 24th player in team history to reach the 1,000 career points earlier this season versus Northland College on Nov. 20. He currently ranks 11th on the career list with 1,252 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 21 times this season.
•Senior Ryan Bruggeman has 42 career 20-point games, including 16 this season, which includes scoring 30 or more points eight time and 40-plus points once.
•Senior Taylor Schafer has nine, senior Michael Lee and sophomores Nick Dufault and Kenny Byers each have two 20-point games during their careers.
20 or More Point Games - 2018-19 Season
    49    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Crookston, 2/1/19
    36    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 12/7/18
    34    Ryan Bruggeman    Minot State, 1/18/19
    33    Ryan Bruggeman    Mayville State, 11/14/18
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota State, 1/12/19
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 12/30/18
    31    Ryan Bruggeman    Sioux Falls, 12/1/18
    30    Ryan Bruggeman    Minnesota Duluth, 12/15/18
    29    Ryan Bruggeman    Winona State, 1/25/19
    29    Ryan Bruggeman    UMary, 1/19/19
    25    Taylor Schafer    Northern State, 2/9/19
    25    Michael Lee    Fort Hays State, 11/10/18
    24    Ryan Bruggeman    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/18
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    MSU Moorhead, 2/8/19
    22    Taylor Schafer    Bemidji State, 2/2/19
    22    Ryan Bruggeman    Wayne State, 1/5/19
    22    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/24/18
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    Northern State, 2/8/19
    21    Ryan Bruggeman    Upper Iowa, 1/26/19
    21    Taylor Schafer    Minot State, 1/18/19
    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 22 games with six starts and is averaging 1.5 ppg and 1.7 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 1,997 points.
•Averaging a team-high 25.1 ppg with a team-high 133 assists.
•Has eight 30-plus point games and one 40-plus point game this season.  
•Scored a school record 49 points with a school record 20 field goals vs. Minnesota Crookston this season.
•Ranks first in team history with 687 field goals made.
•Ranks first in team history with 5.4 assists per game.
•Ranks first in team history with 643 assists.
•Ranks first in team history with 514 free throws made.
•Ranks first in team history with 207 steals.
•Has started every game in his career.
•Two-time first team All-NSIC.
•Named 2018 honorable mention All-American by D2Bulletin.
•Named 2018 NABC first team All-Region and CCA second team All-Region.
•Named MVP of the 2017 NSIC Tournament.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has played 24 games with 23 starts and is averaging 10.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
•Has scored double figures in 13 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 24 games and is averaging 8.7 ppg.  
•Ranks third on the team with 43 3-pointers.
•Season-high five 3-pointers made 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 third in team history in 3-point field goal pct. at 43.7.
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    BRAEDAN HANSON NOTES
•Has played in 24 games with 14 starts and is averaging 7.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 17 points vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•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).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has played in 24 games and is averaging 2.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg.
•Scored career-high eight points with a career-high 11 rebounds at Minnesota State (1/12/19).
•Has made career-high three field goals in four games.
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    MICHAEL LEE NOTES
•Has started all 24 games and is averaging 8.9 ppg.
•Ranks second on the team with 53 3-pointers.
•Has scored double figures in 10 games this season.
•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 43.7.
•Ranks sixth in team history with 190 3-pointers.

    STEVEN MCNEASE NOTES
•In first season at SMSU and has one season of eligibility.
•Has missed 11 games and most of a 12th with an injury.
•Has played in 12 games with five starts and is averaging 5.7 ppg and a team-high 7.9 rpg.
•Recorded career-high 18 rebounds and scored career-high 16 points vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Has two double-doubles.
•Played last season at Copper Mountain College (Calif.).

    TAYLOR SCHAFER NOTES
•Has started all 24 games and is averaging 13.5 ppg.
•Leads the team with 58 3-pointers.  
•Tied career-high 25 points at Northern State (2/9/19).
•Has scored double figures in 19 games.
•Reached 1,000 career points during win vs. Northland (11/20/18).
•Ranks fourth in school history with 228 3-pointers and is fourth in 3-pointers attempted (576).

    KEVIN TOTUSEK NOTES
•Has played in four games and is averaging 1.5 ppg.
•Scored four points vs. Crown (11/24/18).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 10-5 at home this season after finishing 12-2 last season.
•SMSU is a combined 120-44 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 3-6 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 89-83 in 172 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    10-5    50.7    44.7    82.1    33.6    84.1    10.4    
Away    3-6    44.1    35.6    80.0    28.7    74.9    8.8       

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished with a 5-3 record versus the NSIC North Division this season and are a combined 37-19 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the start of 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 this season the North finished 38-26. It's the first time in seven seasons the North finished with a winning record.
•Prior to this 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).

    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.

    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.

    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 227-86 (.725) in 313 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    10-5    5-4    5-1    
    Totals    227-86    149-61    78-25

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 613 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 three times this season, defeating Bethany Lutheran, 101-81, Crown College, 100-81 and Minnesota Crookston, 100-78.
•It's the first time SMSU has scored 100 or more three times in a season since the 2000-01 season.
•The last time SMSU reached 100 points four times in a season came during the 1996-97 season, when SMSU reached the century mark five times.
•SMSU is now 40-8 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 369-395 in 764 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 1,439 games compiling an all-time record of 666-773.
•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.