No. 14 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (8-0, 8-0 LSC)
vs. MIDWESTERN STATE (7-4, 6-4 LSC)
Wednesday, January 27 – 7:30 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: Midwestern State leads 25-11
 
LONG DIVISION
Lone Star Conference divisional play returns to the Rip Griffin Center this Wednesday, as the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team hosts Midwestern State. The Chaps are one of the hottest teams in the league, if not the nation, entering the weeknight matchup with a perfect 8-0 record overall and in conference play. This should be the toughest test of the season so far for the Chaps though, as the Mustangs are the first team for LCU to match up with that currently has a winning record.
 
IN A PERFECT WORLD
LCU has won its first eight games of the season, taking down Oklahoma Christian, UT Tyler and Angelo State all twice each. The 8-0 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 enters the Wednesday night matchup ranked No. 14 in the NABC poll, up two spots from their No. 16 ranking last week. It is the highest ranking ever for the Chaps since they moved to the NCAA and the highest ranking overall since March 9, 2004, when they were ranked No. 9 in the NAIA poll. LCU is not yet ranked in the top 25 of the D2SIDA poll, but has been receiving votes in recent weeks.
 
SHARING IS CARING
The Chaparrals are the No. 3 team in all of NCAA Division II and lead the LSC in both assists per game (19.2) and in assist to turnover ratio (1.71). In their most recent game against Texas A&M International, LCU came within striking distance of the Rip Griffin Center record for assists in a game, tallying 28 (record is 31). Leading the team in assists per game is Cameron Copley, whose 6.4 per contest lead the LSC and rank No. 5 nationally. Lloyd Daniels (3.1) and Rowan Mackenzie (2.5) are also averaging multiple assists per game for the Chaps.
 
SCORE-STOPPERS
Lubbock Christian also ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense, coming in at No. 6. Limiting TAMIU to 38 and 50 points in the two games this past weekend helped LCU lower its opponent scoring average for the year to just 60.8 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 39.2 percent against LCU so far this year (eight-best mark nationally), and no opponent has shot better than 50 percent. Finally, the Chaps have limited second-chance opportunities by their opponents by grabbing 29.4 defensive rebounds per game, which is the ninth-most in all of Division II and leads the LSC.
 
WHERE YOU HANG YOUR HAT
In their three home games so far this season, Lubbock Christian has been dominant, scoring 79.3 points per game while allowing only 51.3. The Chaps have historically been great at home under head coach Todd Duncan, posting a 105-25 (.808) record in his nine-plus seasons at the helm. Daniels has been the best Chap at home, scoring 13.7 points per game on 56.7 percent shooting. Parker Hicks (12.3) and Aamer Muhammad (12.3) have also averaged double-figures in the three home games this year.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
The Chaps are one of only two teams in the Lone Star Conference to be shooting above 50 percent from the field this season with a team percentage of 51.4. Only DBU ranks above them among conference teams with a shooting percentage of 56.7 percent. LCU also ranks No. 2 in the league in three-point shooting at 37.6 percent. Gonzalo Corbalan is the team-leader in shooting percentage at an incredibly efficient 63.9 percent (23-36), but four other Chaps who average more than 20 minutes a game on the floor are shooting above the 50 percent mark.
 
MAKING THE FREE ONES
There is one final category in which Lubbock Christian leads the Lone Star Conference, and it is their ability to make free throws. Although they have only attempted 141 free throws this year (second-fewest in the LSC), the Chaps have made 112 of them, shooting 79.4 percent from the charity stripe overall. Copley has yet to miss a free throw so far this year (13-13), while Muhammad and Ty Caswell are both shooting above the 80 percent mark this season as well.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

• Midwestern State is coming off of a pair of tough losses at No. 15 Dallas Baptist losing by one point on both Friday (81-80) and Saturday (91-90). MSU's other two losses this year have come against UT Tyler (92-66) and St. Edward's (112-105, OT).
• A big part of the Mustang offense is the three-pointer. They have attempted the third-most (362) in all of Division II this year, although their 37.3 percentage from behind the arc is only third-best in the LSC.
• MSU leads the conference with 14.1 offensive rebounds per game. Jermane Carter is a major part of that, leading the LSC and ranking fifth nationally with 4.67 offensive rebounds per game by himself.
• The Mustangs do tend to turn the ball over consistently, averaging 15.0 per game, which is the sixth-worst mark in the Lone Star Conference.
• Head coach Justin Leslie is in his second season at the helm of the Mustangs after coaching for 12 seasons at Azusa Pacific, which is where he played from 1996-2001. In his 13 seasons as a head coach, Leslie has an overall record of 274-142.

 
THE SERIES WITH THE MUSTANGS
Lubbock Christian and Midwestern State have been facing off on the hardwood since 1972, when MSU was still called the Indians and the two teams were members of the Texoma Conference. The Mustangs lead the all-time series 25-11. The Chaps have had the upper hand in recent years, though, winning the last four matchups, including last season in the opening round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament.