Jan. 4 - at Southern Arkansas (4-6, 2-2 GAC)

7:30 pm tipoff || Magnolia, Ark. (W.T. Watson Athletic Center)

Jan. 6 - at Arkansas-Monticello (3-6, 1-3 GAC)

3:00 pm tipoff || Monticello, Ark. (Steelman Fieldhouse)

Click for Full Games Notes (pdf)

After an exhibition last week against Division I Tulsa, SWOSU Men's Hoops officially gets back to action this week on the road against Southern Arkansas and Monticello in the usual Thursday/Saturday slate.

The Bulldogs will be looking to earn their first win away from Weatherford this season. SWOSU is 2-1 at home, but a combined 0-6 when playing in a venue not named the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.

Awaiting the Dawgs on Thursday are the defending GAC Tournament Champion Muleriders. After winning the program's first GAC Tournament crown a year ago, SAU is off to a slower start at 4-6 overall and a 2-2 mark in league play.  

Gregory Hammond, Jr. returns to SAU's lineup as last year's GAC Newcomer of the Year. His 8.6 rebounds per game leads the GAC, though he has only appeared in half of the team's games after missing a month of early season action. He is second on the team scoring 12.6 points per game. The Muleriders are second in the GAC in total rebounding and second with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game. SAU's Carel Ray, Jr. mirrors Ben Smith's scoring & rebounding numbers averaging 15.9 points (7th GAC) and a league-leading 8.0 rebounds per game. 

SWOSU's last win over the Muleriders came in the 2022 GAC Tournament Semifinals. The Dawgs were 0-2 against SAU last season. 

Monticello will welcome SWOSU on Saturday after they face Northwestern on Thursday. UAM's lone conference win came against Harding. They have not defeated another Division II opponent this season. SWOSU and UAM split the series last season, with both teams claiming wins on their home floor.

The Boll Weevil offense features a one-two punch of Isaac Jackson, who leads the GAC in scoring at 22.8 points per game, and Zane Nelson, also nestled inside the top-5 scoring at 18.9 ppg. (4th GAC)   

The Bulldogs find themselves right in the thick of the GAC standings with an even 2-2 mark in league play. Both of this week's opponents feature the same, or worse conference record.

In a four-game sample size in GAC play, SWOSU holds narrow advantages in a few categories. The Bulldogs are outshooting league opponents by a percentage point (.424) and out rebounding them by two boards per game. (33.8 rpg) SWOSU has shot just 25% from deep in GAC play and is narrowly losing the turnover battle (45-47) despite having eight more steals than its four opponents.
 
The offense will continue to need to improve, ranking 12th (out of 12) in the GAC in scoring, 64.6 ppg, field goal percentage, 41.9%, and three-point percentage, 28.1%. Both times SWOSU has eclipsed the 70-point scoring mark this season, they have won. 

Ben Smith continues to lead SWOSU in a pair of categories -- scoring & rebounding. Smith's 16.9 ppg ranks fifth in the GAC while his 7.4 rebounds per game is second throughout the league. He has one double-double this year and has missed out on two more by a single rebound. 

Jalen Johnson, who started the season as an offensive boost off the bench, has moved into the starting lineup the past three games. In his first start of the season at East Central (12/9) he tied a career high with 20 points. He had 15 more against SNU. He is SWOSU's other double-digit scorer this season, averaging 10.3 points per game.

SWOSU's X-Factor has been Denali Alexander. In two wins this year, he's scored 18 and 15 points. In seven losses, he averages 6.2 points. 

MJ Warrior leads the team in assists, 27, and steals, 14.