No. 22 SMSU MEN'S basketball vs. Briar cliff Nov. 30, 2024

TODAY

• No. 22 SMSU returns to non-conference play on Saturday taking on NAIA foe Briar Cliff University (4-5, 2-2 GPAC) inside the R/A Facility
• Today's game is SMSU's final non-conference regular season game of the season.
• SMSU is coming off a 76-56 home victory over Wayne State on Tuesday night in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener for both teams. WSC entered the game with a perfect 5-0 record.
• Briar Cliff, a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), suffered a 76-68 road loss to Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Tuesday night.
• Today's game will be an exhibition game for BCU and will not count towards its overall record.

SMSU MOVES TO NO. 22 IN NABC TOP 25 POLL; RECEIVES VOTES FOR D2CSC TOP 25

• SMSU dropped four spots and is ranked No. 22 in this week's NABC Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
• SMSU was ranked No. 18 in the first regular season NABC Top 25 poll released on Nov. 19. It's the first time SMSU has been ranked in the NABC Top 25 regular season poll since the 2016-17 season.
• SMSU received four votes in this week's D2CSC Top 25 poll.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS BRIAR CLIFF

• SMSU and BCU meet for the 38th time with BCU leading 28-9 in a series that started in 1968-69.
• Today will be the first meeting since the 1997-98 season. The teams met yearly from 1980-98 and played at least twice a season from 1984-98.
• BCU won 17 straight in the series from 1986-87 to 1994-95.
• BCU leads the series 11-7 in games played in Marshall, including 2-0 inside the R/A Facility.
• SMSU won the last game played in the series during the 1997-98 season in Sioux City, Iowa.

SCOUTING BRIAR CLIFF

• The Chargers are 4-5 overall and are 2-2 in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play. BCU lost, 76-68 at Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday.
• BCU was picked to finish fifth in the 11-team GPAC.
• Matthew Stilwill is averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg and leads the team with 29 assists.
• Jamison Helmers has made a team-high 25 3-pointers and is averaging 13.1 ppg.
• BCU is shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and is minus-0.9 in rebound margin.
• BCU is averaging 80 points per game, while opponents average 82 points per game.
• BCU head coach Mark Svagera is in his eighth season.

MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS

• SMSU has three players averaging double figures in scoring with sophomore Aeron Stevensscoring a team-high 19 ppg and is second in rebounding at 7.5 rpg.
• Junior Jakob Braatenhas dished out a team-high 17 assists and is averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
• Sophomore Steven Kramer is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg.
• Junior Mason Lund leads the team with 7.7 rpg and is fourth in scoring at 9.5 ppg with a team-high 10 3-pointers.
• SMSU is shooting 47 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range, 76 percent from the free throw line and is plus-4.9 in rebound margin. The Mustangs are averaging 75 points per game, while opponents are averaging 66 ppg.

MUSTANG TIP-OFF TIDBITS

• Senior Dunwa Omot ranks 18th in team history with 1,161 points and is five points shy from tying Mitch Weg (2013-17) for 17th all-time.
• SMSU has shot more free throws than their opponent in all six games.
• In the latest Division II national statistics (Nov. 26), SMSU ranks fifth in fouls per game (12.3), 24th in field goal pct. defense (39.5), 28th in scoring defense (65.7), 32nd in blocks per game (4.5) and 45th in turnovers per game (11.0).
• Steven Kramer (18) and Mekhi Shaw (15) both scored career-highs in SMSU's win over Wayne State on Tuesday. Kramer also set a career-high with eight rebounds.
• Calvin Buss recorded a career-high six rebounds vs. Wayne State.
• Jakob Braaten scored a career-high 20 points at Upper Iowa on Nov. 24.
• Aeron Stevenshas made 42 free throws this season ranking 16th in Division II, while his 50 attempts ranks 24th.
• SMSU is 2-0 versus Top 25 teams this season which includes defeating a No. 1 ranked team for a second consecutive season.