THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (2-5, 0-3 NSIC) returns home for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game this Friday and Saturday versus NSIC South Division co-leader Wayne State College (7-5, 7-3 NSIC) inside the R/A Facility. Friday's game will start at 6 p.m., while Saturday's game is slated for 2 p.m.  
•SMSU, which played its first game in two weeks this past Sunday, has had seven NSIC division games canceled this season.
•SMSU is scheduled to play its final four regular season games at home versus WSC and two versus Sioux Falls.
•WSC has won three of its last four games and is tied atop the division standings with Minnesota State.

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

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS WAYNE STATE
•SMSU and Wayne State meet for the 75th and 76th time with WSC leading 39-35 in a series that started in 1969-70.
•SMSU leads the series 23-14 in games played in Marshall, including winning last season, 78-61.
•WSC's win in Marshall two seasons ago on Jan. 5, 2019, snapped a 19-game losing streak inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU has won 17 of the last 20 games overall since Dec. 3, 2011, including twice last season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 19-5 all-time versus WSC.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 20.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 12th season as head coach and has an overall record of 189-150, including 127-116 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 19.    

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE   
•Southwest Minnesota State is 2-5 overall and 0-3 NSIC, and returned to action this past Sunday with an 84-74 loss at Augustana. It was SMSU's first game since Jan. 24 and marked the first game for three SMSU starters, Cliff McCray, Brian Dayman and Sam Schwartz in nearly a month. All three last saw game action on Jan. 9 versus Minot State.
•Kaden Evans led the Mustangs in the losing effort with a career-high 19 points, which included a career-high six 3-pointers. He also recorded a career-high five steals and tied a career-high with six rebounds.
•Jake Phipps made 7 of 11 field goals and tied a career-high with 18 points, while Cliff McCray added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
•Dayman led the Mustangs with a game-high eight rebounds and also added six points.
•Grant Kramer, after missing the first six games with an injury, appeared in his first game of the season and scored seven points with three rebounds.
•SMSU finished the game shooting 44 percent (27 of 61) and made 8 of 14 from 3-point range.
•SMSU, which held a 39-26 rebound advantage, struggled from the foul line making just 12 of 22.
 •For the season, Dufault leads the team averaging 14.3 ppg with a team-high 18 3-pointers. Evans is scoring 12.7 ppg, averaging 5.1 rpg, has connected on 17 3-pointers and has racked up a team-high 23 steals.
•Sophomore Cliff McCray, who has missed two games, has dished out a team-high 20 assists and also leads the squad with 6.2 rpg.
•For the season, SMSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 60 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.2 in rebound margin. SMSU is averaging 65 points per game, while opponents average 74 ppg.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA & NSIC WEEKLY STATISTICS   
•In the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 9), SMSU ranks sixth in 3-point field goal pct. (42.0).
•Kaden Evans ranks second in steals per game (3.29) and 37th in total steals (23).
•Nick Dufault ranks 20th in the country in 3-point field goal pct. (48.6).
•The latest NCAA statistics can be found on page 18, while this week's NSIC stats are on page 16-17.

    MUSTANGS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Three currents Mustangs rank high in the program single-season and career records book.
•Senior Nick Dufault currently ranks seventh in team history in 3-point field goal pct. (41.3) and ranks ninth with 166 career 3-pointers. He is seven shy of tying Jacob Fahl (1999-2003) for eighth all-time with 173.  
3-Point Field Goals Made Career
    1.     305      Matt Fletcher (118 games) - 2004-08
    2.     268    Adam Tesch (112 games) - 1998-02
    3.     253    Jordan Miller (115 games) - 2009-13
    4.     242    Taylor Schafer (128 games) - 2015-19
    5.     210      Travis Krenske (86 games) - 2005-08
    6.     207    Michael Lee (125 games) - 2015-19
    7.     182    Joey Bartlett (122 games) - 2013-17
    8.     173    Jacob Fahl (120 games) - 1999-03
    9.    166    Nick Dufault (100 games) - 2016-21
•Senior Weston Baker Magrath set a program record last season with 57 blocked shots.   
•Sophomore Jake Phipps shot 63.3 percent from the field last season ranking third in team single-season history.

    SMSU UNDERCLASSMEN PLAY BIG MINUTES
•With senior Kenny Byers (season opt out) and junior Grant Kramer missing all but one game this season with an injury, SMSU has relied on several underclassmen to play big roles this season.
•Through seven games, SMSU has played 15 players with all but three either sophomores, redshirt freshmen or true freshmen. SMSU's starting last Sunday featured one senior, three sophomores and one redshirt freshman.  

    SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
Wayne State is 7-5 overall, 7-3 NSIC, and is coming off a home split with NSIC South preseason favorite, Sioux Falls. USF won the opener 70-68 on Friday, with WSC missing a 3-pointer with two seconds left, but WSC answered with a big 71-46 win on Saturday.  
•Junior forward Jordan Janssen is averaging a team-high 16.2 ppg and is also the team leader with 9.8 rpg. He has made a team-high 78 field goals and has a team-high 36 assists.        
•Junior guard Nate Mohr averages 12.6 ppg with a team-high 26 3-pointers.
•Freshman guard Alec Millender is scoring 9.3 ppg.  
•WSC is shooting 49 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 74 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.3 in rebound margin. WSC is averaging 75 points per game, while opponents average 68 ppg.
•Head coach Jeff Kaminsky is in his fifth season at WSC with a record of 62-73. He has also been head coach at Valley City State and Wisconsin-Superior.

    SMSU PICKED 7TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish seventh in the South Division in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU senior guard Nick Dufault was named a "Player to Watch".
•Augustana was chosen as the South Division favorite, followed by Sioux Falls, Winona State and Minnesota State rounding out the top four.  

    NEW LOOK NSIC SCHEDULE AND POSTSEASON  
•Each NSIC team was scheduled to have 16 regular season games with 14 conference games versus teams within their division.
•The NSIC Sanford Tournament has been reduced to an eight-team tournament with the top four teams in each division advancing to the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
    MUSTANG 20-POINT GAMES  
•Two current SMSU players, seniors Nick Dufault and Kenny Byers have scored 20 or more points in a game multiple times during their careers.
•Dufault has one 20-point game this season and has six in his career.
•Byers reached 20 points nine times last season and has 11 times in his career, which includes one 30-point game.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    33    Kenny Byers    Minnesota Crookston, 1/31/20
    28    Nick Dufault    Minnesota Duluth, 12/14/19
    27    Nick Dufault    Bemidji State, 2/1/20
    27    Kenny Byers    St. Cloud State, 12/13/19
    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
    23    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/21/17
    22    Nick Dufault    Minot State, 1/8/21
    22    Nick Dufault    Crown, 11/24/18
    21    Kenny Byers    Concordia-St. Paul, 1/10/20
    21    Kenny Byers    Augustana, 1/3/20
    20    Nick Dufault    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/7/19
    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 2020-21 season

    WESTON BAKER MAGRATH NOTES
•Has played in six games and is averaging 4.0 ppg and 3.7 rpg. Missed one game with an injury.
•Scored season-high 10 points vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).
•Played in all 29 games last season with 25 starts and averaged 6.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Set program single-season record last season with 57 blocked shots.
•Career-high 18 points vs. Minnesota Morris (11/22/19) and season-high seven rebounds at Minnesota State (12/6/19).
•Played two seasons at Nebraska-Kearney and averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 2018-19.

    LOGAN BENSON NOTES
•Has played in four games with two starts.
•Scored two points and two rebounds vs. Minnesota State (1/24/21)
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.

    KENNY BYERS NOTES
•Sitting out the 2020-21 season.
•Started all 29 games last season and led team in scoring (16.3), rebounding (6.9), assists (95) and steals (43).
•Named second team All-NSIC in 2019-20.
•Scored 20 or more points nine times and recorded eight double-doubles last season.
•Scored double figures in all but three games.
•Scored career-high 33 points at Minnesota Crookston (1/31/20).  
•Scored 27 points vs. St. Cloud State (12/13/19).
•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 six games with two starts and is averaging 3.3 ppg and 1.7 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.

    BRIAN DAYMAN NOTES
•Has started five games and is averaging 5.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Missed two games due to COVID protocols.
•Scored a career-high 11 points on a career-high five field goals at Minot State (1/2/21).
•Played in all 29 games with 26 starts last season and averaged 3.5 ppg and was second on the team with 4.3 rpg.
•Grabbed career-high 11 rebounds vs. Minnesota State (1/11/20).
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    NICK DUFAULT NOTES
•Has started all seven games and is averaging a team-high 14.3 ppg with a team-high 18 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 22 points vs. Minot State (1/8/21).
•Poured in 18 points vs. Minnesota State (1/24/21).
•Played in 27 games with 13 starts a season ago and ranked second in scoring (10.8).
•Made a team-high 55 3-pointers last season.
•Ranks seventh in team history in 3-point field goal pct. (41.3) and ninth in 3-point field goals made (166).
•Made career-high seven 3-pointers at Bemidji State (2/1/20).
•Career-high 28 points with a career-high 11 field goals vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/14/19).
•Sat out 2016-17 season as a redshirt.

    KADEN EVANS NOTES
•Has played in all seven games with three starts and is averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Leads the team with 23 steals.
•Scored career-high 19 points at Augustana (2/7/21) with a career-high six 3-pointers. Also had a career-high five steals and tied a career-high with six rebounds.
•Missed all but six games with an injury last season, averaged 3.8 ppg and 1.7 rpg.
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    ALEX HILLESHEIM NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 6.7 ppg and 3.3 rpg.
•Scored career-high 13 points on five field goals and grabbed a career-high six rebounds vs. Minnesota State (1/24/21).
•Did not play basketball in 2019-20.

    GRANT KRAMER NOTES
•Has played in one game after missing the first six due to injury.
•Scored seven points with three rebounds at Augustana (2/7/21).  
•Played in 20 games with 11 starts a season ago and averaged 7.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg.
•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 five games and is averaging 9.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Missed two games due to COVID protocols.
•Scored season-high 13 points vs. Augustana (2/7/21).
•Grabbed season-high nine rebounds vs. Minot State (1/8/21).  
•Started all 28 games last season and averaged 8.7 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 2019-20.
•Career-high 16 points at Upper Iowa (2/15/20).
•Scored 14 points with career-high six field goals at Sioux Falls (11/30/19).
•One of two true freshman to play in 2019-20.

    LANCE MOSLEY NOTES
•Has played in three games this season and scored two points vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).
•One of five true freshmen on the roster.

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Has not appeared in any games this season.
•One of five true freshmen on the roster.

    JACOB OWEN NOTES
•Has played in two games and had two blocked shots and one rebound vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).
•One of five true freshmen on the roster.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Has started all seven games and is averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg.
•Tied career-high with 18 points at Minot State (1/3/21) and at Augustana (2/7/21).
•Appeared in all 29 games with three starts last season and averaged 7.2 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
•Shot a team-high 63.3 percent from the field last season ranking third in team history.
•Career-high 10 rebounds at Bemidji State (2/1/20).
•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 five games with four starts and is averaging 7.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Missed two games due to COVID protocols.
•Scored 11 points twice with three 3-pointers vs. Minot State (1/8/21) and (1/9/21).
•Scored eight points with six rebounds and four assists at Minot State (1/2/21).
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.





    ISSAC SOUMIS NOTES
•Has played in five games and is averaging 1.4 ppg and 2.0 rpg.  
•Scored five points with one 3-pointer at Minot State (1/3/21).
•Grabbed six rebounds vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).
•One of five true freshmen on the roster.

    JONATHAN ZINNIEL NOTES
•Has played in three games this season and has one rebound.  
•One of five true freshmen on the roster.

    HOME AND AWAY
•SMSU is 1-3 at home this season after finishing 4-9 at home last season.
•SMSU is a combined 127-56 at home since the 2007-08 season.
•SMSU is 1-2 in road/neutral site games this season and are a combined 97-100 in 197 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 2020-21:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    1-3    46.0    36.7    64.9    30.5    63.8    15.0    
Away    1-2    45.8    53.7    56.0    33.7    67.3    14.7    

    BYERS EARNS ALL-NSIC IN 2019-20
•Senior Kenny Byers, who is sitting out this season, was named second team All-NSIC last season.
•Byers led SMSU in nearly every offensive category averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game and ranked first on the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.
•He also was the team leader in both assists (95) and steals (43) and closed the season shooting 44.9 percent (180 of 401) from the field and 70.5 percent (86 of 122) from the free throw line.
•His eight double-doubles ranked fifth among all NSIC players during the regular season.
•In NSIC play, Byers ranked fifth in the league in steals (1.5), 10th in scoring (17.3), 12th in rebounding (6.7), 12th in assists (3.5), 16th in assist/turnover ratio (1.1), 18th in field goal percentage (45.0) and 19th in free throw percentage (75.2).    

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU will not have any conference games versus NSIC North Division teams in 2020-21.
•SMSU finished 3-5 versus NSIC North Division teams last season 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 2020-21 season marks the 25th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 234-98 (.704) in 332 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    1-3    0-2    1-1
    Totals    234-98    153-72    81-26

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•Southwest Minnesota State has made on at least one 3-point field goal in 657 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 has not reached 100 points in a game this season  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 is 47-39 all-time in overtime games, including a triple overtime victory over Minnesota Duluth last season on Dec. 14, 2019.
•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 29-25 all-time in season openers following this season's 66-61 loss at Minot State.
•SMSU has opened the season on the road five times in the last six seasons.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2020-21 campaign marks the 52nd season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 375-416 in 791 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.
•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 54th season of men's basketball in 2020-21.
•SMSU has played 1,483 games compiling an all-time record of 681-802.
•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 23 years.