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Setting the Scene
- Bulldog Basketball plays their final game of the season in Arkansas on Saturday against defending GAC Champion Arkansas-Monticello
- UAM defeated the Bulldogs 82-73 last month in Weatherford and they have won three straight games in the series overall
- SWOSU has dropped 12 straight games after losing to Southern Arkansas on Thursday night and the Bulldogs are on the brink of mathematical elimination from postseason play
- Arkansas-Monticello is coming off back-to-back defeats against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State, dropping the Weevils to an even 8-8 in GAC play
 
The Opponent
Arkansas-Monticello (13-9, 8-8 GAC)
- UAM is tied for fifth place in the GAC standings and battling for conference position after two straight league defeats
- The Weevils feature the third-highest scoring offense in the league at 80.8 points per game while holding opponents to 72.5 points per contest
- UAM has four players averaging better than 10 points per game, led by Derylton Hill (18.1 ppg), Cobe Goosby (15.0), Karim Mawuenyega (14.7) and Tyrin Jones (14.1)
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kris Johnson (1-12, 1st season) * Interim
- Named the interim head coach at SWOSU for the remainder of the 2017-18 season on December 13 following the retirement of head coach Bob Battisti
- Now in his seventh season as an assistant coach at SWOSU, including the last four-plus years as the lead assistant to Battisti
- A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnson came to SWOSU following a four-year playing career at Northwestern Oklahoma State
 
Arkansas-Monticello: Kyle Tolin (51-54, 4th season)
- Guided UAM to a turnaround that culminated with a shared GAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2016-17
- Hired as the 15th head coach in UAM basketball's history in June of 2014 after spending 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma Baptist
 
Checking the Standings
- Southern Nazarene remains unbeaten and sitting alone atop the GAC standings at 16-0 with six games remaining in the regular season
- SNU maintains a five-game lead over Northwestern Oklahoma State for second place with East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State a game back in third place at 10-6
- Arkansas Tech, Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas are tied for fifth at 8-8, one game ahead of Henderson State and Ouachita who are currently tied for the final spot in the GAC Tournament
- Harding has opened up a three-game lead on SWOSU following a victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Thurday night
 
The Series (GAC Era)
Date                Location                     Score
*1/19/2012       Monticello, Ark.           L 82-86
*2/16/2012       Weatherford, Okla.     L 54-65
3/3/2012          Bartlesville, Okla.        W 79-76
*11/29/2012     Weatherford, Okla.     W 68-59
*2/2/2013         Monticello, Ark.           W 71-70
3/8/2013          Bartlesville, Okla.        W 77-69 (OT)
*11/21/2013     Monticello, Ark.           W 74-65
*2/1/2014         Weatherford, Okla.     L 52-68
*1/17/2015       Monticello, Ark.           W 70-63 (OT)
*2/19/2015       Weatherford, Okla.     W 83-81
*12/3/2015       Monticello, Ark.           W 71-66
*2/4/2016         Weatherford, Okla.     W 103-92
*12/1/2016       Weatherford, Okla.     L 78-79
*2/24/2017       Monticello, Ark.           L 70-101
*1/4/2018         Weatherford, Okla.     L 73-82
 
GAC Era: SWOSU leads 9-6
In Weatherford: UAM leads 4-3
In Monticello: SWOSU leads 4-2
In Bartlesville: SWOSU leads 2-0
 
SWOSU Notes
- Charles Beauregard, Jr., recorded his 11th 20-point game of the season with 26 points on Thursday night at Southern Arkansas
- Beauregard has upped his season average to 19.2 points per game, which ranks him third among players in the Great American Conference
- Devin Pugh reached double figures in scoring for the sixth consecutive game, scoring 12 points in 22 minutes against the Muleriders
- Nick Shoemaker saw his streak of 36 consecutive games with a three-pointer made snapped on Thursday night as he finished 0-for-3 from the field against SAU
- Jefkins Agyeman-Budu was one point shy of his season high with 16 points on Thursday night at SAU, his fourth double-figure scoring outing of the year
- SWOSU ranks fourth in the GAC with an average of 9.0 made three pointers per game, led by Shoemaker, who is 56-for-131 (42.7%) from downtown for the year
- Justin King returned to the lineup on Thursday and finished with eight points in just 11 minutes of action before fouling out for the fourth time this season
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU returns home to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Thursday evening to host Southeastern Oklahoma State
- The Bulldogs then play three of their last four games of the regular season on the road, starting next Saturday at East Central