THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (14-5, 12-2 NSIC), currently tied for first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with St. Cloud State, opens a four-game road swing this Friday and Saturday at the University of Jamestown (9-11, 7-7 NSIC) and Northern State University (7-13, 7-7 NSIC).
•SMSU takes on Jamestown on Friday with game time set for 7:30 p.m. inside Harold Newman Arena in Jamestown, N.D., while on Saturday the Mustangs will face Northern State with tip-off slated for 6 p.m. inside the Barnett Center in Aberdeen, S.D.
•SMSU has won six straight games and 12 of its last 13. The 12-1 mark is the program's best since in a 13-game stretch since the 2016-17 squad opened the season 13-1.
•SMSU received eight votes in this week's NABC Top 25 poll.
•Last season, SMSU held a 12-2 league mark after 14 games on its way to winning a share of the NSIC championship.
•SMSU head coach
Brad Bigler won his 275th career game last Saturday versus Minnesota Crookston.
•As of Jan. 26, SMSU ranks first in Division II in 3-point field goal pct. (41.5) and second in fouls per game (12.6).
•Both UJ and NSU are currently in a three-way tie for second place in 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 JAMESTOWN
•SMSU and Jamestown meet for the eighth time with SMSU leading 5-2 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•SMSU earned a 69-66 overtime non-conference victory over UJ earlier this season in St. Paul, Minn.
•SMSU is 1-1 in games played in Jamestown with the last meeting during the 1980-81 season.
•SMSU head coach
Brad Bigler is 2-0 all-time versus UJ.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTHERN STATE
•SMSU and Northern State meet for the 104th time with NSU leading 68-35 in series that started in 1972-73.
•SMSU has won four straight in the series, the longest streak for SMSU in the all-time series. SMSU won 103-71 last season in Aberdeen and 79-60 in Marshall.
•NSU leads 38-11 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 12-13 all-time versus NSU.
SMSU VERSUS JAMESTOWN THIS SEASON
•
Micah Schlaak scored a team-high 14 points with four 3-pointers to help SMSU earn a 69-66 overtime non-conference victory in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 30. SMSU trailed 45-35 with 10:28 left in regulation.
•The Jimmies were led by Ford Okehi's 17 points with three 3-pointers.
BRAATEN NAMED TO BEVO FRANCIS TOP 100 WATCH LIST
•Senior
Jakob Braaten was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List by Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee on Jan. 15.
•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 15.8 ppg. He also leads the team in field goals (113), assists (96) and rebounding (5.7), while ranking third in steals (33).
•Junior
Aeron Stevens ranks second on the team averaging 12.3 ppg.
•Redshirt freshman
Micah Schlaak is third in scoring at 12.1 ppg, while ranking first with 41 3-pointers.
•Junior
Mekhi Shaw ranks fourth averaging 11.3 ppg and has registered a team-high 45 steals and is second with 51 assists.
•Senior
Mason Lund is scoring 10.4 ppg, while ranking second with 35 3-pointers and second with 4.7 rpg.
•SMSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is plus-0.1 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 ppg.
MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•
Aeron Stevens scored a career-high 31 points in the win over Minnesota Crookston on Saturday and in the process became the 30th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points.
•SMSU committed eight turnovers versus MSU Moorhead and six turnovers versus UMC last weekend.
•SMSU has won four straight road games and is 5-2 in true road games this season. SMSU last won five straight 'true' road games during the 2016-17 season.
•SMSU limited UMary to 29.8 percent shooting on Jan. 17. 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 IN NCAA & NSIC STATS
•As of Jan. 27, SMSU ranks first in Division II in 3-point field goal pct. (41.5), second in fouls per game (12.6), 24th in scoring defense (66.4), 26th in blocks per game (4.5), 28th in field goal pct. (48.6) and 29th in turnovers per game (10.9).
•
Jakob Braaten ranks 20th in Division II in total assists (96) and 30th in assists per game (5.1).
Mekhi Shaw is 19th in steals (45), while
Micah Schlaak is 35th in steals (40) and 42nd in blocks (29). 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 third in opponent 3-point field goal pct.
•Braaten ranks third in assists, sixth in field goal pct., sixth in steals, ninth 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 (331) and sixth in steals (145).
•Junior
Mekhi Shaw is tied for seventh in steals (135).
•Junior
Aeron Stevens ranks ninth all-time in free throws made (271) and eighth in free throws attempted (370).
•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 275-204, including 192-155 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 12 times, (three this season with one 30-point game), Braaten 13 times (seven 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
31
Aeron Stevens Minnesota Crookston, 1/24
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 MSU Moorhead, 1/253
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 19 games with six starts and is averaging 4.3 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 19 games and is averaging a team-high 15.8 ppg.
•Has scored 20 or more points in seven 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 all 19 games with one start and is averaging 2.1 rpg and 2.7 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 four games and has scored 10 points.
•Scored four points vs. North Central (12/8).
•Has made two 3-pointers this season.
•Played in three games last season.
•Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt.
STEVEN KRAMER NOTES
•Sitting out 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 five 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 19 games and is averaging 10.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg, while connecting on 35 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 19 games with 13 starts and is averaging 5.1 ppg with 18 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 five games averaging 7.2 ppg with 12 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 15 points with five 3-pointers vs. Minnesota Crookston (1/24/25).
•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 seven games scoring nine 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 19 games with 13 starts and is averaging 12.1 ppg, while making a team-high 41 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 19 games with six starts and is averaging 12.1 ppg with 51 assists and team-high 45 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 17 games and is averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg. Missed one game due to injury.
•Scored career-high 31 points on 10 of 16 shooting vs. Minnesota Crookston (1/24/26).
•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 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 three games and scored two points with two rebounds vs. North Central (12/8).
HOME AND AWAY IN 2025-26
•SMSU is 8-1 at home this season and has a home record of 148-71 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 8-1 51.5 44.6 65.6 34.0 78.7 11.4
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 280-118 (.703) in 398 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 8-1 7-1 1-0
Totals 280-118 190-90 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 441-456 in 897 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 1,623 games compiling a record of 767-856.
•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 JAMESTOWN
•The Jimmies are 9-11 overall, 7-7 NSIC, and have lost four straight games.
•Senior guard Anthony Walters averages 19.2 ppg and is shooting 47 percent from the field with 54 3-pointers.
•Senior forward Owen Hektner has made 53 3-pointers and is averaging 13.1 ppg.
•UJ is shooting 44 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.6 in rebound margin.
•UJ is averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 77 points per game.
•Head coach Casey Bruggeman is in his second season with a 26-22 record. He previously was an assistant at South Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and UMary.
SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
•The Wolves, 7-13 overall, 7-7 NSIC, play host to Sioux Falls on Friday before facing SMSU.
•Junior guard Joshua Book is scoring 14.4 ppg and has dished out a team-high 85 assists, while making 30 3-pointers.
•Senior guard James Gleen is averaging 11.8 ppg with a team-high 39 3-pointers.
•NSU is shooting 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 75 percent from the free throw line and is minus-2.6 in rebound margin.
•NSU is averaging 74 points per game, while opponents are averaging 76 points per game.
•Head coach Matt Wilbur is in his first season at NSU. He was head coach at Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) for 11 seasons recording a mark of 224-125.
