Men's Basketball | 01.28.2022

NO. 1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (18-0, 6-0)
vs. UT PERMIAN BASIN (11-8, 3-4)
Saturday, Jan. 29 – 4 p.m. CT
Falcon Dome (Odessa, Texas)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 15-5
 
NEED TO KNOW

• The Chaps are coming off an 85-79 win in double overtime on Thursday at Angelo State
• Three Lubbock Christian players rank in the top four in the Lone Star Conference in shooting percentage
• UTPB's DaJuan Jones is the LSC-leader in assists per game at 7.4
• The Chaps are ranked No. 1 in both NCAA Division II national polls
• Sophomore guard Aamer Muhammad dropped 30 points in Thursday night's win, finishing one point shy of matching his career high
• Parker Hicks recorded his eighth double-double of the season on Thursday with 14 points and 15 rebounds

 
IT AIN'T ALWAYS EASY…
But the Chaps got the job done Thursday night, defeating Angelo State 85-79 in front of a raucous crowd in favor of the Rams. LCU trailed by 11 at halftime and it took two overtimes before a winner was finally crowned, but the Chaps kept their unbeaten record intact, moving to 18-0 on the year and furthering their program record for best start to a season. Nova Southeastern also won, although in much less dramatic fashion, meaning there is still one other undefeated Division II team out there. Only four times in the history of D-II has a team gone all the way through a season and won the championship without a loss.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Despite the fact that the teams were on the floor for an extra 10 minutes, Lubbock Christian still held Angelo State below their season scoring average on Thursday night. The Rams shot just 37.0 percent overall, marking just the third time this season they have been held below 40 percent in a game. LCU's defense has been a large part of their success, with opponents shooting just 37.4 percent against them for the year. That is the best mark in all of Division II, and their scoring defense mark of 60.2 points per game is the fourth best in D-II. Eight different teams have recorded their lowest scoring output of the season against LCU.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
The Chaps have had no such problems shooting the ball this season. In fact, their 51.8 field goal percentage is the fifth-best in all of Division II. Three LCU players – Lloyd Daniels, Hicks and Muhammad – rank inside the top four in the conference in shooting percentage. Daniels leads the way with 53.7 percent shooting, Hicks is right behind him at 53.6 percent, and Muhammad is shooting 49.5 percent after a 10-16 performance on Thursday. The Chaps have shot better than 50 percent from the field in 12 games so far, and they have out-shot their opponent in all but one game. LCU also leads the conference behind the arc, where they are shooting 39.0 percent this season.
 
PASS ME THE ROCK
The Chaps average 16.4 assists per game, which is best in the conference and ranks No. 33 nationally. Daniels leads the team in that category with 5.1 per game (second in the LSC), but Muhammad has added in 3.2 per contest as well. LCU is able to tally all of these assists while also taking good care of the ball, averaging just 10.4 turnovers per game, which ranks 10th among Division II. Only once this season have they committed more than 15 turnovers in a game. LCU's overall assist to turnover ratio is 1.54, which is the best mark in the conference and is eighth-best nationally. Daniels ranks fifth in the LSC individually with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.3.
 
CREAM OF THE CROP
On Jan. 15, Small College Basketball announced the Top-100 Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award, which features 100 players from DII, DIII, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA men's college basketball. Both Hicks and Daniels are on the list. The award was created in 2015 and is named after Clarence "Bevo" Francis. Francis played two seasons at what is now the University of Rio Grande. In his first season, he led the team to a 39-0 record averaging 50.1 points per game, highlighted by a 116-point performance against Ashland College in Kentucky. The list will shrink throughout the coming months, with the winner being announced April 4.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
For the eight straight week, the Chaparrals are ranked No. 1 in both NCAA Division II national top-25 polls. They drew 398 points and 15 of the 16 first place votes in the NABC coaches poll, ranking ahead of Nova Southeastern. The Sharks are also ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA media poll, behind LCU's 393 points and 12 (out of 16) first place votes. The Chaps have beaten three opponents who were ranked at the time of playing this season. They also beat Regis to start the year, and although the Rangers were not ranked at the time, they have since climbed to No. 15 in the NABC poll.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Lubbock Christian has played six true road games this season, winning every one of them. They are averaging 74.3 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting in hostile territory, having beaten Hawaii Pacific, Chaminade, Western N.M., Texas A&M-Commerce, UT Tyler and Angelo State. Opponents on the road are averaging just 58.3 points per game on only 37.3 percent shooting. UT Permian Basin plays its home games at the Falcon Dome, where they are 7-4 so far this season.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS

• UTPB is 3-4 in Lone Star Conference play with wins against St. Edward's, Cameron and Eastern New Mexico
• Kyle Tolin is in his first year leading the Falcons after previously serving as the head coach at Arkansas Monticello for seven seasons. He led the Boll Weevils to an NCAA Regional appearance at the Rip Griffin Center last season
• The Falcons played close with ENMU on Thursday night, using a three-pointer from Jordan Horn with 20 seconds left to secure a victory
• Horn leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game, and two other Falcons average double figures as well
• UTPB ranks in the top half of the league in scoring offense with 76.9 points per game, but in the bottom half in defense, allowing 72.2 points per game

 
THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS
Lubbock Christian and UT Permian Basin first began meeting on the hardwood in 2002, which was UTPB's first season with a basketball program. They have met exactly 20 times total, with LCU leading the all-time series 15-5. The Chaps have won four out of the last five meetings, including both matchups last year. UTPB's only win in that time was on Feb. 27, 2020, when a high-scoring affair ended in favor of the Falcons, 105-96.