SETTING THE STAGEThe Southern Arkansas men's basketball team is back home after spending last week on the road in Oklahoma. The out-of-state trip was a great one for the Muleriders as they knocked off East Central by a point, 59-58, and cruised past Southwestern Oklahoma 81-73. The road wins were the Muleriders first of the season and more importantly, they helped vault the Muleriders into sole possession of first place in the Great American Conference.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUTLast year, the Muleriders and Tigers met once and it was a 118-57 home win for Southern Arkansas.
THE SERIESThis is the 10th meeting all-time between Southern Arkansas and Champion Baptist in a series that began in 2006-07. In this series, SAU holds a 9-0 advantage.
ON TAPThe Muleriders will cap of this week with a home conference game against Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday, January 17. Tipoff  for that game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
YEAR THREE OF THE PROCESSHead coach
Andy Sharpe is now in his third year at SAU and he looks to have his program make another step in the right direction in 2014-15. Last year saw many improvements within the program as the win total increased from the year prior, but also last year saw the Muleriders win their first conference tournament game since the 1999-2000 season. This year, Shapre returns five players from a year ago along with adding nine talented newcomers to the mix.
HOME SWEET HOMEUnder the direction of head coach
Andy Sharpe, the W.T. Watson Center has been a place where the Muleriders show up to play and expect to win. Since the start of the 2012-13 season (Sharpe's first), the Muleriders are 26-13 overall inside the W.T. Watson Center, including being 7-2 at home this season.
LEARNING TO WIN ON THE ROADAs the Mulerider basketball program continues to build itself towards becoming a championship-level program, learning to win on the road is the essential next step within the building process. Since Head Coach
Andy Sharpe took over at SAU prior to the 2012-13 season, the Muleriders are 5-22 overall on the road and 4-19 away from the W.T. Watson Center against GAC opponents.
WILLIAMS W/THE "HOT" HAND FROM DEEPIn SAU's game against Texas A&M-Commerce (12/1),
Chauncy Williams buried eight three-pointers. The eight makes from long range were the most by a Mulerider since the 2006-07 season when former player Brandon Williams hit eight trifectas as well. So far this season, Williams has made 46 three-pointers in 13 games played (3.5 makes/game), which ranks him first in the GAC in three-point FG made.
BACK-TO-BACK GAC PLAYER OF THE WEEKOne week after
Chauncy Williams won GAC Co-Player of the Week, junior guard
Jaron Davis made it back-to-back weeks for SAU basketball as he averaged 27.0 ppg and led the Muleriders to a pair of road GAC wins, propelling them into first-place.
RUNNING THE POINTAfter not starting SAU's opening game, but eventually logging 38 minutes in the overtime loss to Southern Nazarene, junior transfer
Jaron Davis has started the last 12 games at point guard for the Muleriders. In those 12 games, the Muleriders are 9-3 and Davis has been a scorer as well as a distributor as he his averaging 16.0 points per game and 3.8 assists in that time.
JORDAN JOINING THE MIXJunior forward
Kevin Jordan has been a welcomed edition to the Muleriders' rotation since becoming eligible at the conclusion of the fall semester. In five games played thus far, Jordan, a 6-10 post presence, has averaged 21.0 minutes per game. In his time on the court, Jordan is averaging 4.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game as well.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?!Senior forward
Alre'k Brown returns after his dominant junior campaign in which he burst onto the scene for the SAU basketball team as he established himself as one of the best big men in the GAC. In that breakout year, Brown would rank in the top-five in the league in Blocked Shots (1st | 2.4 bpg), Field Goal % (3rd | .626), and total Rebounding
(4th | 7.4 rpg) while also ranking 16th in the GAC in scoring with 12.4 ppg. This season, Brown is currently averaging 12.4 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. His .649 shooting percentage (63-of-97) ranks first on the team and second in the GAC.
MASKED MULERIDER NO LONGER?In the first minute of the first game of the season, junior transfer
Alvin Braddock suffered a broken nose as he went for a rebound. That injury caused Braddock to miss the next two games, but the Kankakee, Ill. native made his return to the Muleriders' starting lineup against Texas A&M-Commerce on December 1 donning a protective mask.
Braddock would wear the mask over the next six games before being cleared to play without it for SAU's most-recent game against Williams Baptist. While wearing the mask, Braddock averaged 7.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
