THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (19-7, 14-6 NSIC), currently in a five-way tie for first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings, closes the regular season with a pair of road games this Friday and Saturday.
•SMSU will play at the University of Mary (5-24, 3-17 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 21, with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m. at the McDowell Activity Center is Bismarck, N.D., before closing the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 22, with a 4 p.m. game at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., inside Wachs Arena.
•SMSU defeated both teams earlier this season in Marshall, earning an 81-55 win over UMary on Jan. 18 and downing Northern State, 79-60, on Jan. 17.
•With two victories this weekend, SMSU would clinch a share of its first NSIC regular season championship since 2009 and third in team history. SMSU won NSIC South Division titles in both 2017 and 2018.
•SMSU is also looking to secure a first round bye in the 12-team NSIC tournament which begins on Feb. 26 at campus sites. The top four seeds in the tournament earn a bye and open the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., on March 1 or March 2.

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 IN THE NATIONAL TOP 25 POLLS
•SMSU is receiving votes in this week's NABC Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
•SMSU was 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, No. 15 on Jan. 21 and No. 13 on Jan. 28, No. 17 on Feb. 4, before dropping out on Feb. 11.
•SMSU is receiving votes in the Feb. 18 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Top 25 poll.
•SMSU is ranked No. 5 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 first official NCAA region rankings will be released this Wednesday, Feb. 19.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS UMARY
•SMSU and UMary meet for the 24th time with SMSU leading 18-5 in a series that started in 2005-06.
•SMSU leads 5-4 in games played in Bismarck, N.D., but UMary has won the previous two played at the McDowell Activity Center.
•SMSU's last win at UMary occurred on Feb. 4, 2017.
•SMSU won the earlier meeting this season in Marshall, 81-55, and has won seven of the last nine games since the 2016-17 season.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 12-5 all-time versus UMary.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTHERN STATE
•SMSU and Northern State meet for the 103rd time with NSU leading 68-34 in series that started in 1972-73.
•SMSU, which defeated NSU earlier this season in Marshall, 79-60, has won three straight in the series.
•NSU has won 12 the last 18 meetings overall since the 2014-15 season.
•NSU leads 38-10 in games played in Aberdeen and has won the last three at the Wachs Arena. SMSU's last win at NSU came on Jan. 27, 2018.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-13 all-time versus NSU.

MUSTANG WIN TOTAL RANKS 10TH HIGHEST IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU has reached 19 victories for the second straight season and the 10th time in the program's 58 seasons. Last season's team
won 19 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
•SMSU has recorded six 20-win seasons all-time with the last coming in 2017-18.

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 259-197,
including 178-153 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 four players averaging double figure scoring and five averaging nine points or more.
•Sophomore Aeron Stevens leads the team in scoring at 14.5 per game and is second in rebounding at 5.8 per game.
•Junior Jakob Braaten is averaging 14.5 ppg, has dished out a team-high 83 assists and is third in rebounding at 5.3 rpg.
•Senior Dunwa Omot is third in scoring at 12 ppg and is second on the team with 37 3-pointers. He missed five games with an injury but has played the last three games.
•Junior Mason Lund ranks first in rebounding at 6.1 per game, is fifth in scoring at 9.3 ppg and is first with 42 3-pointers.
•Sophomore Steven Kramer is fourth in scoring at 10 ppg.
•Sophomore Mekhi Shaw has recorded a team-high 49 steals, ranks second with 64 assists and is averaging 7.7 ppg.
•SMSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.9 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 ppg.

MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU made 30 of 34 free throws in the win over Minnesota Crookston on Saturday night. It's the first time SMSU has made 30 free throws in a game since making 33 versus Northern Michigan on Nov. 18, 2017.
•Aeron Stevens scored 26 points in last Saturday's win over UMC, reaching the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season.
•Dunwa Omot become the seventh player in team history to reach 200 career 3-pointers in SMSU's loss at Wayne State on Feb. 11.
•SMSU is 4-0 versus Top 25 teams this season which includes defeating a No. 1 ranked team for a second consecutive season.
•SMSU's 17-3 record following 20 games tied the 2016-17 team for the best mark in team history.

NCAA & NSIC STATISTICS
•In the Division II national statistics (Feb. 17), SMSU ranks fourth in fouls per game (12.7), 19th in field goal pct. defense (41.1), 22nd in scoring defense (66.4), 23rd in free throw pct. (77.1), 35th in turnovers per game (10.8) and 48th in 3-point field goal pct. defense (31.7).
•Mekhi Shaw ranks 43rd nationally in steals (49) and 75th in steals per game (1.8).
•In the NSIC stats (league games only), SMSU ranks first in scoring defense (66.0), first in field goal pct. defense (41.2), first in free throw pct. (77.5), first in 3-point field goal pct. defense (31.3), third in 3-point field goal pct. (37.2), third in steals (7.8), third in scoring margin (7.1) and fourth in field goal pct. (47.9).
•Jakob Braaten ranks fifth in field goal pct. (51.9), fifth in free throw pct. (82.4), sixth in steals (1.8), 11th in scoring (15.2) and 12th in assists (3.4).
•Steven Kramer ranks second in free throw pct. (86.9).
•Shaw ranks sixth in steals (1.8)

BRAATEN NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Junior guard Jakob Braaten was named NSIC Player of the Week on Jan. 13.
•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 26 games and is averaging 14.5 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
•Made 11 of 12 free throws vs. Minnesota Crookston (2/15).
•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 25 games with one start and is averaging 3.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg. Missed the Concordia-St. Paul game due to injury.
•Grabbed career-high nine rebounds at Wayne State (2/11/25).
•Scored career-high 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting in first career start vs. Briar Cliff (11/30/24).
•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 26 games and is averaging 10 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
•Tied career-high with 21 points, including 10 of 10 from the free throw line at Wayne State (2/11).
•Scored 21 points at Minnesota State (12/13/24).
•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 26 games and is averaging 9.3 ppg with a teamhigh 6.1 rpg, while ranking first on the team with 42 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 20 points at Bemidji State (1/24/25).
•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 played in 21 games with 20 starts and is averaging 12 ppg and is second on the team with 37 3-pointers.
•Missed five games with an injury.
•Scored 23 points at Sioux Falls (2/1) and vs. Augustana (1/30).
•Scored season-high 25 points with nine field goals vs. Minnesota Duluth (12/6).
•Has led the team in 3-pointers the past three seasons.
•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 and has played 11 games averaging 4.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg with 11 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 13 points with three 3-pointers at Bemidji State (1/24/25).

CALEB SCHLAAK NOTES
•Has played in 25 games and is averaging 3.1 ppg and 3.3 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 26 games with six starts and is averaging 7.6 ppg and 1.9 rpg.
•Leads team with 49 steals and is second with 64 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 25 games and is averaging 14.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Missed the Briar Cliff game due to injury.
•Has scored 20 or more points in five games this season.
•Tied career-high with five 3-pointers vs. Minot State (1/11/25).
•Recorded 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 2024-25
•SMSU is 12-3 at home this season and has a home record of 140-70 since head coach Brad Bigler started in 2009-10.
•SMSU, 7-4 in road/neutral site games this season, is 119-127 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     12-3  48.3   35.3     77.0  34.4  75.7  9.9
Away       7-4  46.4   36.1     77.3   34.5  70.6  12.1

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 427-454 in 881 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 and has played 1,600 games compiling a record of 751-849.
•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 UMARY
•The Marauders are 5-24 overall, 3-17 NSIC, and enter Friday's game having lost four straight and 15 of its last 16.
•Sophomore guard Jeremiah Jones averages 11.7 ppg and a team-high 6.8 rpg. He ranks second on the team with 37 3-pointers.
•Senior guard Kevin McGaskey has dished out a team-high 81 assists and is scoring 11.7 ppg with a team-leading 41 3-pointers.
•Junior forward Ty Rogers is scoring 10.6 ppg with 28 3-pointers.
•UMary is shooting 40 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, 65 percent from the free throw line and is minus5.9 in rebound margin.
•UMary is averaging 65 points per game, while opponents are averaging 78 points per game.
•Head coach Jack Nelson is in his fourth season at UMary with a record of 34-77. He was the associate head coach at the University of Sioux Falls for three seasons prior to UMary.

SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
•The Wolves, 2-24 overall, 1-19 NSIC, host Sioux Falls on Friday before closing the season versus SMSU. The Wolves' lone NSIC victory came at Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 6.
•Junior guard James Glenn is scoring 12.5 ppg with a team-high 61 3-pointers and leads the team with 46 steals.
•Freshman guard Marcus Burks is scoring 11.3 ppg with a team leading 105 assists.
•NSU is shooting 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, 62 percent from the free throw line and is minus6.6 in rebound margin.
•NSU is averaging 65 points per game, while opponents are averaging 78 points per game.
•Head coach Saul Phillips is in his sixth season with a record of 101-70. He has 316 career victories after serving as head coach at North Dakota State (2007-14) and Ohio University (2014-19).