MAGNOLIA, Ark. – There's a saying, and even philosophical theories, relating to the adage "no two things are the same." For the Southern Arkansas Men's Basketball program, that is certainly the case this weekend in Dallas as the Muleriders prepare to take on its third nationally-ranked program of the season as a rematch with #19/18 Dallas Baptist awaits tenth-year head coach Andy Sharpe's squad at 6 p.m. on Saturday from inside the Berg Center.
 
Southern Arkansas (1-2), after tough in-region losses to (RV) Augustana and #15.RV Northern State to start the season, rebounded on Wednesday night inside the W.T. Watson Center earning a 91-52 win over Arkansas Baptist to pick up some momentum heading into Saturday's matchup. Dallas Baptist enters the game at 3-0 with wins over #4 Colorado Mesa, Colorado Christian and East Central.
 
The Muleriders look to avenge last spring's 83-61 season-ending loss to the Patriots (3-0) in the South Central Regional Tournament and is confident the result won't be the same as the March 13 meeting. That confidence is exuded by Sharpe and his staff who appreciate the opportunity to matchup with one of the region's perennial powers, while also knowing the Muleriders, who weren't 100% in last season's clash, are healthy and looking forward to the challenge.
 
With the exception of several key newcomers, Sharpe carries nearly the same squad to Dallas for the rematch. Most notably of the returners who endured the season-ending defeat last March is senior forward Devante Brooks, who entered the game with and battled through a fractured shooting hand for 25 minutes of that meeting. Brooks leads the squad in scoring at 17.0 points per game and in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting an impressive 60.6% from the floor averaging 28.9 minutes per contest.
 
Senior point guard Aaron Lucas follows with 14.3 ppg, a team-leading 11 assists with five made three-point attempts. Junior guard Blake Rogers and junior combo Jalen Brooks each average over 9.0 ppg. Rogers leads the team in three-point field goal percentage among players with ten attempts at 38.5% and J. Brooks is second in rebounding at 5.7 boards per game.
 
SAU has dished out 42 assists, ten players are currently averaging over 10.0 minutes per game and the Muleriders are outscoring their opposition by a collective 25 points in the second half. In the season's early going, Southern Arkansas holds a top 20 mark nationally in turnover margin at 6.5 which leads the Great American Conference.
 
Dallas Baptist leads the country in turnover margin at 11.3 and is currently fourth in turnovers forced at 22 per game. The Patriots scoring defense surrenders just over 62 ppg. Four players are scoring in double figures led by Cameron Kahn's 14.7 ppg to go along with a team-leading 7.7 rebounds per game. DBU enters the weekend shooting 35.6% from three-point range and over 46% from the floor.
 
Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.