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SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
MULERIDERS
11-10 (7-8 GAC) |
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
BULLDOGS
3-18 (1-14 GAC) |
NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
RANGERS
14-6 (10-5 GAC) |
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TIPPING OFF
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team welcomes in a pair of Oklahoma schools this weekend beginning with Southwestern Oklahoma on Thursday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. Northwestern comes to Magnolia on Saturday, February 10, at 3 p.m.
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After dropping their last three contests to three of the current top-4 ranked teams in the league, the Muleriders sit at a seventh place spot in the GAC standings. With the home-stretch of conference action underway, optimism remains high as the Muleriders posted a 6-1 record earlier this season against the final seven opponents left on the schedule.Â
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SWOSU is currently ranked 12th in the league at a 1-14 GAC record and 1-7 record on the road. NWOSU ranks second in the GAC with a 10-5 conference record and 4-5 record on the road. In early January, SAU played both NWOSU and SWOSU on the road which resulted in a 63-84 loss to the Rangers and a 84-73 victory against the Bulldogs.
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To this point in the season, the Muleriders are 7-3 at home.
MULERIDER NEWS & NOTESÂ Â Â
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 11-10 overall record and a 7-8 record in GAC play. The Muleriders have won seven of their last 10 games, all in conference play, and are currently ranked seventh in the league's standings.Â
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On the season, the Muleriders are averaging 78.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the GAC. Defensively, the Muleriders rank third in scoring defense in the GAC at 72.0 points per game, and their +6.9 scoring margin ranks fourth in the league.
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As a team, the Muleriders are shooting .449 (580-of-1291) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .376 (184-of-490) from long range. From the free throw line, the Muleriders are shooting .672 (313-of-466). Their overall field goal percentage ranks ninth while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks fifth. Their free throw percentage ranks tenth in the GAC.
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Individually, the Muleriders have three players who are averaging double figures in scoring with
CJ Elkins leading the team at 13.5 points per game and
Keeton Tennison following at 12.1 points per game.
Draylan Perkins rounds out double figure scoring with an 11.1 ppg average.Â
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The leading rebounder on the team is
DeVante Brooks with 7.3 rpg which also ranks him first in the league in that category, while the top assist man on the team is Elkins with an average of 3.2 assists per game.
COACHÂ Â Â
The Muleriders are coached by
Andy Sharpe, who is in his sixth season at Southern Arkansas. In his five previous seasons at SAU, Sharpe is 67-74.
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Since the 2014-15 season, Sharpe has turned the Muleriders into serious contenders in the Great American Conference as SAU has won 35 conference games and have finished in the top half of the standings each year as well. The first two seasons in this recent stretch saw the Muleriders post consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.Â
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As far as post-season play is concerned, Sharpe has led the Muleriders to the GAC Tournament all five years at the helm and has advanced the team to the semi-finals twice with opening round wins in 2014 and 2016. Under Sharpe, SAU is one of only three schools that have made the GAC Tournament in five-consecutive seasons; joining Arkansas Tech and Harding.
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SCOUTING SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMAÂ Â Â
The Southwestern Oklahoma men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 3-18 overall record and are 1-14 in the Great American Conference. The Bulldogs have accumulated a 1-5 record on the road this season in conference play with one of those losses being to the Muleriders on January 6 in a 73-84 final decision.Â
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As a team, the Bulldogs are shooting .414 (515-of-1245) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .353 (189-of-535) from long range. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs are shooting .729 (379-of-520). Their overall field goal percentage ranks 12th in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks ninth. At the charity stripe the Bulldogs' percentage ranks seventh.
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So far this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 76.1 points per game offensively, and are allowing 84.0 points per game defensively. Their points per game scoring ranks ninth in the GAC while their scoring defense per game ranks last in the league and their -8.0 scoring margin ranks 11th.
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Currently a pair of Bulldogs are averaging double-figures in scoring with Charles Beauregard leading the team with 18.9 points per game, followed by Devin Pugh at 13.7 points per game. Beauregard is also the team's leading rebounder at 5.0 rebounds per game. Devin Pugh is the team's top assist man at 2.0 assists per game.
COACHÂ Â Â
The Bulldogs are now coached by Kris Johnson as he became the interim head coach on December 13 of this past year, taking the place of Bob Battisti. Prior to the new appointment, Johnson spent the previous four-plus years as the lead assistant under Battisti and has been a part of the SWOSU coaching staff now for seven seasons. Johnson is currently 1-11 as interim coach with the Bulldogs' only win to Randall in Johnson's head coaching debut on December 30.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUTÂ Â Â
Last time out, the Muleriders had a slim 2-point lead at the half, 39-37, and outscored the Bulldogs in the second half (45-36) to take the victory, 84-73 in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
THE SERIESÂ Â Â
This is the 16th meeting since 2011-2012 between SAU and SWOSU and the Bulldogs hold a 6-9 overall advantage and 4-9 advantage in conference play. At home, the Muleriders are 2-4 against Southwestern Oklahoma.
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SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMAÂ Â Â
The Northwestern Oklahoma men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 14-6 overall record and an 10-5 mark in the Great American Conference. The Rangers lost their last two most-recent conference games on the road contributing to a 4-5 away record this season.
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On the season, the Rangers rank eighth in scoring with an average 86.2 points per game. Defensively, the Rangers are allowing 71.7 points per game, ranking their scoring defense second in the GAC along with a league fifth-best +6.0 scoring margin.Â
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As a team, the Rangers are shooting .475 (558-of-1174) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .408 (167-of-409) from long range. From the free throw line, the Rangers are shooting .736 (270-of-367). Their overall field goal percentage ranks fourth in the GAC, while their 3-point field goal percentage is the best in the league. At the charity stripe the Rangers' percentage ranks 6th.Â
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Four of NWOSU's players are averaging double figures in scoring with Cody Hakvorson leading the team at 14.3 points per game. Treyvon Andres is next at 12.1 ppg and is also the team's leading rebounder at 4.6 boards per game. Brandon Green is the top assist man on the team at 4.6 assists per game which ranks him sixth in the league in that category.
COACHÂ Â Â
The Rangers are coached by Shawn Dirden, who is in his second season at Northwestern Oklahoma. Last season, Dirden guided the Rangers to a 12-15 overall record and an 8-14 record in the GAC. Prior to becoming the head coach at NWOSU, Dirden spent two seasons as an assistant at the University of North Dakota. In those two seasons, Dirden helped lead UND to a 25-38 record.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUTÂ Â Â
Last time out, SAU lost to NWOSU, 63-84, in Oklahoma before subsequently winning its next 7-consecutive conference matchups.
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THE SERIESÂ Â Â
This is the 12th meeting since 2011-12 between SAU and Northwestern Oklahoma with the two teams meeting at least twice a year since 2012 as conference opponents. This portion of the all-time series is controlled by the Rangers, 4-7, and 4-7 in conference play.
