THE MATCHUP
Teams: Tarleton (14-15, 9-7 WAC) at Sam Houston (17-13, 12-5 WAC)
Date: 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 3
Location: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas
TELEVISION: ESPN+
RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM
Byron Anderson, Play-by-Play
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
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Thursday's game is the second meeting in the last 45 years between Tarleton and Sam Houston, both of which have occurred in 2022.
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The Bearkats own a 15-4 edge in the all-time series. Tarleton, though, claimed the first-ever "D1 vs. D1" matchup between the teams, defeating Sam Houston 75-64 on Jan. 6 in Stephenville.
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A victory guarantees Tarleton a winning record in WAC play. Should the Texans win, they will become the first team in school history to finish above .500 in conference play in Tarleton's D1 era.
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Road weary is hardly an apt description to use when assessing Tarleton's recent play. The Texans head to Huntsville riding a three-game road winning streak. A total of 47 days have passed since Tarleton last fell on the road, an 80-59 defeat at Grand Canyon on Jan. 15. Since then, the Texans have notched a weekend road sweep of Lamar and UTRGV on Jan. 26-29 and clobbered Chicago State 79-60 on Feb. 19 in the Windy City. Five of Tarleton's last six games have come inside the friendly confines of Wisdom Gym.
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The Texans average margin of victory in its present three-game road winning streak is 13 points.
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The matchup will go a long way in determining Sam Houston's postseason prospects. The Bearkats enter as losers of two straight and occupy fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings ahead of their regular season finale. The top-four teams earn a bye into the quarterfinals of the WAC Basketball Tournament, which runs from March 8-12 in Las Vegas.
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A loss to Tarleton perhaps lit a fire under the Bearkats. Sam Houston won six straight games following its defeat in the Cowboy Capital on Jan. 6 and is 10-4 since facing the Texans.
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Thursday again reunites Bearkats head coach Jason Hooten with his Tarleton roots. Hooten – the winningest coach in Sam Houston history – served as an assistant under legendary head coach and current vice president for intercollegiate athletics Lonn Reisman from 1993-2004, helping Reisman to 204 of his 653 career victories. Hooten played for Reisman from 1989-1991.
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Tarleton's 75-64 win over Sam Houston in January continued Billy Gillispie's dominant run on Texas soil since arriving in Stephenville. The Texans are 16-3 overall and 8-1 in WAC play as a D1 program in games vs. teams from the Lone Star State.
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Tarleton played perhaps its best game of the year in its 11-point win over the Bearkats in January. The Texans shot a season-high 59 percent (30-51) from the field and led by as many as 17 points.
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Tahj Small starred vs. Sam Houston in January. He tallied a game and career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting to pair with four steals. Small netted 18 of his points in the first half to stake Tarleton to a 42-31 halftime lead. He was named WAC Player of the Week for Jan. 3-10 following his effort.
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Thursday pits two of the top defensive teams in the WAC opposite one another. The Bearkats are second in the conference in scoring defense (64.2 ppg) while Tarleton ranks fourth in the category at 65.3 points per game.
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Whereas the teams employ similar defensive approaches, they are polar opposites at the charity stripe. Tarleton is third in the WAC in free throw percentage (.746). Sam Houston ranks dead last in both free throw percentage (.598) and free throws made (269).
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.
A WIN OVER THE BEARKATS WOULD...
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Extend Tarleton's winning streak to four games - its longest of the season and as a Division I program
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Guarantee Tarleton a winning record in conference play
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Move Tarleton's conference record three games above .500 for the first time this season at 10-7
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Give Tarleton its fourth straight season sweep of a WAC opponent (Chicago State, UTRGV, Lamar) in 2021-22
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Be Tarleton's ninth WAC road victory
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Boost Tarleton's all-time WAC record to 15-14
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Be the Texans' 18th true D1 win
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Make Tarleton 14-5 in games played inside the state of Texas this season
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Spike Tarleton's record in March games to 3-0 in its D1 and WAC era
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Increase Tarleton's record against teams from Texas to 17-3 overall and 9-1 in WAC play as a D1 program
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Hand Tarleton its second consecutive win over SHSU
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Be Tarleton's 15th victory in its last 21 games
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Give Gillispie his 173rd career D1 win.
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Make the Texans 8-4 all-time and 5-1 this season in rematches under Gillispie
COACH'S QUOTES
"Sam Houston is a really good team and Coach Hooten has done a fantastic job, especially this year. He always does. but a really good job this year." - Billy Gillispie on Sam Houston
"They appreciate hard play, they've been accustomed to it for a long, long time, and they appreciate this team, I know they do. We appreciate the opportunity to play in front of them. This is not the record that we want, but I do believe they understand the situation we're in as we move from Division II to Division I. I think they enjoy watching these other teams come in that really haven't been here in a long time with the kind of players and programs we get to see right here in Stephenville, Texas. These fans are fantastic, and we sure do appreciate them." - Billy Gillispie on Tarleton's fans in 2021-22
TEXAN NOTABLES
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The Texans rank seventh nationally in turnover margin (+4.66). The team has posted a positive turnover differential in 14-of-16 WAC games. Additionally, the Texans' 477 turnovers forced are the 14th-most among all D1 teams. Tarleton leads all reclassifying programs in both categories.
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The Texans drained nine 3-pointers in their 75-64 win over SHSU in January. They connected at a season-high 45 percent from downtown and started the game 7-10 behind the arc.
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Tarleton dished out 17 assists vs. Sam Houston in January, tied for their second-most in a game this season and most vs. an opponent with a winning record.
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The Texans have outscored opponents by a combined 76 points (930-854) in the first half this season. Tarleton has led at halftime in 16-of-29 games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
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MONTRE GIPSON has been on a tear over the last two weeks. The 5-11 guard led all scorers with 22 points in the Texans win over UTRGV. He averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in contests vs. Utah Valley and at Chicago State on Feb. 16-19. He snagged a career-high nine boards in Chicago and led Tarleton on the glass in both games.
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Gipson continues to lead Tarleton in points per game (15.1 ppg), assists per game (3.1 apg) and minutes per game (35.2 mpg) and ranks third on the team in rebounds per game (4.6 rpg).
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Gipson ranks in the top-12 in the WAC in five statistical categories: minutes per game (1st, 35.2), points per game (8th, 15.1 ppg), free throw percentage (9th, .786), steals per game (11th, 1.3 spg) and assists per game (12th, 3.1).
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Gipson hardly takes a breath once he steps onto the court. The senior leads the WAC in total minutes (1,020) has played at least 38 minutes on 18 occasions this season
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Gipson's 22-point effort vs. UTRGV marked his sixth 20-point scoring effort of the 2021-22 campaign and 12th of his two-year Texan career.
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FREDDY HICKS led all scorers with 22 points in Saturday's 57-49 win over Lamar. Two days prior, he joined Gipson in scoring 20 points behind a career-best 10-11 mark at the charity stripe.
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When Hicks is hot, the Texans typically are too. Hicks has tallied a team-high seven 20-point games vs. WAC foes, six of which have translated into Tarleton wins. He leads Tarleton in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg) in WAC play
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Hicks is averaging 17 points per game over Tarleton's last four contests.
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SHAKUR DANIEL suited up for the first time in two months vs. UTRGV on Feb. 24. He finished with four points, three rebounds and one assist. The Toronto, Ontario native has made 32 starts at point guard for Tarleton since arriving in Stephenville in 2020. Daniel enters Saturday's contest averaging 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per outing.
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SHAMIR BOGUES' three-steal effort vs. UTRGV on Feb. 24 marked the 25th multi-steal game of his two-year collegiate career. He is second in the WAC and 50th nationally in total steals with 54.
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NOAH MCDAVID has been one of the best shooters in the WAC. The 6-5 freshman is connecting at a 90.7 percent clip at the foul line, which is tops among all players with at least 40 free throw attempts. He is fifth in the conference and leads all freshmen in 3-point field goal percentage (37.8 percent).
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McDavid became the first player in Tarleton basketball history to receive multiple sets of WAC weekly accolades on Jan. 31. He was named the WAC Freshman of the Week for the second time in a four-week stretch after averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in Tarleton's triumphs at Lamar and UTRGV.
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TAHJ SMALL leads Tarleton on the glass (5.7 rpg) and ranks second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg).
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JAVONTAE HOPKINS enjoyed the best three-game run of his D1 career from Feb. 5-16. The 6-0 guard averaged 8.3 points per game in that stretch. Hopkins chipped in 10 points in 27 minutes off the bench in Tarleton's defeat vs. ACU on Feb. 12. He recorded a game and season-high three steals to pair with eight points in Tarleton's win over Chicago State one week prior.
'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, 14 of the Texans' games are opposite teams currently ranked inside the top-150 while the team will play
10 top- 130 programs and draw seven foes listed in the top-100. Tarleton has already squared off with No. 87 Wichita State and No. 104 Stanford along with five conference foes in New Mexico State (No. 89), Grand Canyon (No. 97), Utah Valley (No. 110), Stephen F. Austin (No. 121), Seattle U (No. 128) and Abilene Christian (No. 140). North Dakota State was ranked 146th at tipoff time on Nov. 22.
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 sits at No. 203 ahead of Thursday's ballgame at Sam Houston. The Bearkats rank No. 181 - seventh out of 13 teams in the WAC and one spot ahead of the Texans.
The Texans have faced off with seven teams currently ranked inside the top-105 of the rankings in No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 6 Kansas, No. 37 Michigan, No. 83 Wichita State, No. 86 New Mexico State and No. 95 Grand Canyon.
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. 202 in the rankings as of March 1.
Tarleton is rated eighth among its conference peers. New Mexico State, UVU, GCU, Seattle U, SFA, ACU and Sam Houston (No. 168) and are ahead of the Texans.
The Texans are slotted in front of California Baptist (No. 205), Dixie State (No. 271), UTRGV (No. 296), Chicago State (No. 338) and Lamar (No. 348).
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.
MCDAVID EARNS SECOND SET OF WAC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
The 6-5 guard was named the TicketSmarter WAC Freshman of the Week for Jan. 24-30 after helping Tarleton notch consecutive road victories over Lamar and UTRGV.
McDavid started in both contests and averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also connected on 5-12 attempts from long range.
Three of his makes from behind the arc came in the Texans' 62-57 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday as a part of an 11-point, four-rebound and three-assist performance. McDavid played the full 40 minutes in the victory.
McDavid's points vs. UTRGV came at key junctures of the Texans' 79-64 victory on Saturday. He connected on his first of two 3-pointers with 13:33 remaining in the first half to give Tarleton its first double-digit lead of the evening at 17-7 and force the Vaqueros to burn a timeout. McDavid then scored five straight points behind a pair of free throws and 3-pointer from the right key to increase the Texans' edge to 72-53 with 4:40 remaining and effectively ice the game.
He is the first athlete in Tarleton basketball history to receive multiple sets of WAC weekly accolades.
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 second in the WAC and is tied for 50th in the nation in total steals with 54 as of March 1. He is tied for second amongst his conference peers in steals per game (1.9).
His three-swipe effort vs. Lamar on Feb. 26 was the 25th multi-steal game in his two-year Texan career and 13th this season. Bogues' seven steals at South Alabama are a conference single-game high.
For his career, Bogues has recorded four-or-more steals on six occasions and reached three steals in 18 of his 48 games in Purple and White.
He is Tarleton's active leader in career steals with 91.
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 three 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. Small most recently engineered a 12-point, 10-rebound effort vs. Seattle U on Jan. 22.
The 6-5 guard has increased his scoring average considerably from 2020-21. He is tallying 13.8 points per game compared to 9.2 in his first year in Stephenville. Small currently leads Tarleton in rebounds per game (5.7).
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 209-40 (.839) 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.