SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (3-3, 0-0 GAC) will open Great American Conference play on Thursday versus Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-4, 0-0 GAC) before heading to Alva for a match-up against Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-3, 0-0 GAC) on Saturday. Tomorrow's game against the Bulldogs will take place in Shawnee at 7:30 p.m., while the weekend finale is set to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. inside Percefull Fieldhouse.
Thursday's game will streamed on the Bison Sports Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish. The duo will also broadcast both games on the Bison Radio Network.
GAME NOTES
OBU enters its GAC slate after scraping through a tough non-conference schedule where the Bison came out with a 3-3 overall record. They posted wins over Randall (107-60), Southwestern Christian (93-77), and Arlington Baptist (95-62). OBU's three losses came at the hands of Minnesota Duluth - now ranked 13th in the country, Minnesota Crookston, and West Texas A&M - now ranked 11th in DII. Remarkably, each of the games took place inside the Noble Complex. It is the most consecutive home contests to start the season in the Oklahoma Baptist Division II era.
STACKING UP THUS FAR
The Bison are the second-highest-scoring squad in the GAC, averaging 82.5 points per contest, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Additionally, their scoring margin of 11.7 ppg leads the conference. Defensively, the Bison allow 70.8 ppg and hold its opponents to a league-best 39.8 percent shooting clip per game. In three out of their last four match-ups, Oklahoma Baptist held opposing teams to a 39.7 percent or less field goal percentage. One of those squads was the nationally ranked Buffs of West Texas A&M.
A large part of OBU's offensive firepower has come from its reserves, who average the eighth-most points per game in the country (40.1 ppg). The Bison bench has outscored teams in 4-of-6 games this season, including a 72-point showing against Randall. Here is the margin breakdown in those contests: Minnesota Duluth (22-17), Minnesota Crookston (29-8), Randall (72-22), and Arlington Baptist (43-23).
Freshman Terry Coner Jr. leads the bench scoring at 15.2 ppg while shooting an efficient 52.8 percent from the floor. Coner has four games where he scored in the double figures, including a 24-point showing against Crookston, off the bench. Coner made his first start on Monday versus Arlington Baptist, where he charted his fifth-straight game with double-digit points (15).
THE QUEST TO THE CENTURY MARK
Head coach Jason Eaker can become the sixth coach in Oklahoma Baptist hoops history to earn 100 career victories this season. Eaker boasts a 90-57 (.612) overall record in six seasons, five of which he finished above .500. Here is a year-by-year breakdown of his winning records: 2018-19 (16-14, 14-8 GAC), 2019-20 (22-9, 15-7 GAC), 2020-21 (16-6, 14-3 GAC), 2021-22 (20-9, 17-5 GAC).
Already the winningest coach in the program's Division II era, Eaker has 22 guaranteed opportunities to reach the century mark. Eaker ranks sixth in OBU history for victories and has the fourth-best winning percentage of coaches who have led the Bison in 146 games or more.
A REBOUNDING EFFORT
OBU has improved in an area where they finished near-last (9-of-12) in the GAC a season ago, rebounding. In 2023-24, the Bison pull down the sixth-most boards per game in the country (46.0). Oklahoma Baptist charts the 14th-most offensive rebounds (15.1) and 12th-most defensive boards (30.8) per contest in Division II.
Oklahoma Baptist has out-rebounded all but two opponents, including a 38-plus margin against Randall on Nov. 11.
Four different Bison have 30 or more rebounds, paced by Trevecca Nazarene transfer Jose Waring. He has 38 boards (6.3/gm), the third-best total in the GAC. Nathan Wilson and Joshua Udoumoh trail the leader with totals of 37 and 36, respectively. Daniel Ransom rounds out the group with 30 rebounds, averaging 5.2 per game. Udoumoh owns the game-high mark for rebounds, pulling down 11 vs. Randall. He paired the figure with 14 points to chart his first career double-double.
NO FLY ZONE
Junior forward Nathan Wilson totals the most blocks (7) in the GAC, averaging 1.1 per game. He has at least one block in all but two games this year and notched his third consecutive game with two blocks on Monday against Arlington Baptist.
In just six games played, Wilson would've ranked third in denials on the team at the end of last season. At this pace, Wilson could finish the year with more rebounds than any Bison player in 2022-23.
SCOUTING SOUTHWESTERN OKLA. ST.
The Bulldogs are off to an 0-4 start after falling to Cameron, 68-64, on Nov. 21. It's SWOSU's first 0-4 start since the 2016-17 season. Southwestern is under the direction of first-year coach Brett Weiberg. He was hired on July 26 after spending five years (2018-23) at Madill High School where he served as athletic director and head coach. Prior to that, Weiberg was the head coach at Missouri Western State from 2013-18.
Ben Smith is Southwestern's leader in numerous categories. His 16.3 points per game is eighth-best in the GAC. He also leads in rebounds (8.0) and is third in three-point percentage (55.6). The 6-foot-6 forward also ranks eighth in field-goal percentage (58.7).
Mark Berry has also proven to be a valuable rebounder. His 6.5 per-game average slots him eighth in the GAC. Berry also shoots 50 percent from the field, a top-25 GAC mark. Defensively, MJ Warrior, Jr., notches 2.0 steals per contest. The junior from Oklahoma City's mark is slotted No. 3 in the GAC.
As a team, though, SWOSU has had its struggles. Its 65.5 points-per-game average is 11th out of 12 GAC schools. The Bulldogs' 43-percent field-goal mark is ninth and their 30.3 rebounds per game is slotted 11th. Finally, SWOSU is dead last in rebounding margin (-7.3).
Historically, SWOSU has struggled playing at the Noble Complex. The Bulldogs are 3-7 against the green and gold in the D2 era. Last year, the Bison won 80-64 on Jan. 19, 2023 as Ricky Brown and Joshua Udoumoh each reached double-figure scoring.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN OKLA. ST.
After a 95-78 loss to Midwestern State on Nov. 25, the Rangers moved their record to 2-3. Head Coach Robbie Harman is in his second year for Northwestern. Last year, he led the Rangers to an 11-15 record and 7-15 GAC mark.
So far this season, the Rangers have been very good on defense. They rank second in opponent field-goal percentage (41.9) and third in scoring defense (67.6 ppg).
Offensively, though, Northwestern in tenth in scoring (65.8) and 11th in field-goal percentage (40.1) and free-throw percentage (58.9).
Brian Free is the Rangers' best scorer. His 13.6 points average is No. 13 in the conference. He's the only player for Northwestern to be ranked in the top-25 of the GAC. Plus, he leads the team and ranks 18th in three-point percentage (41%). Larry White is a formidable rebounder. He is third in the league pulling down 7.4 per game. Twice this season, the 6-foot-6 redshirt senior has snagged 11 boards.
Also of note offensively, Chance Love, Kabeya Tshibangu and Camron McDowell each shoot at least 51 percent from the field. McDowell also has the sixth-best assists-per-game average (3.2) in the league.
In D2 history, this has been an even matchup. The Rangers won last year's game in Alva, 96-88, which brought Northwestern's record in Percefull Fieldhouse to 4-4 against the Bison.
