MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The final stretch of a twenty game, in-state regular season schedule is here for Andy Sharpe's Southern Arkansas Men's Basketball program. The Muleriders, who are staring down the final four games of the regular season slate, control their own destiny as the league's eastern division crown, the division's top seed in the conference tournament and a potential NCAA berth are all on the line in the next two and a half weeks.
 
Up first are the finishing touches on an impressive campaign for Sharpe's squad. Southern Arkansas is currently 10-3 overall with a 9-3 record in GAC Eastern Division play. The Muleriders are in second place by 3.5 games over current No. 3 seed Henderson State and are just a half game back of Arkansas-Monticello for the division's driver's seat.
 
SAU and UAM will meet for the fourth and final time on Monday, February 22 in Monticello in a high-stakes affair with postseason implications on the line. However, the Muleriders must dispatch Ouachita for the fourth time in 2021 in order to keep Monday's meeting in the Delta meaningful. SAU and Ouachita clash inside Bill Vining Arena on Saturday, February 20 at 4 p.m. Following the front half of the final four games, Southern Arkansas will close out the regular season at home as Arkansas Tech (2/25) and Harding (2/27) come to Magnolia for a pair of contests that could very well decide tournament seeding.

Ouachita is one of the better teams in the GAC when it comes to rebounding defense (2^nd; 31.9), steals per game (2nd; 7.7) and free throw percentage (4th; 71.8%). UAM owns the league's third-best scoring offense at 75.1 ppg and the league's third-best scoring defense at 67.1 ppg for a league-best scoring margin of +8.0. The Weevils lead the GAC in free throw percentage (.756) and three-point percentage (.416), while owning a conference-best turnover margin of +4.54. Arkansas Tech ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage at 37.4% and owns a +2.8 rebounding margin with a league-best assist rate of 15.3. The Wonder Boys lead the league's eastern division in three pointers made per game at 9.7. Harding is also successful behind-the-arc as the Bisons sink 9.6 trifectas per game as part of the league's fourth-highest scoring offense at 74.9%. HU's 73.5% free throw rate ranks second in the GAC.
 
Additionally, Southern Arkansas is among the eight teams announced by the NCAA that are under consideration for the South Central Region Tournament (GAC moved to region for 2021 only) which will be played in Lubbock, Texas at LCU's Rip Griffin Center. The Muleriders are one of four GAC schools listed which includes Arkansas-Monticello, East Central and Oklahoma Baptist.
 
Sharpe's teams of the past have relied and thrived on a stingy effort on the defensive end of the floor and a relentless determination on the glass. The 2020-21 Muleriders are no different.
 
Southern Arkansas enters the final week of the regular season with the 15^th-best scoring defense in Division II basketball and the 26^th-best field goal percentage defense in the country at 41.4%. The defensive scoring effort has seen four opponents not reach the 60-point mark in a contest, while six other times this season a Mulerider opponent has failed to score 70 points. Five opponents have shot under 39% against SAU this season.
 
Additionally, the Muleriders' 15.85 turnovers forced per game ranks 26^th nationally which is due in large part to the group's collective effort in picking pockets. SAU ranks 23^rd in DII in steals per game at 8.2 and 33^rd nationally in total steals with 107.
 
Opponents are successful on only 31.4% of their attempts from three-point range; the 30^th-lowest success rate in the county among 209 teams. Six opponents in SAU's 13 games to this point in the season have been held to six or fewer makes from beyond-the-arc.
 
On the glass, Southern Arkansas employs the nation's 17^th-highest rebound margin at 6.7 which is tops in the GAC. The group's 13.15 offensive rebounds per game ranks 25^th in Division II. SAU has grabbed a total of 489 boards this season.
 
Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Muleriders this campaign. Senior guard Aaron Lucas leads the team with 16.6 ppg and the brotherly duo of Devante and Jalen Brooks follow with 13.8 ppg and 11.4 ppg respectively. Lucas leads the team in minutes played at 33.8 and along with Jalen are the lone Muleriders to put in over 400 on-floor minutes this season.
 
Lucas finds himself in the midst of a highly productive 2021 season as the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native has performed on both ends of the floor through 13 games. He has led the team in scoring eight times this season and in rebounding twice. He ranks second on the team in shooting percentage at 45.3% behind Devante Brooks' 57.3% clip which ranks 41st nationally. Both players' success rate from the floor enabled the teammates to each eclipse the 1,000-point scoring mark this season.
 
Among teammates with at least a dozen makes from three-point range, Lucas leads with a 43.6% success rate from deep; a mark that ranks 36^th in Division II. Lucas leads the GAC in free throw percentage at 84.2%. Lucas paces the team in assists with 58, followed by junior Blake Rogers' 34 and three other players have recorded at least 10.
 
On the defensive end of the floor, Lucas has impressed as he leads the league and ranks eighth nationally in steals per game at 2.69, while ranking 11^th in Division II in total steals with 35. Lucas's 35 along with the Brooks Brothers' steal total of 30, led by Jalen's 20, account for over half of the 107 steals for the Muleriders this season. Freshman guard Dodge Brown is third on the team with 11 steals.
 
Jalen ranks third in the GAC in defensive rebound average at 6.23, while Devante holds the league lead in offensive rebound average at 3.31. The pair have combined for 215 rebounds this season. Jalen leads the team in blocks with 14.
 
A trio of junior newcomers have greatly aided the Muleriders in 2021 as Rogers, Victor Ihrihri and Kris Wyche have combined for 722 minutes of action, while all three players are shooting over 37% from three-point range.
 
Live coverage links for the Muleriders' final week of regular season action are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.