THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (10-8, 7-5 NSIC), currently fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, returns to Marshall to open a four-game homestand this weekend with a pair of games inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU begins the weekend taking on the University of Mary (6-12, 1-11 NSIC) on Friday with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m., while on Saturday the Mustangs host Northern State University (7-11, 5-7 NSIC) for the annual 'Tropical Night' game with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.
•As of Jan. 23, SMSU, which has played four teams ranked among the top 12 nationally, including two teams ranked No. 1, has the sixth toughest schedule in Division II with its 18 opponents combining for a winning pct. of .639.
•SMSU, which has played 13 of its first 18 games away from Marshall, will have its next four games at home, and six of its final 10 to close the regular season at home.  
•A preview for both UMary and NSU can be found on page 4.

    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 UMARY
•SMSU and UMary meet for the 22nd time with SMSU leading 16-5 in a series that started in 2005-06.
•SMSU leads 11-1 in games played in Marshall, with UMary's lone victory coming on Dec. 11, 2015. SMSU has won the last four games played inside the R/A Facility.  
•UMary won last season's lone game, 62-57 in Bismarck, N.D.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 10-5 all-time versus UMary.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTHERN STATE
•SMSU and Northern State meet for the 101st time with NSU leading 68-32 in series that started in 1972-73.
•SMSU's 67-58 home victory last season snapped a six-game losing streak in the series.
•NSU has won 12 the last 16 meetings overall since the 2014-15 season.
•NSU leads 26-20 in games played in Marshall, including winning the previous three prior to SMSU's victory last season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-13 all-time versus NSU.
 
    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 231-185, including 157-144 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   
•SMSU played just one game last week earning a 77-67 road victory over Minnesota Crookston. Junior Dunwa Omot led the Mustangs with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting with three 3-pointers. Senior Jake Phipps pulled down a team-high six rebounds and scored 13 points, while sophomore Mason Lund scored 10 points with five rebounds. SMSU shot 58 percent from the field in the second half which included making 4 of 9 from 3-point range.   
•In NSIC games only, Phipps ranks second in the league in field goal pct. (56.5), third in free throw pct. (87.2), fourth in blocked shots (1.4), ninth scoring (16.4) and 14th in rebounding (6.5). Senior Cliff Cofield is fourth in the NSIC in assists (4.2) and sixth in steals (1.4), while sophomore Jakob Braaten is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (2.3) and 12th in assists (3.2).
•Omot was named the NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 8 after averaging 21.5 points, while shooting 64 percent (14 of 22) from the field, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range in victories over Bemidji State and St. Cloud State.
•SMSU has two victories over top 15 teams this season, including defeating No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 11. It was the program's first-ever over a No. 1 ranked team. SMSU also defeated No. 12 Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 9.
•Senior Cliff Cofield became the 27th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points in the win over SCSU on Jan. 6. Cofield's career-high 31 points with a career-high 10 field goals and a career-high five 3-pointers in a win over Truman State on Nov. 26 was the most points scored by a Mustang player since Kenny Byers scored 33 at Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 31, 2020.
•SMSU scored a season-high 89 points and shot a season high 61.5 percent (32 of 52) from the field in a Dec. 2 loss at Minnesota State.

    SMSU IN THE NCAA STATS   
•In the latest Division II national statistics (Jan. 23), SMSU ranks 25th in free throw pct. (77.4), 26th in turnovers per game (10.3), 43rd in assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and 72nd in field goal pct. (46.9).
•Aeron Stevens ranks 35th in free throw attempts (108) and 51st in free throws made (77).
•Cliff Cofield ranks 35th in free throw pct. (88.5), 43rd in steals (33) and 71st in total assists (71), while Jake Phipps ranks 61st in field goal pct. (55.0).
•SMSU in the latest NCAA stats can be found on page 15.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•For the season, SMSU has four players averaging double figures in scoring with senior Jake Phipps scoring a team-high 15.4 ppg and is also the leader in rebounding at 6.5 rpg. He is shooting a team-high 55 percent from the field.
•Senior Cliff Cofield is averaging 13.2 ppg with a team-high 71 assists and team-high 33 steals.  
•Freshman Aeron Stevens ranks third on the team with 11.6 ppg and has made a team-high 77 free throws.
•Junior Dunwa Omot is scoring 11.3 ppg while connecting on 28 3-pointers.
•Senior Kyle Luedtke is averaging 7.3 ppg and has made 28 3-pointers.  
•SMSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.6 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 72 ppg.

    PHIPPS MOVING UP IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOKS
•Senior Jake Phipps ranks 12th in team history with 1,335 points in 113 games. He is five points shy of tying Taylor Schafer (2015-19) for 11th all-time in scoring and 12 points away from tying Carter Kirk (2014-18) for 10th all-time.
•He is also second all-time in blocked shots (136), fifth in field goal pct. (55.9, 542 of 970), seventh in field goals made (542) and 10th in rebounds (647).

    COFIELD IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Cliff Cofield, who became the 27th SMSU player in team history to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 6, ranks second in program history in steals (160) and third in assists (349).

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
•Four current SMSU players, senior Cliff Cofield, senior Jake Phipps, junior Dunwa Omot and freshman Aeron Stevens 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 later scored a career-high 31 versus Truman State.
•Omot has reached the 20-point mark twice this season and 15 times in his career, including one 30-point game. Phipps has reached 20 points four times this season and 15 times in his career, while Stevens has reached the mark once this season.
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    Jake Phipps    St. Cloud State, 1/6/24
    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    Bemidji State, 1/5/24
    23    Dunwa Omot    Winona State, 2/12/22
    22    Jake Phipps    Minnesota Duluth, 12/9/23
    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    Jake Phipps    MSU Moorhead, 1/12/24
    21    Aeron Stevens    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/23
    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    Dunwa Omot    St. Cloud State, 1/6/24
    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

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has played in 16 games with 10 starts and is averaging 6.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Missed two games with an injury.  
•Has grabbed season-high seven rebounds in four games.
•Scored a 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.  
•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 18 games and is scoring 6.6 ppg and is second on the team averaging 5.1 rpg.
•Tied career-high with 10 rebounds vs. St. Cloud State (1/6/24).
•Connected on a career-high three 3-pointers with 11 points at Augustana (12/16/23).
•Scored 14 points in the season opener vs. Southeastern 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.
•Scored career-high 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting with two 3-pointers vs. Mt. Marty (11/26/22).

    CLIFF COFIELD NOTES
•Changed last name from McCray to Cofield this past summer.
•Has started all 18 games and is averaging 13.2 ppg with a team-high 71 assists.
•Scored career-high 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting with five 3-pointers vs. Truman State (11/26/23).
•Scored 20 points in win over No. 1 NW Missouri State (11/11/23).
•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).
•Started all 27 games, while averaging 9.5 ppg and dishing out a team-high 92 assists in 2021-22.
•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 18 games with 14 starts and is averaging 7.3 ppg with 28 3-pointers.
•Poured in 16 points with four 3-pointers at Minnesota State (12/2/23).
•Scored season-high 19 points with five 3-pointers at Winona State (12/1/23).

    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 played in 15 games with 12 starts and is averaging 11.3 ppg with 28 3-pointers. Missed three games and most of a fourth with an injury.
•Scored season-high 23 points with five 3-pointers vs. Bemidji State (1/5/24).
•Named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 8, 2024.
•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 18 games and leads the team in rebounding (6.5), scoring (15.4), field goal pct. (55.0) and blocked shots (21).
•Tied season-high 10 field goals with season-high 24 points and vs. St. Cloud State (1/6/24).
•Recorded a double-double at Wayne State (11/21/23) and vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/9/23).
•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.
•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 played in two games this season.

    MEKHI SHAW NOTES
•Has played in all 18 games and is averaging 4.8 ppg with 27 assists.
•Scored season-high 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting vs. Upper Iowa, 10 points at Winona State (12/1/23) and scored 10 vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/9/23) on 5 of 6 shooting.
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has played in all 18 games and is averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
•Has made season-high seven field goals in three games.
•Scored career-high 21 points with seven field goals vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/8/23).
•Scored 18 points at Minnesota State (12/2/23).  
•Only true freshman expected to play this season for SMSU.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has played in six 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 is 4-1 at home this season and has a home record of 123-65 since head coach Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which is 6-7 in road/neutral site games in 2023-24, is 108-120 in 228 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    4-1    51.6    31.9    77.2    33.8    80.2    9.4    
Away    6-7    45.1    37.4    77.4    32.9    71.8    10.7

    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 255-112 (.694) in 367 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    4-1    4-1    0-0
    Totals    255-112    171-84    84-28

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made at least one 3-point field goal in 734 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.

    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).
•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).

    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's 64.5 points per game allowed last season ranks 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 is 0-1 in overtime games this season following an 88-87 road loss to No. 1 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 12.
•SMSU, which has lost three straight overtime games, last earned an overtime victory on Feb. 17, 2022, versus Wayne State.
•SMSU is 51-43 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 406-445 in 851 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 1,560 games compiling an all-time record of 723-837.
•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 UMARY
•The Marauders are 6-12 overall, 1-11 NSIC, and have lost six straight games, including nine straight in NSIC play.
•Junior guard Gerald Gittens is averaging a team-high 14.6 points with a team-high 60 assists and 22 3-pointers.
•Senior forward Brock Heffner averages 13.4 ppg, while shooting a team-high 48 percent.
•Senior guard Zyon Smith has made a team-high 34 3-pointers and is scoring 11.8 ppg.
•UMary is shooting 42 percent from the field, 29 percent from 3-point range, 63 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.0 in rebound margin.
•UMary is averaging 68 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76 points per game.
•Head coach Jack Nelson is in his third season at UMary with a record of 28-44. He was the associate head coach at the University of Sioux Falls for three seasons prior to UMary.  

    SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
•The Wolves, 7-11 overall, 5-7 NSIC, will play at Sioux Falls on Friday night. NSU enters the weekend having lost three of four and six of its last eight games.
•Junior forward Jacksen Moni is scoring 20.3 ppg with 40 3-pointers and leads the team averaging 8.2 rpg.
•Junior guard Josh Dilling is scoring 20.3 ppg with 46 3-pointers, while shooting 57 percent from the field.  
•Moni and Dilling rank second and third in the NSIC scoring with Dilling leading the league in both 3-point field goal pct.  and field goal pct.
•Senior guard Augustin Reede has made 44 3-pointers and is scoring 10.9 ppg.  
•NSU is shooting 44 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 74 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.3 in rebound margin.
•NSU is averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 77 points per game.
•Head coach Saul Phillips is in his fifth season with a record of 96-38. He has 311 career victories after serving as head coach at North Dakota State (2007-14) and Ohio University (2014-19).