Tarleton set for high profile matchup vs Stanford in the Bay Area to begin regular season

THE GAME

Opponent: Stanford

Date: 9 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 9

Location: Maples Pavilion – Palo Alto, California

TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network

Guy Haberman, Play-by-Play

Drew Shiller, Analyst

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM

Casey Hogan, Play-by-Play

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

A season-opener on the hardwood inherently carries a certain level of intrigue each time the calendar shifts to November, signaling the start of the college basketball season.

The 2021-22 iteration of the annual affair feels especially significant for Tarleton men's basketball.

On Tuesday, the Texans begin their regular season slate with arguably the highest-profile matchup in program history to date with a trip to the Golden State to face Stanford.

The game marks Tarleton's first meeting opposite a Pac-12 opponent in any sport and the second time its men's basketball program has drawn a Power Five Conference foe in regular season action. Tuesday's tilt vs. the Cardinal commences Tarleton's second year under head coach Billy Gillispie, who returns eight letter winners from the Texans' inaugural Division I roster, including reigning WAC Freshman of the Year Freddy Hicks and 2021-22 Preseason All-WAC first team honoree Montre Gipson.

Tarleton heads to the Bay Area fresh off a 73-50 home exhibition win over Central Christian (Kan.) on Nov. 1. Though the end result was unofficial, the Texans have now won eight of their last 10 ballgames dating back to last season.

Stanford concluded the 2020-21 campaign with a 14-13 overall record. The Cardinal return 12 letter winners and signed their third consensus top-20 recruiting class in the last four seasons under head coach Jerod Haase.

Tuesday pits two of the nation's best defenses against one another. Stanford finished 28th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rating last winter. Due to NCAA Division I transition rules, Tarleton does not qualify for NCAA statistical rankings. Had they been eligible last season, the Texans would have ranked first in the nation in steals per game (10.5), second in turnovers forced per game (19.5) and 15th in points allowed per game (62.3).

The Cardinal poses a stiff challenge for Tarleton but is just the appetizer of a daunting three-week stretch to open the season. Beginning with Tuesday's game, six of the Texans' first seven contests are away from home – three of which are against teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 10: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 3 Kansas and No. 6 Michigan.

GAME COVERAGE

Fans can access a live stream to the game at Pac-12.com/Live. Links to the video broadcast as well as live stats can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. A complete radio broadcast of the game can be heard on the Tarleton Sports Network at TarletonSports.com/Watch and on the flagship station of Tarleton athletics – KTRL 90.5 FM in Stephenville. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff.

ATTENDING THE GAME

For west coast residents or those interested in making the trip to Santa Clara County, single-game tickets are available for purchase on the men's basketball home page at GoStanford.com. Face coverings are required at all times inside Maples Pavilions and fans must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the facility.

TEXAN NOTABLES

Tarleton has won eight consecutive season-openers dating back to the 2013-2014 season.
Seven of Tarleton's eight returners made at least one start last winter. Shakur Daniel led all players with 19 of a possible 20 starts while Gipson and Hicks earned 18 and 16 starting nods.

Tarleton's 20-man roster features 12 newcomers - eight scholarship athletes and four preferred walk-ons. Of the newcomers, nine played at least one year at the post-graduate, junior college or NCAA levels.
Tarleton forced 25 turnovers in its 73-50 victory over Central Christian. It marked the eighth game under Gillispie in which the Texans turned a team over 20-or-more times.
Four players eclipsed the 10-pont threshold vs. the Tigers. 6-6 forward Jonathan Jackson Jr. led Tarleton with 13 points on 6-11 shooting off the bench. Guards Shakur Daniel (12 points), Shamir Bogues (11 points) and Javontae Hopkins (10 points) each earned starting nods and joined Jackson in double figures.
Five newcomers made their collegiate debuts vs. Central Christian: Noah McDavid, Jayshawn Moore, Garrett Levesque, Kylon Owens and Luke Winslow.
Beginning with Monday's tilt, a smoother scheduling sail is long overdue for Tarleton. In 2020-21, the Texans had nine games cancelled due to COVID-19, including road games against eventual National Champion Baylor, national runner-up Gonzaga and then-No. 1 Kansas. The nine cancellations ranked in the top-10 nationally for any program.

UP NEXT

Following its game against the Cardinal, Tarleton heads to the Sunflower State to face No. 3 Kansas on Nov. 12 and perennial NCAA Tournament fixture Wichita State on Nov. 16. A home game vs. Paul Quinn follows on Nov. 19, but it doesn't get any easier from there. The Texans then travel to North Dakota State, which earned a 2019 NCAA Tournament berth and advanced to the Summitt League Tournament Championship in March and No. 6 Michigan for games on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24. The 20-day gauntlet is capped by arguably the toughest road test a team will face in college basketball this season – a trip to The Kennel in Spokane, Washington to face No. 1 Gonzaga.

THE NATION'S BEST PRESSURE DEFENSE?

Tarleton turned teams over 20-or-more times on seven occasions last season and held opponents under 50 points in 40 percent of its games. The Texans recorded single-game highs in turnovers forced (41) and steals (28) in a 97-26 win over Southwestern Adventist on Feb. 6.

Four players swiped the ball away at least 20 times last season. Sophomore Shamir Bogues led all players with 37 steals while fellow guards Daniel (32 steals), Gipson (27 steals), and Tahj Small (21 steals) joined Bogues atop the 20-steal threshold.

'IT'S PROBABLY THE HARDEST SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY'

The words spoken by Gillispie on Tarleton's Preseason WAC Media Day on Oct. 19 ring louder than ever.

In total, the Texans will play three teams ranked in the top-10 of the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, draw six opponents who made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and face 14 opponents who posted winning records last season. Abilene Christian, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon and Michigan earned automatic berths to the Big Dance in March as conference regular season and tournament champions while Kansas and Wichita State secured at-large invitations.

WHAT KEN POMEROY THINKS

The Texans are slated to play the three best teams in the country within the first three weeks of the 2021-22 season. At least, according to college basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, they are.

Tarleton draws the three highest-rated teams in the first set of Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings within its first seven games: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Kansas. In total, the Texans will play nine games opposite teams ranked inside the preseason top-150, face seven top-125 programs and draw five foes listed in the top-70. Wichita State and Stanford are ranked No. 62 and No. 68 respectively, while future foes New Mexico Statte (No. 109), North Dakota State (No. 125), Stephen F. Austin (No. 138) and Grand Canyon (No. 149) all cracked the top-150 of the ratings.

Tarleton is rated eighth among its conference peers at No. 216, ahead of Utah Valley (No. 222), Lamar (No. 276), UTRGV (No. 304), Dixie State (No. 310) and Chicago State (No. 357).

GIPSON NAMED TO PRESEASON MEDIA AND COACHES' ALL-WAC TEAMS

On Oct. 19, the 5-11 senior made history when he became the first basketball player in Tarleton's WAC and D1 era to receive Preseason All-WAC first team honors as voted on by the conference media. Gipson was one of just eight players to receive the distinction. He was also named to the Preseason Coaches' All-WAC Second Team.

The accolade continued Gipson's inceptive two-year run at Tarleton. In April 2020, he became the first-ever Division I basketball signee in Tarleton sports history when he followed Gillispie from Ranger College to Stephenville. Following a standout 2020-21 campaign, Gipson was named to the All-WAC Newcomer and Honorable mention teams. He was also the first men's or women's player in school history to receive TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week recognition after picking up the honor for March 1-7.

Gipson earned his quartet of credentials on the strength of one of the best individual offensive seasons in the WAC last winter. He led Tarleton in points per game (15.3), assists per game (3.0) and free throw percentage (85.2) and his 50 percent mark on 3-pointers ranked first in the WAC. The 5-11 guard accounted for exactly 20 percent of Tarleton's field goals made with 106. His 290 points scored were tops on the team and represented 19.7 percent of the Texans' cumulative scoring.

FOUR ALL-WAC HONOREES IN FIRST OF FOUR D1 TRANSITION YEARS

Hicks headlined Tarleton's list of award winners last season when he was named the conference's Freshman of the Year on March 9. The award was voted on by conference head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.

No freshman in the conference enjoyed as strong a second half as the Searcy, Arkansas native. The 6-6 swingman led all WAC first-year players in scoring (8.2 ppg) and elevated his game as the schedule shifted to conference play, averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Hicks led Tarleton with three double-doubles, all of which came on the road vs. conference opponents. He posted seven double-digit scoring games, including three in Tarleton's final five WAC games.

Daniel and Small joined Gipson and Hicks atop the All-WAC pedestal, as they each were named to the All-Conference honorable mention team in March. Daniel was Tarleton's 'glue guy (7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 apg) while Small was Tarleton's leading rebounder (5.8 rpg) and ranked third in the WAC in 3-point field goal percentage (45.7).

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