Game Notes (PDF)
Setting the Stage (GAC Tournament Preview)
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team is back in the Great American Conference Tournament for the second-straight year under head coach Andy Sharpe. This year, the Muleriders, who were picked to finish 11th in preseason coach's poll, enter as the No.7-seed in the tournament and will take on the No.2-seed Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs. Overall, the Muleriders are making their third-consecutive appearance in a conference tournament.
Finishing the regular season with an 11-15 overall record, the Muleriders earned the No.7-seed in the GAC Tournament after they went 7-13 in GAC play. The seven conference wins are the most for the Muleriders since the 2001-02 season when they won nine conference games and finished 9-7 in Gulf South Conference play.
Out of the seven other teams in this year's tournament, the Muleriders have wins over four of those teams this season, including a 63-58 home win over regular-season champions, Arkansas Tech. Eight of the 14 games played against the tournament field this year have been decided by 10 points or less, with the Muleriders winning four of those games.
The Muleriders will enter the tournament with the second-best scoring offense in the GAC at 76.3 ppg. Three players currently average in double figures with Jeffrey Walker leading the way at 15.2 ppg. Behind Walker in scoring is Chauncy Williams at 12.9 ppg and Alre'k Brown with 12.5 ppg. Tyrell Taylor is not far behind from averaging double figures as he is at 9.5 ppg.
Brown and Walker have also been very efficient scorers for the Muleriders as both are shooting over 55% from the floor. Brown has the highest FG% on the team at .646 (106-of-164) while Walker leads the team in FG made with 163. Both marks rank Brown (3rd) and Walker (4th) in the top-five in the GAC respectively.
Outstanding rebounders to go along with their offense abilities, Brown and Walker rank in the top-10 in the GAC in total rebounding. Walker is slightly ahead in that category, ranking fifth in the league at 7.3 rpg. Brown is next in line, ranking sixth in the GAC at 7.2 rpg.
In terms of long-distance shooters, the Muleriders possess two of the best in the GAC in Williams and Nemo Sanchez. Both are shooting over 37% from deep and the two have combined to hit four or more three-pointers in a game 15 games this season. Five times Sanchez has hit five or more three-pointers in a game while Williams has accomplished that feat three times. Sanchez's 59 made three-pointers in 26 games give him 2.3 makes per game ranking him ninth in the GAC. If eligible to be ranked among the GAC statistical leaders, Williams' 53 makes in 18 games would rank him first in the GAC.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Muleriders rank first in the GAC in steals (8.8 spg) and 3PT FG% Defense (.326). Additionally, the Muleriders rank third in block shots (3.6 bpg) and fifth in overall FG% Defense (.452).
Helping lead the charge in the steal department is Taylor. For the year, Taylor ranks fifth in the GAC in steals with 1.5 spg. In the block department, Brown has been the most dominant figure all year long as he led the GAC throughout in blocks per game, ending the regular season with an average of 2.4 bpg.
The Season vs. Southwestern Oklahoma (November 23, 2013 | January 30, 2014)
The Muleriders and Bulldogs have squared off twice this season with the Bulldogs coming away with the win each time. The first meeting on November 23 in Magnolia was a closely-contested game with 12 tie scores and 11 lead changes. Eight of the tie scores and nine of the lead changes occurred in the first half alone. The Bulldogs grabbed their final lead at the 10:51 mark and eventually picked up a 76-68 win.
In the second meeting between the two, the Muleriders took advantage of dismal shooting by the Bulldogs in the first half as SAU opened up a lead as large as 20 points before heading into the half up by 18 points. The second half of that game would be a completely different story as the Muleriders were out-scored 51-24, allowing the Bulldogs to come away with the improbable win.
The Coaches
Southern Arkansas is led by second-year head coach Andy Sharpe. In his first season at the helm, Sharpe led the Muleriders to the Great American Conference Tournament. A NAIA National Coach of the Year prior to coming to SAU, Sharpe brings a wealth of successful coaching experience to the Mulerider basketball program.
Southwestern Oklahoma is coached by Bob Battisti, who is in his first season on the Bulldogs sidelines. Battisti most recently spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma Christian University where he helped the program its first postseason basketball title in 30 years. Prior to his stint at OCU, Battisti spent 25 years at Northwestern Oklahoma State, coaching the men's basketball team for 21 seasons before taking over as the school's athletic director for four years. In more than 24 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 420-301.
Last Time Out
The Muleriders are coming off of a 43-59 loss to Henderson State in the regular season finale. That game would be one of the Muleriders' best defensive efforts of the season, but unfortunately, the Reddies also had one of their best defensive games as they limited the Muleriders to season-lows in scoring (43 points), FG% (.288; 15-of-52), 3PT FG% (.111; 2-of-18), and Free Throw percentage (.440; 11-of-25).
