MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Southern Arkansas Men's Basketball prepares for their final in-state clashes of the regular season as they travel to Monticello on Thursday, before returning home on Saturday to play Ouachita. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

THURSDAY NIGHT STORYLINES at UAM || 7:30 P.M.

*The Great American Conference race to the postseason heats up for Southern Arkansas (10-12, 7-9 GAC) on Thursday as the Muleriders travel to Monticello for a clash with the Weevils (16-9, 8-8 GAC) from inside Steelman Fieldhouse. SAU currently sits in a three-way tie for eighth place, while UAM is one game up on the Muleriders and in a tie for sixth place with Arkansas Tech. 
*Southern Arkansas took the first game of the season series with a 72-63 win in Magnolia on January 16.
* SAU and UAM meet for the 18th time since the 2011-12 season when the two programs became charter members of the Great American Conference. During that period, the Muleriders hold a 12-5 series advantage, but the series has been tight in Drew County as it stands even at 4-4.
*The Weevils own an 8-3 mark at home this season, while the Muleriders' road record is just 2-7. 
*The top two offensive rebounding teams in the country, both of which rank in the top 25 nationally in the statistic, will take the court Thursday night. The Muleriders are currently averaging the ninth-best offensive glass production in Division II at 14.23, while the Weevils follow in with the conference's second best such rate at 13.20 which ranks 25th nationally. Conversely, UAM holds the top rebounding margin in the GAC at 6.2, while SAU ranks second at 5.4. The Weevils rank third nationally in total rebounds having grabbed 1,011 entering this weekend and UAM holds the 22nd highest total rebounds per game clip in Division II at 40.44; tops in the GAC.
*Defensively, the Weevils own one of the best units in the GAC as they lead the league in total blocks (83) and total steals (202) and rank fourth in turnover margin (+1.2).
*UAM allows 77 ppg, while the Muleriders own a top 35 scoring defense in Division II at 68.1 ppg. In SAU's seven league wins, the Muleriders have held their opponent under 65 ppg. The Weevils rank 26th in Division II in scoring offense at 85.1 ppg; the second-highest scoring average in the GAC.
*Behind the high-scoring offense of the Weevils is a unit that has attempted 605 three-pointers this season, while averaging nine makes per game. For the Muleriders, the group's perimeter defense has been very good as they rank 18th in Division II in opponent success rate from beyond-the-arc at 31.3%.
*UAM's leading scorer is KJ Lesure who averages 18.7 ppg; the sixth-highest scoring mark in the GAC. Four other players own top 25 scoring averages with Justin Slocum (14.1 ppg), Marcus Gilbert (13.6 ppg) and Austin Hardy (11.8 ppg) all averaging over 11 ppg for the Weevils.
*Denzel McDuffey leads the team in rebounding (8.4 rpg), blocked shots (1.2 bpg), and steals (2.0 spg), while Lesure holds team-highs in assists (6.1 apg), free throw percentage (86.4%), three-pointers made (2.4 pg), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).
*Lesure ranks second in the league in minutes (945) and minutes played per game (37.8) and trails teammate Marcus Gilbert (951, 38.0) in the categories. The pair ranks first and second nationally in total minutes played and tenth and 11th respectively in minutes per game. 

SATURDAY AFTERNOON STORYLINES vs. OUA || 3 P.M.

*The Muleriders return home on Saturday to host Ouachita. It will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. The Tigers edged SAU 68-67 in Arkadelphia on December 7. 
*Since 2011-12, SAU leads the series 10-7 with a 7-1 mark, which includes seven straight victories, inside the W.T. Watson Center during that time.
*Southern Arkansas (10-12) and Ouachita (10-11) enter the weekend tied at 7-9 and in eighth place in league play with Southwestern Oklahoma.
*Three Muleriders, Aaron Lucas, Devante Brooks, and Jalen Brooks, all rank in the top 20 in the GAC in scoring as all average over 14 ppg with Lucas leading the team with 14 ppg.
*The Tigers have a pair of players in Raymond Harris and Allie Freeman that have posted top 15 scoring averages as both average over 11 ppg. Freeman leads the GAC in three-point percentage at 48.6% and Harris ranks ninth at 41.9%.
*The Brooks Brothers both rank in the top five in the league in rebounding average with Devante grabbing 8.3 boards per game for the third-best average, while Jalen's 7.6 rebounds per game ranks fifth. D. Brooks leads the GAC in offensive rebounding at 3.6 boards per game and J. Brooks follows with the fourth-most at 2.9. The Tigers average 33.2 rebounds per game; the second-fewest in the GAC.
*Lucas leads the Muleriders in assists (3.7) and steals (1.6) and he ranks 12th in the GAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.1. 
*The Tigers lead the GAC and rank 12th nationally in free throw percentage at 79.8%. Kendarious Smith's 87.9% success rate is tops in the GAC, while Harris' 86.4% ranks tied for second. 
*Ouachita enters the weekend averaging just over 70 ppg, while allowing opponents to score at an average of 71.4 ppg. The Muleriders score at a clip of 68.9 ppg, but boast one of the nation's top scoring defenses which allows opponents to score only 68.1 ppg.

MULERIDERS BY THE NUMBERS

34 - The Muleriders have had a ton of success at home over the past three seasons posting a 30-8 mark when playing inside the W.T. Watson Center dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign. Of those 30 wins, 13 have come against in-state conference opponents. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, SAU holds a 34-10 record inside the W.T. Watson Center against fellow GAC Arkansas foes. 

143 - With their prowess evident on the offensive glass, the Brooks Brothers have combined for 143 offensive rebounds this season. That current total is more than the offensive team total of five Division II programs and Division I Wyoming this season. Last season, the brothers combined for 143 offensive rebounds. Their current pace puts them at a combined 182 offensive boards with 6 regular season games remaining. As a team, the Muleriders rank 9th nationally in offensive rebounds at 14.23 per game; the best mark in the GAC.

6 - Southern Arkansas currently ranks second in the GAC in six statistical categories. The Muleriders rank second in free throw attempts (556), rebound margin (+5.4), scoring defense (68.1 ppg), three-point field goal percentage defense (31.3%), total rebounds (869), and total rebounds per game (39.5).