MAGNOLIA, Ark. – What happened yesterday, or in the case of the Southern Arkansas Men's Basketball program last spring, is history. Literally. A historic run to the NCAA postseason will be remembered for years to come as tenth-year head coach Andy Sharpe's Muleriders did something that had never been done in the program's NCAA history or since the 1989-90 season. But the past is the past and the present for Sharpe's squad has the eager Muleriders on the cusp of tipping off the 2021-22 campaign.
 
Southern Arkansas carries 94.4% of its on-court minutes from a season ago into the Show Me State and the roster is headlined by a trio of experienced, battle-tested Muleriders. All-American Aaron Lucas (17.1 ppg, defending GAC POY & DPOY) and the paint-protecting, glass-cleaning All-GAC brotherly duo of Devante (13.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Jalen Brooks (12.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg) lead SAU into the 28-game regular season eyeing a consecutive, but deeper postseason run.
 
Blake Rogers (20 GS, 11.5 ppg), Victor Irhirhi (21 GP, 44.3% FG), Kris Wyche (16 GS, 40.5% 3FG%), Tyler Garrett (19 GP, 38.1 FG%) and Dodge Brown (100% FT, 27 ASST) all return after averaging over 14 minutes per game last season. Jessie Davis Jr. and Connor Harvey provide added depth for the Muleriders, while a pair of transfers in BJay Adesoga (Highland CC) and Ty Archibald (Lamar State Port Arthur) and two true freshmen in Brayden Bradshaw (Denton Guyer HS) and Kendall Fair (OD Wyatt HS) join the fold.
 
Last spring, Sharpe's bunch employed a defense that ranked first in the GAC and 18^th nationally in total steals with 164, a scoring defense that ranked 24^th nationally at 67.8 ppg, and a rebounding effort that ranked 25^th in margin at 5.1 and 27^th in total rebounds at 775. SAU ranked 19^th in free throw attempts last season with 454.
 
The 2021-22 Muleriders begin their season on Friday night inside historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City as part of the highly-competitive and much anticipated 16-team Central Region Tipoff Challenge. Southern Arkansas, which is receiving votes in the NABC Preseason Top 25 and holds the No. 6 ranking in the D2SIDA Central Region Preseason Top 10, will be tested early as a pair of in-region contests await the Muleriders.
 
(RV) Augustana is up first for SAU at 6 p.m. on Friday night. It is just the second meeting between the two teams since the Muleriders joined the Central Region in 2013. The Vikings topped SAU 75-67 in the 2018-19 season-opener. In a shortened spring slate, Augustana finished 9-7 in the NSIC and enter the '21-22 season picked No. 4 in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings return All-NSIC South Division performers Tyler Riemersma, who has averaged a double-double the past two seasons, and Adam Dykman who scored just under 13 ppg last spring.
 
Saturday's action slots the Muleriders against #15/RV Northern State, the four-time defending NSIC regular season and tournament champion and regional finalist from a season ago. The Wolves finished 19-2 last spring and enter this weekend's action at 1-1 after a 68-55 season-opening loss to consensus #1 Northwest Missouri and a 77-59 win over Rockhurst. NSU features a new look squad than the one from the past few seasons. Jordan Belka averaged 19.5 ppg last weekend, while Sam Masten averaged 13.5 ppg. The primetime matchup will be the first-ever between the Muleriders and Northern State.
 
Live stat links for both contests can be accessed here: https://muleriderathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule.