SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (22-2, 16-2 GAC), the seventh-ranked team in America, welcomes Henderson State and No. 20 Ouachita to the Noble Complex this Thursday and Saturday.
The Bison play the Reddies (10-14, 7-11 GAC) on Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. before a first-place matchup with the Tigers (20-4, 16-2 GAC) on Feb. 21 at 3. Earlier this season, the Bison won 73-61 at HSU and 67-63 at Ouachita.
Todd Miller and Dave Myrick will have the call of the games on KGFF. Below are notes on the teams.
For the Bison:
- OBU has won 13 in a row and earned 22 victories. That win tally is currently tied for the most in the D2 era, previously attained during the 2019-20 season.
- The Bison have yet to lose this season at home. They are 10-0 and have outscored their opponents by an average of 80 to 66.
- Defensively, the Bison have grown throughout the season. They boast top-26 NCAA marks in three-point percentage defense (29.9) and field goal percentage defense (40.5).
- Offensively, OBU is only turning the ball over 10 times per game. That's No. 9 in the country.
- Terry Coner Jr., is having a monster year. He's slotted within the top-five of the GAC in 10 different categories. Most notably, Coner Jr., is second in scoring (20.8).
- Defensively, Erik Madrid and Christian Hodge are second and third, respectively, in the GAC with 29 and 26 blocks.
- Senior Joshua Udoumoh checks in at third in the conference in field goal percentage (48.0).
For the Reddies:
- Henderson State has lost eight of 10 but is coming off a 62-48 road win against Arkansas-Monticello.
- A bright spot for HSU is their fast-break opportunities. They collect 8.1 steals per game, second-best in the GAC, and then score 13.17 fast-break points per contest. That mark is third.
- The Reddies are sixth in scoring offense (72.1) but ninth in scoring defense (72.4).
- Zaveion Okoh is a fine scorer, ranking fourth in the GAC in points (362) and fifth in made field goals (132).
- Tyson Whybrew is a solid defender, ranking eighth in blocks (22). He's also pulling down 2.35 offensive rebounds per game, slotted fourth in the league.
For the Tigers:
- Ouachita has won eight of nine and are currently tied for first with the Bison.
- The Tigers' defense has been awesome this year. They rank second in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.2) and fifth in overall field goal defense (39.1).
- The team's 4.7 blocks per game is first in the GAC and 20th nationally.
- Christian Parks, the leading candidate for GAC Defensive Player of the Year, boasts league-best totals in blocks (60), blocks per game (2.5) and is third with 159 rebounds.
- Offensively, Devon Hancock leads Ouachita in points (17.6), free throw percentage (87.2) and field goals made (136). In the previous matchup with the Bison, he scored 17 on 5-of-14 shooting.
- Lastly, PJ Neal ranks fourth in assists (93; 3.9) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.79).
