STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball opens a three-game road with its first of two contests in Utah this week opening with Southern Utah on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT at the America First Events Center.

The Texans (11-6 overall, 2-2 WAC) will take on the Thunderbirds (4-13, 0-4) for the first of two times in the America First Events Center. The Texans have won each of the past two meetings in Cedar City and are 4-2 in the all-time series.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Kyle Crews will have the radio call on 90.5 KTRL and online on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. For the most up to date highlights, news and updates follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.

Dior Johnson is second in the nation in points per game (23.8). Despite missing four games, he is still 53rd in the NCAA and 2nd in the WAC with 310 total points. He ranks 8th in the nation and leads the WAC with 103 made free throws. He is 57th in the NCAA and 3rd in the WAC shooting 56.9 percent from the floor.

Tarleton State is averaging 19.35 forced turnovers per game, the most in the NCAA. Last season the Texans finished second in the category. So far this season, the Purple and White have forced at least 20 turnovers in seven games. The Texans are also second in the nation in steals per game averaging 11.4. The squad has snagged double digit steals in 10 of the last 11 contests and in each of the last 8. The Texans are also 12th in the nation with a +4.8 turnover margin.

Dior Johnson is the only player in the country to score 30+ in six games this season. Montana's Money Williams is behind him with five. Johnson is one of two players to score 30+ points multiple times this season without starting a single game. He has 6, followed by Rutgers' Tariq Francis with 3. Only 23 players this season have scored 30+ in a game without starting a single game. Jackson State's Tre Jackson III holds the NCAA record since 2009 with 12 30+ point performances without a single start. Dior currently is one of 11 with at least 6. The most 30+ games in the by a player in the WAC history is 8 by San Jose State's Adam Oliver in the 2009-10 season. Johnson currently ranks tied for third all-time with 6 30+ games in a single season. In WAC conference games, Oliver leads with four 30+ scoring games. Johnson is tied for second at three with seven other players.

Tarleton State leads the nation and leads the WAC with 46.29 bench points per game. The Texans 787 bench points is also the most in the nation in total bench points. The Tarleton State bench has outscored their starters in 13 games this season, with their leading scorer coming off the bench in each. Bench points account for 57.7 percent of their total points. The Texans have notched 60 or more bench points 3 times.

Dior Johnson is the only scorer in the country to average 20 or more points per game without starting a single game this season. He is the leading scorer among players without a single start with 55 more total points than second-ranked Colorado's Isaiah Johnson who has played in three more games. Johnson leads players without a start in free throws made and is third among qualifiers in field goal percentage. No one has averaged 20 or more points a game in a single season without a start since 2009-10. Only two have averaged 15.0 ppg or more without a start since 09-10 with UTSA's Jordan Ivy-Curry averaging 17.1. Southern's Malcolm Miller is the only player since 2009-10 to record at least 500 points in a season with a start scoring 513 in the 2012-13 season.

Cam McDowell has scored 10 or more in 8 of his last 9 games. He has also tallied at least 20 points in 5 of his last 7. The senior went off for 26 against Utah Valley off the bench, It marked his third game this season with 26. He led the Texans in scoring for the third time this season with 23 at UTA to begin WAC play. The senior scorer has been on a tear as of late, averaging 18.3 points per game in his last nine appearances. He had three consecutive 20+ games against Cameron, Howard Payne, and MVSU.

Southern Utah enters the third week of WAC play as the only winless program in conference play. The Thunderbirds are currently on a seven-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 1, 2025. SUU is 1-13 against D1 programs with their only win against Stetson on a neutral court in PA on Nov. 29. The Thunderbirds are 3-2 at home, but 0-2 at home against D1 programs this season. Southern Utah leads the WAC this year in least fouls per game (16.0) and ranks 62nd in the nation. Elijah Duval leads the team averaging 10.25 points per game after the first two weeks of WAC play.

The Texans are 3-0 against SUU when scoring more than 70 points. Tarleton State is also 4-0 when holding SUU to less than 70 points. SUU is 2-1 when scoring 70 points or more. For the second consecutive year, the Texans will play SUU on its Western Night. Tarleton State has won the turnover battle in 5 of the previous 6 meetings against SUU with the Texans owning a 4-1 record in those games. The Texans are shooting 47.7 percent from the floor at the America First Event Center significantly better than in the series in Stephenville where they are shooting 45.7 percent against SUU.

Tarleton State will continue their road trip in the state of Utah on Saturday evening against Utah Tech. The Texans will play their first and only game in St. George this season with tip ff slated for 8 p.m. CT.