STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball will host East Texas A&M in their second and final exhibition of the season on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the EECU Center. All tickets are free, but fans must go online or to the box office to reserve their seats free of charge.
 
The Texans will play their second game in the brand new 130-million-dollar EECU Center. The 148,000 square foot facility will hold a capacity of 8,000 for basketball games and 10,000 for concerts. The state-of-the-art facility includes a large center hung scoreboard, LED graphic boards, custom locker rooms and its weight room and athletic training facility.
 
"It's such a wonderful place, everyone talks about," said head coach Billy Gillispie on the EECU Center. "There's some teams in our league that have new buildings, and they don't even compare close to [the EECU Center]. We are so lucky to have a place like this to play in."
 
Admission is free to all but fans must reserve their seats before entry into the EECU Center. The game will not be streamed, so you must attend in person to see the Texans. Live Stats will be provided by Statbroadcast. For updates, highlights, content and the latest up-to-date information follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.
 
Last weekend, the Texans played their first exhibition inside the EECU Center against BIG 12 opponent, TCU. Dior Johnson led the Texans in scoring posting 17 in his Texan debut. Tarleton State saw 14 different players see playing time and provided a glimpse into what to expect from the Purple and White this season. The Texans kept the game close in the first half, trailing by 10 at the break. TCU used a large run to start the second half and ultimately take the victory, 88-54.
 
Chris Mpaka returns as the leading rim-protector for the Texans. He ranked third in the WAC in blocks (51) and 13th in rebounds (5.28 per game). The Texan defense was stellar last season. Tarleton State ranked second in the nation in forced turnovers (16.66) and 11th in all of the NCAA in steals (9.4). Jordan Mizell was the WAC's top rebounder under 6 foot 5 inches tall last season. He ranked second among freshman in the WAC rebounds and free throw percentage and topped freshman in steals.
 
The Texans welcome 12 newcomers to the program with seven coming in as transfers, four as true freshman and one entering college after playing in the New Zealand Basketball League for three years. Among the seven transfers, three hailed from junior college, two from Division I and two from Division II as their last school. In full four of the transfers have spent time in junior college, three at D1 and two at D2. Among the four true freshman two played their prep careers in Texas and a pair spent their four years in Chicago, Ill.
 
A pair of top scorers from different collegiate levels join the Texans. Cam McDowell and Dior Johnson have ranked in the top two in all of D2 and JUCO, respectively. Last season, McDowell's 23.7 points per game at Northwest Oklahoma State was second in all of D2 and third among all divisions of men's CBB. McDowell scored in double figures 24 times, at least 20 points in 23 games, and 30 or more in 11 contests. He tied for the 8th most points by a D2 player in a single game (44)  and was one of four D2 players to score 41 or more points in multiple games. Two seasons ago, Dior Johnson led all of JUCO with 29.7 points per game. Johnson was named NJCAA D1 National Player of the Week after a 58-point performance against Howard (2/15). Johnson scored 40+ in six games and 50+ twice. he scored in double digits in all 21 games played.
 
Joseph Jones returns to the Texan bench for his fifth total season serving as the director of strategic planning. He was named the 2023-24 WAC Coach of the Year after leading the Texans to a 25-10 record, the number two overall seed in the WAC Tournament and a Lou Henson Classic title.  The Texans went 23-8 after taking over as acting head coach. Jones was the winningest first year head coach in 2023-24.
 
The Texans will play four Power Four conference teams this season. Tarleton State will open the season for the second straight year at SMU. Once again, the Texans will also travel for the second year in a row to Baylor (Nov. 14). For the first time in program history, the Texans will head to Cincinnati and LSU.  The Texans will head to Baton Rouge for LSU's season opener on Nov. 5. TSU will head to Cincinnati for their first contest in the state of Ohio in program history the Monday after Thanksgiving.
 
Saturday will mark the 73^rd meeting between the Lions and the Texans. The Texans hold the slight advantage, 37-35 in the series. In Stephenville, the Texans are 19-7, but Saturday will be the first meeting of the series in the EECU Center. The Texans up-ended East Texas A&M, formerly known as Texas A&M – Commerce in the 2005 South Central Region Sweet 16, 75-70, to earn a spot in their first Elite Eight. Their last meeting was on Dec. 21, 2019, when the Texans took a 94-91 victory in Stephenville.
 
East Texas A&M is led by head coach Jaret Von Rosenberg who is entering his ninth season at the helm of the program. He owns a career record of 119-112 and boasted winning seasons in four of her first five with the Lions. Last year, his squad was 5-26. He is joined by associate head coach Coleman Furst who spent his playing career as a Texan. Furst served as team captain, was a member of back-to-back LSC Tournament Champion Squads and helped the Texans qualify for four-straight NCAA Tournaments. Furst hit an eventual game-winning three-pointer to give the Texans a 52-50 lead against Midwestern State in the 2013 Lone Star Conference Championship game. Former Texan Ronnie Harrison Jr. is one of many Division I transfers on the Lions 2025-26 roster.
 
Tarleton State will have nine days to prepare for SMU after they take on the Lions. The Texans will open the regular season for the second consecutive season on the road at SMU in the Moody Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and will be aired on ACCXN and ESPN+.