SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will host Missouri Western State for its 2022-23 home opener inside the Noble Complex on Thursday night before traveling to Oral Roberts for an exhibition on Saturday.
Tip-off in Shawnee is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game is set for 7:00 p.m.
Thursday's game will be live streamed on
OBUBison.com and heard on the
Bison Sports Radio Network featuring Todd Miller on play-by-play and Scott
Wanish on color commentary.
Coverage of Saturday's contest will be available on
ORUAthletics.com and heard on the Bison Sports Radio Network.
Oklahoma Baptist began its season against the then-ranked No. 21 Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons, a part of the GAC/NSIC Challenge. The Bison fell 76-67 after MSUM erupted for a 43-point second half. Despite a better shooting percentage in the contest (41.4%), OBU fell prey to the opposition in rebounds (51-27) and second-chance points total (25-9).
In game two of the weekend, a solid second half fueled a 68-58 Bison defeat at the hands of Wayne State College. OBU opened the game shooting 40 percent from the floor to earn a 32-31 lead going halftime. Unfortunately, the success diminished in the second half as a 16-6 WSC advantage in second chance points powered the Wildcats to victory.
OPPORTUNITIES
This week's matchups are significant because they'll mark major milestones in Bison history. Thursday's date with the Griffons will be the first time since 2019 that an MIAA affiliate will step foot into the Noble Complex. In the last three seasons, Oklahoma Baptist met the likes of Rogers State ('19), Central Oklahoma ('19), Missouri Western ('21), and Washburn ('21) on their home floors.
OBU will face its first Division I opponent since the NCAA granted the program full DII participation in the 2017-18 season. Before this, the Bison took on Louisiana Tech in 2016, whom they lost to during its NCAA DII provisional seasons (2015-17).
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Sophomore transfer Paul King has come out on fire in the season's first two contests. King went for 22 points in his OBU debut against Minnesota State-Moorhead before reaching double-figures again in a 23-point effort against Wayne State College. He is a proven spark of energy, coming off the bench in both games to lead his squad.
King shot 44 percent from the floor last week, highlighted by a 45 percent clip against Wayne State. Furthermore, he knocked down seven triples, including four against MSUM. Among GAC players, King is tied for first in three-pointers made, third for total field goals (16), and ranks third in scoring (22.5 ppg).
NOT MISSING A BEAT
Sophomore D.J. Freeman has picked up where he left off a season ago. The forward leads the squad in rebounds (17), steals (5), and blocks (2). His dominance extends beyond Shawnee as the Midwest City, Okla., native heads all GAC players in rebounds and steals.
Freeman is averaging 11.0 points per game after posting two 11-point totals over the weekend. Against Moorhead, Freeman tallied eight rebounds and two steals while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. He followed the performance with nine boards versus Wayne State, nearly a double-double, to go along with a career-high in steals (3).
NEW FACES
It didn't take long for transfers Trey Doomes and Bradley Akhile to make an impact. Doomes, who was on the team last season but was ineligible due to NCAA rules, reached double figures in both games to start the year. Akhile made his OBU debut with a 15-point pouring against MSUM, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. Additionally, each is bringing down 4.5 boards per game.
THE MAGIC 75
Head coach Jason Eaker could become the seventh coach in Oklahoma Baptist history to compile 75 career victories with a win against Missouri Western. Eaker boasts an overall record of 74-38 (66.1%), highlighted by an astounding 42-8 (84%) record inside the Noble Complex. He needs eight wins to eclipse Victor C. Hurt as the sixth-winningest coach in program history.
Since unofficially beginning Division II competition in the 2015-16 season, OBU totals 99 wins. Eaker is responsible for nearly 75 percent of the victories after coming to Bison Hill in 2018. Furthermore, the head man is 60-23 in GAC play.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Under the direction of third-year head coach Will Martin, Missouri Western enters Thursday with a 1-1 (0-0 MIAA) overall record. The Griffons went 1-1 as the host of the Hillyard Men's Basketball Tip-Off Classic last weekend. MWSU beat Minnesota Crookston 81-76 before falling to Northern State 68-57 on Saturday night.
The Griffon's exhibition schedule featured a matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats, its first Division I opponent since 2017. Missouri Western suffered a 56-38 defeat to Calipari's squad, as they were held to a 31 percent shooting clip.
MWSU shoots 39.2 percent from the floor and 38.8 percent from deep. They've out-rebounded their opponents 77-69 but have fallen victim to mistakes with an average of 13.0 turnovers per game.
Missouri Western relies heavily on junior forward Will Eames, who ranks third in the nation for minutes played per game (40.5 min./gm). Eames, an All-MIAA Third-Team selection a season ago, leads MWSU in rebounding (9.0/gm) and steals (1.5/gm) while ranking fourth on the squad in scoring (10.0 ppg).
Sophomore guard Zion Swader paces the Griffons in scoring with a 16.0-point average. Swader is shooting a scorching 66.7 percent from the floor and has knocked down 6-of-8 (75%) from long range. In the season opener against Minnesota-Crookston, he led all scorers with 22 points on 6-8 (85.7%) shooting and was a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc.
Guard Taye Fields is scoring 15.5 points per game and shooting 44 percent. He is tied for the team lead in assists (6) and ranks third for rebounds (15). Right below is Morehead State transfer Julius Dixon at 14.0 points per contest. Dixon leads the team in steals (3), is tied for assists (6), and ranks second in rebounding (8.0/gm).
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oral Roberts enters Saturday with a 2-2 overall record that features wins over John Brown University and Texas Southern. ORU's losses came against Saint Mary's in the season opener and to the third-ranked team in the country, Houston.
In its last time out, the Golden Eagles defeated preseason SWAC favorite Texas Southern 82-64. ORU shot 45.8 percent from the floor in the game, highlighted by a 52.9 clip in the second half. The squad dominated its opponent in the paint, posting a 48-30 margin while earning a 19-13 advantage in second-chance buckets.
Oral Roberts has been out-rebounded in three out of four games this season, as a plus-four margin against TSU was its only advantage thus far. Conversely, the squad's strong point has been its ability to score the ball and block opposing shots.
ORU attempts the third-most three-pointers in the nation, lofting up 36.0 per contest. They've found the bottom of the net 32.8 percent of the time from the beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles have been quick to close out as its blocks per game average ranks 12th in the country, led by Arkansas transfer Connor Vanover's 16.
The figure is second in Division I as the senior leads ORU in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounds (8.0/gm). Dick Vitale (ESPN) Preseason All-American Max Abmas, the NCAA's leading scorer two seasons ago (24.5 ppg), follows with an average of 12.5 points per game. He leads the team in assists (16) and three-point makes (10).
Rounding out the Golden Eagles averaging double figures are Issac McBride and Kareem Thompson, who are scoring 10.3 points per game.
Head coach Paul Mills is in his fourth season with Oral Roberts and has a 78-81 (.491) record. Smith's career is highlighted by the team's historic Sweet 16 run in the 2020-21 season.
