SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist travels to Harding and Arkansas Tech on Feb. 5 and 7, respectively, for a pair of Great American Conference contests.
OBU, slotted at No. 10, a program-high, in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top-25 Poll, brings a 17-2 overall record and 11-2 conference mark into the matchups.
As for Harding, they sit at 13-6 and 9-4 in the league while ATU is 7-12 and 5-8 in GAC competition. Earlier this season, OBU defeated Harding 73-67 and beat Tech 82-75.
Todd Miller and Dave Myrick will be on site for the radio broadcast of these games on KGFF.
Bison Notes
- OBU sits a game out of first place with nine league games remaining.
- Erik Madrid was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 2, his first career honor.
- He pulled down 16 rebounds and added six blocks and four steals last week.
- Terry Coner Jr. continues to help lead OBU. He's second in the GAC in scoring (20.3) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (38.6). In the previous matchups with this week's two opponents, he tallied 58 points.
- As a team, the Bison are the GAC leaders in scoring (79.7) and second in team rebounding (38.6).
- The Bison have proven to be quality shooters too. Madrid leads the GAC in field goal percentage (71.3) while Joshua Udoumoh sits at No. 14 (50.0).
- In the previous two matchups with HU and ATU, the Bison combined to commit just 15 turnovers. On the flip side, the two foes miscued a combined 27 times.
Harding Notes
- The team from Searcy has lost two of three after falling at SWOSU 94-83 last week.
- Harding, like OBU, is undefeated at home, winning all 10 matchups inside Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
- They have the No. 2 scoring defense in the GAC allowing 63.4 points per game.
- However, on offense, HU is No. 12 in the league in field goal percentage (41.4).
- Reggie Webster and Kelyn McBride rank No. 14 and 15, respectively, in the GAC in points per game at 13.2 and 13.1.
- McBride is also second in assists (5.2).
- On the defensive front, the Bison will have to contend against Wesley Booker who is fourth in blocks (1.1) and first in rebounding (8.9).
Wonder Boys Notes
- ATU lost both games last week at SWOSU and Northwestern.
- They are 7-3 at home but winless in true road games (0-8).
- Offense has been a struggle this year for Tech, who ranks No. 11 in the GAC in scoring (67.6) and ninth in field goal percentage (43.2).
- They do make 33.4 percent from deep, the No. 3 mark in the league.
- On the scoring front, David Elliott IV is the team's best scorer at 12.7 points per game. That is slotted No. 16 in the conference.
- Aiden Underdown is a fine shooter, making 63.1 percent. That's a top-four league mark.
