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2016 SWOSU Classic Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio (Saturday only) #18 Augustana (0-0) at SWOSU (0-0) Friday, Nov. 11, 6:00 pm (RV) Washburn (0-0) at SWOSU (0-0) Saturday, Nov. 12, 2:30 pm SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Men's Basketball opens the 2016-17 season on their home court, hosting two tough conference foes for the SWOSU Classic at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Bulldogs open the season on Friday by hosting the reigning NCAA Division II National Champions and No. 18-ranked Augustana at 6:00 pm
- The second opponent for the Dawgs is Washburn, a team receiving votes in the preseason NABC Top 25 poll
- This will mark the second straight season that SWOSU has opened the season at home with their classic after the Dawgs went 1-1 with a setback against Lindenwood and a victory over Nebraska-Kearney last season
- SWOSU will be facing Augustana for the first time and Washburn for the first time since 2008
 
The Opponents
#18 Augustana (0-0)
- The Vikings won their last 15 games of the 2015-16 season, culminating it with the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship by defeating Lincoln Memorial 90-81 last March
- Augie has been picked to finish second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason coaches poll behind Minnesota State-Mankato
- Two starters return from the National Championship team in senior guard Adam Beyer and junior guard Jordan Spencer, who led the NSIC and ranked fifth in the country with 6.7 assists per game last season
 
(RV) Washburn (0-0)
- The Ichabods return all five starters from a team that finished 15-13 last season and they were one of two teams to defeat Augustana last season
- Washburn has been picked to finish second in the MIAA this year behind Northwest Missouri State after placing fifth a year ago
- The Ichabods return MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Brady Skeens and Freshman of the Year Javion Blake and they have added two junior college transfers and three freshman
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (50-35, 4th season; 459-331 career, 28th season)
- In his fourth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, having led SWOSU to at least 16 wins in each of his first three years at the helm
- Has coached five players at SWOSU that earned All-GAC distinction, including one GAC Player of the Year (Rod Camphor) and one GAC Defensive Player of the Year (Michael Bradley)
- Previously spent 25 years at Northwestern Oklahoma State, coaching the men's basketball team for 21 seasons before taking over as the school's athletic director
- In 26 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 459-330 (.582) and he is 1-2 at the conference tournament as the head coach at SWOSU
 
Augustana: Tom Billeter (247-193, 14th season; 344-193 career, 19th season)
- Augustana's all-time winningest coach and he's led the Vikings to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including four trips in the last five seasons
- Reigning NABC National Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to a program-best 34 victories and their first National Championship in 2015-16
 
Washburn: Bob Chipman (773-330, 37th season)
- Second in all-time coaching victories among active coaches with 773 heading into his 37th and final season leading the Ichabods
- Led Washburn to 16 national tournaments, including the 1986-87 NAIA National Championship and an NCAA Division II runner-up finish in 2000-01
 
The Series
SWOSU vs. Augustana
First Meeting
 
SWOSU vs. Washburn
Series Tied 1-1
Date          Location                          Score
11/17/77    Neutral                           L 71-87
11/28/08    Edmond, Okla.  W 105-99 (OT)
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU has been picked to finish seventh in the Great American Conference this season after going 17-12 (13-9 GAC) and placing fourth in the league last season
- The Bulldogs welcome back two starters from last season in guards Markeise Champion and Collin Jennings
- Champion earned All-Great American Conference honorable mention and knocked down 90 three-pointers as a junior while ranking second on the team with 13.8 points per game
- Jennings was the Bulldogs fourth-leading scorer last season, averaging 9.5 points per game to go along with 3.3 rebounds per contest
- Newcomer Altez Davis led the Bulldogs with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting in their second exhibition game against Mid-America Christian
- Davis also led the Bulldogs with an average of 7.0 rebounds per game, including nine boards in the game at MACU
- Devin Pugh scored 10 points in both of SWOSU's exhibition contests and he is likely to start in the backcourt with Champion and Jennings to start the season
- Rashon Thomas logged better than 25 minutes per game in the two exhibitions, averaging 8.5 points and 2.0 steals per game
- SWOSU totaled 18 steals in two exhibition contests, including four apiece from Thomas and Reshardd Harris
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU heads on the road for their next three games, including a conference road trip to Arkansas Tech (Nov. 17) and Harding (Nov. 19)
- The Bulldogs then head to Central Missouri for a non-conference contest on November 26 before returning home on December 1st to face Arkansas-Monticello