Trending
THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team opens the 2026-27 regular season with a pair of games this Friday and Saturday at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in St. Paul, Minn. Both games will take place at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia University.
•SMSU opens play on Friday facing Fort Hays State University (Kan.) with game time set for 4 p.m. before closing the weekend on Saturday with a 2 p.m. match-up versus the University of Nebraska Kearney (0-1). Both schools are members of the Mid-American Athletic Association (MIAA).
•SMSU is coming off a 16-12 season, including a third-place finish in the NSIC with a record of 14-8.
•FHSU finished 19-10 overall, 11-8 MIAA, a season ago, while UNK was 13-17 overall, 6-13 MIAA. UNK opened the season on Monday suffering a 75-62 road loss to Wayne State.
•This season marks the 60th for SMSU men’s basketball compiling a record of 769-863.
•SMSU has recorded 29 winning seasons in program history with 22 coming in the last 29 years.
BROADCAST INFO
•Neither game this weekend will air on local radio. Most games in 2026-27 will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.
•Both games this weekend will be streamed on Midco Sports Plus and are available via pay-per-view at midcosportsplus.com.
SMSU HEAD COACH BRAD BIGLER
•Head coach Brad Bigler, the program’s all-time leader in victories, is in his 18th season with an overall record of 277-211, including 194-161 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. During his time as head coach, SMSU has played in five NSIC tournament championship games (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.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS FORT HAYS STATE
•SMSU and Fort Hays State meet for the ninth time with the series tied 4-4.
•The teams last played a season ago in Hays, Kan., with FHSU earning a 65-56 victory.
•FHSU has won the only game played in Hays, earning a 76-75 victory on Nov. 14, 2015.
•Friday’s game will be the third straight year and seventh all-time that SMSU has opened a season versus FHSU.
•SMSU is 21-15 all-time versus current members of the MIAA.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 3-4 all-time versus FHSU.
•A complete game-by-game listing can be found on page 16.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NEBRASKA KEARNEY
•SMSU and Nebraska Kearney meet for the fifth time with UNK leading 3-1.
•UNK defeated SMSU, 77-75, a season ago in Hays, Kan.
•SMSU earned its lone victory over UNK on Nov. 9, 2024, in Marshall.
•SMSU is 21-15 all-time versus current members of the MIAA.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 1-1 all-time versus UNK.
•A complete game-by-game listing can be found on page 16.
SHAW EARNS ALL-NSIC HONORS IN 2025-26
•Fifth year Mekhi Shaw earned All-NSIC second team honors last season after averaging 11.9 ppg with 77 assists and a team-high 57 steals.
•In conference play, Shaw finished third in the league in steals and 13th in assists.
•Shaw begins the season having played in 90 games with 12 starts and has scored 726 points and 197 assists. He ranks seventh in team history with 147 steals.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE IN 2026-27
•SMSU returns seven letter winners and three starters from last season’s squad that finished 16-12 overall and tied for third in both the overall and division standings at 14-8. The team also welcomes back senior guard Steven Kramer, who started 30 games in 2024-25, but missed all last season with an injury.
•Senior forward Aeron Stevens was named an NSIC ‘Player to Watch’ this season. Stevens, named All-NSIC second team in 2024-25, ranked second on the team in scoring last season (12.5), while shooting 45 percent (122 of 272) from the field and connecting on 20 3-pointers. He led the squad with 73 free throws made and was second with 21 blocked shots.
•Fifth year guard Mekhi Shaw averaged 11.9 ppg, while shooting 47 percent (128 of 275) from the field. He led the team with 57 steals and was second in assists with 77.
•Junior forward Micah Schlaak, in his first season in uniform in 2025-26, led the team with 58 3-pointers, ranked first in blocked shots (40), was second in rebounding (4.9) and fourth in scoring (11.4). He closed the season shooting 52 percent (115 of 222) from the field.
•Kramer returns after starting all 30 games in 2024-25 and averaging 9.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He shot 44 percent (103 of 234) from the field and 83 percent (75 of 90) from the free throw line.
•Junior guard Landon Pokorski played in every game with 22 starts last season and averaged 5.5 ppg with 31 3-pointers and 53 assists.
•Sophomore forward Brayson Boike played in all 28 games with six starts a season ago and averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg.
•Senior guard Buay Koak returns after seeing limited time the past two seasons, while senior forward Calvin Buss, who played in all 28 games last season, is expected to miss this season due to an offseason injury.
•The roster also features six freshman who will compete for playing time.
MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS
•SMSU set a school record with 119 blocked shots last season.
•SMSU shot 48.5 percent from the field last season, its highest percentage since the 2017-18 squad shot 48.9.
•SMSU connected on 247 3-pointers last season, which was its highest total since the 2018-19 team made a school record 298.
SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE
•The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season 19-10 overall, 11-8 MIAA, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the MIAA tournament.
•FHSU was picked fourth in the 2026-27 preseason MIAA media poll and eighth in the coaches’ poll.
•Senior guard Jahvari Martino headlines the returners for the Tigers after averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game last year.
•In 2025-26, FHSU shot 47 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 70 percent from the free throw line and was plus-2.6 in rebound margin.
•FHSU averaged 71 points per game, while opponents averaged 63 points per game.
•Head coach Mark Johnson is in his 26th season with a record of 492-240. He is the program’s all-time leader in victories and has led the Tigers to nine NCAA tournament appearances and four league championships.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY
•UNK finished 13-17, 6-13 MIAA, a season ago, missing the MIAA tournament.
•UNK was picked to finish 11th in both the MIAA preseason coaches’ and media polls.
•The Lopers suffered a 75-62 road loss to Wayne State on Monday. Zeek Brown came off the bench to score 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting with four 3-pointers.
•Senior guard/forward Clayton Moore is the team’s top returning scorer after averaging 7.9 ppg in 2025-26.
•In 2025-26, UNK shot 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 80 percent from the free throw line and was minus-1.1 in rebound margin.
•UNK averaged 78 points per game, while opponents averaged 83 points per game.
•Head coach Marty Levinson is in his third season with a record of 25-34.