Photo by Jake McNeill SMSU’s Dunwa Omot drives through contact to attempt a layup in the Mustangs’ game against Truman State on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.

This week

The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action with a pair of games this Thursday and Saturday.

SMSU will host Augustana University (4-3, 0-1 NSIC) Thursday inside the R/A Facility with game time set for 7:30 p.m. The Mustangs travel to Wayne, Neb. Saturday to face Wayne State College (6-1, 1-0 NSIC) with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m.

SMSU will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to Augustana dating back to 2018 and earn its first win over the Vikings in Marshall since the 2013-14 season.

Wayne State was the NSIC coaches’ preseason pick to win the NSIC South Division. They were also voted third overall in the conference.

Broadcast info

Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.

Live stats and radio and video broadcasts of all games can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

Series history versus Augustana

SMSU and Augustana meet for the 44th time on Thursday with the Vikings leading 28-15 since they first met in the 1972-73 season.

Augustana has won the past eight games, including three last season, with SMSU’s last victory coming on Feb. 24, 2018, in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Augustana holds a 12-8 advantage in games played in Marshall. They have won the previous seven meetings in Marshall. SMSU’s last home win in the series occurred on Dec. 6, 2013.

SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 8-18 all-time versus Augustana

Series history vs. Wayne State

SMSU and WSC meet for the 79th time on Saturday. WSC leads 42-36 in the series that started in 1969-70.

WSC leads the series 25-10 in games played in Wayne, including earning a 68-65 win last season.

The teams split a pair of games last season, but SMSU has won 18 of the last 24 games since Dec. 3, 2011.

SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 20-8 all-time versus WSC.

SMSU head coach Brad Biggler

Bigler, the all-time wins leader in program history, is in his 14th season as head coach and has an overall record of 209-166. He’s gone 139-129 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 a 28-win season, a 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 of which was in 2019.

SMSU’s 11th head coach, Bigler spent six seasons from 2003 to 2009 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.

SMSU by the numbers

For the season, SMSU has four players averaging double figures in scoring. Sophomore Dunwa Omot leading the way at 15.4 ppg while connecting on a team-high 10 3-pointers.

Senior Anthony Costello is averaging 12.8 ppg and shooting 49% from the field.

Junior Cliff McCray is scoring 9.8 ppg and has dished out a team-leading 26 assists.

Freshman Mason Lund has made eight 3-pointers and is averaging 10.8 ppg.

Junior Jake Phipps is scoring 10.6 ppg and leads the club with 7.8 rebounds per game.

SMSU is shooting 48% from the field, 39% from 3-point range, 81% from the free-throw line and is +5.6 in average rebound margin.

SMSU is averaging 73 points per game while their opponents are averaging 63 points per game.

Mustang tip-off tidbits

SMSU’s victory last Tuesday versus Sioux Falls was the 700th all-time in the 56-year history of the program.

As of Nov. 28, SMSU ranks 18th in Division II in free throw percentage, 22nd in opponent 3-point percentage and 48th in 3-point field goal percentage. Cliff McCray ranks 31st in Division II in assists per game, with 5.2.

SMSU scored a season-high 79 points and made a season-high 14 3-pointers in Saturday’s win over Mt. Marty.

Freshman Mason Lund and redshirt freshman Majok Majouk each scored career-highs in points versus Mt. Marty last Saturday, with 16 and 15 respectively.

Junior Jake Phipps ranks fifth in team history in field goal percentage and his 83 blocked shots are good for seventh on the SMSU all-time list.

Sophomore Dunwa Omot’s 53.6% 3-point efficiency ranks first in team history. He shot for the single-season 3-point percentage record last season.

SMSU has had four players make their Mustang debuts this year with true freshman Mason Lund and redshirt freshmen Jake Layman, Majok Majouk and Jakob Braaten.

SMSU had 12 games decided by 4 points or less or in overtime during the 2021-22 season. 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 4 points or less.

SMSU earns two wins

SMSU opened NSIC play on Nov. 22 defeating Sioux Falls, 73-65, inside the R/A Facility.

Anthony Costello led four Mustangs in double figures with 15 points, while grabbing six rebounds. Jake Phipps recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Cliff McCray scored 13 points and Dunwa Omot added 12 points.

SMSU closed the game shooting 42 percent (22 of 53), including 3 of 13 from 3-point range, while USF shot 38 percent.

SMSU committed just eight turnovers, held a 38-34 rebound advantage and made 26 of 32 from the free throw line.

Last Saturday, SMSU stepped out of NSIC play and defeated Mount Marty, 79-70, in Marshall.

SMSU connected on 14 3-pointers with the Mustangs’ Omot drilling four 3-pointers, while scoring a team-high 20 points.

Mason Lund scored a career-high 16 points with a pair of 3-pointers and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.

Majok Majouk also poured in a career-high with 15 points, while making four 3-pointers.

Anthony Costello reached double figures in scoring with 12 points and seven rebounds.

SMSU closed the game shooting 48 percent (28 of 59) from the field, including a blistering 14 of 28 from 3-point range.

Scouting Augustana

The Vikings are 4-3 overall, 0-1 NSIC, and have won two straight after opening the NSIC season last Tuesday with a home loss to Wayne State. AU earned victories last weekend at home versus Valley City State and Hastings.

Senior transfer Ryan Miller, is averaging a team-high 12.9 points with 12 3-pointers this season. He also leads the team with 12 steals.

Sophomore guard Akoi Akoi is averaging 12.4 ppg and shooting 63 percent from the field.

Senior guard Isaac Fink, who scored 37 points on 14 of 19 shooting at SMSU last season, is scoring 9.7 ppg and leads the team with 8.4 rpg. He is a perfect 15 of 15 from the free throw line.

AU is shooting 43 percent from the field, 32 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the free throw line and is plus-1.0 in rebound margin.

AU is averaging 68 points per game, while opponents are averaging 64 points per game.

Head coach Tom Billeter is in his 20th season with a record of 356-195. He led the Vikings to the 2016 NCAA Championship. He has a career record of 460-252 in 24 seasons overall having spent four seasons as head coach at North Dakota State.

Scouting Wayne State

WSC begins the week at 6-1 overall, 1-0 NSIC, and enter Thursday’s game at Sioux Falls on a six-game winning streak.

The Wildcats opened NSIC play last Tuesday with a road win over Augustana and then defeated Tampa and Eckerd last weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Senior Jordan Janssen is averaging a team-high 20.1 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 53 percent. He is the program’s all-time leader in rebounds.

Sophomore Nate Mohr, who recently reached the 1,000 career points scored mark, is averaging 15.3 ppg with 23 3-pointers.

WSC is shooting 43 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range, 82 percent from the free throw line and is plus-2.3 in rebound margin.

WSC is averaging 76 points per game, while opponents are averaging 71 points per game.

Head coach Jeff Kaminsky is in his seventh season at WSC with a record of 86-88. He has also been head coach at Valley City State and Wisconsin-Superior recording more than 538 victories in his career.

Broadcast info

Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.

Live stats and radio and video broadcasts of all games can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.