THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 regular season with a pair of games this Friday and Saturday in Claremore, Okla., at the Holiday Inn Express Regional Challenge hosted by Rogers State University.
•SMSU opens play on Friday taking on Rogers State with game time set for 6 p.m. The Mustangs close the weekend facing Newman University (Kan.) on Saturday starting at 12 p.m. Both games will be played at the Claremore Expo Center.
•This is the second straight season SMSU has opened the season taking on Rogers State and Newman.
•Both Rogers State and Newman are members of the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA).
•Following this weekend's games, SMSU will open its home season on Saturday, Nov. 19, versus Truman State (Mo.).

    BROADCAST INFO
•Live stats and video broadcast of both games this weekend can be found at SMSUmustangs.com. There will be no local radio coverage.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS ROGERS STATE AND NEWMAN
•SMSU will be meeting both Rogers State and Newman for the second time in program history after opening last season versus both teams in St. Paul, Minn.
•Rogers State defeated SMSU, 63-54, in the season opener last year on Nov. 12, 2021. SMSU rebounded the next afternoon to defeat Newman, 84-58.

    SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 29-26 all-time in season openers having won eight of its last 16 and 16 of its last 25 season lid-lifters.
•SMSU has lost its last two season openers and four of the last five, including last season versus Rogers State.
•SMSU has opened the season on the road seven times in the last eight seasons.

    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 205-165, 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 16.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE IN 2022-23   
•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.
•SMSU junior forward Jake Phipps returns after leading SMSU in rebounding (6.4) and ranking 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.
•The other 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 ranked 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.
 
    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU had 12 games decided by four points or less or in overtime in 2021-22. 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.
•Junior Jake Phipps ranks fifth in team history in field goal pct. (56.6) and ninth in blocked shots (77).
•SMSU shot a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 18 of 27 games.
•For the season Phipps ranked first in rebounding (6.4), second in field goals made (142), second in scoring (12.7), second in field goal pct. (51.4) and third in 3-pointers (22).
•Sophomore Dunwa Omot connected on a team-high 56 3-pointers and averaged 11.9 ppg. He scored a career-high 28 points with a career-high six 3-pointers in SMSU's win over Minot State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.
•Omot's 56.6 3-point field goal pct. last season ranks first in school history, while his 87.5 free throw pct. ranks seventh in team single-season history.
•SMSU made a season-high 16 3-pointers in the tournament victory over Minot State, including 10 in the first half. It was the first time since Nov. 10, 2018, that SMSU made 10 or more 3-pointers in a single half.
•Junior Cliff McCray recorded a team-high 92 assists and a team-leading 46 steals.
•SMSU recorded the same or outrebounded its opponent in 20 of 27 games.
•SMSU shot 46 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 78 percent from the free throw line and was plus-3.5 in rebound margin.
•SMSU averaged 71 points per game, while opponents averaged 70 points per game.

    SCOUTING ROGERS STATE
•RSU finished last season 16-14 overall and 10th in the MIAA with a record of 9-13.  
•RSU was picked to finish 10th (coaches) and 11th (media) in the 14-team 2022-23 MIAA preseason polls.
•RSU lost 83-49 at Arkansas in its lone exhibition game this season.
•The Hillcats bring back senior center Joey Saracco, who averaged 9.1 points per game and led the team with 4.6 rebounds per game last season.
•RSU head coach Justin Barkley is in his 13th season with a record of 234-120 and has led RSU to a winning record every season. RSU was selected for the 2020 NCAA Tournament but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.    
•RSU shot 45 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 74 percent from the free throw line and was minus-0.7 in rebound margin last season.
•RSU averaged 69 points per game, while opponents averaged 68 points per game.

    SCOUTING NEWMAN
•Newman finished the 2021-22 season at 6-21 overall and tied for 13th place in the MIAA with a record of 3-19.  
•Newman was picked to finish 13th in the media and 14th in the coaches' 2022-23 MIAA preseason polls.
•Newman lost exhibition games last week to Wichita State and Missouri State.
•The Jets return its second leading scorer from last season in sophomore guard Steve Strong, who averaged 13.7 points per game and made a team-high 44 3-pointers.
•Newman head coach R.J. Allen is in his sixth season.     
•Newman shot 42 percent from the field, 32 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and was minus-4.1 in rebound margin last season.
•Newman averaged 66 points per game, while opponents averaged 75 points per game.

    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.

    SMSU IN THE FINAL 2021-22 NSIC/NCAA STATS
•In the final NSIC statistics (NSIC games only), SMSU ranked fourth in scoring defense (71.7), fifth in field goal pct. defense (43.6), sixth in field goal pct. (46.6) and 12th in scoring offense (70.1). SMSU also ranked second in free throw pct. (78.4), second in 3-point field goal pct. (37.7) and sixth in rebound margin (+2.2).
•Jake Phipps ranked third in blocked shots (1.3) and ninth in the NSIC in field goal pct. (50.7) ; Cliff McCray ranked second in steals (1.7) and 11th in assists (3.1) ; Dunwa Omot finished 15th in 3-point field goals per game (2.0).
•In the final NCAA statistics, SMSU ranks 11th in free throw pct. (78.4), 27th in fewest fouls (389), 54th in 3-point field goal pct. (37.1), 58th in rebound margin (+3.5). Jake Phipps ranked 54th in total blocks (37) and 56th in blocked shots per game (1.4).
•A complete listing of the 2021-22 NCAA stats can be found on page 15.

    SMSU SETS PROGRAM SINGLE-GAME RECORD
•SMSU team set a program single-game record during the 2021-22 season on Nov. 13 in its 84-58 victory over Newman connecting on all 15 free throw attempts. The previous single-game record was a 14 for 14 performance versus Minnesota Crookston (Jan. 18, 2002).  

    PHIPPS EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD
•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  
•Two current SMSU players, 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, while Omot has reached the 20-point mark five times in 2021-22.
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    Jake Phipps    Davenport, 11/20/21
    20    Dunwa Omot    St. Cloud State, 1/29/22
Bold indicates 2022-23 season

    LOGAN BENSON NOTES
•Played in 27 games with 18 starts and average 2.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
•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.

    NOAH CHAMBERLAIN NOTES
•Played in 15 games with two starts.
•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
•Played in all 27 games averaging 8.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•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
•Played in three games and grabbed one rebound at Minnesota Duluth (1/28/22).
•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).

    CLIFF MCCRAY NOTES
•Started all 27 games averaging 9.5 ppg and dished out a team-high 92 assists.
•Tied career-high with eight assists at Northern State (1/14/22).
•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.

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

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Played in all 27 games with eight starts averaging 11.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
•Led the team with 56 3-pointers.
•Omot's 56.6 3-point field goal pct. last season ranks first in school history, while his 87.5 free throw pct. ranks seventh in team single-season history.
•Scored a career-high 28 points with six 3-pointers at Minot State (2/23/22)
•Has scored 20 or more points in five games.
•Scored 25 points with five 3-pointers at Minnesota Duluth (1/28/22).
•Scored 23 points with five 3-pointers at Winona State (2/12/22).
•Played in four games and averaged 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg in 2021.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Started all 27 games 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
•Played in 26 games 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
•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.  

    NSIC SOUTH VS. NSIC NORTH
•SMSU finished 3-3 versus NSIC North Division teams in 2021-22 after not having any conference games versus NSIC North Division opponents in 2020-21.
•SMSU is a combined 43-27 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the 2012-13 season.
•The 2019-20 season (3-5) was just the second time in eight seasons SMSU had a losing record versus the North Division.
•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.
•Now through eight 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.  

    HOME AND AWAY IN 2021-22
•SMSU, finished 6-5 at home in 2021-22, and has a home record of 109-59 since Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which closed with a record of 9-7 in road/neutral site games last season, is 96-106 in 202 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 2021-22:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    6-5    46.1    33.0    78.1    36.4    70.5    11.8    
Away    9-7    46.4    36.9    78.7    35.1    70.8    12.5   

    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 241-106 (.694) in 347 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    0-0    0-0    0-0
    Totals    241-106    159-80    82-26

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made on at least one 3-point field goal in 688 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.

    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 1,514 games compiling an all-time record of 697-817.
•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.