The Teams: Tarleton Texans (8-7, 2-1 WAC) at Sam Houston Bearkats (11-4, 1-2 WAC)
Where: Huntsville, Texas
Arena: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum
Day and Time: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network (Kyle Crews)
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
- This is the 21st all-time meeting between these two programs, but just the third since 1988, both happening last season. The two split the pair with the home team winning each.
- SAM is 1-2 in conference after going 10-2 in non-conference, with wins at Oklahoma and Utah.
- The Bearkats are No. 36 in the latest NCAA Net rankings. Tarleton's highest ranked previous opponent, Drake, is currently No. 105.
- SAM is top-10 in points allowed (No. 5 at 56.4 PPG) and rebounding margin (No. 9 at +9.1 per).
QUICK HITS
- Tarleton has won three of their last four games, improving to 6-0 at home after beating Southern Utah on Thursday, who had started 2-0 in WAC play.
- Tarleton is 2-1 to start WAC play for the second straight year. They improved to 3-1 last season.
- In Tarleton's last game, Lue Williams made the go-ahead bucket with 1:08 left, then Tiger Booker and Shakur Daniel made all four free throw attempts to ice the game. In the three-point win, Tarleton forced the reigning WAC Player of the Week, Tevian Jones, to miss his three at the horn.
- The Texans are still in search of their first road victory, as their two wins at the Paradise Jam were considered neutral site games. They're 6-0 at home and 0-6 on the road.
- Garry Clark exploded in the last game for career-highs in scoring (20 points, 7-15 FG, 4-6 3PT) and rebounds (eight) in 31 minutes off the bench. It's the most points by a Tarleton reserve this season, the most since Noah McDavid dropped 25 vs. Dallas Christian on Dec. 7, 2021.
- After shooting 0-for-3 from the three-point line at Air Force on Dec. 18, Tarleton has made 30-of-65 (.462) from distance over the last four games. Lue Williams has 12 of the 3PM's. Opponents have shot 26-of-86 (.302) from deep over the same time period.
- Tarleton outrebounded SUU, remaining undefeated when outrebounding their opponent (6-0).
- Tarleton has been without two of their top three leading scorers the last two games, Freddy Hicks and Jakorie Smith, who missed the contests due to injury.
WHO'S HOT
- Garry Clark – Clark is one of 12 players in the WAC this year to post a 20+ point game off the bench. Before his 20-point affair, Clark had scored a combined 21 points over his previous six games played dating back to Nov. 29. Thursday was also his first game played since Dec. 21.
- Lue Williams – Williams has stepped up his play even more now that conference play has begun, averaging 15.3 points on 8-of-17 (.471) shooting from downtown. He's scored in double figures in four straight games, a career-long stretch, making 12 threes over the span.
- Shakur Daniel – Daniel just played all 40 minutes for the fifth time this season, all within the last seven games. During the span, he's averaged 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals. He's averaging the most minutes per game in the WAC at 35.5.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
4: Tarleton has two players in the top-10 in the WAC in steals, with
Shamir Bogues second at 1.9 SPG and
Shakur Daniel tied-10th at 1.5. They rank
FOURTH IN THE NATION IN STEALS PER GAME at 10.9. Only Morgan State (12.4), Missouri (12.3) and James Madison (11.1) average more this year.
5: Tarleton knows how to draw the whistle, averaging the
TIED-FIFTH MOST FREE THROW ATTEMPTS PER GAME IN THE COUNTRY at 25.9. They're tied with North Carolina, behind Texas A&M, High Point, UTRGV and Denver.
6: For the 13th time in 15 games, Tarleton forced more turnovers than they gave away. They're
SIXTH IN THE NATION IN TURNOVERS FORCED PER GAME at 19.5, and also
SIXTH IN THE NATION IN TURNOVER MARGIN at +6.6 per. Sam Houston is fifth at +6.7 per.
100: If
Rod Brown takes the floor on Saturday, it will mark his 100th
CAREER COLLEGIATE GAME PLAYED at the NCAA Division I level. Based on communal research with Drake, Brown is one of nine players at 25 years or older playing for an NCAA Division I team this season.
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
The Texans will be back at Wisdom on Wednesday where they'll look to remain undefeated. They'll play their last non-conference game of the year against former WAC program Chicago State at 7 p.m. CT.