THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (2-1) opens the 22-game Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season on Tuesday, Nov. 22, hosting the University of Sioux Falls (3-1) inside the R/A Facility starting at 5:30 p.m.
•On Saturday, Nov. 26, SMSU returns to non-conference play hosting Mount Marty University (3-5) with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU's next victory will be the 700th in the 56-year history of the program.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games 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.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU and Sioux Falls meet for the 40th time on Tuesday with SMSU leading 23-16 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•SMSU has won eight of the 15 games since the 2015-16 season.
•The teams split a pair of games last season with SMSU winning, 70-69 in Sioux Falls, before USF earned a 72-71 overtime victory in Marshall.
•SMSU leads the series 16-4 in games played in Marshall, but USF has won four of the last six inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-10 all-time versus Sioux Falls.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 18.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MOUNT MARTY
•SMSU and Mount Marty meet for the fourth time on Saturday with SMSU winning the previous three games.
•The teams first met during the 1986-87 season with SMSU winning, 92-70, in Marshall. SMSU also earned an 81-64 victory in Watertown, S.D., during the 2000-01 season and picked-up an 82-72 win in Marshall in 2001-02.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 18.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 14th season as head coach and has an overall record of 207-166, including 138-129 in NSIC play. He earned his 200th career victory on Jan. 22, 2022, versus Bemidji State.
•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 17.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•For the season, SMSU has five players averaging double figures in scoring with sophomore Dunwa Omot leading the way at 15 ppg while connecting on a team-high six 3-pointers.
•Senior Anthony Costello is averaging 12.3 ppg and shooting 59 percent (17 of 29) from the field.
•Junior Cliff McCray is scoring 11.3 ppg and has dished out a team-leading 18 assists.
•Freshman Mason Lund has made five 3-pointers and is averaging 10.3 ppg.
•Junior Jake Phipps is scoring 10 ppg and leads the club pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game..
•SMSU is shooting 50 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.3 in rebound margin.
•SMSU is averaging 70 points per game, while opponents are averaging 61 points per game.

    MUSTANGS DROP HEART BREAKER ON SATURDAY
•SMSU opened its home season last Saturday dropping a 64-63 heart breaker to Truman State.
•Truman scored the final 11 points, including a pair of free throws with six seconds left to rally for the victory. The Bulldogs led for 20 seconds the entire game.
•SMSU closed the game shooting 45.3 percent (24 of 53) from the field and 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from the three-point line, while Truman State shot 42.1 percent from the field (24 of 57), and just 17.4 percent (4 of 23) from 3-point range, but outscored SMSU 12-8 from the free throw line and on the fast break 17-2.
•Jake Phipps filled it up for SMSU, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing five assists. Dunwa Omot also scored 14, snagging a pair of steals, and Cliff McCray finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU has had four players make their Mustang debuts this year with true freshman Mason Lund and redshirt freshmen Jake Layman, Majok Majouk and Jakob Braaten.
•Junior Jake Phipps ranks fifth in team history in field goal pct. (56.5) and seventh in blocked shots (83).
•Sophomore Dunwa Omot ranks first in team history in 3-point field goal pct. (53.4, 63 of 118).
•Omot's 56.6 3-point field goal pct. (56 of 99) last season set a program single-season record, while his 87.5 free throw pct. ranks seventh in team single-season history.
•SMSU had 12 games decided by four points or less or in overtime during the 2021-22 season. SMSU lost three games with the opponent scoring the game-winning points with four seconds or less in regulation and was 4-6 in games decided by four points or less.

    SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS
•USF enters the game 3-1 overall and is coming off 69-68 road victory over Chadron State on Saturday. Noah Puetz scored the game-winning field goal on a tip-in with 1.1 seconds remaining.
•Senior Matt Cartwright, a second-year transfer from Augustana, is averaging a team-high 21.3 points with 17 3-pointers this season. He also leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game. Cartwright led the Cougars on Saturday with 27 points on 9 of 18 shooting with six 3-pointers.
•Sophomore Jake Kettner (10.8) and junior Jack Thompson (10.3) both are scoring in double figures. Kettner is second on the team with five 3-pointers.
•USF is shooting 43 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and is plus-6.0 in rebound margin.
•USF is averaging 73 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 points per game.
•Head coach Chris Johnson is in his 15th season at USF with a record of 246-174. He was also head coach at Culver-Stockton for one season (2004-05).  

    SCOUTING MOUNT MARTY
•Mount Marty begins the week with an overall record of 3-5, including 0-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
•The Lancers have lost four straight games heading into a GPAC home game versus Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
•Freshman Tash Lunday is averaging a team-high 21.8 points with eight 3-pointers this season, while shooting 50 percent from the field. He also leads the team in rebounding with 8.6 per game.  
•Sophomore Cole Bowen is averaging 9.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg with teammate junior Josh Arlt connecting on a team-leading 18 3-pointers while scoring 8.6 ppg.
•Mount Marty is shooting 46 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is plus-3.9 in rebound margin.
•Mount Marty is averaging 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 77 points per game.
•Head coach Collin Autier is in his second season with a record of 10-27.   

    SMSU PICKED 7TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish eighth overall and fifth in the South Division in the 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU junior forward Jake Phipps was named a "Player to Watch".
•Wayne State was chosen as the South Division favorite, while Minnesota Duluth was selected as the North Division and overall preseason favorite.  

    NSIC FORMAT CONTINUES FOR SECOND YEAR  
•SMSU will play 22 conference games this season, including two versus each team within the NSIC South Division and one each versus the NSIC North Division.
•For the second straight season half of the NSIC doubleheaders will feature the men's game first followed by the women's game.
•Also again this season, the NSIC Sanford Tournament will feature 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 IN 2021-22
•Sophomore Jake Phipps was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week twice during the 2021-22 season on Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES  
•Three current SMSU players, senior Anthony Costello,  junior Jake Phipps and sophomore Dunwa Omot have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Phipps reached 20 points five times in 2021-22 and six times in his career, Omot reached the 20-point mark five times in 2021-22, while Costello has scored 20 points once in his career.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    28    Dunwa Omot    Minot State, 2/23/22
    25    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota Duluth, 1/28/22
    25    Jake Phipps    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/17/21
    24    Jake Phipps    Northern State, 1/14/22
    24    Dunwa Omot    UMary, 1/8/22
    23    Dunwa Omot    Winona State, 2/12/22
    22    Jake Phipps    Minnesota State, 12/18/21
    22    Jake Phipps    Sioux Falls, 11/23/21
    22    Jake Phipps    Sioux Falls, 2/21/21
    21    Anthony Costello    Newman, 11/12/22
    21    Jake Phipps    Davenport, 11/20/21
    20    Dunwa Omot    St. Cloud State, 1/29/22
Bold indicates 2022-23 season

    LOGAN BENSON NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Played in 27 games with 18 starts and averaged 2.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg last season.
•Scored career-high 10 points on 4 of 4 shooting with two 3-pointers vs. Minnesota Crookston (1/21/22).
•Grabbed career-high six rebounds vs. Winona State (12/10/21).
•Played in seven games with two starts in 2021.
•Sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt.

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 3.7 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Scored four points with four rebounds at Rogers State (11/11/22).
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    NOAH CHAMBERLAIN NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Played in 15 games with two starts last season.
•Scored season-high five points vs. Minnesota Crookston (1/21/22).
•Played in eight games with two starts in 2021 and averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg.
•Scored career-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 started all three games and is averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg.  
•Scored 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting vs. Newman (11/12/22).
•Played in all 27 games averaging 8.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg last season.
•Scored season-high 18 points on nine field goals at St. Cloud State (1/29/22).
•Scored double figures in 12 games.
•Scored 16 points o 7 of 12 shooting vs. Bemidji State (1/22/22).
•Spent three seasons (2018-21) at Dakota State University before transferring to SMSU.

    ALEX HILLESHEIM NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Played in three games and grabbed one rebound at Minnesota Duluth (1/28/22) last season.
•Played in five games in 2021 averaging 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).

    JAKE LAYMAN NOTES
•Has played in two games this season and has scored one point.
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 10.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting with six rebounds vs. Newman (11/12/22).
•Scored 11 points with two 3-pointers at Rogers State (11/11/22).

    CLIFF MCCRAY NOTES
•Has started all three games and is scoring 11.3 ppg and leads the team with 18 assists.
•Scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds at Rogers State (11/11/22).
•Tied career-high with eight assists vs. Newman (11/12/22).
•Started all 27 games averaging 9.5 ppg and dished out a team-high 92 assists last season.
•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 2021 and averaged 7.7 ppg and a team-high 6.0 rpg.
•Led the team in 2020-21 with 41 assists.
•One of two true freshman to play in 2019-20.

    MAJOK MAJOUK NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 2.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored four points with six rebounds vs. Newman (11/12/22).
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    LANCE MOSLEY NOTES
•Has played in one game this season.
•Played in two games with one rebound last season.
•Played in three games in 2021 scoring two points vs. Minnesota State (1/23/21).

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 15 ppg with a team-high six 3-pointers.
•Scored 19 points with four 3-pointers at Rogers State (11/11/22).
•Played in all 27 games with eight starts last season averaging 11.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
•Led the team with 56 3-pointers.
•Shot 56.6 percent on 3-pointers last season ranking first in school history, while his 87.5 free throw pct. ranks seventh in team single-season history.
•Scored 20 or more points in five games.
•Scored a career-high 28 points with six 3-pointers at Minot State (2/23/22)
•Scored 25 points with five 3-pointers at Minnesota Duluth (1/28/22).
•Played in four games and averaged 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg in 2021.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 10 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
•Scored season-high 14 points with eight rebounds and five assists vs. Truman State (11/19/22).
•Started all 27 games last season averaging 12.7 ppg and a team-high 6.4 rpg.
•Recorded a team-high five double-doubles last season.
•Scored a career-high 25 points with 12 field goals at Concordia-St. Paul (12/17/21).
•Scored 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting at Northern State (1/14/22).
•Twice was named NSIC South Player of the Week in 2021-22.
•Started 10 of 11 games in 2021 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.
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    SAM SCHWARTZ NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 5.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Scored eight points vs. Truman State (11/19/22).
•Played in 26 games last season averaging 3.7 ppg and 2.1 rpg.
•Scored season-high 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting at Concordia-St. Paul (12/17/21).
•Poured in 11 points with three 3-pointers vs. UMary (1/8/22).
•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 2021 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 appeared in one game this season.
•Played in three games and scored two points vs. Newman (11/13/21) and Minnesota Morris (11/29/21) last season.
•Played in three games in 2021 and had one rebound.  

    HOME AND AWAY IN 2021-22
•SMSU is 0-1 at home this season after finishing 6-5 at home in 2021-22. SMSU has a home record of 109-60 since Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which is 1-1 in road/neutral site games this season, is 98-106 in 204 road/neutral site games during the Bigler era.
•The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2022-23:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    0-1    45.3    41.2    100.0    31.0    63.0    10.0
Away    2-0    52.9    35.9    77.4    30.0    74.0    16.5    

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2022-23 season marks the 27th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 241-107 (.693) in 348 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    6-5    5-5    1-0
    2022-23    0-1    0-0    0-1
    Totals    241-107    159-80    82-27

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished 3-3 versus NSIC North Division teams in 2021-22.
•SMSU is a combined 43-27 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU finished with a 3-5 record versus the NSIC North Division in 2019-20; 5-3 in 2018-19; 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.
•Through nine seasons of conference play, the NSIC South holds a 325-237 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.  

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made on at least one 3-point field goal in 691 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 scored 100 points in a game since Feb. 1, 2019, versus Minnesota Crookston (100-78).
•SMSU is 40-8 all-time when scoring 100 points, including 8-2 under head coach Brad Bigler.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU was 3-1 in overtime games last season earning a 71-69 victory at Minnesota State on Dec. 18, losing 72-71 to Sioux Falls on Jan. 2, earning a 93-86 double overtime win at St. Cloud State on Jan. 29 and beating Wayne State, 60-55 in Marshall on Feb. 17.
•SMSU is 51-40 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU is 8-6 in double overtime and is 1-2 in triple overtime games all-time.

    SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 30-26 all-time in season openers having won nine of its last 17 and 17 of its last 26 season lid-lifters following this season's victory at Rogers State.
•SMSU has opened the season on the road seven times in the last eight seasons.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU has made five NCAA Tournament appearances (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018) 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 2022-23 campaign marks the 54th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 387-430 in 817 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 26 times in 53 seasons.
•SMSU has captured 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 56th season of men's basketball in 2022-23.
•SMSU has played 1,517 games compiling an all-time record of 699-818.
•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 25 winning seasons in program history with 18 coming in the last 25 years, including 2021-22.