LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (20-9, 14-6 Heartland) at No. 7 MIDWESTERN STATE (24-5, 10-4 Lone Star)
South Central Regional
Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-time Series: MSU leads 28-8

History between the squads
While the series between Newman and Lubbock Christian began back during the 1971-72 season, Lubbock Christian and Midwestern State have not met since 1993-94 when the Chaps took an 82-76 victory. The Mustangs, however, own a huge 28-8 advantage over LCU.

About Midwestern State
The Mustangs, ranked 7th in the final regular season National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll and 5th in the D2 Media Poll, are riding an eight-game win streak that carried through the Lone Star Conference finals where MSU took the tournament title with an 88-72 win over Angelo State.

The Chaps are in!
Lubbock Christian University men's basketball received refreshing news Sunday night during the NCAA Division II Selection Show as the Chaparrals discovered they were chosen to participate in the NCAA national tournament for the first time in program history.
The Chaps (20-9, 14-6 Heartland), fresh off of an 81-79 loss to Newman in the Heartland Conference tournament Friday, were cautiously optimistic they would be in the mix for one of the five at-large bids in the eight-team South Central Regional. LCU grabbed the final spot as the #8 seed and will face host team Midwestern State Saturday at 6 p.m. The tournament will be held in Wichita Falls beginning this Saturday and play will continue on Sunday with the championship matchup on Tuesday. The winner of the Regional will head to the Elite Eight March 23-26 in Frisco.
 
NCAA postseason debut
The 2012-13 season marks the last time the Chaps were eligible and competed in any postseason action. Fifth-seeded LCU was defeated by fourth-seeded University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, 66-63, during the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament on February 28, 2013.
The Chaps have been patiently waiting for the last two years as LCU successfully completed the transition into the NCAA and made a made the most of their initial appearance by securing the second seed heading into the conference tournament.

Regional rankings include Chaps
Lubbock Christian University men's basketball received its first ranking since entering the realm of the NCAA in 2015-16 as the Chaparrals were slated in the sixth spot within the South Central regional ranks on February 17.
The season's first release marked the first time the Chaps have garnered recognition in the polls since their initial transition into the NCAA during the 2013-14 season.
The regional rankings consist of the top 10 teams in each of the eight respective regions: Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South Central, South, Southeast and West. Following the conclusion of conference tournaments in the upcoming weeks, the top eight teams in each region move on to regional tournaments.
The South Central Region is comprised of the Heartland, Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Conferences.

Luckey grabs First Team honors
A.J. Luckey of Lubbock Christian University men's basketball was announced as a First Team All-Conference selection for the second consecutive season as the senior received his award on Tuesday at the Heartland Conference basketball banquet prior to the start of the men's basketball tournament beginning Friday.
Luckey is the eighth leading scorer in the league with his 15 points per game output that included a 31-point outburst at Oklahoma Christian on February 24 while his 27 points against Texas A&M International last Saturday comprised of a game-tying three-pointer to force overtime that concluded in a Chap win.
The Flower Mound Marcus graduate has also grabbed a team-best 134 rebounds for an average of 4.8 and his hit 110 of his 134 free throw attempts at an 82.1-percent clip, eighth best in the Heartland. The 6-0 guard snagged a career-high 16 boards versus St. Edward's January 23 and tied a career-best with his nine assists against Oklahoma Panhandle State December 31.

Fowler on the rise
Since being inserted into the starting lineup versus Arkansas-Fort Smith on February 11, freshman Brennen Fowler has been a force for the Chaps. Prior to his starting campaign, the forward was averaging 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes of action per game, and within the last seven games has risen those numbers to 7.4 and 5.1 per while playing an average of 30 minutes.  
Folwer has recorded six straight double-doubles since debuting within the first five before a falling off against Newman in the conference tournament. The Symer High School product has produced averages of 16.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over the last seven contests, highlighted by a career-high 35 points at Texas-Permian Basin on February 20. The 6-8 forward is shooting 67-percent from the floor and 82-percent from the line during that span.
Following his performances versus UAFS and Rogers State last month, Fowler netted Heartland Conference Player of the Week honors.

Shared scoring of the Chaps
During LCU's 28 contests of 2015-16, eight Chaps have stepped up to lead the squad in scoring. A.J. Luckey has tallied top honors 10 times, while Tyler Rogers is close behind at nine. Marcus Arrington has on five occasions, while Isaac Cardona and Marcos Schuster have each carried the team in three games. Ridrell Holman, Matthew Alford and Brennen Folwer each have notched a team-high in points once.