Independent file photo SMSU’s Ryan Bruggeman drives past a Minnesota State University, Mankato defender during their Feb. 16, 2018 game. SMSU will face the Mavericks on Saturday.

MARSHALL – The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team (8-6, 3-5 NSIC) continues play versus NSIC South Division teams this weekend with a pair of road games.

•Today, SMSU will take on Concordia-St. Paul (6-7, 1-7 NSIC) with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul.

•SMSU closes the weekend on Saturday, taking on NSIC South-leading Minnesota State University (11-3, 7-1 NSIC) at the Taylor Center in Mankato with game time slated for 5:30 p.m.

•SMSU is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping home games last weekend to Augustana (85-72) and Wayne State (75-68).

•It was the first time SMSU was swept in a conference home weekend since Jan. 8-9, 2016, versus Upper Iowa and Winona State.

•SMSU senior guard Ryan Bruggeman has scored 1,141 points in 74 career conference games. He is 23 points shy of tying Jordan Miller (2009-13) for the most points scored by a Mustang player in conference play in team history. Miller’s 1,164 points in NSIC games ranked 17th in conference history prior to the 2018-19 season. Bruggeman is on pace to move into the Top 10 in the NSIC career scoring record book.

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. CSP

•SMSU and CSP meet for the 41st time on Friday with SMSU leading 30-10 in a series that began during the 1980-81 season.

•CSP joined the NSIC prior to the 1999-2000 season.

•SMSU is 12-7 all-time in games played in St. Paul, including winning the last two meetings at the Gangelhoff Center.

•SMSU has won five straight overall and 13 of the last 16 since Feb. 11, 2011.

•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 13-6 all-time versus CSP.

Series history vs.

Minnesota State

•SMSU and MSU meet for the 61st time on Saturday with MSU leading 43-17 that started during the 1969-70 season.

•MSU leads 22-8 in games played in Mankato, including winning last season, 72-70.

•MSU has won five of the last six played in Mankato with SMSU’s lone win coming on Feb. 17, 2017.

•MSU has won 11 of the last 15 games overall since the 2012-13 season, but SMSU’s four victories have come in the last eight games.

•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 7-15 all-time versus MSU.

Scouting CSP

•CSP (6-8, 1-7 NSIC) earned its first NSIC win last Friday at UMary (66-61), before losing on Saturday at Minot State (88-75).

•Guard Isaiah McKay, a senior transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, is averaging 20.1 ppg with a team-best 37 3-pointers.

•Senior guard Bryndan Matthews is scoring 20.2 ppg and averaging a team-high 8.8 rpg, while shooting 63 percent.

•Freshman guard Hayden Baughman is averaging 8.5 ppg with 30 3-pointers.

•CSP is shooting 48 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, 70 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.5 in rebound margin.

•CSP is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents are averaging 84 points per game.

• Joey James is in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 49-84. He was the head coach at the University of South Dakota in 2013-14, finishing with a 12-18 record.

Scouting

Minnesota State

•MSU (11-3, 7-1 NSIC), the NSIC preseason co-favorite, has won four straight, including three NSIC games on the road.

•The Mavericks beat Minot State 82-76 in overtime last Friday, before earning a 90-83 win at UMary last Saturday.

•MSU will host Sioux Falls on Friday prior to taking on SMSU.

•Junior guard Kevin Krieger, who has missed the last six games with an injury, is averaging 15.1 ppg with a team-leading 9.3 rpg.

•Junior forward Cameron Kirksey is averaging a team-high 17 ppg and shooting 58.7 percent from the field.

•Senior guard Carlos Anderson is scoring 15.6 ppg with 6.4 rpg.

•Junior guard Juwan McCloud is averaging 13.6 ppg with a team-leading 44 assists.

•MSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.4 in rebound margin.

•Matt Margenthaler is in his 18th season with a record of 385-156. MSU has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 12 of the last 14 seasons.

Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications