Trending
This week
The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 regular season with a pair of games this Friday and Saturday in Claremore, Okla., at the Regional Challenge hosted by Rogers State University.
SMSU opens play on Friday taking on Rogers State at 6 p.m. The Mustangs close the weekend facing Newman University (Kan.) on Saturday starting at noon. Both games will be played at the Claremore Expo Center.
This is the second straight season SMSU has opened the season taking on Rogers State and Newman.
Both Rogers State and Newman are members of the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA).
Following this weekend's games, SMSU will open its home season on Saturday, Nov. 19, versus Truman State (Mo.).
Series history vs. Rogers State, Newman
SMSU will be meeting both Rogers State and Newman for the second time in program history after opening last season versus both teams in St. Paul.
Rogers State defeated SMSU, 63-54, in the season opener last year on Nov. 12. SMSU rebounded the next afternoon to defeat Newman, 84-58.
Season openers
SMSU is 29-26 all-time in season openers. It has won eight of its last 16 lid-lifters.
SMSU has lost its last two season openers and four of the last five, including last season versus Rogers State.
SMSU has opened the season on the road seven times in the last eight seasons.
SMSU head coach Brad Bigler
Brad Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 14th season as head coach and has an overall record of 205-165, including 138-129 in NSIC play. He earned his 200th career victory on Jan. 22, 2022, versus Bemidji State.
The 2012-13 and 2016-17 NSIC Coach of the Year, Bigler has led SMSU to seven winning seasons, including one 28-win season, one 25-win season and two 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, the most recent in 2019.
SMSU's 11th head coach, Bigler spent six seasons (2003-09) as an assistant coach at SMSU, including the last three as associate head coach.
SMSU's 71 combined victories from 2016-19 was the best three-year stretch in program history.
About SMSU in 2022-23
SMSU returns 10 letter-winners from last season's 15-12 team that placed fifth in the NSIC South and tied for eighth overall with a 10-10 league mark. The Mustangs return four players that started nine or more game last season.
SMSU junior forward Jake Phipps returns after leading SMSU in rebounding (6.4) and ranking second in both scoring (12.7) and field goals made (142). He led the team with 37 blocked shots and finished the season shooting 51 percent (142 of 276) from the field. Phipps scored double figures in 17 games, including five 20-point games, while grabbing five or more rebounds in 18 games.
The other returning double-digit scorer from last season is sophomore guard Dunwa Omot, who averaged 11.9 ppg and led the team with 56 3-pointers. He shot a school single-season record 56.6 percent from 3-point range (56 of 99), while his 87.5 percent (42 of 48) shooting from the free throw line ranked seventh in team single-season history. He scored 20 or more points five times, including a career-high 28 in the NSIC Tournament victory at Minot State.
Junior guard Cliff McCray started all 27 games last season dishing out a team-high 92 assists, recording a team-high 46 steals, while scoring 9.5 ppg.
The team's lone senior, forward Anthony Costello, played in all 27 games a season ago and averaged 8.4 ppg while shooting 47 percent from the field.
Sophomore guard Sam Schwartz played in 26 games last season and averaged 3.7 ppg. Also returning is sophomore guard Logan Benson, who made 18 starts, while averaging 2.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg and sophomore forward Noah Chamberlain, who appeared in 15 games with two starts.
Junior guard Alex Hillesheim and sophomore guard Lance Mosley and sophomore forward Jonathan Zinniel also return after seeing limited time last season.
Mustang tip-off tidbits
SMSU had 12 games decided by four points or less or in overtime in 2021-22. SMSU lost three games with the opponent scoring the game-winning points with four seconds or less in regulation and was 4-6 in games decided by four points or less.
Junior Jake Phipps ranks fifth in team history in field goal pct. (56.6) and ninth in blocked shots (77).
SMSU shot a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 18 of 27 games.
For the season Phipps ranked first in rebounding (6.4), second in field goals made (142), second in scoring (12.7), second in field goal pct. (51.4) and third in 3-pointers (22).
Sophomore Dunwa Omot connected on a team-high 56 3-pointers and averaged 11.9 ppg. He scored a career-high 28 points with a career-high six 3-pointers in SMSU's win over Minot State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.
Omot's 56.6 3-point field goal pct. last season ranks first in school history, while his 87.5 free throw pct. ranks seventh in team single-season history.
SMSU made a season-high 16 3-pointers in the tournament victory over Minot State, including 10 in the first half. It was the first time since Nov. 10, 2018, that SMSU made 10 or more 3-pointers in a single half.
Junior Cliff McCray recorded a team-high 92 assists and a team-leading 46 steals.
SMSU recorded the same or outrebounded its opponent in 20 of 27 games.
SMSU shot 46 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, 78 percent from the free throw line and was plus-3.5 in rebound margin.
SMSU averaged 71 points per game, while opponents averaged 70 points per game.