WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Men's basketball gets to play a pair of home conference games this week as the first action in 2023. The Bulldogs will play host to Arkansas Monticello on Thursday before welcoming Southern Arkansas two days later.
 
Bulldogs Notes

• Just four games into GAC play, the Dawgs sit tied for eighth in the standings at 1-3 – though it is far too early to glance at standings with plenty of basketball left to be played. 18 conference games remain on the regular season schedule
• It will have been 19 days since the last basketball game for SWOSU when they tipoff on Thursday. They last played Dec. 17 at Southern Nazarene in a tough 71-63 overtime loss to the Crimson Storm
• That matchup was the first overtime game of the season. It was also the lowest point total allowed on defense and the smallest margin of any loss this season
• Against SNU, SWOSU committed 20 turnovers which was the second time in GAC play the Bulldogs have had 20+ giveaways. SWOSU has only had more turnovers that its opposition two times so far, both coming when they committed 20+ turnovers aforementioned
• Nate Goodlow came away with his first double-double of the season against SNU with a 10-point, 11 rebound performance. He is averaging a league leading 2.5 steals per game which is tied for 11th best in the nation
• SWOSU as a team averages right at 10.0 steals per game, a mark that ranks 15th in the nation
• Ben Smith recently overtook Kamden Gipson as the team leader in scoring. Smith is averaging 13.2 points per game and has only one game this season where he has scored fewer than double digits
• Smith is also the only Bulldog to average double figures in conference contests (15.5 ppg)
• DeAngelo Adkins remains inside the top-10 (9th) in rebounding within the GAC, sitting at 6.7 boards per game. He is also fifth in blocked shots at 1.6 per game but has not recorded a swat the past two games

 
 
Scouting UAM
 
Arkansas Monticello mirrors SWOSU with an identical 5-5 overall record and 1-3 GAC record entering 2023. The Boll Weevils look to play a defensive minded game, ranking in the top half of defensive categories. They feature a balanced attack on offense with three players averaging double figures and with a fourth sitting just under that mark. Head Coach Chad Tapp is in his second year as head coach at UAM.
 
**Conference rankings/stats as of 1/4
 
Boll Weevil Offense
68.2 Points Per Game (11th in GAC)
48.5% FG Percentage (3rd)
44.4% 3-Point FG Percentage (1st)
67.3% FT Percentage (10th)
31.4 Team Rebounding (12th)
 
Boll Weevil Defense
65.6 Points Per Game (4th)
42.2% Opponent FG Percentage (5th)
32.3% Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage (4th)
28.8 Opponent Team Rebounding (3rd)
 
Scouting SAU
 
Southern Arkansas is 7-3 overall on the year and 3-1 in GAC play. After starting the season with two losses, they are 7-1 in their last eight games including a perfect 5-0 when they play inside their home gym. On the road however, they are an even 2-2. Unlike UAM they can score points quickly, averaging better than 80 points per night despite not having a player averaging more than 12.5 points per game. They too feature an array of scoring options, with five players averaging 9.7 points or greater including three who are averaging double figures. Logan Quinn leads the Mulerider program after taking over in 2022.
 
**Conference rankings/stats as of 1/4
 
Mulerider Offense
80.3 Points Per Game (2nd in GAC)
48.4% FG Percentage (4th)
36.1% 3-Point FG Percentage (5th)
67.4% FT Percentage (9th)
39.5 Team Rebounding (2nd)
 
Mulerider Defense
67.4 Points Per Game (6th)
41.9% Opponent FG Percentage (3rd)
30.7% Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage (2nd)
28.7 Opponent Team Rebounding (2nd)