MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Two stern tests await a Southern Arkansas Men's Basketball team that has put together an impressive report card through 17 games in the 2022-23 season. The Muleriders head to Oklahoma this weekend to cap a four-game road swing with key Great American Conference matchups at Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. and at (RV) Southern Nazarene on Saturday, January 28 at 3 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

The Muleriders have won three straight games, including back-to-back league games in which SAU needed a second half rally to grind through a pair of in-state opponents on the road. Southern Arkansas is currently 13-4 overall with a 9-2 mark in league play which ties the Muleriders for second place in the GAC standings with Arkansas Tech. SAU is a game back of the top spot in the conference which is currently held by Southern Nazarene (14-3, 10-1 GAC). Oklahoma Baptist (10-7, 7-4 GAC) is tied for fourth with Southeastern Oklahoma State. 

Southern Arkansas holds a 9-4 record all-time against Oklahoma Baptist. The Muleriders are 3-4 in Shawnee and have lost three of four on the road to Bison. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Muleriders and Crimson Storm are 2-2 against each other with both teams earning a win on the road. Previous to that span, SNU holds a 12-2 record against the Muleriders which at one time included a pair of six-consecutive wins. 

The Muleriders carry the second-highest scoring offense in the GAC across state lines. SAU is averaging 78.5 ppg and holds a scoring margin of +9.5 which is inside the top 40 nationally. The Muleriders rank in the league's top five in both field goal percentage (46.6%) and field goal percentage defense (42.9%). Rebounding and quality production on both ends of the perimeter has been vital to the Muleriders' successes. SAU's rebounding margin of +6.2 and offensive rebound average of 13.18 both rank inside the top 30 nationally. Southern Arkansas' 25.9 three-point attempts per game, 9.2 made three pointers per game and 31.4% three-point field goal percentage all rank inside the top 50 in Division II. 

Gregory Hammond Jr. leads SAU in scoring with 12.9 ppg. Blake Rogers and LaTreavin Black follow with double-figure scoring averages. Seven players are averaging over 7.0 ppg and all seven are recording 20 or minutes on the floor per night. Black leads in rebounding with 7.2 per game and in steals with 1.8 per game. Brock Schreiner and Jerry Carraway Jr. are each averaging over 2.5 assists per game. 

Oklahoma Baptist is the top shooting team in the GAC with a team field goal percentage of 48.4% and the Bison defend the three-point shot well as opponent success rate of 30.9% is the second-best perimeter guarding mark in the league. OBU holds a scoring margin of +3.8 behind an offense that scores 74.4 ppg. Four players are scoring in double figures per night led by Paul King's 16.2 ppg. Ricky Brown shoots 41.6% from three-point range. Eight of nine players with 50 or more shot attempts are shooting 40% or better from the floor. DJ Freeman leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 per game. As a team, OBU is averaging 8.1 steals per game.

Southern Nazarene leads the GAC in free throw percentage (77.3%), rebound margin (+6.7), scoring defense (58.2 ppg), scoring margin (+12.7), three-point field goal percentage (40.5%) and fewest turnovers per game (12.8), while ranking in the top three in four other categories. SNU's scoring defense ranks second in the nation by just a tenth of a point. The Crimson Storm rank second in the GAC in field goal percentage (47.9%) and field goal percentage defense (40.5%). Tyler McGhie leads three other players in double-figure scoring averages at 16.0 ppg and is shooting 42.5% from three-point range which leads the GAC and ranks 38^th nationally. Nick Davis' 7.7 rebounds per game lead the team and seven other players follow with at least a 3.0 rebounding average.