GAME DAY INFORMATION

When: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. (CST)

Where: Stephenville, Texas | Wisdom Gym

Series: Texans lead 28-12 since 1988 | Streak: TSU, Lost 1

Last Meeting: ASU 78, TSU 60 on January 7, 2015 in San Angelo

FOLLOW THE ACTION

Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on KTRL 90.5 FM | Listen Live

Pregame Coverage: Pregame Show begins 15 minutes before tip off

Web Stream: TarletonSports.com/ListenLive

Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

Live Stats | Game Notes

THE GAME
For the third time in the last four games, Tarleton State will take the court against a conference rival in a battle of national powers when the No. 11 Texans and No. 4 Angelo State Rams get set for a primetime throwdown in Wisdom Gym Wednesday night.
 
WHITE OUT WISDOM
Fans are encouraged to wear white to Wednesday's game. There will be a prize give to the fan wearing the most white.
 
THE BROADCAST
The game will have a live radio broadcast presented by the Tarleton Sports Network presented by North Texas Ford Dealers. The Voice of the Texans, Casey Hogan, will be back calling the play-by-play for Tarleton basketball this season. The broadcast can be heard on KTRL 90.5 FM in Stephenville and surrounding areas or online at TarletonSports.com/ListenLive. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes prior to tip-off.
 
THE OPPONENT
Angelo State is having, arguably, its best season in school history with a 21-1 record and a perfect 9-0 mark through Lone Star Conference play. The Rams enter the game ranked in the top-5 of the NABC poll for the first time in their history. Angelo State is currently riding a school-record winning streak of 16 consecutive games, which they'll put on the line Wednesday.
 
THE SERIES
The teams have met 67 times as senior college rivals since 1965 and Tarleton State has won 31 of them. The Texans were just 3-24 against Angelo State prior to Lonn Reisman's arrival in 1988, but since then it has been all Texans. Reisman won his first-ever game against the Rams in 1989 and never looked back by winning 28 of 40 career games. Tarleton also leads the series 16-2 in 18 games in Stephenville.
 
TARLETON, ANGELO IN TOP-25
The first game of the season between these two teams when Tarleton and Angelo State met in San Angelo was the first time these two teams played each other as nationally ranked opponents by the NABC. Wednesday's game will mark the second meeting between them as ranked foes.
 
EYEING REVENGE ON THE RAMS
Tarleton State will look to defend Wisdom Gym and exact revenge on Angelo State, which handed Tarleton its first loss of the season on Jan. 7. The Texans earned their first revenge win last Saturday by defeating Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.
 
TARLETON IN THE LSC
Tarleton State has developed into one of the premier basketball programs in the nation, as well as within the Lone Star Conference. Lonn Reisman is the only Texan coach to lead Tarleton through the LSC as an NCAA coach. He has amassed a record of 186-93 in Tarleton's 20 years as an NCAA conference member. Reisman and the Texans have won three LSC regular season championships, three LSC championship tournament title - including the last two - and has also won at least 10 conference games in four straight seasons.
 
TARLETON IN NATIONAL POLLS
After starting the season ranked No. 12 in the nation, Tarleton State moved up nine total spots to No. 3 over the first 12 games of the season, and after going as low as 15 and spending the last two weeks at 12, the Texans are moving up again in the latest poll at No. 11. This now marks the 30th consecutive week in which Tarleton has appeared in the national rankings since joining the polls on Nov. 19, 2013.
 
NABC HISTORY
Of the 98 weeks in the NABC rankings, Tarleton has spent 59 of those weeks in the top 10, 39 in the top 5 and eight weeks at No. 1.
 
TARLETON'S RANKED HISTORY VS ASU
This will be the 13th meeting against Angelo State for Tarleton when the Texans have been ranked in the NABC Top-25. Tarleton State boasts an all-time record of 12-1 when playing the Rams as a ranked opponent. The Texans are averaging 67.9 points per game against Angelo in those 13 games and have topped 90 against Angelo State as a ranked team twice, both in 2006.
 
EJ IN THE STARTING 5
In the last six games since EJ Reed has entered the starting lineup, Tarleton State has improved its field goal percentage (from .472 to .524), its 3-point field goal percentage (from .375 to .456) and its rebounding margin (from +3.8 to +9.5). Reed did not start the last time Tarleton State and Angelo State played.
 
AMONG THE BEST OF THE DECADE
Tarleton State's Davene Carter and Michael Hardge are putting up numbers that have them among the best Texans to play for the Purple and White since the 2005-06 season:
• Carter is one of 10 players to top the 600-point marker over the past decade. With six (6) more points, he'll pass Devon Hills (628) for ninth most in the last 10 years.
• Hardge has the sixth most assists over the last decade with 159 and is seven (7) dimes shy of passing Coleman Furst (165) for fifth most over that span.
• Carter's 81 blocked shots are the third most since 2005. He is nine (9) away from passing Terrence Gamble (89) for second most over that span and 14 from topping Jon Cathey-Macklin (94) with the most blocks of the decade.
 
TOPS IN THE NATION
Tarleton State ranks among the nations best in multiple statistical categories, including:
• No. 6 in scoring defense (60.8 ppg)
• No. 17 in 3-pt Defense (.305)
• No. 17 in Scoring Margin (14.9)
• No. 24 in FG Defense (.399)
• No. 26 in Total Blocks (73)
• No. 29 in turnover margin (3.8; 281-220)
 
REISMAN MOVES UP ALL-TIME WINS LIST
After starting the season No. 26 on the all-time wins list for Division II Head Coaches, Lonn Reisman has moved into sole possession of 22nd all-time with 578 wins, passing Rich Glas who was idle Wednesday night for Concordia (Minn.).
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton State will hit the road for back-to-back road games against Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M, beginning Saturday against the Javelinas at 8 p.m.