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SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
MULERIDERS
6-9 (4-5 GAC)
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HARDING
BISONS
8-5 (5-4 GAC)
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OUACHITA
TIGERS
8-5 (6-3 GAC)
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
Tipping Off
The grind out portion of the schedule continues for the Southern Arkansas men's basketball team as they are set to play their fourth and fifth games in the span of just 10 days. The fourth game in that stretch is a tough road assignment at Harding, while the fifth game sends the Muleirders back at home to take on Ouachita.
At the conclusion of the Ouachita game, SAU will have played their Great American Conference schedule one time through and will begin to navigate the remaining 11 league games starting first on the road at Southeastern Oklahoma on Thursday, January 26.
SAU will also be looking to snap a season-long four-game skid, but the Muleriders currently remain in a position to advance to the GAC Tournament for a sixth-straight season as they occupy what would be the No. 8-seed if the tournament began today.
MULERIDER NEWS & NOTES
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 6-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the GAC. The Muleriders are coming off of a loss in their most recent game and have dropped seven of their last eight games.
On the season, the Muleriders are averaging 73.9 points per game, which ranks ninth in the GAC. Defensively, the Muleriders rank sixth in scoring defense in the GAC at 72.1 points per game, and their +1.8 scoring margin ranks in tie for seventh in the league.
As a team, the Muleriders are shooting .424 (385-of-907) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .288 (75-of-260) from long range. From the free throw line, the Muleriders are shooting .667 (263-of-395). 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 18.2 points per game. Elkins' scoring average ranks fifth in the GAC.
Snyder Cenecharles is next on the team at 10.8 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 60-67 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 HARDING
The Harding men's basketball team enters play this weekend with an 8-5 overall record and are 5-4 in the Great American Conference. The Bisons are coming off a win in their last action, a 92-85 win over Arkansas Tech on "Rivalry Monday" within the GAC.
As a team, the Bisons are shooting .461 (346-of-750) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .386 (133-of-345) from long range. From the free throw line, the Bisons are shooting .737 (188-of-255). Their overall field goal percentage ranks fourth in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks second. At the charity stripe the Bisons' percentage ranks second.
So far this season, the Bisons are averaging 77.9 points per game offensively, and are allowing a 73.1 points per game defensively. Their points per game scoring ranks fifth in the GAC while their scoring defense per game ranks eighth in the league.
Three Bisons are averaging double-figures in scoring with Tim Wagner leading the team with 18.5 points per game. Stefan Andelkovic is next averaging 14.7 ppg and Will Francis rounds out double figure scoring at 13.9 ppg. Andelkovic is also the team's leading rebounder at 5.3 rebounds per game. Francis is the team's top assist man at 4.2 assists per game.
COACH
The Bisons are coached by Jeff Morgan, who is in his 24th year as the head coach at Harding. Overall, Morgan is in 25th season as a head coach after spending his first season at his alma mater, West Texas A&M. Since taking over at Harding, Morgan has amassed a 397-263 overall record. Six times, Morgan has won 20 or more games in a season and he has led the Bisons to the NCAA Tournament seven times while capturing the GAC Tournament Championship in 2014. Additionally, he has won conference regular season titles in 2008, 2013, and 2016.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last year, SAU and Harding met three times with Harding winning all three games. The last of those games came in the semi-finals of the GAC Tournament and Harding won, 97-83.
THE SERIES
This is the 38th meeting since 1999-200 between SAU and Harding with the two teams meeting at least twice a year in that time. In three of the last four seasons, the two have met in the GAC Tournament and Harding has won all three of those games.
SCOUTING OUACHITA
The Ouachita men's basketball team enters play this weekend with an 8-5 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the Great American Conference. The Tigers have won their last two games a 76-60 win at home against arch-rival Henderson State earlier this week.
On the season, the Tigers are averaging 74.1 points per game, which ranks eighth in the GAC. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 72.6 points per game, ranking their scoring defense seventh in the GAC. Their +1.5 scoring margin ranks ninth in the league.
As a team, the Tigers are shooting .435 (330-of-759) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .336 (103-of-307) from long range. From the free throw line, the Tigers are shooting .714 (200-of-280). Their overall field goal percentage ranks ninth in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks seventh. At the charity stripe the Tigers' percentage ranks fifth.
Individually, three Tigers are averaging double figures with Lakee Westbrook leading the way at 15.9 points per game. Carven Holcolmbe is the team's leading rebounder at 7.2 boards per game. Jordan Corbitt is the leading assist man on the team at 2.8 assists per game.
COACH
The Tigers are coached by Dennis Nutt, who is in his sixth year at Ouachita. In his previous five seasons, Nutt has compiled an 81-60 overall record. Prior to his time at Ouachita, Nutt was the head coach at Texas State for six years where he went 72-96 overall with the Bobcats.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last year, SAU and Ouachita met twice with the two teams splitting the matchups as each defended their home courts. SAU captured the most-recent game between the two with an 84-74 decision in Magnolia in late February.
THE SERIES
This is the 35th meeting since 1999-2000 between SAU and Ouachita and the Tigers hold a 20-14 advantage. SAU and Ouachita have met at least twice a year in that time with the two reconnecting as conference opponents in 2001-02.
