THIS WEEKEND
•The No. 18 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (3-0) plays away from Marshall for the first time this season with two games in Fayette, Iowa, this weekend at the Upper Iowa University Peacock Classic inside Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
•SMSU opens play on Saturday taking Northwest Missouri State University (1-3) with tip-off slated for 1 p.m., while on Sunday the Mustangs face Upper Iowa University (3-1) starting at 3 p.m.
•SMSU, ranked in the NABC Top 25 regular season poll for the first time since the 2016-17 season, is ranked just outside the D2 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Top 25 poll, coming in tied for 26th.
•SMSU, off to its best start since beginning the 2016-17 squad opened with six victories, is coming off a non-conference home victory over defending national champion and preseason ranked No. 1 Minnesota State, 81-68, last Saturday. It's the second straight season SMSU has defeated a preseason No. 1 ranked team. Last year, SMSU knocked off No. 1 Northwest Missouri State in St. Joseph, Mo.
•SMSU and NWMSU split two games last season with the Bearcats winning the second match-up, 73-43, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Mankato, Minn. NWMSU had its 2023-24 season come to an end with a last-second loss at Minnesota State in the region championship game. NWMSU, picked to place fourth in the 14-team Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), has won 25 or more games in each of the past 10 seasons.
•UIU, which suffered a one-point loss at St. Cloud State on Monday, plays Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday before facing SMSU. UIU, an NCAA Tournament qualifier last season, was picked to finish fifth in the 16-team Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

    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 NSIC games can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SMSU MOVES TO NO. 18 IN NABC TOP 25 POLL; RECEIVES VOTES FOR D2CSC TOP 25
•For the first time since the 2016-17 season, SMSU is ranked in the regular season NABC Top 25 poll.
•It's the 23rd time in program history SMSU has been ranked in the NABC Top 25 regular season poll.
•SMSU is just outside this week's D2CSC Top 25 poll, ranking in a tie for 26th overall.
•The complete NABC Top 25 poll can be found on page 19.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
•SMSU and NWMSU meet for the ninth time with the series tied 4-4. The two teams split last season with SMSU winning 63-56 in St. Joseph, Mo., before NWMSU earned a 73-43 win in Mankato, Minn., in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 4-3 all-time versus NWMSU.
•SMSU is 19-12 all-time versus current members of the MIAA, including defeating Fort Hays State and Nebraska Kearney earlier this season in Marshall.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and UIU meet for the 37th time with SMSU leading 22-14 in a series that started in 1979-80.
•SMSU and UIU were both members of the NSIC from 2006-23.
•UIU has won six of the last seven games, including earning an 85-83 win last season in St. Paul, Minn.
•SMSU leads 3-1 all-time in neutral site games with SMSU earning a 71-58 win in the championship game of the 2017 NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., winning at the Northern State Tournament in 2005 and in 2008 at the NSIC HoopFest in Sioux Falls.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 14-13 all-time versus UIU.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 16th season as head coach and has an overall record of 243-190, including 164-147 in NSIC play.  
•SMSU has appeared in four NCAA tournaments (2012, 2017, 2018, 2024) during his time as head coach.
•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).
•The 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.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU has two players averaging double figures in scoring with sophomore Aeron Stevens scoring a team-high 23.7 ppg and is also tied for the team lead in rebounding at 7.0 rpg.  
•Senior Dunwa Omot ranks second in scoring at 13.3 ppg while connecting on five 3-pointers and shooting 50 percent from the field.
•Junior Mason Lund ranks third on the team with 9.3 ppg and is shooting 50 percent from the field with a team-high six 3-pointers.
•Junior Jakob Braaten has dished out a team-high 11 assists and is scoring 7.7 ppg.
•SMSU is shooting 46 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line and is plus-3.4 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 68 ppg.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•SMSU is 2-0 versus Top 25 teams this season and has defeated a No. 1 ranked team for a second consecutive season.
•In the latest Division II national statistics (Nov. 19), SMSU ranks fifth in fouls per game (11.7), 16th in blocks per game (5.3), 25th in free throw pct. (80.6), 30th in 3-point field goal pct. (41.5),  43rd in turnovers per game (10.7), and 50th in free throws made per game (18).  
•Jakob Braaten recorded a career-high five steals versus Minnesota State on Nov. 16.
•Aeron Stevens has made 34 free throws this season ranking seventh in Division II. He made a career-high 14 free throws on a career-high 16 attempts, while scoring a career-high 29 points versus Fort Hays State on Nov. 8. His 23.7 ppg ranks 20th in the country.
•Steven Kramer, playing in his first season at SMSU after transferring from South Dakota, scored a career-high 16 points with six field goals in SMSU's 77-73 over Nebraska Kearney on Nov. 9.

    OMOT MOVES INTO TOP 20 IN SCORING    
•Senior Dunwa Omot currently ranks 18th all-time with 1,148 points. He also ranks 10th in team history with 169 3-point field goals, fourth in 3-point field goal pct. (42.7) and third in free throw pct. (84.8). (see charts on page 4).

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
•Two current SMSU players, senior Dunwa Omot and sophomore Aeron Stevens have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Omot has reached the 20-point mark 17 times (once this season), including one 30-point game, while Stevens has reached the mark six times, including twice this season.
20 or More Point Games This Season
    29    Aeron Stevens    Fort Hays State, 11/8
    25    Aeron Stevens    Minnesota State, 11/16
    21    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota State, 11/16

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 7.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
•Set career-high with five steals vs. Minnesota State (11/16/24).
•Tied a career-high with nine rebounds vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24).
•Scored 12 points vs. Nebraska Kearney (11/9/24).
•Scored a career-high 16 points with three 3-pointers vs. Upper Iowa (11/25/23).
•Played in 25 games with 17 starts in 2022-23 and averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg.  
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    CALVIN BUSS NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 5.7 ppg and 1.3 rpg.
•Scored seven points with two 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24).
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    NATHAN FENSKE NOTES
•Has not appeared in any games.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    BUAY KOAK NOTES
•Has not appeared in any games.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    STEVEN KRAMER NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 7.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
•Scored 16 points with six field goals vs. Nebraska Kearney (11/9/24).
•Spent two seasons (2022-24) at the University South Dakota.
•Played in 31 games with five starts in 2023-24 averaging 2.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg.
•Scored a season-high 11 points with five assists vs. Montana  (1/6/24).
•Closed the season dishing out 50 assists and recording 10 steals.

    ETHAN KOLTZ NOTES
•Has not appeared in any games.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 9.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
•Scored 13 points with four 3-pointers vs. Nebraska Kearney (11/9/24).
•Started all 32 games last season averaging 7.0 ppg and was third on the team averaging 4.8 rpg.
•Tied career-high with 10 rebounds vs. St. Cloud State (1/6/24).
•Tied season-high with 15 points vs. Northern State (1/27/24).
•Played in the first 13 games in 2022-23 with six starts and averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg, before missing the last 15 games due to injury.
•Scored career-high 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting with two 3-pointers vs. Mt. Marty (11/26/22).

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 13.3 ppg.
•Scored season-high 21 points vs. Minnesota State (11/16/24).
•Played in 29 games with 26 starts last season and averaged 11 ppg with a team high 55 3-pointers. Missed three games and most of a fourth earlier with an injury.
•Reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 9, 2024.
•Two-time NSIC Player of the Week during his career.
•Scored season-high 23 points with five 3-pointers vs. Bemidji State (1/5/24) last season.
•Named All-NSIC second team in 2022-23 after starting all 28 games and averaging a team-high 16.6 ppg with a team-high 52 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting with 12 rebounds vs. Minot State (2/21/23).  
•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.

    CALEB SCHLAAK NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 2.3 ppg with three field goals.  
•Connected on 3-pointer and grabbed three rebounds vs. Minnesota State (11/16/24).
•Played in four games last season and scored six points.
•Transfer from Truman State (Mo.) where he played five games in 2022-23.

    MEKHI SHAW NOTES
•Has played in three games and is averaging 6.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
•Leads team with seven steals.
•Season-high nine points vs. Minnesota State (11/16/24).  
•Scored six points with four steals vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24).
•Played in all 32 games a season ago and averaged 4.9 ppg with 44 assists.
•Scored career-high 13 points on 6 of 6 shooting at Concordia-St. Paul (2/10/24).
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has started all three games and is averaging 23.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
•Scored career-high 29 points vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24) with 14 free throws.
•Poured in 25 points vs. Minnesota State (11/16/24).
•Played in all 32 games last season averaging 11.8 ppg and finished second on team with 4.9 rpg.
•Set freshman program record for free throws made and free throw attempts in a season.
•Scored season-high 27 points with five 3-pointers vs. Winona State (2/3/24).
•Recorded first career double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds vs. UMary (1/26/24).  
•Only true freshman to play in 2023-24.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has not appeared in any games.
•Played in eight games and scored six points last season.
•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 3-0 at home last season and has a home record of 131-67 since head coach Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which finished 10-10 in road/neutral site games last season, is 112-123 in 235 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 2024-25:
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    3-0    45.7    41.5    80.6    35.7    75.3    10.7     
Away    n/a      

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2024-25 season marks the 29th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 263-114 (.697) in 377 games with 24 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    9-3    8-3    1-0
    2024-25    3-0    0-0    3-0
    Totals    263-114    175-86    88-28

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made at least one 3-point field goal in 751 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.

    SMSU PICKED 4TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish fourth in the 15-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU senior guard Dunwa Omot was named a 'Player to Watch' in the NSIC.

    2023-24 WINS RANK TIED FOR SEVENTH IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU's 19 victories last season tied for the seventh highest win total in the program's 54-year history.
•The program has reached 20 or more victories six times with the last coming during the 2017-18 season.   

    STEVENS SETS FRESHMAN RECORD IN 2023-24    
•Aeron Stevens set the school freshman record for free throws made and attempted in a single-season in 2023-24. He made 127 of 174 from the foul line with the 127 free throws made ranking eighth in team single-season history. Bob Throngard held the previous freshman record of 97 free throws made and 129 attempted during the program's first season in 1967-68.

    MUSTANG DEFENSE ONE OF THE BEST IN TEAM HISTORY    
•For the second straight season in 2023-24, SMSU closed the NSIC campaign (22 games) ranking first in scoring defense (68.0), while ranking first in field goal pct. defense (39.7).
•SMSU closed the regular season limiting four of its final five opponents to less than 40 percent shooting, including three to 33 percent or less.
•SMSU opponents shot 41.1 percent shooting last season ranking as the second lowest in team history. The 2022-23 team set the school record at 39.9 percent.

    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 last season following an 88-87 road loss to No. 1 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 12 and a home loss to No. 13 MSU Moorhead on Feb. 24.
•SMSU, which has lost four straight overtime games, last earned an overtime victory on Feb. 17, 2022, versus Wayne State.
•SMSU is 51-44 all-time in overtime games.
•SMSU is 8-6 in double overtime and 1-3 in triple overtime games all-time.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2024-25 campaign marks the 56th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 413-448 in 861 conference games, finishing in the top half of the final standings 27 times in 55 seasons.
•SMSU has captured one regular season championship (2000-01), two South Division titles (2016-17) and (2017-18) and two tournament championships (2012) and (2017).

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•SMSU is in its 58th season of men's basketball in 2024-25.
•SMSU has played 1,577 games compiling a record of 735-842.
•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 six NCAA Tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2024).
•SMSU has recorded 27 winning seasons in program history with 20 coming in the last 27 years.

    SMSU NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
•SMSU has made six NCAA Tournament appearances (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2024) since moving to Division II in 1995-96.
•SMSU is 9-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament appearing in three region championship games with region titles and Elite Eight appearances in 2001 and 2009.  

    SCOUTING NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
•The Bearcats are 1-3 on the season including two losses to NSIC foes, Augustana and Wayne State on Nov. 8 and Nov. 10.
•Senior forward Luke Moustakas is averaging 14 ppg with 14 3-pointers and eight assists.
•Senior guard Emorie Knox is averaging 11.8 ppg with a team-high 21 assists.
•NWMSU is shooting 40 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is minus-6.0 in rebound margin.
•NWMSU is averaging 62 points per game, while opponents average 67 points per game.
•Head coach Matt Keeley is in his first season with a record of 1-3. He spent the previous seven seasons as head coach at Ottawa University (Ariz.) compiling a record of 113-89.

    SCOUTING UPPER IOWA
•The Peacocks are 3-1 overall and suffered their first loss of the season on Monday night at St. Cloud State, 66-65.
•Junior forward Noah King is averaging 19 ppg with 12 assists.
•Senior guard Nick Reid is scoring 17.3 ppg with a team-high nine 3-pointers.
•UIU is shooting 43 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range, 69 percent from the free throw line and is plus-8.3 in rebound margin.
•UIU is averaging 82 points per game, while opponents average 68 points per game.
•Head coach Brooks McKowen is in his 12th season with a record of 191-140 and has led the Peacocks to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2017, 2022 and 2024).
•McKowen was an assistant coach at SMSU from 2011-13.