THIS WEEK
•The nationally ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (17-3, 12-2 NSIC), currently in sole possession of first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings and on a season-high eight-game winning streak, will have a pair of games this week in Marshall and Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SMSU will host Augustana University (9-11, 6-8 NSIC) on Thursday night inside the R/A Facility in Marshall with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m., while on Saturday the Mustangs travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., to battle the University of Sioux Falls (11-9, 7-7 NSIC) with game time slated for 3:30 p.m. inside the Stewart Center.
•SMSU is ranked No. 9 in the D2CSC Top 25 poll and No. 13 in the NABC Top 25 both released on Tuesday.
•SMSU's 17-3 record is tied with the 2016-17 team for the best record after 20 games in team history. The 2016-17 team would eventually move to 17-3, but lost its 21st game of the season.
•Following play this weekend, SMSU will play at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 5 before hosting Winona State on Feb. 8.
•A preview for AU and USF 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 NSIC games can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SMSU RANKED IN NABC & D2CSC TOP 25 POLLS
•SMSU moved up two spots and is ranked No. 13 in this week's NABC Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.   
•SMSU, ranked No. 18 in the first regular season NABC poll on Nov. 19, dropped to No. 22 on Nov. 26, moved No. 18 on Dec. 3, was not ranked on Dec. 10, before moving back into the poll at No. 24 on Dec. 17. SMSU fell out of the poll on Dec. 31 and Jan. 7 before returning to No. 22 on Jan. 14 and No. 15 on Jan. 21.
•SMSU is ranked No. 9, moving up one spot, in the D2 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
•SMSU is No. 2 in this week's CSC Central Region poll. (Complete poll is listed on page 3). The CSC regional poll is not the official region rankings used by the NCAA. The official NCAA region rankings will be released starting Feb. 19.
•This week's NABC and CSC Top 25 polls can be found on pages 22-23.

    CURRENT WINNING STREAK LONGEST SINCE 2017-18
•SMSU's current eight-game winning streak is the program's longest since the 2017-18 team won 10 straight.
 
    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS AUGUSTANA
•SMSU and AU meet for the 48th time with AU leading 31-16 with the first meeting in 1972-73.
•AU won earlier this season in Sioux Falls, 62-59, and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings since the 2019-20 season.
•AU holds an 13-8 advantage in games played in Marshall and has won the previous eight meetings inside the R/A Facility. SMSU's last home win in the series occurred on Dec. 6, 2013.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-21 all-time versus Augustana.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU and USF meet for the 44th time with SMSU leading 27-16 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•SMSU has won 12 of the 19 games since the 2015-16 season, including four straight and six of the last seven since Feb. 21, 2021. SMSU won 84-72 earlier this season in Marshall.
•USF leads the series 12-7 in games played at USF, but SMSU has won the last two inside the Stewart Center.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 15-10 all-time versus USF.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 16th season as head coach with an overall record of 255-193, including 174-149 in NSIC play.  
•SMSU has played 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 10 winning seasons, including one 28-win season, one 25-win season and three 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 five players averaging double figures in scoring and six averaging 8.6 points or more.
•Sophomore Aeron Stevens is averaging a team-high 15.2 ppg and also leads the team averaging 6.3 rpg.  
•Junior Jakob Braaten has dished out a team-high 71 assists, is second in scoring at 14.6 ppg and is third in rebounding at 5.9 rpg.
•Senior Dunwa Omot is third in scoring at 10.9 ppg and is second on the team with 24 3-pointers. He has missed the last five games with an injury.
•Junior Mason Lund ranks second on team with 6.1 rpg, is fourth in scoring at 10.5 ppg and is first with 36 3-pointers.
•Sophomore Steven Kramer is fifth in scoring at 10.1 ppg.
•Sophomore Mekhi Shaw has recorded a team-high 43 steals, ranks second with 59 assists and is averaging 8.6 ppg.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.4 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 65 ppg.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•SMSU rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to defeat St. Cloud State last Saturday. It's the first time SMSU has rallied from a 15-point deficit and won since defeating Sioux Falls on Nov. 23, 2021.
•SMSU is 4-0 versus Top 25 teams this season which includes defeating a No. 1 ranked team for a second consecutive season.
•SMSU dished out a season-high 19 assists at Bemidji State.
•Landon Pokorski scored a career-high 13 points at Bemidji State.
•Mason Lund scored a career-high 20 points with four 3-pointers at Bemidji State.
•Dunwa Omot has missed the last five games with an injury.
•SMSU has shot the same or more free throws than its opponents in 17 of 20 games.

    NCAA & NSIC STATISTICS   
•In the Division II national statistics (Jan. 27), SMSU ranks second in fouls per game (12.3), 15th in field goal pct. defense (40.2), 15th in scoring defense (65.1), 25th in turnovers per game (10.7), 28th in free throw pct. (76.7) and 43rd in 3-point field goal pct. defense (31.0).
•Mekhi Shaw ranks 21st in steals (43) and 37th in steals per game (2.1).
•In the NSIC stats (league games only), SMSU ranks first in scoring defense (63.9), first in field goal pct. (49.9), first in field goal pct. defense (39.9), first in scoring margin (11.2), first in 3-point field goal pct. (39.3), first in 3-point field goal pct. defense (30.3) and first in free throw pct. (76.9) and second in steals (7.9).

    OMOT IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK    
•Senior Dunwa Omot ranks 14th in team history with 1,272 points and is 42 points from tying Kenny Byers (2017-22) for 13th on the all-time scoring list.
•He also ranks fifth in free throw pct. (84.1), seventh in 3-point field goals made (188) and tied for seventh in 3-point field goals attempted (466).

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
•Five current SMSU players: senior Dunwa Omot, junior Jakob Braaten, junior Mason Lund, sophomore Aeron Stevens and sophomore Steven Kramer have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Omot has reached the 20-point mark 19 times (three times this season), including one 30-point game, Stevens has reached the mark seven times, (three times this season), Braaten five times this season, while Lund and Kramer have done it once this season.
20 or More Point Games This Season
    29    Aeron Stevens    Fort Hays State, 11/8
    26    Jakob Braaten    Minnesota State, 12/13
    25    Jakob Braaten    UMary, 1/18
    25    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota Duluth, 12/6
    25    Aeron Stevens    Minnesota State, 11/16
    24    Jakob Braaten    Bemidji State, 1/24
    22    Jakob Braaten    Minot State, 1/11
    21    Steven Kramer    Minnesota State, 12/13
    21    Dunwa Omot    Minnesota State, 11/16
    20    Mason Lund    Bemidji State, 1/24
    20    Dunwa Omot    Sioux Falls, 12/21
    20    Aeron Stevens    Upper Iowa, 11/24
    20    Jakob Braaten    Upper Iowa, 11/24

    BRAATEN NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Junior guard Jakob Braaten was named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 13 for the first time in his career.
•Braaten averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals, while shooting 48 percent (15 of 31) from the field to help the Mustangs earn victories over MSU Moorhead and No. 4 ranked Minot State.

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES
•Has started all 20 games and is averaging 14.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg.
•Named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 13.
•Has scored 20 or more points five times this season.  
•Tied career-high with 10 field goals vs. UMary (1/18/25).
•Dished out career-high eight assists at Winona State (12/14/24).
•Scored a career-high 26 points at Minnesota State (12/13/24).
•Tied a career-high with nine rebounds at Augustana (12/19/24).
•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 19 games with one start and is averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg. Missed the Concordia-St. Paul game due to injury.
•Scored career-high 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting in first career start vs. Briar Cliff (11/30/24).
•Scored seven points with two 3-pointers vs. Fort Hays State (11/8).
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    NATHAN FENSKE NOTES
•Has played in two games and scored field goal vs. Northern State (1/17).
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    BUAY KOAK NOTES
•Has played in two games and is 0 for 1 from the field.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    STEVEN KRAMER NOTES
•Has started all 20 games and is averaging 10.1 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Season-high five assists at Minnesota Crookston (1/3).
•Scored career-high 21 points at Minnesota State (12/13/24).
•Scored 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.
•Closed the season dishing out 50 assists and recording 10 steals.

    ETHAN KOLTZ NOTES
•Has played in two game grabbing two rebounds at Minnesota Crookston (1/3) and scored two points vs. Northern State (1/17).
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES
•Has started all 20 games and is averaging 10.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg, while ranking first on the team with 36 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 20 points at Bemidji State (1/24/25).
•Scored 18 points with three 3-pointers vs. UMary (1/18).
•Scored 18 points with four 3-pointers at Winona State (12/14).
•Pulled down career-high 17 rebounds at Upper Iowa (11/24/24).
•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.

    DUNWA OMOT NOTES
•Has started 15 games and is averaging 10.9 ppg and is second on the team-lead with 24 3-pointers.
•Has missed the last five games with an injury.  
•Scored season-high 25 points vs. Minnesota Duluth with nine field goals.
•Has led the team in 3-pointers the past three seasons.
•Poured in 18 points with seven field goals vs. Briar Cliff (11/30).
•Scored season-high 21 points vs. Minnesota State (11/16).
•Played in 29 games with 26 starts last season and averaged 11 ppg with a team high 55 3-pointers.
•Named All-NSIC second team in 2022-23 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.
•Twice named NSIC Player of the Week during his career.

    LANDON POKORSKI NOTES
•Only true freshman to play this season having played in five games.
•Averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg with seven 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 13 points with three 3-pointers at Bemidji State (1/24/25).  

    CALEB SCHLAAK NOTES
•Has played in all 20 games and is averaging 3.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg.
•Scored career-high 11 points with a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/7).   
•Scored nine points on 4 of 4 shooting vs. Briar Cliff (11/30).
•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 20 games with five starts and is averaging 8.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg.
•Leads team with 43 steals and is second with 59 assists.  
•Tied career-high with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting versus Minot State (1/11/25).
•Scored 17 points with seven field goals, including three 3-pointers at Augustana (12/19/24).  
•Played in all 32 games a season ago and averaged 4.9 ppg with 44 assists.
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES
•Has started 19 games and is averaging 15.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Missed the Briar Cliff game due to injury.
•Tied career-high with five 3-pointers vs. Minot State (1/11/25).
•Has scored 20 or more points in three games this season.
•Recorded a double-double vs. Sioux Falls (12/21).
•Scored career-high 29 points vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24) with 14 free throws made.
•Poured in 25 points vs. Minnesota State (11/16).
•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 (127) and free throw attempts (174) in a season.
•Scored season-high 27 points with five 3-pointers vs. Winona State (2/3/24).
•Only true freshman to play in 2023-24.

    MATT THOMPSON NOTES
•Has played in two games scoring two points and pulling down two rebounds vs. Briar Cliff (11/30) and scoring a field goal vs. Northern State (1/17).
•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 11-1 at home this season and has a home record of 139-68 since head coach Brad Bigler started in 2009-10.
•SMSU, 6-2 in road/neutral site games this season, is 118-125 in 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    11-1    49.1    36.2    76.5    35.2    77.1    9.9     
Away    6-2    48.2    37.3    76.9    36.0    72.2    11.8     

    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 271-115 (.702) in 386 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    11-1    7-1    4-0
    Totals    271-115    182-87    89-28

    CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT GAME STREAK ENDS
•SMSU's consecutive game streak of making at least one 3-point field goal came to an end earlier this season 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.

    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.

    2023-24 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 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 425-450 in 875 conference games, finishing in the top half of the 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 1,594 games compiling a record of 749-845.
•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 AUGUSTANA
•The Vikings are 9-11 overall, 6-8 NSIC, and have lost three straight, two in overtime, following a six-game winning streak.
•Senior guard Tanner Te Slaa is averaging 14.9 ppg and a team-leading 6.0 rpg with 49 3-pointers.
•Senior forward Akoi Akoi is scoring 12.8 ppg while averaging 4.3 rpg and has made a team-high 103 field goals.  
•Sophomore guard Sam Rensch is averaging 11.1 ppg with 30 3-pointers.
•AU is shooting 44 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 68 percent from the free throw line and is minus-2.5 in rebound margin.
•AU is averaging 71 points per game, while opponents average 71 points per game.
•Head coach Cody Schilling is in his first season with a record of 9-11. He was an assistant coach at AU for three seasons prior to taking over as head coach. He served as head coach at Mount Marty (S.D.) from 2017-19, compiling a record of 10-48.  

    SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS
•The Cougars are 11-9 overall, 7-7 NSIC, and play at Wayne State on Thursday night. USF lost both games last weekend following a five-game winning streak.
•Redshirt freshman guard Taylen Ashley averages 13.3 ppg with 51 assists and 40 3-pointers.  
•Senior forward Noah Puetz is scoring 12.5 ppg with 54 assists.
•USF is shooting 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 70 percent from the free throw line and is plus-6.9 in rebound margin.
•USF is averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 74 points per game.
•Head coach Chris Johnson is in his 17th season at USF with a record of 278-206. He was also head coach at Culver-Stockton for one season (2004-05) and has 289 career victories.