Magnolia, Ark - The Muleriders head up to Oklahoma for the second time this season for a pair of big-time matchups against Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday and Southern Nazarene on Saturday. The Muleriders head up to the Sooner State after finding themselves ranked 22nd in the NBCA Coaches Poll for the first time in Division II history. This marks the first time the GAC has two teams ranked in the top 25, and this Saturday will be the first time two ranked teams battle it out in GAC play. 

The Muleriders are coming off a weekend of four-point victories - 74-70 against Arkansas-Monticello and 70-66 versus Harding, which saw the Muleriders avenge their only GAC loss to this point, and now sees the Muleriders face off against the two teams tied for second in the GAC standings, both just one game behind the Muleriders.

The Muleriders will first travel to Shawnee to take on Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday. The Bison are 9-7 on the season and 8-2 overall in the GAC. The Bison took on Southern Nazarene last Thursday, and were held to their lowest point total of the season in a 58-57 loss to the Crimson Storm. The Bison boast the top scoring offense in the GAC at 83.1 points per game, as well as the best three-point percentage defense. Opponents are only shooting 30.1 percent from deep against the Bison this season. The Bison are also first in rebounds per game and blocked shots. The Bison have four players averaging more than ten points per game, and a fifth player at 9.9 points per game. Leading the way is Antonio Wade with 17.1 points per game, including the 36 he scored in last Saturday's double-overtime victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State. Wade also leads the team in assists, averaging over five a game. 

The Crimson Storm will host the Muleriders on Saturday, with wins last week against the Bison and East Central. The Crimson Storm come into this weekend ranked 19th in the country, having been in the top-25 for the duration of the season. The Crimson Storm lead the conference in steals and turnover margin, and rank near the top in most major defensive categories. The Crimson Storm are led in scoring by Jhonathon Dunn. Named GAC Player of the Week twice this season, Dunn is averaging 18.1 points per game, including 38 points he scored in Southern Nazarene's past two games, as well as a team-high 32 steals on the season. Noah Starkey and Micah Speight are also averaging double-digit scoring reocrds this season, with 14.6 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Starkey also leads the Crimson Storm in rebounding (7.8 per game) and blocks (2.1 per game).

The Muleriders, currently in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, currently have three players in double-digit scoring (Jalen and DeVante Brooks, CJ Elkins), as well as an additional two players averaging over nine points per game (Draylan Perkins and Aaron Lucas). The Muleriders lead the GAC in scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, rebounding defense, rebounding margin and offensive rebounds. The Muleriders have eclipsed the 64-point mark in every game this season, with that number coming opening weekend in a win against University of Mary, and have not allowed more than 75 points in a game this season. 

Next weekend, the Muleriders return home to host Southwestern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State.