Tipping Off
"Rivalry Monday" returns to the Great American Conference and Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello are set to play the first game of their season series tonight inside the W.T. Watson Center.
Last year, both matchups went in favor of SAU, but the first game a year ago in Monticello needed overtime.
This year, the Muleriders will be looking to remove the Boll Weevils from the ranks of the unbeaten as UAM is one of only six teams left in NCAA Division II Men's Basketball yet to taste defeat.
Off to a program-record 12-0 start, UAM has already surpassed their win total from a year ago and are just three wins shy of tying their win output from the past two years combined.
MULERIDER NEWS & NOTES
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team enters play tonight with a 6-8 overall record and a 4-4 mark in the GAC. The Muleriders are coming off of a loss in their most recent game and have dropped six of their last seven games.
On the season, the Muleriders are averaging 72.9 points per game, which ranks 10th in the GAC. Defensively, the Muleriders rank third in scoring defense in the GAC at 70.4 points per game, and their +2.6 scoring margin ranks eighth in the league.
As a team, the Muleriders are shooting .419 (350-of-835) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .292 (71-of-243) from long range. From the free throw line, the Muleriders are shooting .658 (250-of-380). Their overall field goal percentage ranks 11th in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks 12th. At the charity stripe the Muleriders' percentage ranks 11th.
Individually, the Muleriders have two players who are averaging double figures in scoring with
CJ Elkins leading the team at 18.3 points per game. Elkins' scoring average ranks fifth in the GAC.
Snyder Cenecharles is next on the team at 11.2 ppg.
The leading rebounder on the team is
Denarious Lockhart with 8.8 rpg. Elkins is the top assist man on the team with an average of 2.5 assists per game.
COACH
The Muleriders are coached by
Andy Sharpe, who is in his fifth season at Southern Arkansas. In his time at SAU, Sharpe has amassed a 60-68 overall record.
Over the past two seasons, Sharpe has begun to turn the Muleriders into serious contenders in the GAC as SAU has won 24 conference games and have finished in the top half of the standings each year as well. Overall in the past two seasons, Sharpe has guided the Muleriders to a 32-25 record while also posting consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
The Arkansas-Monticello men's basketball team enters "Rivalry Monday" with an unblemished 12-0 overall record and are 8-0 in the Great American Conference. The Boll Weevils are one of six teams left unbeaten in NCAA Division II joining the likes of Fairmont State, Northwest Missouri State, Queens (NC), Shippensburg, and Southern Indiana.
As a team, the Boll Weevils are shooting .502 (364-of-725) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .325 (67-of-206) from long range. From the free throw line, the Boll Weevils are shooting .720 (213-of-296). Their overall field goal percentage ranks first in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks eighth. At the charity stripe the Boll Weevils' percentage ranks 3rd.
So far this season, the Boll Weevils are averaging 84.0 points per game offensively, and are allowing a 67.1 points per game defensively. Their points per game scoring ranks first in the GAC while their scoring defense per game also ranks first in the league.
Five Boll Weevils are averaging double-figures in scoring with Derylton Hill leading the team with 20.0 points per game. The other four Weevils in double figures are averaging at least 10.3 ppg. Hill is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.3 rebounds per game. Coby Goosby is the team's top assist man at 5.5 assists per game.
COACH
The Boll Weevils are coached by Kyle Tolin, who is in his third season at Arkansas-Monticello. In his previous two seasons, Tolin had won 15 games combined. To this point, Tolin and the Boll Weevils have won 12 games.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last year, SAU and Arkansas-Monticello met twice with SAU claiming both games. In their most-recent game against one another, SAU picked up an 86-69 win at home.
THE SERIES
This is the 39th meeting since 1997-98 between SAU and Arkansas-Monticello with the two teams meeting at least twice a year in that time as conference opponents. This portion of the all-time series has been fairly even with SAU holding a 20-18 advantage. The Muleriders have won six of the last seven meetings with three of those needing overtime to decide the winner.
