SHAWNEE – The 19th-ranked (NABC) Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team is at home on Friday and Saturday to face Emporia State (2-2) and Newman (3-2) at the Noble Complex.
OBU's contest with the Hornets comes at 3 p.m. before a 7 p.m. clash with Newman on Saturday. The matchup with Emporia State is the program's first in the D2 era. As for the contest versus the Jets, last season, the Bison won 87-70 in Wichita, Kansas.
Todd Miller and Dave Myrick will be on the call of both games. Here are notes on the teams.
Back in the Rankings: The Bison's 4-0 start, their first in the D2 era, led to the squad cracking the Week 1 NABC Division II rankings. OBU is slotted 19th, its best ranking since a No. 24 spot in March of 2021.
Undefeated: OBU is one of 33 squads in Division II with an unblemished record. There's only one other team in the GAC that's undefeated as well: No. 7 Southern Nazarene.
High-Quality Marks: The Bison have three top-30 NCAA statistical ranks that stick out. They are No. 23 in the nation in three-point percentage defense (25.9) and 29th in rebounding margin (10.3). Plus, the team is No. 18 in offensive rebounds per game (16.5).
A Formidable Force: Junior guard
Terry Coner Jr., this week's GAC Player of the Week, had a standout week two at Pittsburg State. He tallied 48 points, and bumped his season scoring average to 21.3 points per game. That's 26th in the nation and tops in the GAC.
Keep an Eye Out for These Guys Too: 7-foot-2 sophomore
Erik Madrid has the fourth-best field goal percentage in America, hitting 75 percent (21-of-28). Freshman
Christian Hodge has fared well too on the rebounding front. His 3.75 offensive rebounds per game is No. 37 in D2.
Scouting Emporia: ESU has done a great job limiting turnovers through four games this winter. It commits 10.5 per game, 25th-best in the country. Plus, the Hornets are No. 11 in Division II in free throw percentage (81.1). Individually, Dallas Bear is No. 25 in the country in three-point makes per game (3.25) while Andrew Pengel is the team leader in scoring (16.0). Chris Harris leads the team in rebounding (5.5) and Trey Redd has a high of 14 assists.
Scouting Newman: The Jets are 3-2, but two of those wins came against NCCAA schools (Barclay and Manhattan Christian). Newman is seventh in the nation in bench points (43.25) and 16th in assists (19.5) and free throw percentage (80.7). Individually, Brandon Wilson's 67.6 field goal percentage is No. 19 in D2. Jacob Joe has the 32nd-best assists-per-game average (5.3). Trae Clayton and Kobe Freeman, along with Wilson, all average double-digit scoring totals for the Jets.
