THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (3-2, 0-1 NSIC) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this Friday and Saturday with road games versus Winona State University (4-0, 1-0 NSIC) and No. 9 ranked Minnesota State University (6-0, 0-0 NSIC).
•SMSU will take on Winona State on Friday with game time set for 5:30 p.m. inside McCown Gymnasium in Winona, Minn., while on Saturday the Mustangs take on Minnesota State with tip-off slated for 3:30 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato.
•SMSU opened NSIC play last Tuesday, Nov. 21, suffering a 73-62 road loss to Wayne State, before splitting two games last weekend at the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament, losing to Upper Iowa, 85-83, before earning a 79-69 win over Truman State (Mo.).
•The two games this weekend is the final of eight games SMSU started the season (including the exhibition at Drake) all played away from Marshall. The Mustangs will have their home opener next Friday, Dec. 8. Eleven of SMSU's first 14 games will be either neutral site or road contests.
•A preview for both WSU and MSU 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 WINONA STATE
•SMSU and WSU meet for the 116th time with WSU leading 73-42 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•WSU holds a 30-11 advantage since 2004-05, but SMSU has won seven of the last 12 games since the 2016-17 season. The teams split a pair of games last season with each team winning on the road.
•WSU holds a 42-13 advantage in games played in Winona, but SMSU has won the last two games inside McCown Gym.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-16 all-time versus WSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 17.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU and MSU meet for the 70th time with MSU leading 48-21 in a series that started in 1969-70.
•MSU leads 24-10 in games played in Mankato, but SMSU has won the last two inside the Taylor Center
•SMSU has won four straight in the series for the first time ever.
•MSU has won 16 of the last 24 games overall since the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-20 all-time versus MSU.
•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 224-179, 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.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•Junior Dunwa Omot missed Sunday's game versus Truman State and all but two minutes versus Upper Iowa on Saturday due to an injury suffered in the first half at Wayne State on Nov. 21. He is averaging 8.5 ppg with six 3-pointers on the season.
•Sophomore Jakob Braaten (16), redshirt freshman Mekhi Shaw (10) and freshman Aeron Stevens (17) all scored career-highs in the loss to Upper Iowa on Saturday.
•Senior Jake Phipps has moved into sole possession of second place in team history in blocked shots with 121 in 100 career games. Current SMSU associate head coach Nick Smith (2010-14) holds the school record with 174.  
•Senior Cliff Cofield scored a career-high 31 points with a career-high 10 field goals and a career-high five 3-pointers in Sunday's win over Truman State. It's the most points scored by a Mustang player since Kenny Byers scored 33 at Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 31, 2020.
•Cofield ranks 35th in Division II (Nov. 28) in free throw pct. (93.3).
•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.

    SMSU SPLITS TWO GAMES IN ST. PAUL   
•SMSU split two games last weekend at the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament, losing in the final minute to Upper Iowa, 85-83, before defeating Truman State, 79-69.
•In the loss to UIU, Jake Phipps, who scored a team-high 20 points, gave SMSU an 83-82 advantage with a pair of free throws with 44 seconds remaining, but on the ensuing UIU possession, Caleb Delzell hit a corner 3-pointer to give the Peacock the lead. SMSU had one final shot at the win, but Aeron Steven's 3-pointer missed with three second remaining.
•Phipps finished the night making 7 of 12 field goals with a pair of 3-pointers to pace the Mustangs, while Stevens scored a career-high 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting with two 3-pointers. Jakob Braaten also scored a career-high, pouring in 16 points on 6 of 12 from the field, including a perfect 3 of 3 from 3-point land. Mekhi Shaw reached double figure scoring for the first time in his career with 10 points and also dished out four assists.
•Cliff Cofield scored a career-high 31 points, including 26 in the second half, in the win over TSU on Sunday. He finished the day making 10 of 14 field goals, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•For the season, SMSU has two players averaging double figures in scoring with senior Cliff Cofield averaging 14.8 ppg with a team-high 20 assists and team-leading 10 steals.
•Senior Jake Phipps is scoring 14.6 ppg and is the leader in rebounding at 8.4 rpg.
•Freshman Aeron Stevens ranks third on the team with 9.2 ppg.
•Junior Dunwa Omot is scoring 8.5 ppg while connecting on six 3-pointers.
•Senior Kyle Luedtke is averaging 7.6 ppg and has made a team-high 11 3-pointers.
•SMSU is shooting 45 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, 69 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.0 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 72 points per game, while opponents are averaging 70 ppg.

    COFIELD IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Cliff Cofield ranks among the top 10 in two career statistical categories in team history. He ranks fifth in team history in steals (137) and is sixth in assists (298). He is 12 steals away from moving into fourth and is seven assists shy of moving into fifth all-time.

    PHIPPS SCORING LIST AND MORE IN THE RECORD BOOKS
•Senior Jake Phipps currently ranks 18th in team history with 1,130 points in 100 games.
•He is second all-time in blocked shots (121), ranks fifth in field goal pct. (56.2, 460 of 818) and 16th in field goals made (460).
 
    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.
•Cofield recorded his first career 20-point game earlier this season versus No. 1 NW Missouri State and then scored a career-high 31 versus Truman State. Omot has reached the 20-point mark nine times in his career, including one 30-point game, while Phipps has reached 20 points once this season and 12 times in his career.
20 or More Point Games in Career
    31    Cliff Cofield    Truman State, 11/26/23
    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    Jake Phipps    Davenport, 11/20/21
    20    Jake Phipps    Upper Iowa, 11/25/23
    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    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

    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).

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has started all five games and is averaging 7.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
•Career-high 16 points with three 3-pointers vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23).
•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 five games and is scoring 6.0 ppg and averaging 4.8 rpg.
•Scored 14 points in the season opener 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 five games and is averaging 14.8 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Scored career-high 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting with five 3-pointers vs. Truman State (11/26/23) with three assists and five rebounds.
•Scored 20 points in win over No. 1 NW Missouri State earlier this season.
•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 2021 with 41 assists.

    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 five games with one start this season and is averaging 7.6 ppg with a team-leading 11 3-pointers.
•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 four games and is averaging 8.5 ppg with six 3-pointers. Has missed one game and most of another with an injury.
•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.
•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 five games and leads the team in rebounding (8.4) and is second in scoring (14.6).
•Scored season-high 20 points vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23).
•Recorded a double-double at Wayne State (11/21/23).  
•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.
•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 five games and is averaging 3.8 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
•Scored season-high 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23).  
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has played in all five games and is averaging 9.2 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
•Scored career-high 17 points with seven field goals vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23).  
•Only true freshman expected to play this season for SMSU.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has played in two games and connected on 3-pointers vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23) and Truman State (11/26/23).  
•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 3-2 in road/neutral site games in 2023-24, is 105-115 in 220 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    3-2    44.9    40.3    68.7    34.8    71.8    13.0    

    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

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made at least one 3-point field goal in 721 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.  

    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.

    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.

    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 1,547 games compiling an all-time record of 716-831.
•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 WINONA STATE
•The Warriors are 4-0 overall, 1-0 NSIC, and last played on Nov. 21, defeating Concordia-St. Paul in the NSIC opener in Winona, 75-69.
•Junior guard Connor Dillon, is averaging a team-high 23.3 points with eight 3-pointers and 16 assists.  
•Junior forward Connor Drew is scoring 16.8 ppg and leads the team with 12 3-pointers.
•WSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.7 in rebound margin.
•WSU is averaging 70 points per game, while opponents are averaging 61 points per game.
•Head coach Todd Eisner is in his ninth season at WSU with a record of 119-97. He has also been head coach at Viterbo, Bellevue, Benedictine and Midland recording a career record of 535-263 in 26 seasons as a head coach.

    SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
•MSU, 6-0 overall and ranked No. 9 in this week's NABC Top 25 poll, open NSIC play on Friday hosting Sioux Falls.
•Senior guard Malik Willingham is averaging a team-high 18 points with a team-leading 28 assists while making a team-high 15 3-pointers. Younger brother, junior guard Kyreese Willingham is averaging 13 ppg with six 3-pointers.
•Senior forward transfer Dylan Peeters ranks third on the team with 11 ppg and leads the team with 6.8 rpg.
•MSU is shooting 52 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is plus-15 in rebound margin.
•MSU is averaging 94 points per game, while opponents are averaging 61 points per game.
•Head coach Matt Margenthaler is in his 23rd season with a record of 459-209.