THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (2-1, 0-1 NSIC) travels to St. Paul, Minn., for a pair of non-conference games this weekend at the Concordia-St. Paul Thanksgiving Tournament. On Saturday, SMSU will take on former NSIC foe Upper Iowa (2-2) at 4 p.m., before taking on Truman State (Mo.) (2-2) on Sunday at 2 p.m. Both games will take place at the Gangelhoff Center on the CSP campus.
•Both UIU and Truman are members of the 14-team Great Lakes Valley Conference. UIU was picked to finish eighth, while Truman was selected 14th in the preseason coaches' poll.
•SMSU, which opened conference play on Tuesday with a 73-62 road loss to Wayne State, returns to NSIC play on Dec. 1 at Winona State and Dec. 2 at Minnesota State.
•SMSU's first eight games (including the exhibition at Drake) will be played away from Marshall. The Mustangs will not play at home until Dec. 8. Eleven of SMSU's first 14 games will be either neutral site or road contests.
•A preview for both UIU and Truman can be found on page 4.

    BROADCAST INFO
•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 UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and UIU meet for the 36th time with SMSU leading 22-13 in a series that started in 1979-80.
•SMSU's win last season on Feb. 20 in Marshall snapped an UIU five-game win streak in the series. The teams split a pair of NSIC games last season with UIU winning in Fayette, 66-57, before SMSU earned a 69-60 win at the R/A Facility.
•SMSU won five straight games in the series prior to the UIU five-game winning streak.
•SMSU leads 3-0 all-time in neutral site games. SMSU earned a 71-58 win in the championship game of the 2017 NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., and also won at the Northern State Tournament in 2005 and in 2008 at the NSIC HoopFest in Sioux Falls.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 14-12 all-time versus UIU.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 17.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS TRUMAN STATE
•SMSU and Truman meet for the second time with the Bulldogs winning 64-63 last season in Marshall. SMSU led for nearly the entire game, but the Bulldogs scored the final 11 points, including a pair of free throws with six seconds left to rally for the win.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 0-1 all-time versus Truman.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 17.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 15th season as head coach and has an overall record of 223-178, including 150-140 in NSIC play.  
•The 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to eight 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 in team history, 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 OPENS LEAGUE PLAY WITH SETBACK TO WAYNE STATE   
•SMSU opened Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Tuesday night suffering a 73-62 loss to undefeated Wayne State (6-0).
•Jake Phipps paced SMSU with his 10th career double-double scoring 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Cliff Cofield was the only other Mustang in double-figure scoring with 14 points.
•SMSU closed the night shooting 39 percent (23 of 59) from the field, including 5 of 19 from 3-point range. WSC made 25 of 52 shots from the field (48 percent) and connected on 6 of 17 from 3-point range.
•Kyle Luedtke finished the night with eight points with a pair of 3-pointers with Aeron Stevens adding six points. Jakob Braaten and Dunwa Omot, who was hampered with an injury in the contest, closed with five points each.
 
    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•SMSU's victory over No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State earlier this season was the program's first-ever over a No. 1 ranked team. The win was also the program's first over a Top 10 team since beating No. 7 Northern State during the 2017-18 season.
•Senior Jake Phipps moved into sole possession of second place in team history in blocked shots on Tuesday and now has 121 in his career. Current SMSU associate head coach Nick Smith (2010-14) holds the school record with 174.  
•Phipps recorded his 10th career double-double in Tuesday's loss to Wayne State.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•For the season, SMSU has three players averaging double figures in scoring with senior Jake Phipps leading the way with 14 ppg and is also the leader in rebounding at 9.7 rpg. Senior Cliff Cofield is averaging 12 ppg with a team-high 12 assists, while junior Dunwa Omot is scoring 11.3 ppg while connecting on six 3-pointers.
•Senior Kyle Luedtke is averaging 7.3 ppg and has made six 3-pointers.
•SMSU is shooting 42 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.0 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 66 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 ppg.

    2022-23 ALL-NSIC RETURNERS   
•SMSU senior center Jake Phipps and junior guard Dunwa Omot both earned All-NSIC second team honors in 2022-23.
•Omot led SMSU in scoring (16.6), 3-point field goals made (52) and free throw percentage (87.0), while ranking second in both assists (63) and steals (38). He shot 46.1 percent (166 of 360) from the field, including 37.1 percent (52 of 140) from 3-point range and made 80 of 92 from the free throw line.
•Phipps led SMSU in rebounding (7.0), field goal pct. (55.1) and blocked shots (38), while ranking  second in scoring (13.3) and fourth in 3-point field goals made (25).

    COFIELD IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Cliff Cofield ranks among the top 10 in two career statistical categories in team history. He ranks sixth in team history in steals (133) and is seventh in assists (290). He is three steals away from moving into fifth and is two assists shy of moving into sixth all-time.

    PHIPPS 1,000 POINTS AND MORE IN THE RECORD BOOKS
•Senior Jake Phipps currently ranks 20th in team history with 1,099 points in 98 games.
•He is second all-time in blocked shots (121), ranks 16th in field goals made (449) and fifth in field goal pct. (56.2, 449 of 799).
 
    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES  
•Three current SMSU players, senior Cliff Cofield, senior Jake Phipps and junior Dunwa Omot have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Omot reached the mark eight times last season, including one 30-point game and has scored 20 or more points nine times in his career. Phipps reached 20 points five times last season and 11 times in his career, while Cofield scored his first career 20-point game on Nov. 11 in SMSU's win over No. 1 NW Missouri State.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    30    Dunwa Omot    Minot State, 2/21/23
    28    Jake Phipps    Upper Iowa, 2/10/23
    28    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota Duluth, 1/21/23
    28    Dunwa Omot    Minot State, 2/23/22
    27    Dunwa Omot    St. Cloud State, 1/20/23
    25    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota Duluth, 1/28/22
    25    Jake Phipps    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/17/21
    24    Dunwa Omot    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/16/22
    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    Concordia-St. Paul, 2/4/23
    22    Dunwa Omot    Bemidji State, 1/27/23
    22    Jake Phipps    UMary, 1/6/23
    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    Dunwa Omot    Northland, 12/19/22
    21    Anthony Costello    Newman, 11/12/22
    21    Jake Phipps    Davenport, 11/20/21
    20    Cliff Cofield    NW Missouri State, 11/11/23
    20    Jake Phipps    Minot State, 2/21/23
    20    Jake Phipps    Minnesota Duluth, 1/21/21
    20    Anthony Costello    Northern State, 1/14/23
    20    Dunwa Omot    Sioux Falls, 12/31/22
    20    Dunwa Omot    Mount Marty, 11/26/22
    20    Dunwa Omot    St. Cloud State, 1/29/22
Bold indicates 2023-24 season

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 5.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Tied career-high scoring 11 points vs. NW Missouri State.
•Played in 25 games with 17 starts last season and averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Missed three games with an injury.
•Scored season-high 11 points with five field goals at Wayne State (12/3/22) and scored 11 points at Winona State (12/9/22).
•Pulled down career-high eight rebounds vs. Mt. Marty (11/26/22).
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES
•Has started all three games and is scoring 6.7 ppg and averaging 4.3 rpg.
•Scored 14 points vs. SE Oklahoma State with two 3-pointers.
•Missed the last 15 games a season ago due to injury.
•Played in the first 13 games with six starts and averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg.
•Grabbed a career-high nine rebounds vs. Mt. Marty (11/26/22).
•Scored season-high 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting with two 3-pointers vs. Mt. Marty (11/26/22).
•Scored 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting with six rebounds vs. Newman (11/12/22).

    CLIFF COFIELD NOTES
•Changed last name from McCray to Cofield this past summer.
•Has started all three games and is averaging 12.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored career-high 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting vs. NW Missouri State with five assists and five rebounds.
•Started all 28 games last season and averaged 8.0 ppg, while leading the team with 87 assists.
•Season-high 10 rebounds and scored 11 points for second career double-double at Minot State (1/7/23).
•Tied career-high with eight assists vs. Newman (11/12/22).
•Scored season-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds at Rogers State (11/11/22).
•Started all 27 games, while averaging 9.5 ppg and dishing out a team-high 92 assists in 2021-22.
•Scored 19 points vs. Minnesota Morris (11/29/21).
•Played and started nine games in 2021, while averaging 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.

    KYLE LUEDTKE NOTES
•Transfer from Division I Omaha, where he played in 81 games over four seasons and scored 287 points.
•Has played in all three games this season and is averaging 7.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg.
•Scored 14 points with four 3-pointers vs. SE Oklahoma State.

    LANCE MOSLEY NOTES
•Has not appeared in a game this season.
•Played in two games last season scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds vs. Northland (12/19/22).
•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 is averaging 11.3 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Tied for team lead with six 3-pointers.
•Scored season-high 15 points vs. NW Missouri State.
•Named All-NSIC second team in 2022-23.
•Started all 28 games and scored a team-high 16.6 ppg with a team-high 52 3-pointers last season.
•Scored 20 or more points eight times with one 30-point game.
•Scored career-high 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting with 12 rebounds vs. Minot State (2/21/23).  
•Named NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Jan. 23, 2023, after scoring 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting vs. Minnesota Duluth (1/21/23) and scoring 27 points vs. St. Cloud State (1/20/23).
•Played in all 27 games with eight starts in 2021-22 averaging 11.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg, while leading the team with 56 3-pointers.
•Shot 56.6 percent on 3-pointers in 2021-22 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 28 points with six 3-pointers at Minot State (2/23/22)
•Played in four games and averaged 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg in 2021.

    JAKE PHIPPS NOTES
•Has started all three games and leads the team in rebounding (9.7) and scoring (14.0).
•Scored season-high 18 points with 14 rebounds at Wayne State.
•Named All-NSIC second team in 2022-23.
•Started all 28 games and averaged 13.3 ppg and a team-high 7.0 rpg last season.
•Finished with four double-doubles last season.
•Scored career-high 28 points on 12 of 17 shooting with three 3-pointers vs. Upper Iowa (2/10/23).
•Grabbed career-high 15 rebounds at Wayne State (12/3/22).
•Started all 27 games in 2021-22 averaging 12.7 ppg and a team-high 6.4 rpg.
•Recorded a team-high five double-doubles in 2021-22.
•Scored a season-high 25 points with 12 field goals at Concordia-St. Paul (12/17/21).
•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.
•Sat out the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

    CALEB SCHLAAK NOTES
•Transfer from Truman State (Mo.) where he played five games in 2022-23.
•Has not played in a game this season.

    MEKHI SHAW NOTES
•Has played in all three games and is averaging 2.0 ppg and 1.3 rpg.
•Scored four points at Wayne State
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has played in all three games and is averaging 7.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored nine points with four rebounds vs. SE Oklahoma State.
•Only true freshman expected to play this season for SMSU.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has not appeared in a game this season.
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    HOME AND AWAY IN 2023-24
•SMSU finished 10-5 at home in 2022-23 and has a home record of 119-64 since head coach Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which is 2-1 in road/neutral site games in 2023-24, is 104-114 in 218 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 2023-24:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    n/a     -    -    -    -    -    -
Away    2-1    42.4    33.8    74.5    33.3    65.7    13.3    

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2023-24 season marks the 28th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 251-111 (.693) in 362 games with 23 winning 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    10-5    8-3    2-2
    2023-24    0-0    0-0    0-0
    Totals    251-111    167-83    84-28

    SMSU PICKED 7TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish seventh in the 15-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU senior center Jake Phipps was named a "Player to Watch".
•Minnesota Duluth was selected as preseason favorite with UMD senior guard Drew Blair named the preseason Player of the Year.

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made at least one 3-point field goal in 719 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.

    MUSTANG DEFENSE ONE OF THE BEST IN 2022-23
•SMSU limited opponents to 39.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.5 percent from 3-point range last season setting team single-season records in both categories.
•SMSU allowed 64.5 points per game last season ranking as the third-lowest in team history.
•SMSU led the NSIC last season (league games only) in scoring defense (64.5), opponent field goal pct. (39.8) and 3-point field goal pct. defense (30.6).

    MUSTANGS AND THE CENTURY MARK
•SMSU last scored 100 points in a game on 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 finished 0-2 in overtime games in 20220-23 following a 72-68 home loss to Winona State on Feb. 11 and an 86-85 triple overtime setback to Minot State on Feb. 21.
•SMSU is 51-42 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU is 8-6 in double overtime and 1-3 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.  

    NEW LOOK NSIC REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT
•Due to Upper Iowa University leaving for the Great Lake Valley Conference, the NSIC is a 15-team conference in 2023-24.
•The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game unbalanced schedule with each team playing eight teams twice and another six teams once.
•The 12-team NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Feb. 28 with the top four seeds receiving a first round bye. First round games will be played on campus with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championships set to take place March 2-5 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

    SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is now 31-26 all-time in season openers after defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State on Nov. 10. SMSU has won 10 of its last 18 season openers and 18 of the last 27 season lid-lifters.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2023-24 campaign marks the 55th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 399-441 in 840 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 26 times in 54 seasons.
•SMSU has captured one regular season championship (2000-01), two NSIC South Division titles (2016-17) and (2017-18) and two tournament championships (2012) and (2017).

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•SMSU is in its 57th season of men's basketball in 2023-24.
•SMSU has played 1,545 games compiling an all-time record of 715-830.
•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 26 winning seasons in program history with 19 coming in the last 26 years.

    SCOUTING UPPER IOWA
•UIU is 2-2 overall and is coming off an 84-78 victory at Northern State last Saturday. UIU lost to Northwest Missouri State, 91-82, last Friday in Aberdeen, S.D.
•UIU split two games to open the season on Nov. 11-12 in Wisconsin Dells, losing to Northern Michigan (85-75) before defeating Michigan Tech (93-87).
•Senior guard Jake Hilmer is averaging a team-high 27.8 points with a team-leading 35 field goals and is 38 of 42 from the free throw line. He has dished out a team-high 14 assists.
•Senior forward Nick Reid has a team-leading 8.0 rpg and is scoring 12.8 ppg with seven 3-pointers.
•UIU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is minus-5.0 in rebound margin.
•UIU is averaging 84 points per game, while opponents are averaging 85 points per game.
•Head coach Brooks McKowen is in his 11th season with a record of 168-131 and has led the Peacocks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2017 and 2022). McKowen was an assistant coach at SMSU from 2011-13.

    SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
•Truman is 2-2 on the season and will play Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday night.
•The Bulldogs' sophomore forward Landon Eiland is scoring 11.8 ppg with eight 3-pointers.  
•Junior guard Trey Shearer has made 12 3-pointers and is scoring 11.8 ppg.
•Truman head coach Jeff Horner is in his sixth season with a record of 91-54.     
•Truman is shooting 49 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point range, 79 percent from the free throw line and is even in rebound margin.
•Truman is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents average 79 points per game.