THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (5-1, 1-0 NSIC), ranked No. 22 in this week's NABC Top 25 poll, returns to non-conference play on Saturday taking on NAIA foe Briar Cliff University (4-5, 2-2 GPAC) inside the R/A Facility in Marshall with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
•Saturday's game is SMSU's final non-conference regular season game of the season.
•SMSU is coming off a 76-56 home victory over Wayne State on Tuesday night in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener for both teams. WSC entered the game with a perfect 5-0 record.
•Briar Cliff, a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), suffered a 76-68 road loss to Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Tuesday night.
•Saturday's game will be an exhibition game for BCU and will not count towards its overall record.
•SMSU resumes conference play next weekend hosting Minnesota Duluth (Dec. 6) and Concordia-St. Paul (Dec. 7).

    BROADCAST INFO
•Saturday's game 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 DROPS TO NO. 22 IN NABC TOP 25 POLL; RECEIVES VOTES FOR D2CSC TOP 25
•SMSU dropped four spots and is ranked No. 22 in this week's NABC Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
•SMSU was ranked No. 18 in the first regular season NABC Top 25 poll released on Nov. 19. It's the first time SMSU has been ranked in the NABC Top 25 regular season poll since the 2016-17 season.
•SMSU received four votes in this week's D2CSC Top 25 poll.
•The NABC Top 25 poll can be found on page 19.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS BRIAR CLIFF
•SMSU and BCU meet for the 38th time with BCU leading 28-9 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•Saturday will be the first meeting since the 1997-98 season. The teams met yearly from 1980-98 and played at least twice a season from 1984-98.
•BCU won 17 straight in the series from 1986-87 to 1994-95.
•BCU leads the series 11-7 in games played in Marshall, including 2-0 inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU won the last game played in the series during the 1997-98 season in Sioux City, Iowa.

    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 245-191, including 165-147 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 three players averaging double figures in scoring with sophomore Aeron Stevens scoring a team-high 19 ppg and is second in rebounding at 7.5 rpg.  
•Junior Jakob Braaten has dished out a team-high 17 assists and is averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
•Sophomore Steven Kramer is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg.
•Junior Mason Lund leads the team with 7.7 rpg and is fourth in scoring at 9.5 ppg with a team-high 10 3-pointers.
•SMSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.9 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 ppg.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•Senior Dunwa Omot ranks 18th in team history with 1,161 points and is five points shy from tying Mitch Weg (2013-17) for 17th all-time.
•SMSU has shot more free throws than their opponent in all six games.
•In the latest Division II national statistics (Nov. 26), SMSU ranks fifth in fouls per game (12.3), 24th in field goal pct. defense (39.5), 28th in scoring defense (65.7), 32nd in blocks per game (4.5) and 45th in turnovers per game (11.0).
•Steven Kramer (18) and Mekhi Shaw (15) both scored career-highs in SMSU's win over Wayne State on Tuesday. Kramer also set a career-high with eight rebounds.
•Calvin Buss recorded a career-high six rebounds vs. Wayne State.
•Jakob Braaten scored a career-high 20 points at Upper Iowa on Nov. 24.
•Aeron Stevens has made 42 free throws this season ranking 16th in Division II, while his 50 attempts ranks 24th.
•SMSU is 2-0 versus Top 25 teams this season which includes defeating a No. 1 ranked team for a second consecutive season.

    OMOT MOVES INTO TOP 20 IN SCORING    
•Senior Dunwa Omot currently ranks 18th all-time with 1,161 points. He also ranks 10th in team history with 169 3-point field goals, fifth in 3-point field goal pct. (41.5) and third in free throw pct. (84.6). (see charts on page 4).

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
•Three current SMSU players, senior Dunwa Omot, junior Jakob Braaten 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, Braaten once, while Stevens has reached the mark seven times, including three times 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
    20    Aeron Stevens    Upper Iowa, 11/24
    20    Jakob Braaten    Upper Iowa, 11/24

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has started all six games and is averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 20 points at Upper Iowa (11/24/24).
•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).
•Played in 30 games with 12 starts last season while averaging 5.9 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
•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 all six games and is averaging 4.2 ppg and 2.5 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 six games and is averaging 10.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
•Scored career-high 18 points with eight field goals and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds vs. Wayne State (11/26/24).
•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 six games and is averaging 9.5 ppg and 7.7 rpg.
•Pulled down career-high 17 rebounds at Upper Iowa (11/24/24).
•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.
•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 six games and is averaging 8.8 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 all six games and is averaging 1.8 ppg with five 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 all six games and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 2.7 rpg.
•Leads team with 13 steals and is second with 14 assists.  
•Career-high 15 points vs. Wayne State (11/26/24).  
•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 six games and is averaging 19 ppg and 7.5 rpg.
•Has scored 20 or more points in three games.
•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 4-0 at home this season and has a home record of 132-67 since head coach Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, 1-1 in road/neutral site games this season, is 113-124 in 237 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    4-0    48.6    40.8    77.0    36.2    75.5    11.5     
Away    1-1    43.8    13.8    73.2    45.0    73.0    10.0      

    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 264-114 (.698) in 378 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    4-0    1-0    3-0
    Totals    264-114    176-86    88-28

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAME STREAK ENDS
•SMSU's consecutive game streak of making at least one 3-point field goal came to an end at 752 games when SMSU finished 0 for 6 in an overtime loss at Upper Iowa on Nov. 24
•Prior to the Upper Iowa game, the last time SMSU failed to connect on a 3-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998, versus MSU Moorhead 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 is 0-1 in overtime games this season following a 79-78 road setback to Upper Iowa on Nov. 24.
•SMSU, which has lost five straight overtime games, last earned an overtime victory on Feb. 17, 2022, versus Wayne State.
•SMSU is 51-45 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 414-448 in 862 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 1,580 games compiling a record of 737-843.
•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 BRIAR CLIFF
•The Chargers are 4-5 overall and are 2-2 in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play. BCU lost, 76-68 at Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday.
•Saturday's game will be an exhibition game for BCU and will not count towards its overall record.
•BCU was picked to finish fifth in the 11-team GPAC.
•Matthew Stilwill is averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg and leads the team with 29 assists.
•Jamison Helmers has made a team-high 25 3-pointers and is averaging 13.1 ppg.
•BCU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.9 in rebound margin.
•BCU is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents average 82 points per game.
•BCU head coach Mark Svagera is in his eighth season.