Magnolia, Ark. - The SAU Men's Basketball team closes out the regular season this weekend as they host a pair of Oklahoma schools that, like the Muleriders, are postseason bound in Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist. The Muleriders currently sit third in the conference standings with two games to go and in a three-team tie that includes the Bison. The Crimson Storm have clinched the regular season conference chmapionship and the number one overall seed for the tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma running from March 7th through the 10th. 

On Thursday, the Muleriders will host the Crimson Storm, who are currently 24-4 on the season and 17-3 in conference play. The last time the Crimson Storm and the Muleriders faced off, the Crimson Storm won 73-54 over the then-#22 Muleriders in the GAC's first-ever ranked matchup. Since that matchup, the Crimson Storm are 7-1 while the Muleriders are 4-4 over the same stretch. In that matchup, Jhonathan Dunn led all scorers with 22 points, and Noah Starkey posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Crimson Storm lead the conference in scoring offense while also owning the second-ranked scoring defense. This matchup will feature the top two in field goal percentage defense, with the Muleriders ranked first, at 40.4 percent, and the Crimson Storm ranked second at 40.5 percent. The Crimson Storm, in addition to scoring offense, also lead the league in blocked shots (4.3 per game) and turnover margin (+2.71 per game). Dunn and Starkey rank in the top ten in scoring, averaging 18.2 and 15.0 points per game, respectively, good enough for 4th and 8th in the conference. Starkey ranks in the top five in rebounding and field goal percentage, and leads the league in blocked shots. After this game, the Crimson Storm finish out their regular season in Monticello against the Boll Weevils. 

The Bison are 14-12 on the season and 13-7 in conference play. They sit in fifth place in the standings, tied with the Muleriders and East Central. The last time these two teams met, the Bison walked away with a 88-72 victory that saw Brantly Thompson lead the scoring with 18 points as the Bison shot 56.5 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three. As a team, the Bison rank in the top five in scoring offense, free throw percentage, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goal defense, blocked shots, assists and three-pointers made. Individually, the Bison are led by Antonio Wade, who is sixth in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Dishon Lowery is second in rebounding at 8.1 boards per game and second in field goal percentage at 61.7 percent. 

The Muleriders enter this weekend on a three-game losing streak, and are looking to get back on track heading into the conference tournament. The Thursday game will be a Fan Appreciation Night and on Saturday, the Muleriders will honor the four seniors on the roster in between the women's and men's games in the afternoon. CJ Elkins, Draylan Perkins, Snyder Cenecharles and Wesley Nosakhare are the four seniors on the roster. Elkins has averaged 10 points per game this season; Perkins is shooting 36.2 percent from the field; Cenecharles leads the team in three-point shooting, at .500; and Nosakhare is averaging 5.7 points to go along with 3.2 rebounds per game off the bench.