THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (12-5, 8-2 NSIC), currently tied for first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with St. Cloud State, continues its four-game homestand this Friday and Saturday facing MSU Moorhead (10-8, 7-5 NSIC) and the University of Minnesota Crookston (3-14, 1-10 NSIC) inside the R/A Facility in Marshall. 
•SMSU takes on MSUM on Friday with game time set for 7:30 p.m., while on Saturday the Mustangs will face UMC with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. for the annual 'Tropical Night' game. 
•SMSU, which has won 10 of its last 11 games, is coming off a home sweep last weekend defeating Minot State, 72-60, and UMary, 76-48. SMSU did not trail in either game and has not trailed an opponent in its last four games. 
•SMSU has a 10-2 league record for second straight season. Last season, SMSU held a 12-2 league mark after 14 games on its way to winning a share of the NSIC championship. 
•MSUM is currently in a three-way tie atop the NSIC North Division. 

    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.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MSU MOORHEAD 
•SMSU and MSUM meet for the 111th time with MSUM leading 64-46 in a series that started during the 1968-69 season.
•MSUM has won five of the last six games, including earlier this season, 78-68, on Nov. 29 in a non-conference game in St. Paul, Minn., 
•SMSU won the lone meeting between the two teams last season in Marshall, 59-53, snapping MSUM's two-game winning streak inside the R/A Facility. MSUM holds a 27-25 advantage in games played in Marshall.  
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-14 all-time versus MSUM.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MINNESOTA CROOKSTON 
•SMSU and UMC meet for the 43rd time with SMSU leading 37-5 in a series that started in 1994-95.
•SMSU leads the series 34-3 since UMC joined the NSIC in 1999-2000, including winning twice last season, 70-44, in Crookston and 77-62 in Marshall. 
•SMSU is 19-2 all-time in games played in Marshall. UMC earned victories in Marshall on Jan. 21, 2022, and in the first-ever game between the two teams during the 1994-95 season.  
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 15-2 all-time versus UMC.

    BRAATEN NAMED TO BEVO FRANCIS TOP 100 WATCH LIST
•Senior Jakob Braaten was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List on Jan. 15 by Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee.
•This award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball. The list highlights many of the nation's top student-athletes competing across NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA programs. 
• Braaten is the second SMSU player to be recognized for the award since its inception during the 2015-16 season. Ryan Bruggeman was named to the Francis Top 50 Watch List in 2019.

    SMSU BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU has five players averaging double figures in scoring with senior Jakob Braaten averaging a team-high 15.7 ppg. He also leads the team in field goals (98), assists (88) and rebounding (6.0), while ranking third in steals (30).
•Redshirt freshman Micah Schlaak ranks second in scoring at 12.6 ppg, while ranking first with 38 3-pointers. 
•Junior Mekhi Shaw ranks third averaging 11.8 ppg and has registered a team-high 40 steals and is second with 43 assists. 
•Junior Aeron Stevens ranks fourth on the team averaging 11.3 ppg.    
•Senior Mason Lund is scoring 10.6 ppg, while ranking second with 32 3-pointers and second with 4.8 rpg.  
•SMSU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 72 percent from the free throw line and is even in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 67 ppg.

    MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS   
•Micah Schlaak scored a career-high 23 points with nine field goals including five 3-pointers versus UMary last Saturday. 
•SMSU made a season-high 16 3-pointers in the win over UMary on Saturday. 
•Calvin Buss pulled down a season-high eight rebounds versus UMary on Saturday. 
•SMSU limited UMary to 29.8 percent shooting last Saturday. It was the first time SMSU held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting since Feb. 23, 2024, versus Minot State (28.6). 
•Jakob Braaten became the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in SMSU's win over Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 10.  
•SMSU has won four straight road games and is 5-2 in true road games this season. 
•SMSU's 6-1 start in conference play was its best record to open league play since the 2016-17 season. 

    SMSU IN NCAA & NSIC STATS   
•As of Jan. 19, SMSU ranks third in Division II in fouls per game (13.0), second in 3-point field goal pct. (41.7), 33rd in blocks per game (4.4), 34th in scoring defense (67.4) and 42nd in turnovers per game (11.4). Jakob Braaten ranks 22nd in Division II in total assists (88) and 26th in assists per game (5.2). Mekhi Shaw is 20th in steals (40), while Micah Schlaak is 40th in blocks (26). A complete listing of where SMSU ranks in the latest NCAA statistics can be found on pages 15-16. 
•In the latest NSIC rankings (league games only), SMSU ranks first in field goal pct., first in 3-point field goal pct., first in scoring defense, second in opponent field goal pct. and second in opponent 3-point field goal pct. 
•Braaten ranks third in assists, fourth in field goal pct., fifth in steals, 10th in scoring and 11th in rebounding. 
•Mason Lund ranks third in 3-point field goal pct. and 11th in 3-pointers per game; Shaw ranks third in steals; while Micah Schlaak ranks first in steals, third in blocked shots and ninth in 3-point field goals per game. 

    BRAATEN SETS SINGLE-GAME RECORD
•Senior Jakob Braaten set a school single-game record on Dec. 8 dishing out 17 assists in SMSU's win over North Central University. He broke the previous record of 15 held by Marques Pena set during the 2000-01 season. 
•The 17 assists are the highest single-game total in Division II this season and is tied for second among all three NCAA divisions.   

    THREE MUSTANGS MOVE UP IN TEAM RECORD BOOK  
•Senior Jakob Braaten ranks fifth in team history in assists (323) and sixth in steals (142). 
•Junior Mekhi Shaw is ninth in steals (130). 
•Junior Aeron Stevens ranks tied for ninth all-time in free throws made (260) and 10th in free throws attempted (354). 
•See chart on page 4.

    SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER 
•Head coach Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 17th season with an overall record of 273-204, including 190-155 in NSIC play.  
•SMSU has played in five NCAA tournaments (2012, 2017, 2018, 2024, 2025) during his tenure as head coach. 
•SMSU won a share of the 2024-25 NSIC regular season championship, captured 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 under Bigler (2010, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019). 
•The 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to 11 winning seasons, with one 28-win season, one 25-win season, and four seasons of 19-or-more victories. 
•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. 
•Bigler's complete bio is found on page 17.

    BRAATEN EARNS NSIC AND NABC WEEKLY HONOR
•Senior Jakob Braaten was named the NABC/D2CIDA National Player of the Week on Dec. 16 and the NSIC South Division Player of the Week on Dec. 15. He is the first SMSU player in team history to earn national player of the week accolades. 
•Braaten averaged 16.3 points, 10 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 steals, while shooting 68 percent (19 of 28) from the field and a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line in three games.

    MUSTANGS OPEN SEASON RANKED NO. 9 
•SMSU opened the season ranked No. 9 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 preseason poll released on Oct. 28. 
•The No. 9 ranking is the highest for the program in the NABC poll since being ranked No. 9 on March 3, 2009. 
•SMSU was ranked in the NABC Top 25 poll eight times during the 2024-25 season, including a season-best No. 13 on Jan. 28, 2025.

    SMSU PICKED TO WIN NSIC; BRAATEN EARNS HONOR 
•SMSU was picked to win both the South Division and overall title in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Senior guard Jakob Braaten was named the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year. 

    MUSTANG CAREER 20-POINT GAMES 
•Six current SMSU players: senior Jakob Braaten, senior Mason Lund, junior Aeron Stevens, junior Mekhi Shaw, junior Steven Kramer and redshirt freshman Micah Schlaak have scored 20 or more points in a game during their careers.
•Stevens has reached the 20-point mark 11 times, (twice this season), Braaten 12 times (six this season), Lund four times (twice this season), Shaw twice (both this season), Kramer twice a season ago, while Schlaak has reached the mark twice this season. 
20 or More Point Games in 2025-26
    27    Jakob Braaten    Concordia-St. Paul, 12/13
    26    Aeron Stevens    Nebraska Kearney, 11/16
    23    Micah Schlaak    UMary, 1/17
    23    Mekhi Shaw    Minnesota State, 12/18
    22    Jakob Braaten    Sioux Falls, 1/3
    22    Mekhi Shaw    Sioux Falls, 1/3
    22    Jakob Braaten    Wayne State, 12/6
    22    Jakob Braaten    Sioux Falls, 11/25
    21    Mason Lund    Bemidji State, 1/9
    21    Micah Schlaak    Winona State, 12/14
    21    Aeron Stevens    MSU Moorhead, 11/29
    20    Jakob Braaten    Minnesota Duluth, 1/10
    20    Mason Lund    Augustana, 12/4
    20    Jakob Braaten    MSU Moorhead, 11/29
    
    BRAYSON BOIKE NOTES 
•Has played in 17 games with six starts and is averaging 4.4 ppg with 14 3-pointers. Has made two 3-pointers in three games. 
•Season-high 11 points and seven rebounds vs. North Central (12/8).

    JAKOB BRAATEN NOTES 
•Named to Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List in January. 
•Named 2025-26 NSIC Preseason South Division Player of the Year. 
•Named 2024-25 All-NSIC first team. 
•Has started all 17 games and is averaging a team-high 15.7 ppg.
•Has scored 20 or more points in six games this season.  
•Scored career-high 27 points at Concordia (12/13/25). 
•Dished out team single-game record 17 assists vs. North Central (12/8). 
•Sat out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt. 

    CALVIN BUSS NOTES 
•Has played in 17 games with one start and is averaging 2.4 rpg and 2.0 ppg.
•Pulled down season-high eight rebounds vs. UMary (1/17). 
•Season-high six points vs. Sioux Falls (1/3).  
•Played in 29 games with one start last season and averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg. 
•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.

    REECE KIRCHER NOTES 
•Has played in one game vs. North Central (12/8).

    BUAY KOAK NOTES 
•Has played in three games and has scored seven points. 
•Scored four points vs. North Central (12/8). 
•Made 3-pointer at Bemidji State (1/9). 
•Played in three games last season.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    STEVEN KRAMER NOTES 
•Has not played in a game this season due to injury. 
•Started all 30 games and averaged 9.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg a season ago.
•Tied career-high with 21 points, including 10 of 10 from the free throw line at Wayne State (2/11).
•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 four games this season.
•Scored two points vs. North Central (12/8) and two points vs. UMary (1/17). 
•Played in three game last season grabbing two rebounds at Minnesota Crookston (1/3) and scoring two points vs. Northern State (1/17) and at Northern State (2/22). 
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.

    MASON LUND NOTES 
•Has started all 17 games and is averaging 10.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Has made 32 3-pointers. 
•Poured in career-high 21 points with five 3-pointers at Bemidji State (1/9/26). 
•Scored 20 points with six 3-pointers at Augustana (12/4).  
•Grabbed season-high 10 rebounds vs. St. Cloud State (12/20). 
•Started all 30 games last season averaging 9.1 ppg with a team-high 5.9 rpg, while ranking second on the team with 49 3-pointers. 
•Pulled down career-high 17 rebounds at Upper Iowa (11/24/24). 

    LANDON POKORSKI NOTES 
•Has played 17 games with 11 starts and is averaging 5.1 ppg with 17 3-pointers.  
•Scored season-high 12 points vs. Wayne State (12/6) with four 3-pointers. 
•Only true freshman to play last season appearing in 15 games averaging 4.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg with 14 3-pointers. 
•Scored career-high 13 points with three 3-pointers at Bemidji State (1/24/25).  

    ISAIAH SCHAFER NOTES 
•Has played in four games averaging 5.3 ppg with seven 3-pointers.
•Made a pair of 3-pointers vs. Bemidji State (1/9). 
•Scored nine points with three 3-pointers vs. North Central (12/8). 
•Sat out the 2024-25 season as a redshirt. 

    CALEB SCHLAAK NOTES 
•Has played in six games scoring seven points.
•Scored five points with three rebounds vs. North Central (12/8). 
•Played in 26 games last season averaging 3.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg.
•Scored career-high 11 points with a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Concordia-St. Paul (12/7/24).   
•Scored nine points on 4 of 4 shooting vs. Briar Cliff (11/30/24). 
•Transfer from Truman State (Mo.) playing in five games during the 2022-23 season. 

    MICAH SCHLAAK NOTES 
•Has played in all 17 games with 11 starts and is averaging 12.6 ppg, while making a team-high 38 3-pointers. 
•Scored career-high 23 points with five 3-pointers vs. UMary (1/17/26). 
•Scored 21 points with five 3-pointers at Winona State (12/14/25). 
•Redshirted during the 2024-25 season.

    MEKHI SHAW NOTES 
•Has played all 17 games with six starts and is averaging 11.8 ppg with 43 assists and team-high 36 steals.  
•Scored career-high 23 points with 10 field goals vs. Minnesota State (12/18/25). 
•Played in all 30 games a season ago with six starts while averaging 7.9 ppg and 2.0 rpg and leading the team with 53 steals and finishing second with 76 assists.  
•Redshirted during the 2022-23 season.

    AERON STEVENS NOTES 
•Has started 16 games and is averaging 11.3 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Missed one game due to injury. 
•Scored 26 points on 9 of 16 shooting versus Nebraska Kearney (11/16). 
•Started 29 games last season and averaged 13.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Missed one game due to injury. 
•Named 2024-25 All-NSIC second team. 
•Tied career-high with five 3-pointers vs. Minot State (1/11/25). 
•Scored career-high 29 points vs. Fort Hays State (11/8/24) with 14 free throws made. 
•Played in all 32 games in 2023-24 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 in 2023-24. 

    LUKE STEVENS NOTES 
•Has played in two games and scored two points with two rebounds vs. North Central (12/8).

    HOME AND AWAY IN 2025-26 
•SMSU is 6-1 at home this season and has a home record of 146-71 since head coach Brad Bigler started in 2009-10. 
•SMSU, which is 6-4 road/neutral site games this season, is 127-133 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 2025-26: 
        W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    6-1    51.6    45.8    65.8    33.1    78.1    12.7
Away    6-4    46.2    38.5    76.3    33.3    73.4    10.5     

    HOME SWEET HOME 
•The 2025-26 season marks the 30th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU men's basketball. 
•SMSU has an all-time record of 276-118 (.702) in 394 games with 25 winning seasons (including this season). 
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    12-3    8-3    4-0
    2025-26    4-1    3-1    1-0
    Totals    276-118    186-90    90-28

    MUSTANGS AND THE CENTURY MARK 
•SMSU scored 104 points in a 104-68 win over North Central University earlier this season. 
•SMSU is 42-8 all-time when scoring 100 points, including 10-2 under head coach Brad Bigler. 

    WORKING OVERTIME 
•SMSU is 1-0 in overtime games this season following a 69-66 non-conference win over Jamestown on Nov. 30, 2025.
•The overtime win snapped a five-game overtime losing streak dating back to Feb. 17, 2022. 
•SMSU is 52-45 all-time in overtime games. 
•SMSU is 8-6 in double overtime and 1-3 in triple overtime games all-time. 

    2024-25 DEFENSE STRONG ONCE AGAIN    
•For the third straight season in 2024-25, SMSU closed NSIC play (22 games) ranking first in the league in scoring defense (66.0) and field goal pct. defense (41.5). 
•In 2023-34, SMSU opponents shot 41.1 percent ranking as the second lowest in team history. The 2022-23 team holds the school record at 39.9 percent.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
•SMSU made its seventh NCAA tournament appearance in program history last season since moving to Division II in 1996.
•SMSU, 9-7 all-time in NCAA tournament games, has appeared in three region championship games winning titles and advancing to the Elite Eight in 2001 and 2009. 
•SMSU hosted the Central Region Tournament in 2009.   

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC 
•The 2025-26 campaign is the 57th season  SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. 
•SMSU has an all-time record of 439-456 in 895 conference games, finishing in the top half of the standings 28 times in 56 seasons. 
•SMSU has won three regular season championships (2000-01, 2008-09 and 2024-25), two South Division titles (2016-17, 2017-18) and two tournament championships (2012, 2017). 

    MUSTANG HISTORY 
•SMSU is in its 59th season of men's basketball in 2025-26 and has played 1,621 games compiling a record of 765-856. 
•SMSU has won three NSIC regular season championships (2001, 2009, 2025), two NSIC South Division championships (2017 & 2018), two NSIC tournament championships (2012, 2017), two NCAA region championships (2001 & 2009) and has appeared in seven NCAA tournaments (2001, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2024, 2025).
•SMSU has recorded 28 winning seasons in program history with 21 coming in the last 28 years. 

    SCOUTING MSU MOORHEAD
•The Dragons are 10-8 overall, 7-5 NSIC, and are tied for first place in the NSIC North Division. MSUM started the season winning seven of its first 10 games.   
•Junior guard Dominic Gooden averages 14.2 ppg and has connected on 34 3-pointers. 
•Freshman guard Isa El-Amin is scoring 12.6 ppg with 60 assists. 
•MSUM is shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-3.3 in rebound margin.
•MSUM is averaging 86 points per game, while opponents are averaging 85 points per game.
•Head coach Jason Kemp is in his first season with a 10-8 record. He most recently was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota.   

    SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
•The Golden Eagles, 3-14 overall, 1-10 NSIC, will play a make-up game at Wayne State on Wednesday and then play at Sioux Falls on Friday before facing SMSU. 
•Freshman guard Donez Lindsey is scoring 14.4 ppg and has dished out a team-high 52 assists, while making a team-high 36 3-pointers. 
•Junior forward Kazadi Mukoma is averaging 13.3 ppg with 30 3-pointers.
•UMC is shooting 40 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is minus-2.0 in rebound margin.
•UMC is averaging 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 80 points per game.
•Head coach Bryan Beamish is in his fourth season with a 16-85 record. He was an assistant at UMC for eight seasons prior to being named head coach.