SWOSU Men's Basketball is back in Oklahoma but will remain on the road this week for two big matchups. Northwestern will first welcome the Dawgs to Alva on Thursday night before SWOSU travels down I-40 to face Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee for a rare Saturday night matchup.

Last week, the Bulldogs fell to Southern Arkansas by 19 points before bouncing back with a 12-point win over Arkansas-Monticello to close out the Arkansas trip.

Against Northwestern in the Division II era, the Rangers hold a 16-13 series lead. In Alva, SWOSU has won just four times in 15 trips and has dropped its last three visits up north.

The Rangers are 7-9 overall and 4-6 in GAC play and are coming off a 2-0 Arkansas trip after earning five-point wins over Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas. Northwestern averages 71.3 points per game while allowing 75.5 points per contest. Their scoring margin of minus 4.3 ranks just one spot ahead of Southeastern for the worst mark in the conference. The Rangers average just 29.6 rebounds per game, the lowest in the GAC, and carry nearly a minus eight rebounding margin, more than five worse than the next closest team in the league.

Max Alexander leads Northwestern and the GAC in scoring at 22.1 points per game, a top 10 mark nationally. He shoots 42.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. Robbie Armbrester adds 13.9 points per game, along with seven rebounds and more than a steal per contest.

Oklahoma Baptist has controlled the series against the Bulldogs, holding a 19-5 all-time advantage and winning seven straight meetings. In Shawnee, SWOSU is just 2-9, with its last true road win there coming in 2017.

The Bison are 14-2 overall and 8-2 in conference play and are ranked No. 20 in the latest NABC Coaches Poll. They enter the week riding a five-game winning streak and are a perfect 6-0 at home this season. Last week, OBU completed a spotless Arkansas trip by knocking off previously unbeaten Ouachita Baptist before closing the week with a win over Henderson State. The Bison lead the conference in scoring at 80.3 points per game while allowing just 72 points per contest. SWOSU fell to the Bison 78-74 in Weatherford earlier this season in what was a one-possession game in the final two minutes. 

Terry Coner Jr. is the league's second-leading scorer behind Alexander of Northwestern, averaging 20.3 points per game on 47 percent shooting. Joshua Udoumoh contributes 14.3 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.

SWOSU enters the week at 6-10 overall and 3-7 in GAC play. The Bulldogs own the 11th-ranked offense in the conference, scoring 68.3 points per game, while defensively they allow 68.7 points per contest, the fifth-best mark in the league. In all five wins against NCAA opponents this season, SWOSU has made at least 10 three-pointers, with its lone loss while hitting double-digit threes coming against Oklahoma Baptist.

Ty Frierson leads the team with 12.5 points per game and ranks fifth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.1. He also averages 1.8 steals per game, fourth-best in the GAC. Kayden Carter adds 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and nearly a block per game, while Kray Rogers scores 9.2 points and pulls down a team-high 5.6 rebounds.