SMSU MEN’S BASKETBALL: Mustangs prepare for their first roadtrip this season this weekend
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MARSHALL - The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team (6-3, 1-2 NSIC) will play its first games away from the R/A Facility this season taking on a pair of NSIC North Division teams on Friday and Saturday.
•On Friday, SMSU will take on St. Cloud State University (7-2, 2-1 NSIC) with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. at Halenback Hall.
•SMSU concludes the weekend on Saturday battling the University of Minnesota Duluth (5-2, 2-1 NSIC) with game time slated for 5:30 p.m. at Romano Gymnasium.
•SCSU received votes in this week’s NABC Top 25 poll.
•UMD assistant coach Casey Bruggeman is the older brother of SMSU senior guard Ryan Bruggeman.
Broadcast Info
•Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.
Series History vs.
St. Cloud State
•SMSU and St. Cloud State meet for the 63rd time on Friday with SCSU leading 40-22.
•The teams first met during the 1969-70 season.
•SMSU won both games last season, including 82-59 in St. Cloud during NSIC play. SMSU also won 73-66 in the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SCSU leads 24-8 in games played in St. Cloud.
•SMSU has won the last three games in the series overall.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 6-9 all-time versus SCSU.
Series History vs. Minnesota Duluth
•SMSU and Minnesota Duluth meet for the 85th time on Saturday with UMD leading 51-33.
•The teams first met during the 1972-73 season.
•SMSU won last season’s lone meeting, 68-65 in Duluth
•UMD leads 33-9 in games played in Duluth, but SMSU has won six of the last eight at Romano Gym.
•SMSU has won 14 of the last 16 games overall since the 2005-06 season.
•UMD’s two victories since Dec. 12, 2004, came on Jan. 20, 2012, and Jan. 30, 2016, both in Duluth.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 11-2 all-time versus UMD.
Bruggeman
moves into
Top 2 in scoring
•Ryan Bruggeman now ranks second in the SMSU career scoring list with 1,604 points in 105 games. He is 34 points from tying Jacob Fahl (1999-2003) for first place in team history with 1,638 points.
NSIC South vs. NSIC North
•This weekend will be the first two of eight games versus NSIC North Division teams this season.
•SMSU finished 7-1 versus the NSIC North Division in conference play last season and are a combined 32-16 versus North teams in conference play since divisions were introduced prior to the start of the 2012-13 season.
•SMSU’s 7-1 record last season was its best finish versus the North since divisions were formed.
•SMSU finished 6-2 in 2016-17, 3-5 in 2015-16; 5-3 in 2014-15; 5-3 in 2013-14; and 6-2 in 2012-13.
•The NSIC South holds a 234-150 advantage over NSIC North teams in conference play since divisions were formed in 2012-13, including finishing 38-26 last season.
•The South Division has held the advantage in every season. In 2016-17, the South finished 35-29; 2015-16, the South led 37-27; in 2014-15, the South finished 35-29; in 2013-14, the South finished 42-22, while in 2012-13, the South went 47-17.
Mustangs
Tip-Off Tidbits
•SMSU has scored 90 or more points in five games.
•SMSU has shot 49 percent or higher in each of its six victories, but have shot 44 percent (ESU), 36 percent (USF) and 41 percent (MSU) in its three losses.
•SMSU has scored 100 or more points twice this season. The last time SMSU reached 100 twice in a season came in 2015-16. The last time SMSU scored 100 or more three times in a season occurred during the 2000-01 season.
•SMSU made a season-high with 39 field goals versus Crown College on Nov. 24.
•SMSU shot 60 percent from the field versus Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 19. It was the second time SMSU shot 60 percent or higher in a game this season.
Scouting
St. Cloud State
•SCSU is 7-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC, after defeating both UMary and Minot State on the road last weekend.
•SCSU was picked as the co-favorite to win the NSIC overall title and the favorite to win the North Division title in the preseason coaches’ poll.
•Senior All-American guard Gage Davis, is averaging 22 ppg with 15 3-pointers and also leads the team with 9.0 rpg.
•Junior forward Sean Smith is averaging 14.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg.
•Senior guard Brindley Theisen is scoring 13.7 ppg and has connected on a team-high 28 3-pointers.
•SCSU is shooting 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 65 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.1 in rebound margin.
•SCSU is averaging 83 points per game, while opponents are averaging 74 points per game.
•Head coach Matt Reimer is in his fifth season with a record of 81-53.
Scouting
Minnesota Duluth
•UMD (5-2, 2-1 NSIC) split road games last weekend, beating Minot State, before losing in overtime to UMary. UMD will host Sioux Falls on Friday.
•Junior forward Brandon Myer is averaging 19.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
•Senior forward Sean Burns is scoring 12.7 ppg with 7.7 rpg, while shooting 60 percent from the field.
•Junior guard Logan Rohrscheib has made a team-high .
•UMD is shooting 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 71 percent from the free throw line and is plus-6.5 in rebound margin.
•UMD is averaging 78 points per game, while opponents are averaging 65 points per game.
•Justin Wieck is in his first season as head coach with a record of 5-2. He was previously an assistant coach at MSU Moorhead the past four seasons.
2018-19 NCAA Statistics
•The Mustangs rank second in the country in 3-point field goal pct., 10th in free throw pct., 19th in field goal pct., 34th in scoring and 40th in 3-pointers made per game.
•Ryan Bruggeman ranks 10th in assists per game, 13th in scoring, 13th in total assists, 17th in field goals made and 22nd in free throws made.
•Steven McNease ranks 20th in rebounds per game.
SMSU true
“Road Warriors” last few seasons
•SMSU finished 13-7 away from Marshall last season, including 8-5 in “true” road games and 5-2 in neutral site games.
•SMSU finished 12-3 in “true” road games during the 2016-17 season, recording the most road wins in team history.
Content courtesy
of SMSU Athletic
Communications