The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Where: Tempe, Arizona
Arena: Desert Financial Arena
Day and Time: Sunday, 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: Pac-12 Arizona
Radio: ESPN 620 AM
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
 

• Monday's matchup marks the first time Tarleton will face the Sun Devils in any sport.
• The game kicks off an extended stretch away from Wisdom Gym for Tarleton. Five of their first six games are on the road - including a trip to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, where the Texans will play Belmont and either George Mason or Boston College.
• Both Tarleton and Arizona State finished the 2021-22 season ranked eighth in their respective conferences.

 
QUICK HITS
 

• Head Coach Billy Gillispie is entering his third season with Tarleton and has again developed one of the most difficult schedules in NCAA men's college basketball.
• Tarleton head coach Billy Gillispie is 9-and-1 all time in season openers, with his only loss coming last year to another Pac-12 team, Stanford.
• The Texans have added several standout junior college transfers to their roster this year including two 1,000+ point scorers.
• Shakur Daniel scored a season-high 10 points against Pac-12 opponent Stanford last season.
• The Tarleton bench scored 58 points in their 84-48 exhibition win over UNT Dallas on Oct. 30, led by junior transfer Tydan Archibald and sophomore forward Garry Clark, each gaining 15 points.
• Sophomore guard Shamir Bogues was named to the WAC's All-Defensive Team, the first player in Tarleton history to be selected to the All-Defensive Team. He finished the 2021-22 season ranked third in the WAC for total steals with 55 and fourth for most steals per game at 1.8 SPG.
• Tarleton's Freddy Hicks was the only Texan to receive WAC preseason honors, earning a spot on the Preseason All-WAC Second Team. Hicks started in all 31 games of the 2021-22 season scoring 20-plus points on seven separate occasions.

 
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
 

• Tydan Archibald – Archibald totaled 15 points off 5-of-9 shooting and 3-for-5 from range in Tarleton's exhibition against UNT Dallas. He picked up five rebounds, two rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes of play against the Trailblazers, coming off the bench in his Tarleton debut.
• Garry Clark – Clark scored 15 points off the bench in Tarleton's exhibition against UNT Dallas, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, grabbing four rebounds and four assists also. Went 1-for-1 from beyond the arc and had a demanding presence in the paint. He is a transfer from Western Texas JC, where he averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. 
• Shakur Daniel – Shakur Daniel is no new face to Tarleton fans, having played for the Texans the past two seasons. Daniel picked up nine points, six rebounds and four assists while playing in all 40 minutes of the exhibition against UNT Dallas.

 
NUMBERS TO KNOW FROM LAST SEASON
 

• 2: Tarleton LED by 2 POINTS going into halftime of their Nov. 9, 2021, game against Stanford, the last Pac-12 opponent the Texans faced in men's basketball. The Cardinal ultimately won the game with a disparate advantage from the free throw line, shooting 22 times compared to the Texans' three.

• 12: The Texans finished 12th IN THE NATION in turnover margin during the 2021-22 season with a ratio of 4.1. Tarleton forced their opponents to turn the ball over 505 times in 31 games last season.
• 17.5: TURNOVERS FORCED PER GAME by Tarleton under head coach Billy Gillispie. In total, the Texans have turned teams over 894 times in 51 games under Gillispie.
• 22: POINTS was the largest WIN MARGIN the Texans achieved in the 2021-22 season with a 67-45 victory over Air Force on Dec 21. Tarleton forced 18 turnovers and grabbed nine steals while shooting 25-of-43 (.581) from the field.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
The Texans will play their regular season home opener on Thursday, Nov. 10, to battle Kansas Christian College. This will be Tarleton's first match up against the Falcons for all sports. The last team the Texans faced from Kansas was Wichita State on Nov 16, 2021, who they will have another chance to top on Nov 26, of this season.