NO. 1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (9-0)
vs. CAMERON (2-3)
Tuesday, Dec. 14 – 7 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: CU leads 10-5
 
STRONG START
Lubbock Christian has started the season with nine straight wins, making them one of just 11 teams left in all of Division II still undefeated. Two of those teams – Texas A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler – are fellow members of the Lone Star Conference, but both have played fewer games than the Chaps. Only one team – Minnesota-Duluth – has played more games than LCU and is still undefeated. Last season, the Chaps set a new program record for best start to a season by winning their first 16 games of the year. Prior to that, the record was 10-0 to start the 19976-97 season.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
LCU has started so well thanks largely in part to the strong play of their defense. Chaparral opponents are shooting 36.0 percent from the field, which is the lowest mark in the nation. Opposing teams are also averaging just 57.3 points per game, giving Lubbock Christian the fourth-best scoring defense in D-11. Only Texas A&M International has held opponents to fewer points per game (57.0) in the Lone Star Conference. Three times this season, LCU has held the opposing team below 30 percent shooting from the field. They have accomplished all of this while ranking last in the league in steals per game (3.89) and just 10^th in blocks per game (3.11).
 
FREEBIES
Although the Chaps have the third-fewest free throw attempts in the LSC (119), they have made the most of their opportunities, hitting 80.7 percent of their attempts. That mark ranks second in the conference, behind only St. Edward's, and is fifth-best in all of Division II. LCU was 11-11 on Nov. 20 against Arlington Baptist, but arguably their best performance at the line came on Nov. 18, when they were 21-23 in a seven-point win over West Texas A&M. Rowan Mackenzie leads the team in free throw shooting (minimum 10 attempts) at 89.5 percent.
 
BOARD GAMES
Lubbock Christian has been strong on the glass this season, out-rebounding all nine of their opponents. In last week's games against Oklahoma City and Western New Mexico, they had positive rebound margins of 18 and 11, respectively. The average rebound margin for the Chaps this season is 6.9, a mark that ranks second in the conference and 31^st nationally. Parker Hicks is both the team and conference leader with an average of 9.2 per game. Of his 83 total rebounds, 71 have come on the defensive glass, and he has four double-doubles on the year. Mackenzie, Aamer Muhammad and Lloyd Daniels are all averaging more than five rebounds per game as well.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
While opposing teams have struggled to shoot the ball against LCU, the Chaps have had a hot shooting start to the season. They have hit 52.4 percent of their shots from the field, a mark that ranks only fourth-best in the LSC but it still good enough to rank No. 7 nationally. Both Hicks and Daniels shot better than 70 percent in the two games combined last week, as the pair lead the Chaps (minimum 30 attempts) with season marks of 56.7 and 56.4 percent, respectively. Zach Stepp is shooting even better at 60.7 percent, but on only 28 attempts.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian remains ranked No. 1 nationally for the third straight week, first appearing in that spot in the polls on Nov. 23. The Chaps occupy the top spot in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll¬ with 398 points and 14 of the 16 first place votes. They received 10 of the 14 first place votes in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association poll with 390 points. Northwest Missouri State is the second place team in both polls. LCU had previously been ranked as high as No. 2 during the 2020-21 season. The highest the program was ever ranked in the NAIA was No. 4 from Jan. 20-27, 2004.
 
PROTECT THE RIP
Tuesday's game is the sixth of 14 total home games for Lubbock Christian. The Chaps are 5-0 on their own court so far this season with an average of 84.0 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting. Opponents entering the Rip have been held to just 61.4 points per game on 37.7 percent shooting. In the 10-plus season under head coach Todd Duncan, LCU is 114-27 at home (.809). Officially dedicated on October 9, 2000, the Rip Griffin Center has been the home of the Chaps for more than two decades and can seat 1,950 for sporting events.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES

• The Aggies rank second-to-last in the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 77.0 points per game
• Cameron also played Western New Mexico last week, needing overtime to beat the Mustangs 82-77
• CU's Colt Savage, a transfer from Central Oklahoma, ranks third in the league in scoring with 17.4 points per game
• Cameron ranks first in the LSC in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 41.6 percent from behind the arc
• The Aggies average 4.40 blocks per game, which is the second-best mark in the conference, although league-leader Texas A&M-Commerce is well ahead at 7.17 blocks per game

 
THE SERIES WITH THE AGGIES
Lubbock Christian and Cameron have met sparingly over the years, but the series does date back to 1973. The Aggies were winners in the first nine meetings, from 1973 to 1994 before LCU finally got a win in 1995, and they won again a month later. Since the Chaps joined the NCAA, Lubbock Christian has won three out of the four meetings between the teams, including the last one in 2019.