NO. 1-seed LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-1, 15-1 LSC)
vs. NO. 8-seed ST. EDWARD'S (10-7, 10-7 LSC)
Tuesday, March 2 – 7:30 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: LCU Leads 17-10
 
TITLE TOWN
It was a good weekend for Lubbock Christian University athletics, as both the Chaps and Lady Chaps claimed the Lone Star Conference titles after claiming wins on both the men's and women's side at West Texas A&M to close out the regular season. Both teams are now the No. 1 seed in the LSC Tournament, meaning the Chaps host the No. 8 seed St. Edward's Hilltoppers on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round. For the Chaparrals, it is their first conference championship since moving to NCAA Division II status (2013-14) and their first overall since the 2003-04 season, when the program claimed the Sooner Athletic Conference championship under head coach John Copeland.
 
WE'RE ALL MAD HERE
The calendar has officially turned to March, which in the world of collegiate basketball means it is time for the madness of postseason play. Hosting postseason games is not new for the Chap basketball program, as the Rip Griffin Center has played host to seven conference tournament games featuring the LCU in the past, including a 79-61 win over Midwestern State in the first round of last year's LSC Tournament. Lubbock Christian hosted the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament three times during the NAIA days, in 2001, 2002 and 2009. The 2000-01 season was the first that the Rip Griffin Center was open, and the LCU men christened it by winning the SAC tournament on their own floor. They could not repeat the feat in the 2002 or 2009, but the Chaps are 5-2 all-time in postseason games at "The Rip."
 
SHARP-SHOOTING CHAPS
It was a roller-coaster of a weekend for LCU offensively, as they posted their second-lowest shooting percentage of the season Thursday (42.6 percent) and their best shooting percentage in three years on Saturday (62.5 percent), but overall, the Chaparrals are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 5 among NCAA Division II schools in field goal percentage (52.1 percent) and No. 1 in three-point field-goal percentage (43.7 percent). Both and Lloyd Daniels (No. 4) and Parker Hicks (No. 5) rank in the top ten in the LSC in field goal percentage, with marks of 57.3 percent and 54.3 percent, respectively. Gonzalo Corbalan has also shot an extremely efficient 63.5 percent from the field, but his 85 field goals attempted do not qualify him for the conference leaderboard.
 
SHARING IS CARING
Lubbock Christian currently passes the ball better than any other team in NCAA Division II, ranking No. 1 in assist to turnover ratio (1.78) and No. 4 in assists per game (18.6). The Chaps have only turned the ball over more than 15 times in a game twice during the season. Overall, they turn the ball over just 10.4 times per game, which is the lowest mark in the LSC. Cameron Copley is a big part of the assists total, ranking No. 2 in the conference with 5.5 assists per game, but Rowan Mackenzie (3.1) and Daniels (2.8) are also averaging multiple assists per contest.
 
DEFENSE WINS…
West Texas A&M entered last week's games averaging 93.2 points per game, but Lubbock Christian held them to just 82 and 85 points in the two contests. On average this season, LCU has limited opponents to an average of 63.8 points per game this season. They currently have the 10th-best scoring defense in all of NCAA Division II. Five times this season the Chaps have held an opponent to less than 60 points. Opposing teams shoot just 42.1 percent against LCU, which ranks 21st in the nation. Only Texas A&M-Kingsville has had a better defense in the LSC, holding teams to 41.1 percent shooting and 63.8 points per game.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
The Chaps have played seven of this season's games inside the Rip Griffin Center and suffered their only loss there last Thursday against WT (82-78). On average, they have been great at "The Rip," scoring 83.5 points per game and allowing only 58.9. They shoot 51.5 percent on their home floor, with Hicks (15.3) and Daniels (15.0) averaging double figures there. LCU has a history of success on their home court, going 108-26 (.803) there under head coach Todd Duncan.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
LCU comes into the game ranked in the top 10 in both national polls, although neither ranking has been updated after last week's split with West Texas A&M. They are No. 2 in the D2SIDA poll, which is the program's highest ranking ever, surpassing the previous high of No. 4 which came in 2004. In the NABC poll, they are currently ranked No. 6.
 
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS

• St. Edward's ranks No. 4 in the LSC in scoring with an average of 82.1 points per game, and they check in at sixth in defense, allowing an average of 74.6 points per game
• NCAA Division I transfers B.J. Maxwell and Daniel Venzant lead the Hilltoppers, averaging 18.6 and 17.6 points per game, respectively. Venzant also leads the LSC in assists per game with 5.8
• SEU ranks No. 5 nationally and second in the LSC in turnovers forced with an average of 5.4 per game. They also only trail LCU in assist/turnover ratio with a mark of 1.50.
• The Hilltoppers claimed the eighth and final seed in the tournament with a ratting of 2.971 in the conference rankings. Their losses this season have come against Midwestern State, UT Permian Basin, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, St. Mary's and UAFS
• SEU's Logan Cook is the league-leader in rebounding this season with 9.1 boards per game. He averages six on the defensive glass and 3.1 on the offensive glass each contest

 
THE SERIES WITH THE HILLTOPPERS
Lubbock Christian and St. Edward's have been meeting on the hardwood since 1985, with LCU leading the all-time series lead 17-10. The lead is largely due to the fact that the Chaps claimed 12 of 13 games from 1994 to 2017. The series has been even at 3-3 since then though. The last two times St. Edward's game to the Rip Griffin Center, they were ranked in the top five nationally, but Lubbock Christian was able to pull off the upset win each time.