MAGNOLIA, Ark. - It does not matter what cards you're holding when the hardwood calendar turns to March. It only matters how you play them. (8) Southern Arkansas prepares for its 13th-straight conference tournament trip with an opening round matchup with top seed Southeastern Oklahoma and will aim for the tournament's second-consecutive eight-over-one upset result after Ouachita punched out Southern Nazarene in Shawnee in 2023. Tip-off from inside Firelake Arena is set for 5:45 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

NO STRANGER TO THE POSTSEASON
>>> Southern Arkansas prepares for its 20th GAC Tournament game on Thursday. The Muleriders are the tournament's No. 8 seed for just the third time and the first since its second trip in 2012-13. 
>>> After posting a tournament record of 2-9 through the 2019-20 season, SAU is 6-2 since with tournament championship game appearances in 2020-21 and last season when the Muleriders won the tournament for the first time. 
>>> THE MULERIDER MEN ARE THE ONLY TEAM, OF 24 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAMS, TO APPEAR IN ALL 13 GAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS.

SAU in the GAC Tournament (13th appearance; 8-11)
2022-23 | W, 89-69 vs. (5) ATU
2022-23 | W, 84-81 vs. (6) HSU
2022-23 | W, 71-67 vs. (7) OBU
2021-22 | L, 62-71 vs. (7) SWOSU
2021-22 | W, 72-63 vs. (3) NWOSU
2020-21 | L, 74-75 at (E1) UAM
2020-21 | W, 74-71 at (W1) OBU
2020-21 | W, 82-74 vs. (W3) ECU
2019-20 | L, 69-83 vs. (2) SE
2018-19 | L, 62-74 vs. (5) HSU
2017-18 | L, 71-76 vs. (2) NWOSU
2016-17 | L, 68-72 vs. (3) ATU
2015-16 | L, 83-97 vs. (1) HU
2015-16 | W, 83-82 vs. (4) SWOSU
2014-15 | L, 77-89 vs. (6) HU
2013-14 | L, 60-73 vs. (6) HSU
2013-14 | W, 63-59 vs. (2) SWOSU
2012-13 | L, 43-62 vs. (1) HU
2011-12 | L, 53-54 vs. (1) ATU

GRIT AND GRIND
>>> It hasn't been easy for the defending GAC Tournament Champions and none of the other seven foes convening in Shawnee for the league's annual postseason party feel bad about it. 
>>> Despite roster turnover and a plethora of injuries to both starters and key role players at the most inopportune times, the Muleriders, under second-year head coach Logan Quinn, rallied winning two of their final three games on the road to aid the program in making its league-best 13th trip to the tournament.
>>> Speaking of grind, this is year's squad could become the first in the program's GAC Era to see three players average 30.0 or more minutes per game with Carel Ray Jr. (35.2), Gregory Hammond Jr. (31.0) and Anthony Igiede (30.1) all seeing a half-hour's action each night.

GLASS PROTECTION
>>> The Muleriders enter Tournament play ranked inside the league's top three in just one statistical category, but it's one that could greatly help SAU in their repeat chances: rebounding. 
>>> The Nation's 11th-highest and the Central Region's best rebounding margin of +7.9 belongs to the Muleriders. It leads the GAC as does the squad's 13.32 offensive rebounds per which rates 21st nationally and first in the Central Region.
>>> The team's overall board effort of 38.36 per game is the second-highest per game average in the GAC and the 25+ defensive rebounds per night rank third.
>>> Ray paced the GAC with 2.85 offensive rebounds per in the regular season. Ray and Hammond are in the top 6 of the GAC in rebounds per and defensive rebounds per.

IMPACTFUL FIRST SEASON
>>> While the veteran presence of Ray and Hammond and the welcoming back of Jessie Davis Jr. along with the play of several first-year Muleriders that brought collegiate experience with them to magnolia, a pair of youngsters in redshirt freshman Anthony Igiede and true freshman Nevi Tell have proved beneficial for Quinn this season.
>>> Igiede watched the Muleriders claim the GAC Tournament title last season and a year later, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native played in and started all 28 regular season contests averaging over 30 minutes and 10 points per game.
>>> Igiede leads the team and ranks fifth in the GAC in free throw percentage at 82.6. His 90 made free throws are the eighth-most in the league entering tournament action. 
>>> Magnolia native Nevi Tell has not only entertained a Mulerider Faithful that were already aware of his play when starring for the panthers, but has added an excited element to the future of the program.
>>> Tell's 42 total steals this season rank tenth in the GAC and his swipe average of 1.56 rates eighth. He ranks 11th in the league in both total assists with 80 and in share average with 3.0. His totals in assists and steals are single-season bests for a true freshman in the Program's GAC Era. 

BY THE NUMBERS
70.5 - the number of points SAU has averaged per game in 19 GAC Tournament contests. Last season, the Muleriders posted its top two scoring outputs with 84 and 89 Points in the semifinals and finals of the tournament, respectively. 
28.8 - the number of points averaged by junior Carel Ray Jr. over a six-game stretch Feb. 10 to Feb. 29. The final two efforts during that span resulted in the North Carolina Native nearly dropping 40 as he became the first Mulerider in the program's GAC Era to produce consecutive games of 30 or more points. 
5.5 - the average number of points that has decided the past four matchups between SAU and SE; all under head coach Logan Quinn. Two of the games have been decided by a single possession and only one has been more than six points.
4 - the number of Muleriders that have connected on 32 or more three-point shots this season. Ray leads with 41 makes, Hammond Jr. and Cedric Garrett have each netted 38 and Igiede has made 32. The latter three have all shot 33% or better in the process.

SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
>>> The Savage Storm enter tournament play as co-champions of the GAC Regular season with Arkansas Tech courtesy of a matching record of 18-4 in league play. SE is 22-8 overall and currently ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Regional Rankings. 
>>> SAU and SE meet for the third time in 2023-24 and if matchup No. 3 is as entertaining as the first two then the 5:45 Thursday crowd inside Firelake Arena is in for a treat.
>>> The two squads first met in Durant on January 12. The contest saw SAU nearly match the program's single-game three-pointers made record with 15, while SE made 9-of-10 in the final three minutes. In the second Meeting, February 10 in Magnolia, SAU used an 11-2 run following the under-8 media to force a tight finish in defeat. 
>>> The Two Programs meet for the 26th time since the start of the 2011-12 season, the GAC's first, but just for the second time in the postseason after a 2020 opening round matchup in Bartlesville that saw two-seeded SE win 83-69 despite a 22-12 double-double from All-GAC selection Devante Brooks. 
>>> As Advertised are the Savage Storm who enter the postseason with league-best statistical efforts in 11 categories and six additional top three rankings. Among the top statistics for SE are Central Region-best efforts in assists per game at 16.3 and in three-pointers made per game at 10.4 which rates 12th in Division II. 
>>> Southeastern leads the GAC in scoring at 85.9 points per game which is a top 25 mark nationally. 
>>> Brennen Burns is the nation's leader in assists with 208 and ranks second in share average at 6.9 per game. Burns also leads the league in FG% at 56.8%; a top 35 mark in DII, which results in 16.4 ppg. 
>>> Kody Clouet paces the Storm in scoring at 17.8 PPG behind a 42.4% success rate from three-point range. He bottoms 2.6 shots from deep with Kyle Leslie following with 2.53. The Pair have combined to sink 154 shots from range.