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(6) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
MULERIDERS
13-15 (11-11 GAC) |
(3) ARKANSAS TECH
WONDER BOYS
20-6 (16-6 GAC) |
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
Tipping Off
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team has qualified for their sixth-consecutive trip to the Great American Conference Tournament and will be making their fifth-straight appearance under head coach
Andy Sharpe. This year, the Muleriders will be the No. 6-seed after tying for fifth-place in the league standings with Ouachita, Harding, and Henderson State.
As the No. 6-seed, the Muleriders draw an opening round matchup with No. 3-seed Arkansas Tech. It will be the second time that the Muleriders and Wonder Boys will meet in the GAC Tournament with the initial meeting coming back in the 2011-12
season. That year, Arkansas Tech was the No. 1-seed and the Muleriders nearly pulled off the upset as the No. 8-seed, narrowly losing to the Wonder Boys 54-53.
For the Muleriders, they are 2-6 all-time in the Great American Conference Tournament with their two victories coming against Southwestern Oklahoma in 2013-14 and this past season, 2015-16.
MULERIDER NEWS & NOTES
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 13-15 overall record and finished the year with an 11-11 mark in the GAC. The Muleriders enter the Great American Conference Tournament as the No. 6-seed. It is the sixth-straight year in which SAU has qualified for the GAC Tournament.
On the season, the Muleriders are averaging 73.9 points per game, which ranks ninth in the GAC. Defensively, the Muleriders rank fourth in scoring defense in the GAC at 73.2 points per game, and their +0.6 scoring margin ranks ninth in the league.
As a team, the Muleriders are shooting .434 (735-of-1,695) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .330 (158-of-479) from long range. From the free throw line, the Muleriders are shooting .659 (440-of-668). Their overall field goal percentage ranks 11th in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks ninth. At the charity stripe the Muleriders' percentage ranks 11th.
Individually, the Muleriders have three players who are averaging double figures in scoring with
CJ Elkins leading the team at 17.3 points per game. Elkins' scoring average ranks in a tie for sixth in the GAC. Elkins was also the Muleriders' lone representative with All-GAC plaudits as he was named to the All-GAC Second-Team.
De'Sean Dockery is next on the team at 11.0 ppg and
Snyder Cenecharles rounds out double figure scoring with a 10.4 ppg average. The leading rebounder on the team is
Denarious Lockhart with 7.9 rpg. Elkins is the top assist man on the team with an average of 2.8 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 67-73 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 TECH
The Arkansas Tech men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 20-6 overall record and finished the year with a 16-6 record in the Great American Conference. The Wonder Boys have lost their last two games to end the regular season, but prior to that, Arkansas Tech had ripped off an 11-game winning streak that put the Wonder Boys in position for a regular season title.
As a team, the Wonder Boys are shooting .456 (805-of-1,767) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .383 (317-of-828) from long range. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys are shooting .698 (367-of-526). Their overall field goal percentage ranks sixth in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks second. At the charity stripe the Wonder Boys' percentage ranks eighth.
So far this season, the Wonder Boys are averaging 88.2 points per game offensively, and are allowing 81.8 points per game defensively. Their points per game scoring ranks first in the GAC while their scoring defense per game ranks 11th in the league.
Four Wonder Boys are averaging double-figures in scoring with Justin Graham leading the team with 14.2 points per game. Alex Brown is next at 13.5 ppg. Montrell Williams averages 13.0 ppg and Bennie Lufile rounds out double figure scoring at 11.8 ppg. Lufile is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.9 rebounds per game. Freddy Lee is the team's top assist man at 5.2 assists per game.
COACH
The Wonder Boys are coached by Chad Kline, who is in his third season at Arkansas Tech. In his two seasons as head coach, Kline has led the Wonder Boys to a 33-28 overall record and a GAC Tournament Championship in his first season.
Prior to being named the head coach at Tech, Kline was an assistant coach in the program for three years under former head man Doug Karleskint.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, Arkansas Tech beat SAU 92-68 inside Tucker Coliseum. In that game, the Wonder Boys knocked down a baker's dozen 3-pointers to help propel Tech past the Muleriders.
THE SERIES
This is the 42nd meeting since 1997-98 between SAU and Arkansas Tech and Tech holds a 27-14 advantage. This will also be the second time that SAU and Tech have met in the GAC Tournament. That initial meeting came in the inaugural year of the league in 2011-12.
