LAS VEGAS — Tarleton State Men's Basketball opens its fourth and final appearance at the WAC Tournament on Wednesday night with a 7:30 p.m. CT tip against Abilene Christian at the Orleans Arena.

The Texans (14-17 overall, 5-11 WAC) will face off against the Wildcats (13-18, 5-13) for the fourth time this season. The Wildcats took the first two matchups with one on each campus. The Texans were victorious in the third meeting, just two days after a 14-point loss in Abilene. Tarleton State pushed their record to a perfect 3-0 in OT games in the series with a 65-62 victory in the EECU Center. 

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Ben Wilson and Dave Miller. 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 has totaled 13 20+ point games this season. Johnson is one of four players with 10 or more 20+ games this season in the WAC. He is second behind Dom Daniels Jr. (21). He is tied for the third-most 30+ point games with seven, trailing a pair of players that have eight this season. The junior is one of four players to have 40+ in a season this year (at Baylor (11/14) and at SUU (1/15). Johnson is the only non-Power Four player with multiple 40+ games. Johnson is averaging 23.8 points per game, ranking third in the NCAA, despite not being a qualifier. AJ Dybantsa leads with 24.9 followed by ECU's Jordan Riley (24.0).

After starting the first 20 games, Kelly IV missed the next 10 games due to a lower-body injury. Kelly IV returned to play off the bench against UT Arlington (3/5). In his return, he played 24 minutes off the bench with 2 points and a steal. At the time of his injury, Kelly IV ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA in steals and led the WAC.

The Texans have had seven Texans miss at least one game this season due to injury. Six Texans have missed at least five games this year. Three Texans have missed ten games or more this season. DJ Dormu missed 12,Dior Johnson 12, Kelly IV 10, McDowell 7, Mpaka 7, Hicks 5 and Sigiscar 1. Cam McDowell and Andy Sigiscar are the only two Texans in the group that were still injured in the final game of the regular season.

Chris Mpaka returned to the lineup after missing the first game of the road trip against Utah Valley. Mpaka scored 11 off the bench notching a team-best seven rebounds and two blocks. He made six of his seven shots from the charity stripe at CBU. After missing four games due to injury, he played three before missing another game. Mpaka started each of his first 18 games. Since, he has come off the bench in each of his last four appearances.

The Texans were ineligible to go to Vegas in their first two years in the conference. In their first trip to Vegas, the seven seeded Texans beat 10-seed UTRGV, 74-70 for their first WAC tourney win. The Texans have been 0-2 in each of their past two trips to Vegas. In each of the last two games in Vegas, the Texans have lost by four or less.

The Texans and Wildcats have never met in the WAC Tournament. The two programs have never met on a neutral floor since 1988. The two have met twice in the postseason in the past with ACU holding a 1-1 record with both games coming in Stephenville. In the 1998 Lone Star Conference Tournament, the Wildcats won the first round matchup, 71-68, in Stephenville. The Texans won the most recent matchup in the postseason, an 86-59 victory in the 2024 CIT.

The Texans will need to keep winning to keep their season alive. Tarleton State will need four-straight wins to win the first WAC title in program history. With their first win, the Purple and White would advance to Thursday with a 10:30 pm CT tilt against the third-seeded Utah Tech.