LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (6-0, 6-0 LSC)
vs. TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (1-9, 1-7 LSC)
Friday, January 22 – 7:30 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: Lubbock Christian leads 8-5
 
HOME, AGAIN
After playing only one of their first six games of the season at home, the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team gets a break from divisional play to host two games against Texas A&M International this weekend. The Dustdevils, under first-year head coach Mac McConnell, lost their first eight games of the season before finally earning their lone win against Oklahoma Christian, while the Chaps have started the season hot, winning each of their first six games.
 
PRACTICALLY PERFECT
LCU has won its first six games of the season, taking down Oklahoma Christian, UT Tyler and Angelo State all twice each. The 6-0 start is the best-ever for the Chaps in the 10 seasons under head coach Todd Duncan. Lubbock Christian's last start to a season better than this year was in 2000-01, when they began the year 9-0 on the way to a 21-10 record, a Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title and a run to the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament. The Chaps are the only undefeated team left in the Lone Star Conference and one of only 13 teams left in all of Division II without a loss. LCU's best start in program history came in the 1996-97 season, when they started the year 10-0.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian moved up in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, taking the No. 16 spot after being ranked No. 22 last week. This is the first season that the LCU men's basketball program has been recognized in a top 25 national poll since moving to the NCAA in 2013. The Chaps are not ranked in the D2SIDA poll but did receive 14 votes this week.
 
NEED SOME ASSISTANCE?
The Chaps have been one of the best teams in the nation at sharing the basketball and have done so without racking up turnovers. LCU currently ranks No. 10 nationally and leads the LSC with 17.8 assists per game. Guard Cameron Copley is a big part of that number, leading the LSC and ranking 11^th nationally individually with 6.2 assists per game. On the flip side, LCU is only averaging 12.2 turnovers per game, giving them an assist/turnover ratio of 1.47, which is the 10^th-best in all of NCAA Division II
 
FREEBIES
Lubbock Christian also ranks No. 11 nationally and leads the Lone Star Conference in free throw shooting, having hit 81.9 percent of their foul shots so far this year. The Chaps have attempted just 116 free throws so far this year, which is the third-fewest in the conference, but they have made 95 of them. Copley is still perfect at the line this year, hitting on all 13 of his attempts. Aamer Muhammad (87.5), Rowan Mackenzie (84.0), Gonzalo Corbalan (81.3) and Ty Caswell (80.0) are all hitting at the 80 percent mark or better this year.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
This season's only home game for the Chaps was their closest all season, as they scraped past Angelo State 69-66, but historically, LCU has been far better on their home floor. Under Duncan, the Chaps are now 103-25 (.803) inside the Rip Griffin Center. During the 2019-20 season, Lubbock Christian went 12-3 on their home floor, averaging 80.7 points per game while limiting their opponents to only 67.3.
 
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
A large part of the reason that LCU has been able to open the season without a loss has been their defense. The Chaps are currently allowing only 66.3 points per game from their opponents, which is the second-best mark in the LSC, behind only Texas A&M-Kingsville's 63.4 points per game. Opponents facing Lubbock Christian have shot 42.9 percent so far this season, and the Chaps have done a good job limiting extra possessions from their opponents by averaging 28.3 defensive rebounds per game (second-best mark in the LSC).
 
NO HARM, NO FOUL
Lubbock Christian leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 25 in all of Division II in fewest fouls per game with just 15.2. In total, only 91 fouls have committed by Chap players. Daniels, who has started every game and averages the most minutes on the team at 35.8 per game, has committed just five fouls all season. The have allowed opponents to shoot just 102 free throws so far this season, which is tied for the second-fewest allowed in the league. Chap opponents have also struggled at the charity stripe so far this season, shooting just 68.6 percent at the line.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE DUSTDEVILS

• Rodney "Mac" McConnell was introduced as the seventh men's basketball coach in program history in March 2020. He was previously the associate head coach at Tarleton State.
• Freshman Anthony Scott has been the Dustdevils star player so far this year, averaging 10.6 points per game and ranking No. 4 in the LSC with 18 steals this year.
• TAMIU has the worst offense in the league, averaging 62.1 points per game on just 41.7 percent shooting. They have only reached the 70-point mark three times this year, and they have been held under 60 points in five of their 10 contests.
• The Dustdevils have not found a consistent formula so far this season, leading McConnell to a number of different combinations on the floor. Ten different players have started at least two games.
• Turnovers have been a problem for TAMIU, as they average 16.7 per game and only force 13.2. Their turnover margin of -3.50 is the second worst in the league.

THE SERIES WITH TAMIU
Lubbock Christian first began meeting up with Texas A&M International in 2014 when they joined the Heartland Conference and has an 8-5 record in the all-time series. That first meeting on Jan. 4, 2014 was the only time the Dustdevils won a game in the Rip Griffin Center. LCU has won the last two matchups, with the last TAMIU win coming on Jan