BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University's men's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the South Division and eighth overall in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Thursday.
 
Minnesota Duluth was chosen as the preseason overall favorite earning 222 points, with 13 first-place votes (coaches can't vote for their own team). MSU Moorhead was selected second with 206 points (one first-place vote), followed by Wayne State (197, 2 first-place votes), Northern State (179) and Upper Iowa (161).
 
Augustana (147) was picked to finish sixth overall, ranking ahead of Minnesota State (145), SMSU (123), Sioux Falls (116) and Winona State (104) rounding out the top 10. Minot State was chosen 11^th (73), followed by UMary (72), St. Cloud State (63), Concordia-St. Paul (48), Bemidji State (47) and Minnesota Crookston (17).
 
Wayne State (49 points, seven first-place votes) was selected to finish atop the NSIC South Division. Upper Iowa (one first-place votes) garnered 39 points for second place with Minnesota State picked third (34), followed by Augustana (31), SMSU (24), Sioux Falls (23), Winona State (17) and Concordia-St. Paul (7).
 
Senior guard Jake Hilmer from Upper Iowa was chosen as the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year. 
 
Minnesota Duluth was chosen as the favorite to win the NSIC North Division with 49 points and seven first-place votes. UMD sophomore forward, Austin Andrews, was named the NSIC North Preseason Player of the Year.
 
SMSU junior forward Jake Phipps was named a "Player to Watch" in the NSIC this season. A native of Anoka, Minn., Phipps led SMSU in rebounding (6.4) and ranked second in both scoring (12.7) and field goals made (142). He led the team with 37 blocked shots and finished the season shooting 51 percent (142 of 276) from the field. Phipps scored double figures in 17 games, including five 20-point games, while grabbing five or more rebounds in 18 games.
 
"Experience wins in the NSIC more times than not," said Brad Bigler, SMSU head coach. "Jake is a guy who has developed during his career. Now entering his fifth season he knows what to expect. He added a perimeter shot to his game. He will have an opportunity to have some big games. I'm excited to watch his progress."
 
SMSU returns 10 letter winners from last season's 15-12 team that placed fifth in the NSIC South and tied for eighth overall with a 10-10 league mark.  
 
The Mustangs return four players that started nine or more game last season. Joining Phipps as a returning double-digit scorer from last season is sophomore guard Dunwa Omot, who averaged 11.9 ppg and led the team with 56 3-pointers. He shot a school single-season record 56.6 percent from 3-point range (56 of 99), while his 87.5 percent (42 of 48) shooting from the free throw line ranks seventh in team single-season history. He scored 20 or more points five times, including a career-high 28 in the NSIC Tournament victory at Minot State. 
 
Junior guard Cliff McCray started all 27 games last season dishing out a team-high 92 assists, recording a team-high 46 steals, while scoring 9.5 ppg. The team's lone senior, forward Anthony Costello, played in all 27 games a season ago and averaged 8.4 ppg while shooting 47 percent from the field. 
 
Sophomore guard Sam Schwartz played in 26 games last season and averaged 3.7 ppg. Also returning is sophomore guard Logan Benson, who made 18 starts, while averaging 2.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg and sophomore forward Noah Chamberlain, who appeared in 15 games with two starts. 
 
Junior guard Alex Hillesheim and sophomore guard Lance Mosley and sophomore forward Jonathan Zinniel also return after seeing limited time last season. 
 
"We have a good mix of experience and young talent on the roster," Bigler said. "This fall has been very competitive to see who makes the lineup. Proud of how hard our guys have worked up to this point. The defensive abilities of Cliff and Dunwa on the perimeter will give other teams a challenge. Our three redshirt freshmen in Jakob Braaten, Majok Majouk and Jake Layman will provide us depth. Our tough non-conference schedule to start the year will help prepare us for the NSIC schedule."
 
The Mustang roster features four redshirt freshmen in guards Jakob Braaten and Kegan Heiderscheidt, forwards Jake Layman and Majok Majouk, along with three true freshmen in Mason Lund, Mekhi Shaw and Matt Thompson. 
 
Bigler, a two-time NSIC Coach of the Year and the program's all-time leader in victories, begins his 14th season with a career record of 205-165. During his time as head coach, SMSU has made three NCAA Tournament appearances, won a pair of NSIC South Division championships, won two NSIC Tournament championships and has played in five NSIC Tournament championship games. 
 
SMSU will have a scrimmage versus its Alumni Team as part of Andy Wiersma Day on Oct. 22, before traveling to Northfield, Minn., for an exhibition game versus St. Olaf College on Nov. 4. 
 
The Mustangs open the regular season on Nov. 12-13 competing at the Rogers State University (Okla.) Classic to face Rogers State and Newman (Kan.). SMSU will open its 14-game home schedule on Nov. 19 versus Truman State, while the NSIC opener is scheduled for Nov. 22 versus the University of Sioux Falls inside the R/A Facility in Marshall.