THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (5-3, 1-2 NSIC) will look to snap a two-game losing streak hosting a pair of games this Friday and Saturday inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU opens the weekend facing Winona State University (6-2, 2-1 NSIC) on Friday with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m., before facing Upper Iowa University (7-1, 2-1 NSIC) on Saturday with game time set for 3:30 p.m.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Both game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.
•Live stats, radio and video broadcasts of all games can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 13th season as head coach and has an overall record of 195-156, including 129-121 in NSIC 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 won back-to-back NSIC South Division championships in 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.
•SMSU's 71 combined victories from 2016-19 was the best three-year stretch in program history.
•Bigler's complete bio is found on page 16.

    SMSU DROPS A PAIR OF NSIC GAMES LAST WEEK
•SMSU lost a pair of NSIC games last week, losing 68-65 at Wayne State on Thursday, before suffering a 103-74 setback at home to Augustana.
•In the loss to WSC, SMSU had four players reach double figures in scoring, with Grant Kramer leading the charge with 15 points on 5-9 shooting from three-point range.
•Kenny Byers would pick up 12 points, three assists, and three steals, while Sam Schwartz would score 11 points of the bench, including 10 in the second half.
•Dunwa Omot would also contribute to the offense with 11 bench points of his own.
•In the setback to Augustana, Isaac Fink scored a career-high 37 points on 14 of 19 shooting with seven 3-pointers to lead the Vikings to the win.
•SMSU was led by Kramer, who finished with a team-high 16 points with three 3-pointers. Kenny Byers added 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting and in the process reached the 1,000-point mark for his career.
•Anthony Costello and Cliff McCray both scored 10 points to round out SMSU's double figure scoring.
•SMSU finished the game shooting 53 percent (26 of 49) from the field, but Augustana held a 35-24 rebound advantage which led to a 26-8 scoring edge in second-chance points.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•As of Dec. 7, SMSU ranks 69th in Division II in rebound margin (+4.5), 73rd in scoring defense (68.0), 73rd in 3-point field goal pct. (37.2) and 77th in free throw pct. (73.7). A complete listing of the latest NCAA stats can be found on page 15.
•SMSU's 50 rebounds in a victory over Minnesota Morris on Nov. 29 was the first time SMSU recorded 50 rebounds in a game since Feb. 26, 2011, versus Minnesota State.
•SMSU connected on a season-high 14 3-pointers in the loss at Wayne State on Dec. 2.
•Sophomore Jake Phipps leads the team in scoring (13.5) and rebounding (7.1), ranks second in field goal pct. (55.6) and is third in 3-pointers (10).
•Redshirt freshman Dunwa Omot has connected on a team-high 16 3-pointers and has made three or more 3-pointers four of eight games.
•Senior Kenny Byers has a team-high 30 assists, while sophomore Cliff McCray has recorded a team-high 15 steals and is second with 29 assists.
•SMSU has held seven of its eight opponents to 69 or less points, including a season-low 58 in a victory over Newman (Kan.) on Nov. 13.
•SMSU has outrebounded its opponent in six of eight games.
•SMSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 74 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.5 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 72 points per game, while opponents are averaging 68 points per game.

    BYERS REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
•Senior Kenny Byers became the 25th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points during SMSU's loss to Augustana on Dec. 4.
•Byers ranks tied for 24th in team history with 1,008 points in 101 games played connecting on 393 field goals, including 56 3-pointers and 166 free throws.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS WINONA STATE
•SMSU and Winona State meet for the 112th time with WSU leading 72-39 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•WSU holds a 29-8 advantage since 2004-05 and has won four of the last five games.
•WSU won both games two seasons ago, 63-55 in Marshall and 68-56 in Winona.
•WSU holds a 28-24 advantage in games played in Marshall.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-15 all-time versus WSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 17.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and Upper Iowa meet for the 32nd time on Saturday with SMSU leading 21-10 in a series that started in 1979-80.
•UIU won both meetings two seasons ago, 80-77 in Marshall and 63-55 in Fayette, Iowa.
•SMSU leads 10-5 in games played in Marshall.
•SMSU won five straight games in the series from Feb. 28, 2017, to Feb. 25, 2019.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 13-9 all-time versus UIU.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 18.

    SCOUTING WINONA STATE
•Winona State is 6-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC, entering play on Friday night.   
•WSU is coming off 73-59 home victory over No. 17 Minnesota State on Saturday night with Devin Whitelow scoring a team-high 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting.
•Junior Alec Rosner is averaging a team-high 16.8 ppg with 19 3-pointers, while Whitelow is averaging 12.4 ppg with a team-high 33 assists.
•Redshirt freshman Luke Martens is scoring 9.0 ppg with a team-leading 7.8 rpg.   
•WSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 68 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.4 in rebound margin.
•WSU is averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 60 points per game.
•Head coach Todd Eisner is in his seventh season at WSU with a record of 84-70. He has also been head coach at Viterbo, Bellevue, Benedictine and Midland. Eisner has won more than 500 games in his career.

    SCOUTING UPPER IOWA
•UIU is 7-1 overall, 2-1 NSIC, and will play at Sioux Falls on Friday night.   
•UIU's only loss was in overtime on the road versus Minnesota State, 98-96, on Dec. 2.
•Senior Jareese Williams is averaging a team-high 18.8 ppg and is tied for the team-lead with 26 3-pointers.
•Junior Joe Smoldt is scoring 18.3 ppg with 26 3-pointers.
•Junior Jake Hilmer is averaging 14.4 ppg and had dished out a team-high 39 assists.
•UIU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 88 percent from the free throw line and is plus-10.9 in rebound margin.
•UIU is averaging 88 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76 points per game.
•Head coach Brooks McKowen is in his ninth season with a record of 131-111. He led the Peacocks to Division II school record 22 victories and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017.

    SMSU SETS PROGRAM SINGLE-GAME RECORD
•This year's Mustang team set a program single-game record in an 84-58 victory over Newman on Nov. 13 connecting on all 15 free throw attempts. The previous single-game record was a 14 for 14 performance versus Minnesota Crookston  Jan. 18, 2002.  

    SMSU PICKED 7TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 13th overall and seventh in the South Division in the 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU senior guard Kenny Byers was named a "Player to Watch".
•Minnesota State and Wayne State each were chosen as the South Division favorites. MSU Moorhead was selected as the overall preseason favorite.  

    NEW LOOK NSIC FORMAT TOURNAMENT  
•SMSU is set to play 22 conference games this season, including two versus each team within the NSIC South Division and one each versus the NSIC North Division.
•New this season, the men's teams will play first, followed by the women's game in half of the NSIC doubleheaders.
•Also new this season, the NSIC Sanford Tournament will feature just 12 teams, with the top six in each division qualifying for the tournament. The top two teams in each division receive a spot in the quarterfinals.
•The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game will all be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

    PHIPPS EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD
•SMSU sophomore Jake Phipps was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Nov. 22 following his play in a pair of SMSU victories in Kenosha, Wis.
•Phipps averaged 18 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots in SMSU's victories over Wisconsin-Parkside and Davenport (Mich.). He shot a combined 64 percent (16 of 25) from the field, including connecting on three 3-pointers during the two games.

    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Two current SMSU players, senior Kenny Byers along with sophomore Jake Phipps have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Byers has reached 20 points once this season and has 12 times in his career, which includes one 30-point game.
•Phipps reached 20 points twice this season and has three 20-point games in his career.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    33    Kenny Byers    Minnesota Crookston, 1/31/20
    27    Kenny Byers    St. Cloud State, 12/13/19
    26    Kenny Byers    Parkside, 11/19/21
    24    Kenny Byers    Wayne State, 1/4/20
    24    Kenny Byers    Minnesota Duluth, 12/14/19
    23    Kenny Byers    Minnesota State, 1/11/20
    23    Kenny Byers    Sioux Falls, 12/21/19
    22    Jake Phipps    Sioux Falls, 11/23/21
    22    Jake Phipps    Sioux Falls, 2/21/21
    21    Jake Phipps    Davenport, 11/20/21
    21    Kenny Byers    Concordia-St. Paul, 1/10/20
    21    Kenny Byers    Augustana, 1/3/20
    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 2021-22 season

    LOGAN BENSON NOTES
•Has started all eight games and is averaging 2.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg.
•Scored career-high eight points on 4 of 4 shooting vs. Augustana (12/4/21).
•Has grabbed season-high five rebounds in three games.
•Played in seven games with two starts last season.
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Has started all eight games and is averaging 13.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg.
•Leads team lead with 30 assists.
•Scored season-high 26 points with 10 field goals at Parkside (11/19).
•Sat out the 2020-21 season.
•Started all 29 games in 2019-20 and led team in scoring (16.3), rebounding (6.9), assists (95) and steals (43).
•Named second team All-NSIC in 2019-20.
•Recorded eight double-doubles in 2019-20.
•Scored career-high 33 points at Minnesota Crookston (1/31/20).  
•Grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/14/19).
•Named to the 2019 NSIC All-Tournament team.

    NOAH CHAMBERLAIN NOTES
•Has played in four games and has two points and two rebounds this season.
•Played in eight games with two starts last season and averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg.
•Scored season-high seven points vs. Minot State (1/8/21) on 3 of 3 shooting with one 3-pointer.
•Scored five points vs. Minnesota State (1/24/21).
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.

    ANTHONY COSTELLO NOTES
•Has played in all eight games and is averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds vs. Newman (11/13/21) and also scored 12 points vs. Minnesota Morris (11/29/21).
•Spent three seasons (2018-21) at Dakota State.

    ALEX HILLESHEIM NOTES
•Has played in two games this season.
•Last season played in five games averaged 4.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Scored career-high 13 points on five field goals and grabbed a career-high six rebounds vs. Minnesota State (1/24/21).

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has started all eight games and is averaging 8.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
•Scored season-high 16 points vs. Augustana (12/4/21).
•Scored 15 points with five 3-pointers at Wayne State (12/2/21).
•Played in five games with three starts last season after missing the first six games due to injury.
•Scored career-high 18 points on a career-high seven field goals with four 3-pointers at Northern State (2/26/20).
•Scored 17 points with five 3-pointers versus both Wayne State (2/21/20) and Augustana (2/22/20).
•Career-high 11 rebounds at Minnesota State (1/12/19).
•Sat out the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.

    CLIFF MCCRAY NOTES
•Has started all eight games and is averaging 11.9 ppg and has dished out 29 assists.
•Tied career-high with 19 points vs. Minnesota Morris (11/29/21).
•Scored 19 points vs. Newman (11/13/21) on 7 of 10 shooting.
•Played and started nine games in 2020-21 and averaged 7.7 ppg and a team-high 6.0 rpg.
•Led the team with 41 assists.
•Started all 28 games in 2019-20 and averaged 8.7 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 2019-20.
•One of two true freshman to play in 2019-20.



    LANCE MOSLEY NOTES
•Has played in two games with one rebound.
•Played in three games last season and scored two points vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Has played in five games and is averaging 9.2 ppg and 1.0 rpg.
•Leads the team with 13 3-pointers.
•Poured in career-high 16 points of 5 of 6 shooting with four 3-pointers vs. Davenport (11/20/21).
•Scored 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting with three 3-pointers vs. Newman (11/13/21).
•Played in four games and averaged 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg in 2020-21.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Has started all six games is averaging 16.2 ppg and 8.0 rpg.
•Tied a career-high with 22 points with four 3-pointers at Sioux Falls (11/23/21).
•Named NSIC South Player of the Week on Nov. 22, 2021.
•Scored 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting with 11 rebounds vs. Davenport (11/20/21).  
•Grabbed career-high 12 rebounds and scored 15 points at Parkside (11/19/21).  
•Started 10 of 11 games in 2020-21 and averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
•Appeared in all 29 games with three starts in 2019-20 and averaged 7.2 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
•Shot a team-high 63.3 percent from the field in 2019-20 ranking third in team history.
•Career-high five blocked shots vs. Concordia (1/10/20).
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    SAM SCHWARTZ NOTES
•Has played in six games and is averaging 3.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Scored five points vs. Rogers State (11/12/21).
•Grabbed career-high 11 rebounds with a career-high six assists vs. Minnesota Morris (11/29/21).
•Played in nine games with four starts in 2020-21 and averaged 9.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg.
•Scored career-high 15 points with six field goals vs. Sioux Falls (2/21/21).
•Hit three 3-pointers twice vs. Minot State (1/8-9/21).
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.

    JONATHAN ZINNIEL NOTES
•Has played in two games and scored two points vs. Newman (11/13/21) and Minnesota Morris (11/29/21).
•Played in three games in 2020-21 and had one rebound.  

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 1-1 at home this season after finishing 2-6 last season and 4-9 in 2019-20.
•SMSU is a combined 129-60 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 4-1 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 101-101 in 202 road/neutral site games since Brad Bigler took over as head coach in 2009-10.
•The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2021-22:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    1-1    48.4    29.7    66.7    37.0    78.5    11.5    
Away    4-1    45.9    36.3    79.1    37.8    70.0    13.0

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU did not have any conference games versus NSIC North Division opponents in 2020-21.
•SMSU finished 3-5 versus NSIC North Division teams in 2019-20 and is a combined 40-24 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•The 2019-20 season was just the second time in eight seasons SMSU had a losing record versus the North Division.
•SMSU finished with a 5-3 record versus the NSIC North Division in 2018-19. SMSU was 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 South finished with a 34-30 advantage in 2019-20.
•Through eight seasons of conference play, the NSIC South holds a 294-218 advantage over NSIC North teams since divisions were formed in 2012-13.  
•The 2018-19 season is the only year in which the North has held an advantage versus the South.  

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2021-22 season marks the 26th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 236-102 (.698) in 338 games with three 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    4-9    2-9    2-0
    2020-21    2-6    1-5    1-1
    2021-22    1-1    0-1    1-0
    Totals    236-102    154-76    82-26

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has made on at least one 3-point field goal in 669 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 AND THE CENTURY MARK
•SMSU did not reach 100 points in 2020-21 and last scored 100 points on Feb. 1, 2019, versus Minnesota Crookston.
•SMSU is 40-8 all-time when scoring 100 points, including 8-2 under head coach Brad Bigler.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU finished 1-0 in overtime games in 2020-21 defeating Sioux Falls in the season finale, 76-69.
•SMSU is 48-39 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU is 7-6 in double overtime games and is 1-2 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.  

    SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is now 29-26 all-time in season openers following this season's loss to Rogers State.
•SMSU has opened the season on the road six times in the last seven seasons.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2021-22 campaign marks the 53rd season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 378-422 in 800 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 25 times in 52 seasons.
•SMSU has one regular season championship (2000-01) and two tournament championships (2012 and 2017).
•SMSU also won NSIC South Division titles in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 55th season of men's basketball in 2021-22.
•SMSU has played 1,495 games compiling an all-time record of 687-808.
•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 24 years.