NO. 2 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (16-0, 14-0 LSC)
vs. NO. 2 WEST TEXAS A&M (11-1, 9-1LSC)
Thursday, February 25 – 7:30 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: WT leads 20-6
 
NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT
Both Lubbock Christian University and West Texas A&M come into Thursday's Lone Star Conference ranked No. 2 in the nation. No, you didn't misread that. There are two polls that rank the NCAA Division II's top 25 men's and women's basketball programs. The NABC Top-25 Poll, which is voted on by coaches throughout the nation has the Buffs at No. 2 and the Chaps at No. 6 in their most recent poll (Feb. 23). The D2SIDA Top-25 Poll, which is voted on by sport information directors throughout the United States, as LCU at No. 2 and WT in a tie for seventh. Regardless, the LSC west division matchup in the Rip Griffin Center on Thursday shapes up to be a good one.
 
RIVALRY ON THE RANGE
On August 6, 2019, Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M announced the establishment of the Rivalry on the Range series, which is a year-long competition including 15 sports in which the two schools will compete against one another. The Rivalry on the Range series scoring components will include head-to-head battles in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball, with additional points available in postseason play. WT currently has a lead in the series with points from cross country and volleyball. Fans can review the scoring system and follow the standings on rivalryontherange.com.
 
WHEN AT HOME
The Chaps have played six of this season's games inside the Rip Griffin Center and are a perfect 6-0 there. They have dominated opponents at their home facility, winning by an average margin of 27 points. LCU has averaged 83.7 points per game while limiting opponents to 56.7. Gonzalo Corbalan is the only Chaparral player to average double-figures at home but not on the road. He has scored 10.0 points per home game on 73.3 percent shooting.
 
IN A PERFECT WORLD
The Chaparrals have started the season a perfect 16-0, far surpassing the program's previous best start ever of 10-0 which was set in the 1996-97 season. This year's Chaps surpassed that mark more than two weeks ago and haven't slowed down yet. The odds have been somewhat in LCU's favor. Currently, only one of the teams they've played this season has a winning record (Midwestern State) and the Falcons will be the second. Only three other teams in NCAA Division II are still undefeated, and none of them have played more than 10 games.
 
SHARP-SHOOTING CHAPS
The Chaparrals are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 4 among NCAA Division II schools in field goal percentage (52.2 percent) and No. 1 in three-point field-goal percentage (43.5 percent). Both Parker Hicks (No. 3) and Lloyd Daniels (No. 4) rank in the top ten in the LSC in field goal percentage, with marks of 57.1 percent and 54.2 percent, respectively. Gonzalo Corbalan has also shot an extremely efficient 63.3 percent from the field, but his 79 field goals attempted do not qualify him for the conference leaderboard.
 
SHARING THE ROCK
Lubbock Christian currently passes the ball better than any other team in NCAA Division II, ranking No. 1 in assist to turnover ratio (1.88) and No. 3 in assists per game (19.2). The Chaps had their lowest number of turnovers all season in their most recent win over UTPB with just five all game. Overall, they turn the ball over just 10.2 times per game, which is the lowest mark in the LSC. Cameron Copley is a big part of the assists total, ranking No. 3 in the conference with 5.8 assists per game, but Rowan Mackenzie (3.1) and Daniels (3.0) are also averaging multiple assists per contest.
 
DEFENSE WINS…
Limiting opponents to an average of 61.4 points per game this season, LCU currently has the fourth-best scoring defense in all of NCAA Division II. Five times this season the Chaps have held an opponent to less than 60 points, including each of the last two games against UT Permian Basin. Opposing teams shoot just 41.1 percent against LCU, which ranks 21^st in the nation. Only Texas A&M-Kingsville has a better mark in percentage defense, as the Javelinas limit opponents to a shooting percentage of 40.9.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• West Texas A&M does not have a player on their roster listed as a forward, only guards. Five players are listed at 6'6 or taller though, including 6'11 John Brown.
• WT leads the LSC and ranks No. 4 nationally in scoring offense with an average of 93.6 points per game. They shoot 48 percent from the field and average 11.5 three-point field-goals per game.
• Buffs Joel Murray and Qua Grant both rank inside the top five in the league in scoring, averaging 22.3 and 20.3 points per game, respectively.
• WT does commit a large number of personal fouls, averaging 19.6 per game, which is the third-worst mark in the LSC.
• Dallas Baptist handed West Texas A&M its only loss so far this season, as the Patriots won 87-78 at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas. The Buffs shot just 36.5 percent from the field, including 21.2 percent from behind the arc, in the loss.

THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M have faced off 26 times in total, dating all the way back to the 1978 season. LCU wins have been few and far between in that time, with the Chaps winning only six times. The first LCU win against WT did not occur until the 11^th matchup between the squads (11/23/02). They did win three straight from 2015 to 2016, but they have only won once (12/6/18) since that time.