NO. 1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (12-0, 0-0)
vs. ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH (8-5, 2-0)
Thursday, Jan. 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 9-5
 
NEED TO KNOW

• Thursday's game is the Lone Star Conference opener for the Chaps, who were picked first in the league's preseason poll
• LCU leads the conference in both field-goal percentage (52.7) and field-goal percentage defense (37.2)
• The Chaps are ranked No. 1 in both national top-25 polls
• UAFS guard Matthew Wilson is the LSC leader in points per game with an average of 21.4. He is shooting 43.7 from the field
• In LCU's most recent game, Daniels hit a career milestone by scoring his 1000th career point in a Chap uniform. He is a career 57.1 percent shooter

 
LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN
For the second season in a row, Lubbock Christian had its Lone Star Conference opener cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols. Last year, it was a home series against St. Mary's, with both games knocked out. This year, the first game in LSC play was scheduled to be against Texas A&M-Kingsville, but the Javelinas were unable to play. The second leg of the south-east Texas road trip was supposed to be against Texas A&M-International, but the Dustdevils were also unavailable for the matchup. Now, Thursday's matchup with Lions will be the Chaps' first time in an actual game in 18 days. Their last contest was a Dec. 18 win against Western Washington.
 
LONE STAR-GAZING
With Thursday's game being the first in LSC play for LCU, now seems to be a good time to revisit the league's 2021-22 preseason poll. The Chaps were picked first in the preseason poll after winning the conference last season. They drew 711 total points and 26 of the 44 possible first place votes. This is just the third year LCU has competed in the LSC, and in previous polls they were picked seventh (2019-20) and third (2020-21). The first place selection was the Chaps' first in a preseason poll since moving to the NCAA. Hicks was also recognized prior to the start of the year with the league's Preseason Player of the Year honors.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
A large part of why Lubbock Christian has been able to start the season so well has been their defense. The Chaps rank No. 2 nationally and lead the Lone Star Conference in field goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting 37.2 percent against them. Furthermore, LCU opponents shoot an abysmal 27.2 percent from behind the arc, which is the ninth-best mark in D-II. They also lead the league and rank No. 3 nationally with an average of 59.2 points per game allowed. They have accomplished all of this while ranking last in the league in steals per game (4.08) and just 10th in blocks per game (3.00).
 
SHARP SHOOTERS
While opposing teams have struggled to shoot the ball against the Chaps, LCU has encountered no such struggles. They are shooting 52.7 percent from the field, which is the second-best mark in all of NCAA Division II. And although their 39.1 percent shooting on three-pointers is not quite as high as last season's 42.7 percent mark, it is still good enough to rank No. 22 nationally and second in the LSC. Daniels is the conference leader in shooting percentage at 57.3 percent (75-131), and Hicks is right behind him in second ag 56.1 percent (78-139). Zach Stepp actually has a better shooting percentage than both at 62.9 percent, but does not have enough attempts to show on the league leaderboards.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian remains ranked No. 1 nationally for the fifth 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 396 points and 13 of the 16 first place votes. They received 10 of the 16 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.
 
AWARD CENTRAL
Since the last time the Chaps took the floor for a game (which has admittedly been a while) the Chaparrals earned a pair of LSC weekly awards. On Dec. 21, Daniels was named the Offensive Player of the Week, averaging 22.0 points and 5.6 assists across three games. It was his first LSC weekly award of the year. Hicks took the Defensive Player of the Week honors, as the Chaps limited their three opponents to 41.0 percent shooting and 64.7 points per game. He pulled down 7.7 rebounds per game for the week and had a pair of double-doubles. It is the Decatur native's third time to win the award this season.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS

• Arkansas-Fort Smith has the fourth-best defense in the Lone Star Conference, allowing just 62.7 points per game so far this season
• The Lions started league play a perfect 2-0, including an upset over No. 3 West Texas A&M in which guard Matthew Wilson scored 32 points
• Although Wilson leads the LSC in points per game at 21.4, only one other UAFS player is averaging double-figures, and the Lions have the 11^th-lowest scoring average in the league
• UAFS shoots the ball well, hitting on 47.1 percent of their total shots, including 38.1 percent on three-pointers, but they are the fourth-worst team in the conference in free throw shooting, hitting just 69.4 percent of their shots from the charity stripe
• The Lions moved to the D-II level just a few years before the Chaps. In their 10 seasons of postseason eligibility, they have made the NCAA Tournament four times, but have never made it out of the first round

 
THE SERIES WITH THE LIONS
Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Fort Smith did not meet on the hardwood until 2014, when both schools were members of the Heartland Conference. They have now met 14 times total, with LCU leading the all-time series 9-5. The Chaps lost three straight from 2017-18, but have not lost to the Lions since then, winning five straight matchups.