THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (16-10, 13-7 NSIC), currently in fifth-place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings, closes the regular season this Friday and Saturday with a pair of games inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU will face fourth-place and No. 24 ranked Minot State University (19-7, 14-6 NSIC) on Friday with game time set for 7:30 p.m., before ending the regular season taking on No. 13 ranked and second-place MSU Moorhead (22-4, 16-4 NSIC) on Saturday with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m.
•SMSU lost to both teams last month on the road. MSUM, then ranked No. 1, earned an 88-87 overtime victory on Jan. 12, while MSU defeated SMSU on Jan. 13, 72-60.
•The top four seeds in the final NSIC standings receive a first round bye in the 12-team NSIC Tournament which begins on Feb. 28.
•Prior to Saturday's game, SMSU will honor its three seniors, Cliff Cofield, Kyle Luedtke and Jake Phipps.
•SMSU begins the weekend first in the NSIC (league games only) in scoring defense (68.2), first in field goal pct. defense (40.2) and tied for first in field goal pct. (48.7).
•As of Feb. 20, SMSU, which has played six games versus opponents ranked among the top 25 nationally, including three ranked No. 1, has the fifth toughest schedule in Division II with its opponents combining for a winning pct. of .613.
•A preview for both MSU and MSUM 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 MINOT STATE
•SMSU and MSU meet for the 18th time with SMSU holding a 13-4 advantage.
•SMSU leads 5-2 in games played in Marshall, but MSU has won the last two games inside the R/A Facility, including 86-85 in triple overtime last season in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.  
•MSU won earlier this season in Minot, 72-60, on Jan. 13. The teams have split the last eight games since the 2020-21 season.  
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 13-4 all-time versus MSU.
•Game-by-game results of the series and this season's previous game box score is located on pages 17-20.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MSU MOORHEAD
•SMSU and MSU Moorhead meet for the 108th time with MSUM leading 62-45 in a series that started during the 1968-69 season.
•MSUM won in overtime earlier this season in Moorhead, 88-87, and has won the last three and seven of the last 10 since the 2013-14 season.
•MSUM leads 26-24 in games played in Moorhead, including winning the previous two games inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 6-12 all-time versus MSUM.
•Game-by-game results of the series and this season's previous game box score is located on pages 17-20.
 
    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 237-187, including 163-146 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 earned two big road victories last weekend over St. Cloud State (65-52) and Bemidji State (63-56). SMSU used strong defense in both games, limiting the two teams to a combined 37 of 121 (30.5) shooting from the field. Cliff Cofield scored a team-high 14 points with seven rebounds versus SCSU, while Jake Phipps poured in 21 points with six rebounds versus BSU.   
•SMSU tied a season-low with just five turnovers versus BSU last Saturday.
•SMSU held SCSU to 28.6 percent shooting last Friday, the lowest by an SMSU opponent this season.
•SMSU is limiting opponents to 41.1 percent shooting on the season, which is the second lowest in team history. Last season's team set the school record at 39.9 percent.
•Senior Jake Phipps is just the eighth player in team history to score 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds in a career.
•Freshman Aeron Stevens set the school freshman record for free throws made and attempted in a single-season during the weekend of Feb. 9-10. Stevens has made 102 of 138 from the foul line this season. Bob Throngard held the previous record of 97 free throws made and 129 attempted during the program's first season in 1967-68.
•SMSU has two victories over Top 12 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.
•Junior Dunwa Omot became the 28th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points on Feb. 9 at Minnesota Duluth. He ranks 13th in team history with 153 3-point field goals.
•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.
•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.

    MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
•For the season, SMSU has four players averaging double figures in scoring with senior Jake Phipps scoring a team-high 15.6 ppg and is also the leader in rebounding at 6.7 rpg. He is shooting a team-high 56 percent from the field.
•Freshman Aeron Stevens ranks second on the team with 12.1 ppg, has made a team-high 102 free throws and is tied for second in rebounding (5.0).
•Senior Cliff Cofield is averaging 11.7 ppg with a team-high 96 assists and team-high 49 steals.  
•Junior Dunwa Omot is scoring 10.5 ppg while connecting on a team-high 44 3-pointers.
•Sophomore Mason Lund is averaging 7.1 ppg and is tied for second in rebounding (5.0).  
•SMSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.9 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 73 points per game, while opponents are averaging 68 ppg.

    MUSTANGS IN THE NSIC STATS   
•In NSIC games only (Feb. 20), Jake Phipps ranks first in the league in field goal pct. (57.7), third in blocked shots (1.4), ninth in rebounding (6.8), 10th scoring (16.2) and 11th in free throw pct. (80.6).
•Senior Cliff Cofield is second in steals (1.6), eighth in assists (3.8), and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9)
•SMSU ranks tied for first in field goal pct. (48.8), second in field goal pct. defense (41.3), third in free throw pct. (78.6), third in defense (69.7) and sixth in 3-point field goal pct. (34.7).

    SMSU IN THE NCAA STATS   
•In the latest Division II national statistics (Feb. 20), SMSU ranks 19th in field goal pct. defense (41.1), 30th in turnovers per game (10.5), 33rd in free throw pct. (76.4), 37th in scoring defense (67.9), 49th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and 53rd in field goal pct. (47.2).
•Aeron Stevens ranks 50th in free throw attempts (138) and 72nd in free throws made (102).
•Cliff Cofield ranks 31st in steals (49) and 70th in free throw pct. (85.4).
•Jake Phipps ranks 33rd in field goal pct. (56.4) and 49th in field goals made (163).
•SMSU in the latest NCAA stats can be found on page 15.

    PHIPPS MOVING UP IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOKS
•Senior Jake Phipps ranks seventh in team history with 1,462 points in 121 games. He nine points away from tying Chad Koenen (1997-2002) for sixth all-time.
•He is also second all-time in blocked shots (146), fifth in field goal pct. (56.2, 595 of 1,059), fifth in field goals made (595) and ninth in rebounds (704).

    COFIELD IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Cliff Cofield, who earlier this season became the 27th player in team history to score 1,000 career points, ranks second in program history in steals (176), third in assists (374) and 20th in scoring (1,104).

    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.
•Phipps has reached 20 points six times this season and 17 times in his career; Omot has reached the 20-point mark twice this season and 15 times in his career, including one 30-point game; while Stevens has reached the mark three times this season.
•Cofield has recorded three 20-point games this season, including a career-high 31 versus Truman State.
20 or More Point Games This Season
    31    Cliff Cofield    Truman State, 11/26/23
    27    Aeron Stevens    Winona State, 2/3/24
    26    Aeron Stevens    UMary, 1/26/24
    24    Jake Phipps    St. Cloud State, 1/6/24
    23    Cliff Cofield    Concordia-St. Paul, 2/10/24
    23    Jake Phipps    Minnesota State, 2/2/24
    23    Dunwa Omot    Bemidji State, 1/5/24
    22    Jake Phipps    Minnesota Duluth, 12/9/23
    21    Jake Phipps    Bemidji State, 2/17/24
    21    Jake Phipps    MSU Moorhead, 1/12/24
    21    Aeron Stevens    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/8/23
    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

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has played in 24 games with 10 starts and is averaging 5.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Missed two games with an injury.  
•Grabbed career-high nine rebounds vs. Winona State (2/3/24).
•Dished out career-high six assists vs. Northern State (1/27/24).
•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.  
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES
•Has started all 26 games and is scoring 7.1 ppg and is second on the team averaging 5.0 rpg.
•Tied career-high with 10 rebounds vs. St. Cloud State (1/6/24).
•Connected on three 3-pointers and 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).

    CLIFF COFIELD NOTES
•Changed last name from McCray to Cofield this past summer.
•Has started all 26 games and is averaging 11.7 ppg with a team-high 96 assists.
•Reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 6.
•Scored 23 points with nine field goals at Concordia-St. Paul (2/10/24).
•Scored career-high 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting with five 3-pointers vs. Truman State (11/26/23).
•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 26 games with 22 starts and is averaging 6.7 ppg with 38 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 23 games with 20 starts and is averaging 10.5 ppg with a team high 44 3-pointers. Missed three games and most of a fourth earlier this season with an injury.
•Reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 9.
•Named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 8, 2024.
•Scored season-high 23 points with five 3-pointers vs. Bemidji State (1/5/24).
•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 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 26 games and leads the team in rebounding (6.7), scoring (15.6), field goal pct. (56.4) and blocked shots (31).
•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 after starting all 28 games and averaging 13.3 ppg and a team-high 7.0 rpg.
•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 four games this season and has scored six points.

    MEKHI SHAW NOTES
•Has played in all 26 games and is averaging 5.3 ppg with 38 assists.
•Scored career-high 13 points on 6 of 6 shooting at Concordia-St. Paul (2/10/24).
•Has scored 10 points in three other games.  
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has played in all 26 games and is averaging 12.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
•Set program record for free throws made and free throw attempts by a freshman. Previous mark set in 1967-68.
•Scored career-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).  
•Scored 21 points with seven field goals vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/8/23).
•Only true freshman expected to play this season for SMSU.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has played in eight games and has scored six points.
•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 7-2 at home this season and has a home record of 126-66 since head coach Brad Bigler took over in 2009-10.
•SMSU, which is 9-8 in road/neutral site games in 2023-24, is 111-121 in 232 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    7-2    50.2    32.6    77.8    35.3    77.1    9.6    
Away    9-8    45.9    37.3    75.5    33.6    71.2    11.0    

    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 258-113 (.695) in 371 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    7-2    7-2    0-0
    Totals    258-113    174-85    84-28

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAMES
•SMSU has made at least one 3-point field goal in 742 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 412-447 in 859 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 1,568 games compiling an all-time record of 729-839.
•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 MINOT STATE
•The Beavers are 19-7 overall, 14-6 NSIC, and snapped a three-game losing streak last Saturday with a 70-67 home win over Concordia-St. Paul.
•Senior guard Khari Broadway averages a team-high 13.5 ppg with a team-leading 70 assists.  
•Senior forward Connor Hollenbeck leads the club with 6.9 rpg and is scoring 11.3 ppg.
•Junior guard Jaxon Gunville had made a team-high 69 3-pointers and is scoring 10.5 ppg.
•MSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.5 in rebound margin.
•MSU is averaging 79 points per game, while opponents are averaging 68 points per game.
•Head coach Matt Murken is in his 12th season with a record of 159-163.
 
    SCOUTING MSU MOORHEAD
•The Dragons are 22-4 overall, 16-4 NSIC, and will play at Sioux Falls on Friday night. MSUM lost its last game, 83-76, at home to Augustana last Saturday night.  
•MSUM ranks No. 1 in Division II in turnovers per game (8.9).
•Junior guard Jacob Beeninga is averaging a team-high 17.5 points with a team-high 57 3-pointers and a team-high 73 assists.
•Junior guard Ja'Kair Sanchez averages 12.7 ppg with 24 3-pointers.
•Senior forward Dane Zimmer leads the team with 9.3 rpg and is shooting 60 percent from the field.
•MSUM is shooting 44 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-3.2 in rebound margin.
•MSUM is averaging 79 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 points per game.
•Head coach Tim Bergstraser is in his second season with a record of 49-9. He was an assistant coach at MSUM for four seasons prior to taking over as head coach.