MAGNOLIA, Ark. - No need to wait for March. Madness throughout the current Great American Conference Men's Basketball Standings isn't even waiting until February. Second-year head coach Logan Quinn's Southern Arkansas Muleriders find itself in a pivotal position as it controls its own destiny within a five-way tie for fourth place. Up next for the Muleriders are a pair of longtime Natural State opponents that are among that fourth place cluster in Arkansas-Monticello (1/25, 7:30 p.m.) and Henderson State (1/27, 3 p.m.). Southern Arkansas battles both away from Magnolia. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

SETTING THE STAGE
>>> Southern Arkansas heads into a four-game road stretch controlling its own destiny at 5-5 in league play. The Muleriders face three teams, including this weekend's in-state foes, that they are currently tied with at 5-5. Northwestern Oklahoma is currently a single-game up on the five-way tie for fourth place. 
>>> A dozen games remain on the regular season slate for the Muleriders and among those are eight games against foes either tied or currently ahead of SAU in the standings.
>>> SAU is 6-3 in home games this season, but has managed to win just one of its seven matchups away from Magnolia. The Muleriders will need to improve that mark in order to stay in the hunt for the league tournament in March as seven of the dozen games remaining are contested away from the W.T. Watson Center. 
>>> Since first becoming a member of the GAC in 2011-12, Southern Arkansas holds a 26-40 road record against in-state competition which includes road defeats to Harding and Arkansas Tech in December.

STREAKIN'
>>> After dropping five straight games, the Muleriders are in the midst of a three-game winning streak that has propelled Quinn's squad into a five-way tied for fourth at 5-5 in league play.
>>> With wins over East Central, Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist, the Muleriders will put that streak on the line in consecutive matchups against teams that share that same league record. 
>>> During SAU's three-game string of victories, the Muleriders are +9 in scoring margin, shooting 47% from the floor, 35% from 3PT range and 73% from the stripe. 
>>> SAU's 39 total turnovers are its fewest in any three consecutive games this season and the team's made 70% or more of their FTA in three-straight games for the first time. 
>>> Four players are averaging double-figures over the past three games led by Carel Ray Jr.'s 16.3 ppg which is nearly part of a double-double effort as Ray's 9.3 rebounds are tops during the streak. Redshirt freshman Anthony Igiede follows closely at 16.0 ppg behind a 94% effort from the stripe. 
>>>Gregory Hammond Jr. is shooting 50% from the floor and averaging 14.3 ppg with Cedric Garrett's 10.7 points coming courtesy of a 10-for-20 clip from range. 

YOUNG FELLA COOKIN'
>>> Redshirt freshman Anthony Igiede enters the weekend as the reigning GAC MBB Player of the Week. 
>>> In wins over Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist, Igiede averaged 19.0 ppg and 6.0 rebounds. He shot 45.8% from the floor and made all 13 of his attempts from the stripe.
>>> The Baton Rouge native is coming off of a career-high 24 points against Oklahoma Baptist and back-to-back games playing 38 minutes.
>>> Igiede's 90.1% clip from the stripe ranks second in the GAC and is the 17th-best mark in Division II. His 64 made free throws and 71 FTA are a top 10 mark in the GAC. 
>>> Igiede is 24-for-27 from the line in the six games played since the start of 2024.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING
>>> Built on toughness with an emphasis on controlling the boards, guarding the perimeter and playing with shocking effort, Southern Arkansas' program is built for the stretch of the season it is entering. 
>>> The numbers back up the Muleriders' effort through 16 games. SAU is in the top three of the GAC in all rebounding categories which includes top 30 rankings nationally in rebound margin (+6.6) and offensive rebounding (13.19). 
>>> The Muleriders' 70.8 points allowed per game ranks fifth in the GAC.
>>> For the season, Southern Arkansas is shooting just under 70% from the charity stripe. However, over the last four games, the Muleriders have put together ten or makes in all but one and have shot better than 75% from the line in three of those contests. SAU last shot 70% or better from the free throw line in three-straight games since doing so in seven straight contests from December 10 to January 14 of last season.

KEEPIN' A WATCH OVER THE WEEVILS
>>> The Weevils and Muleriders meet for the first time this season and for the 28th time as GAC foes. The two long-time natural state rivals, a storied series that dates back to the AIC days, split last season's series and Thursday night's tilt in Drew County will be just the second in the previous seven meetings.
>>> UAM has won two straight games, four of their past five and is 6-3 against opponents at home this season.
>>> Arkansas-Monticello employs second-best scoring defense in the GAC and one that ranks inside the top 35 nationally. The Weevils are allowing just 66.9 ppg, but sit at -2.1 in scoring margin averaging a league-low 64.9 ppg.
>>> Isaac Jackson is the league's top scorer at 20.4 ppg behind a league-high 123 made field goals, the second-most field goal attempts at 248 and a top five shooting clip at 49.6%. Jackson also ranks in GAC's top ten in free throw attempts at 78.8%. 
>>> Along with Zane Nelson, the two are responsible for over half of the team's points as nelson averages 19.5 ppg; the GAC's third-highest per game scoring mark.
>>> Nelson rates as one of the league's top back court defenders holding top three rankings in the league in steals average (2.13) and total steals (32). 
>>> UAM sits at +4.9 in rebound margin and is top five in the conference in offensive rebounding (9.93) and free attempts per game (19.3).

REDDIE OR NOT
>>> HSU plays host to Southern Arkansas on Saturday in the second matchup this season between the two natural State foes. SAU edged the Reddies in late November rallying from 20 points down with 18 minutes to play.
>>> Like both SAU and UAM, the Reddies are an even .500 in league play and are coming off a tight 78-77 home defeat to East Central. It was just the second home loss for HSU this season. The Reddies are 5-2 inside the Duke Wells Center in 2023-24 with the two losses coming at an average of just two points.
>>> The Reddies boast the league's second-highest scoring offense at 78.4 ppg, are efficient on the defensive glass (26.53; 2nd GAC), defend the three well allowing the second-lowest success rate from deep at 31.3% and protect the basketball ball with the lowest turnover average in the league at 11.9.
>>> Four players score in double figures led by Malek Davis' 13.9 ppg with Zyon Patterson scoring at 13.5 ppg. Clarence King follows at 12.3 ppg and Tomislav Miholjcic rounds out such scoring at 11.6.
>>> Miholjcic ranks third in the GAC in rebounding with 119 and second in board average at 7.9. Patterson leads the GAC with 6.0 defensive rebounds per game and rates fifth in total rebounding at 7.0 per game. 
>>> Davis holds top six GAC marks in steals, assists, FGA, 3PTA and asst/to ratio.