THE MATCHUP 

Teams: Tarleton (8-11, 3-3 WAC) vs. California Baptist (11-6, 1-3 WAC) 

Date: 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 20 

Location: Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas 

TELEVISION: ESPN+ 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM 

Byron Anderson, Play-by-Play 

INSIDE THE SERIES 

• Tarleton and CBU are meeting for the third time on the hardwood. CBU owns a 2-0 edge in the all-time series. The Lancers claimed back-to-back games over the Texans on Jan. 15-16, 2021 by scores of 83-74 and 73-67. 

• Thursday's ballgame is the lone meeting between the two schools. 

• Last year's jaunt to the Inland Empire marked Tarleton's first conference road series as a member of NCAA Division I and the Western Athletic Conference.  

• The Texans kept both games competitive the whole way last season despite suffering from limited depth and a grueling back-to-back-to-back road swing. Tarleton entered just six players in the second game. The Texans then flew to Ogden, Utah to play Weber State the following night.  

• Freddy Hicks tallied game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (13) in Tarleton's loss at CBU on Jan. 16 to record his first of an eventual three double-doubles vs. conference foes last season. 

• Montre Gipson enters as Tarleton's active leading scorer against the Lancers. He averages 13 points per game vs. CBU. 

ABOUT THE MATCHUP 

• This is Tarleton's first game against a team it is in front of in the WAC win-loss column at tipoff time. Four of the Texans' first six games came against teams currently featured in the top-five of the conference standings. 

• The Lancers have played 13 of their 17 games at home. They are 0-4 in road affairs. 

• Tarleton is 7-1 at home this season and 13-4 inside Wisdom Gym under second-year head coach Billy Gillispie. The Texans' average margin of victory in home games this season is 15 points. 

• Wisdom Gym has proven to be one of the toughest venues to play in at any level of basketball across the state of Texas. Tarleton is 206-36 (.851) in home games over the last 15 years. 

• The Lancers enjoyed little luck through the first three weeks of conference play. CBU's four conference games have been decided by a combined 14 points. Two of their losses were one-possession ballgames.  

• CBU squared off with Tarleton's next opponent – Seattle U – on Monday in Riverside. The Redhawks won 92-85 in overtime. 

• Thursday pits two of the conference's top defensive squads opposite one another. The Lancers rank third in the WAC in scoring defense (64.8 ppg) while Tarleton is fourth in the category (65.2 ppg).  

• CBU averages a conference-best 18.4 assists per game. Only five teams in the country dish out more dimes per game. Freshman guard Taran Armstrong is tops in the WAC and ranks fourth nationally at 7.2 assists per game 

• The sport's two most popular analytical metrics favor Tarleton. The Texans are slotted ahead of the Lancers in both the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings and NCAA NET Rankings. Tarleton is ranked No. 178 in KenPom while CBU is No. 237. The Texans sit 50 spots higher in the NET Rankings (187-237).  

• CBU was picked to finish ahead of Tarleton in both the Preseason WAC Media and Coaches 'Polls. The Lancers were tabbed to finish sixth by the conference media and seventh among their WAC coaching peers. Tarleton was prognosticated to place ninth in both polls. At tipoff time, the Texans are in sole possession of sixth place while the Lancers sit in 10th place. 

GAME COVERAGE 

Fans can access a live stream to the game at Plus.ESPN.com. 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 

Fans can purchase single-game general admission tickets in one of three ways: online at TarletonSports.com/Tickets, in person at the Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 254-968-1832. The Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office is located on the west side of Memorial Stadium and is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. A link to purchase tickets to all Tarleton men's basketball home games can be found on the team's schedule page at TarletonSports.com. Doors will open hone hour before tipoff at 6 p.m. 

A WIN OVER CALIFORNIA BAPTIST WOULD 

• Be the first in Tarleton basketball history over CBU 

• Give Tarleton its eighth victory in its last 12 tries 

• Up the Texans' conference record back over .500 at 4-3 

• Mark Tarleton's fourth straight WAC home victory dating back to last season 

•  Extend Tarleton's home winning streak to seven games 

• Improve the Texans' all-time WAC record to 9-10 

• Boost Tarleton's home record to 14-4 under Gillispie and 207-36 since 2007 

• Spike Tarleton's record in January games to 7-9 in its D1 era 

• Be the Texans' 11th true D1 victory 

• Mark Tarleton's first-ever three-game WAC home winning streak  

• Be Tarleton's third win over a team it was picked to finish below in the Preseason WAC Media and Coaches' polls. 

• Give Gillispie his 168th career D1 win 

TEXAN NOTABLES 

• The Texans just completed the toughest two-game road swing in conference play. Tarleton drew preseason favorite New Mexico State on Thursday, then headed to Phoenix to face reigning WAC regular season and tournament champion Grand Canyon. The teams are a combined 29-4 overall and 8-0 in conference play. Tarleton dropped both games. 

• Saturday's game vs. GCU occupies a slice of Tarleton's basketball history in spite of its loss to the Lopes. The game aired on ESPNU and marked Tarleton's first nationally televised game on the ESPN Family of Networks in school history. 

• Tarleton ranks second in the WAC and 19th in the country in turnover margin (+4.63). The Texans turn teams over an average of 21.2 times per game in 17 home contests under Gillispie. 

• The Texans are one of just two teams in the WAC with a pair of top-10 scorers in Montre Gipson (8th, 15.2 ppg) and Tahj Small (9th, 14.6 ppg). 

• The Texans have led at halftime in 13-17 home games in the Gillispie era. They are 12-1 when leading after the first 20 minutes. Tarleton earned its first home victory when trailing at halftime in its 77-71 comeback OT win over SFA on Jan. 8. 

• Tarleton connected on 58 percent of its shots from behind the arc in their first game at CBU last season on Jan. 15, 2021. The Texans knocked down a true D1 season-high 11 3-pointers in the contest. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES 

• Gipson hardly takes a breath once he steps onto the court. The senior leads the nation in total minutes (679) and has played at least 38 minutes on 14 occasions this season. He played 85 combined minutes in Tarleton's two-game homestand vs. SHSU and SFA. 

• Gipson has scored 12-or-more points in 13 of Tarleton's last 14 conference games dating back to last season and eclipsed 10 points in all-but-three of his career WAC outings. Gipson is Tarleton's active leader in points scored (579). 

• Sophomore Shamir Bogues is second in the WAC and 14th nationally in total steals with 38. 

• Hicks is averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest in Tarleton's six conference games. Since WAC play began on Dec. 30, The reigning WAC Freshman of the Year has increased his scoring average from 8.2 points per game to 10.3 points per game. He tallied a team-high 23 points in Tarleton's comeback victory over SFA in Tarleton's most recent home game. 

• Hicks is Tarleton's leading rebounder at 5.7 boards per game. 

• Tahj Small has proven to be one of the best all-around players in the conference. He ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding (5.6 rpg). The 6-5 guard has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 16 games. He flirted with a double-double against Grand Canyon on Saturday, finishing with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. He ranks in the top-20 in the WAC in four statistical categories: minutes per game (6th, 34.1 mpg), free throw percentage (7th, .837), points per game (9th, 14.6 ppg) and steals per game (13th, 1.4 spg). 

• Freshman Noah McDavid has quietly been one of the top foul shooters in the conference. He is 28-31 (.903) at the charity stripe this season. 

• Jayshawn Moore delivered his best game in Purple and White on Saturday in front of a national audience. The 6-6 freshman scored 10 points in 25 minutes off the bench and finished with a game and career-high five steals. 

LAST TIME OUT: GRAND CANYON 80, TARLETON 59 

The Lopes went 12-28 from downtown and shot 54 percent from the field. GCU knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first half to assume a 44-22 halftime lead and put the game out of reach.  

Shamir Bogues registered his most efficient offensive outing of his sophomore season, netting 14 points on 7-8 shooting. Bogues, who entered the ballgame ranked 15th nationally in total steals, swiped the ball away three times to up his season tally to 37.  

Tahj Small matched Bogues on the stat line with a 14-point, three-steal effort. The 6-4 senior also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Small, the reigning WAC Player of the Week, has now scored in double figures 15 times this season.  

Montre Gipson joined his position-mates in double figures with 13 points.  

Fellow newcomer Jahlen Jack scored a career-best three points in as many minutes in the closing moments of the ballgame.  

Two straight buckets by Small and Bogues put Tarleton in front 4-3 two minutes into the contest, but it proved to be the Texans' last. GCU opened up a double-digit lead at 19-8 with 11:00 left to play in the first half, then increased their edge to 34-14 five minutes later.  

Tarleton outscored the Lopes 37-36 in the second half but was unable to trim down the deficit under 20 points. 

COACH'S QUOTES  

"I thought our guys played great. We only played six guys tonight. No matter what happens to this team, they're very resilient. Jonathan Jackson, basically the leader out there, couldn't play tonight. We don't use anything as an excuse because they come ready to play every single night. I couldn't be more proud of any team other than getting the win." - Billy Gillispie following Tarleton's near-upset of CBU on Jan. 16, 2021 

"I thought it was a great college atmosphere. Man, they do a really good job over here. They've got a really good team, and they play the way my teams in the past have always played. They move that ball, and they make shots off of ball movement, they were good defensively. I think it should be a great learning experience, but we'll only find out in the future."  - Billy Gillispie following Tarleton's game at GCU that aired on ESPNU 

BEST OF THE WAC 
Tarleton is featured across the top of the Western Athletic Conference stat leaderboards in multiple categories entering the fourth week of conference play. 

Montre Gipson 

1st in minutes (35.7 mpg, 679 minutes) 

8th in scoring (15.2 ppg, 289 points) 

12th in free throw percentage (.780, 46 free throws made 

12h in steals (1.4 spg, 26 steals) 

Tahj Small

6th in minutes (34.1mpg, 580 minutes) 

7th in free throw percentage (.837, 36 free throws made) 

9th in scoring (14.6 ppg, 249 points) 

13th in steals (1.4 rpg, 24 steals) 

Shamir Bogues 

3rd in steals (2.0 spg, 38 steals) 

Freddy Hicks 

12th in blocks (0.7 bpg, 14 blocks) 

13th in free throw percentage (.775, 62 free throws made) 

19th in rebounds (5.6 rpg, 106 rebounds) 

THE HARDEST SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY 

The words spoken by Gillispie on Tarleton's Preseason WAC Media Day on Oct. 19 have never been more true. 

Tarleton was ranked first in the nation in strength of schedule in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings following its game at Gonzaga on Nov. 29. 

Six of their first seven games - all of which were on the road - came against teams ranked in the top-150 of the rankings. Three of the contests were against teams ranked in the top-10 at tipoff time. Gonzaga occupied the top spot when the teams squared off on Nov. 29, Kansas ranked No. 2 when the teams met at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 12 and Michigan was eighth prior to the teams' game on Nov. 24. 

In total, 13 of the Texans' games are opposite teams ranked inside the top-150 while the team will play eight top- 130 programs and draw five foes listed in the top-100. Tarleton has already squared off with No. 82 Stanford and No. 91 Wichita State as well as New Mexico State (No. 94), Grand Canyon (No. 99) and Utah Valley (No. 125) as well as Stephen F. Austin and North Dakota State, which were ranked 134th and 146th, respectively, at tipoff time. Tarleton will face Abilene Christian (No. 146) on two occasions during conference play. 

This season, Tarleton 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. 

ACROSS THE RANKINGS 

NCAA NET Rankings  

Tarleton has risen 81 spots in the rankings over the last five weeks, climbing from No. 268 to No. 187 following wins in seven of its last 11 ballgames.  

The Texans have faced off with six teams currently ranked inside the top-85 of the rankings in No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 9 Kansas, No. 59 Grand Canyon, No. 61 Michigan, No. 69 New Mexico State, No. 91 Stanford and No. 92 Wichita State.  

South Alabama was ranked 79th when Tarleton defeated the Jaguars 65-52 inside Wisdom Gym for its first win over a top-100 team. 

NET Rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help set the 64-team field. The NET utilizes two factors in ranking teams: Team Value Index (factors in results, quality of opponent and location) and the team's NET efficiency (metrics scaled for quality of opponent and location). The rankings do not include games played against non-Division I opponents. 

Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings 

The Texans sit at No. 178 in the rankings as of Jan. 7. 

Tarleton is rated seventh among its conference peers. New Mexico State, GCU, UVU, ACU, SFA and Seattle U (No. 160) comprise the conference's top-half. 

The Texans are slotted in front of Sam Houston (No. 223), California Baptist (No. 239), UTRGV (No. 274), Dixie State (No. 300), Lamar (No. 332) and Chicago State (No. 341). 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING 

"That was tough. Billy did a great job. We saw that - how they played Michigan. Even their KU game was tough deep into the second half. On short prep, we tried to get the guys ready for that and it was harder than it looked on film. We just did a great job of surviving it. Intense, pressure on the basketball, and they front, they rake you in the lane, and they reach, and poke, and grab, and they do a good job with it."  - Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach 

"You've got a chance to have a good team. A really good team. You've got interchangeable parts, everybody's about the same size, and as you get into the season, that will become much harder to score against because you guys are tough. You won't let bigs be bigs because you're tough." - Bill Self, Kansas head coach 

"Coach told us going in it was going to be a tough game, and they were going to pressure us a lot. That's something we didn't see against Michigan State, it was pretty much the opposite. Coach told us it was going to be a dog fight the whole time." - Christian Braun, Kansas guard 

"Tarleton is very good at getting into passing lanes, being active with their hands, feet, and their energy." - Juwan Howard, Michigan head coach 

"We got what we signed up for. They're scrappy. They play incredibly hard. They're arguably one of the hardest-playing teams in the country. They're really well-coached. Coach Gillispie is a great coach. I'm from Kentucky. I remember when he coached at Kentucky, Texas A&M and UTEP. He's done this for a long time. He's got a scrappy group. We saw it when they went to Gonzaga, we saw it when they went to Michigan, we've seen it every game they've played. They made us uncomfortable." - Richie Riley, South Alabama head coach 

"Billy Gillispie's teams really get after you defensively." - Isaac Brown, Wichita State head coach 

"The pressure certainly bothered us. Their game plan was really, really good, and they executed it very, very well." - Jerod Haase, Stanford head coach 

TAHJ SMALL, NOAH MCDAVID SWEEP WAC WEEKLY AWARDS 

Tahj Small was named the TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for Jan. 3-9 after leading Tarleton to home victories over Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 6-8. Additionally, Noah McDavid was chosen as the WAC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in helping the Texans secure the wins.  

A 6-4 guard, Small becomes the second player in program history to receive WAC Player of the Week honors. He joins position-mate Montre Gipson, who received the recognition on March 8 at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.  

Small averaged 23 points per game in Tarleton's home sweep of its east Texas rivals. The Durham, North Carolina native delivered the best all-around performance of his two-year Texan career in Tarleton's wire-to-wire 75-64 defeat of the Bearkats on Jan. 6. The senior racked up a game and career high 28 points on 11-14 shooting in the Texans' win. 

His 28 points scored were an individual game high in true Division I games for Tarleton this season. Small was as efficient and aggressive as he's been offensively in the first half. He scored 16 of Tarleton's first 25 points behind a 4-4 mark from downtown and ended the half with 18 points scored to stake the Texans to a 42-31 lead.  

Defensively, recorded a game, season and career high four steals. He played the full 40 minutes and did so despite missing Tarleton's previous two games due to COVID-19 protocols.  

Small followed up his career night with an 18-point, five rebound effort in a come-from-behind 77-71 overtime victory over SFA two days later. He scored on two of Tarleton's first three possessions in overtime to give the Texans a 68-66 lead they never relinquished. Small was 6-6 from the foul line in the victory.  

McDavid's accolade is equally significant. He is the first player in Tarleton basketball history to receive WAC Freshman of the Week honors.  

The 6-5 guard was instrumental in helping Tarleton upset the Lumberjacks on Saturday. McDavid played 40 minutes for the first time in his career, finishing with six points along with career-highs in rebounds (five) and steals (three).  

His lone field goal of the night was one of the biggest buckets of the evening. With Tarleton nursing a 68-67 lead with under 3:00 to play in overtime, McDavid attempted a 3-pointer from the left baseline. The shot clanged off the front iron, but McDavid curled right around two Lumberjack defenders, secured his own rebound and converted a contested second-chance layup to keep Tarleton in front 70-67 with 2:20 to play.  

The Texans closed the game on a 9-4 run beginning with McDavid's layup.  

Two days prior, McDavid scored nine points on the strength of three makes from downtown in 37 minutes of action in the Texans' win over the Bearkats. McDavid was a part of Tarleton's best shooting night of the season. The Texans shot a season-high 59 percent (30-51) from the field and were 8-13 from long range in the first half. 

BOTHERSOME BOGUES 

Few players have been as big of a thorn in the side of opponents defensively than sophomore Shamir Bogues.  

The 6-5 guard ranks third in the WAC and 14th in the nation in total steals with 38 as of Jan. 19. He is third amongst his conference peers in steals per game (2.0).  

His three-swipe effort against GCU on Jan. 15 was his 19th multi-steal game in his two-year Texan career and ninth this season. Bogues' seven steals at South Alabama were a conference single-game high.  

For his career, Bogues has recorded four-or-more steals on six occasions and reached three steals in 15 of his 38 games in Purple and White. He is Tarleton's active leader in career steals with 71. 

Bogues averaged four steals per contest as a senior at Killeen Ellison High School. 

GIPSON RACKING UP THE ALL-WAC ACCOLADES 

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. 

GIPSON STARS IN BIGGEST GAMES IN SCHOOL HISTORY 

The national stage and high-profile matchups have elevated the play of the Preseason All-WAC first team honoree.  

Gipson scored in double figures 11 times during nonconference play and led Tarleton in scoring five times. His 15 points vs. Stanford were a team high as were his 16 at Wichita State and 17 in Ann Arbor. 

Despite his listed height of 5-11, Gipson has been one of the Texans' most consistent rebounders in primetime. He tied for the game-high on the glass with seven boards at No. 20 Michigan, finished with six rebounds at North Dakota State and No. 3 Kansas. Gipson leads Tarleton in offensive rebounds with 31 and is third on the team in rebounds per game (5.1).  

Gipson was a pest at No. 3 Gonzaga. He led Tarleton with five assists and swiped the ball away a game-high three times. He then scored a season-high 29 points vs. SAGU on Dec. 8 and led all scorers with 27 points in Tarleton's 65- 52 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

SMALL PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF 

Small delivered one of the finest performances of Tarleton's D1 era against arguably the best team in the country, tallying a game-high 25 points at Gonzaga on Nov. 29. Small led all scorers, knocked down a game and career-high five attempts from long range and led Tarleton in rebounding with seven boards.  

He followed up the performance with a 24-point effort on 9-16 shooting to lead all scorers in Tarleton's first of two games against South Alabama on Dec. 14. Small then netted a game and career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting to pace Tarleton to a 75-64 win over SHSU on Jan. 6.  

The Troy transfer has recorded two double-doubles this season. He scored 13 points and snagged 10 boards vs. Southwestern Assemblies of God on Dec. 8 and delivered a 16-point, 12-rebound performance vs. South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

The 6-5 guard has increased his scoring and rebounding averages considerably from 2020-21. He is tallying 14.6 points per game compared to 9.2 in his first year in Stephenville.  

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. 

Shakur 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). 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 

Since 2007, Wisdom Gym has arguably been the toughest venue to play in over the state of Texas at any classification. Tarleton is 206-36 (.851) in home games over the last 15 years.  

The Texans were 6-3 at home in 2020-21. From 2007-2017, the Texans lost just 17 times at home. Tarleton posted a perfect 15-0 home record during the 2010-11 season. The program's 18 home victories against one defeat marked its most home wins in a single season.  

Under legendary head coach and current Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Lonn Reisman, Tarleton went an astounding 171-22 (.886) at home from 2007 through the 2017-18 season, when he stepped down as head coach and transitioned into a full-time Athletic Director role. Tarleton eclipsed two home losses just once in Reisman's final 11 years as the head man.