MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The postseason run for ninth-year head coach Andy Sharpe's Muleriders continues as Southern Arkansas, GAC Eastern Division Co-Champions and GAC Tournament Runner-Up, has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Muleriders are the No. 4 seed in the NCAA's South Central Regional and will open tournament play on Saturday, March 13 against No. 5 seed Dallas Baptist from inside Lubbock Christian's Rip Griffin Center. Tip-off time is set for 8:45 p.m.
 
The national postseason tournament berth is the eighth for the Mulerider Men's Basketball program since 1947-48. That season, Magnolia A&M earned a trip to the national junior college tournament as a two-year school and the trip to west Texas this weekend will be the program's seventh as a four-year institution. The Muleriders previously made trips to the NAIA National Tournament in 1956-57, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1970-71, 1982-83 and 1988-89.
 
Southern Arkansas (15-5), which secured the No. 6 spot in the final D2SIDA Central Region Media Rankings, will carry a top 25 scoring defense to Lubbock as the Muleriders rank 21^st nationally allowing 67.0 ppg. In 20 games this season, SAU has held its opponent under 70 points twelve times and on seven occasions the opposition failed to reach the 65-point mark. That comes in large part to having the 23^rd-best field goal percentage defense in Division II at 41.5% and the 30^th-best three-point field goal percentage defense at 31.6%.
 
Led by senior guard and Great American Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Lucas, who ranks third nationally in total steals with 51 and sixth nationally with a per game average of 2.55, Southern Arkansas ranks 14^th in DII in total steals with 159 and 30^th in steals per game at 8.0. Lucas also ranks 26^th in Division II in total assists with 92.
 
Senior forward Devante Brooks and junior combo Jalen Brooks lead SAU in rebounding as both rank in the top 20 nationally in total rebounding. J. Brooks has recorded 178 rebounds and D. Brooks follows with 174 boards. Both players are averaging over 8.5 rebounds per game. The pair is a key part of the Muleriders grabbing the 28^th-most rebounds in the country this season at 742, while the team ranks 27^th in DII in rebound margin at +5.3. D. Brooks leads the team and ranks 24^th nationally in offensive rebounds per game at 3.3.
 
Together the Brooks brothers have combined for 13 double-doubles. Individually they both rank in the top 25 nationally with Devante's seven ranking 17^th nationally.
 
Southern Arkansas' 434 free throw attempts this season rank 21^st in DII and the 295 makes from the line rank 31^st. D. Brooks' 117 attempts are the 18^th-most nationally.
 
Saturday's matchup with Dallas Baptist will be the 17^th between the programs since 1970-71. The Muleriders hold a 10-6 series lead, but the two teams haven't met on the hardwood since the 2011-12 season: an 82-78 win for the Patriots at the season-opening South Central Regional Shootout.
 
The Patriots (16-4) finished atop the Lone Star Conference North Division with a 6-1 record and a 12-3 mark overall in LSC play. Two of the team's four losses this season have come to West Texas A&M which includes an 88-77 defeat in the LSC Tournament Semifinals. The other two losses were both decided by two points and each came on the road: a 99-97 OT loss at UT Permian Basin and a 72-70 decision at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
DBU owned the fourth highest conference winning percentage in the LSC this season and has spent most of the season ranked nationally in both the NABC and D2SIDA Top 25 Polls.
 
Dallas Baptist opened postseason play with a 76-55 win over Midwestern State in the quarterfinals of the LSC Tournament, before falling to eventual tournament champion West Texas A&M; the South Central Region's No. 1 seed.
 
DBU is led by a pair of All-LSC First Team performers in senior guard Chandler Jacobs and freshman guard Ricky Lujan. Jacobs was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year and was a selection on the league's All-Defensive Team, while Lujan earned the LSC Freshman of the Year honor and appeared on the LSC All-Freshman Team.
 
Junior guard Carson Hughes was named to the All-LSC Second Team, while junior guard Jalen White and sophomore forward William Heather were named All-LSC Honorable Mention.
 
The Patriots own the nation's fourth-highest field goal percentage at 52.5%, the country's eighth-most makes from three-point range with 215 and DII's 12^th-highest scoring offense at 86.4 ppg. Additionally, DBU's scoring margin sits at +11.2 which ranks 17^th nationally.
 
With a top ten mark nationally in made threes, the Patriots rank 16^th in three-pointers made per game (10.8) and 18^th in three-point field goal percentage (39.7). Dallas Baptist also holds top 35 marks nationally in free throw percentage (76.7%, 25^th), total assists (310, 22^nd), total steals (142, 29^th), assists per game (15.5, 35^th), and total blocks (60, 35^th).
 
Live coverage links for Saturday's action are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule.