NO. 1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (13-0, 1-0)
vs. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (4-9, 1-2)
Saturday, Jan. 8 – 4 p.m. CT
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: OC Leads 41-29
 
NEED TO KNOW

• Saturday's game will be the 61st meeting all-time between Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Christian
• LCU's assist to turnover ratio of 1.68 is the seventh-best in all of Division II, and they average 16.9 assists per game
• The Chaps are ranked No. 1 in both national top-25 polls
• Oklahoma Christian averages just 68.3 points per game so far this season, which is the third-fewest among LSC teams
• LCU has out-rebounded all 13 of their opponents, and their 29.3 defensive rebounds per game lead the LSC. They also average 6.8 boards per game on the offensive glass

 
STRONG START
There are 297 teams playing men's basketball at the NCAA Division II level this season, and only five of them are currently still undefeated, including the Chaparrals. Only one team – Minnesota Duluth – has played more games than LCU and remains unbeaten. No other LSC team is still undefeated. Lubbock Christian has risen all the way to No. 1 in both D-II national polls, which is a first in program history. They have been ranked No. 1 for five straight weeks now. LCU's best-ever start came last season when they won their first 16 games of the year.
 
LONE-STARS
Lubbock Christian joined the Lone Star Conference in the summer of 2019, making this their third season in the league overall. They have played 39 games in league action in that time, going 31-8 overall. The Chaps were 15-1 in LSC action last season and 15-7 their first year in the league. Parker Hicks currently ranks second in the league in both rebounding (8.8 per game) and field-goal percentage (55.3). Lloyd Daniels is the league-leader in minutes (35.2 per game), while ranking third in assists (5.2 per game) and field-goal percentage (54.7).
 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Thursday night's 57-51 win against Arkansas-Fort Smith marked the eighth time this season that the Chaparrals have held an opponent to 60 points or fewer. The Lions shot 40.8 percent, which actually isn't terrible, considering LCU opponents this season are averaging 37.4 percent shooting from the field. That mark leads the LSC and is good enough to rank third nationally. Furthermore, LCU's opponent scoring average of 58.5 points per game is also the third-best in D-II and leads the conference. Finally, opponents are shooting 28 percent from behind the arc, which is first in the LSC and No. 13 nationally. The Chaps have accomplished this while ranking last in the league in steals (4.00 per game) and 11^th in blocks (2.75 per game).
 
BULLSEYE
Lubbock Christian, however, has had very few problems shooting the ball, hitting on 52.1 percent of their shots this season. They rank No. 4 nationally in field goal percentage and lead the conference in that category as well. There is a dropoff beyond the arc, where they are shooting 38.9 percent, but that mark is good enough to rank second in the league and 27^th nationally. Seven LCU players are shooting better than 50 percent from the field on at least 10 attempts.
 
GOTTA MAKE 'EM
Free throws, that is. And although Lubbock Christian has attempted the third-fewest of them in the Lone Star Conference (173), they have been very good at making them. The Chaps are shooting 82.1 percent from the charity stripe for the year, which is yet another league-leading mark and also ranks No. 2 nationally. Aamer Muhammad is the team-leader in free throw percentage (minimum 10 attempts) at 88.2 percent.
 
FAIR OR FOUL
One final statistic in which the Chaps rank near the top nationally is personal fouls per game. They average just 12.4 per contest, including a season-low of seven on Thursday against UAFS. They lead the LSC and rank No. 5 nationally in that category.
 
PROTECTING THE RIP
Thursday's game is the eighth of 14 total home games for Lubbock Christian. The Chaps are 7-0 on their own court so far this season with an average of 80.6 points per game on 50.1 percent shooting. Opponents entering the Rip have been held to just 69.7 points per game on 37.8 percent shooting. In the 10-plus season under head coach Todd Duncan, LCU is 116-27 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 EAGLES

• Oklahoma Christian is led by Drew Tennial, a sophomore guard who is averaging 13.5 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting
• The Eagles have the worst turnover margin in the LSC at -3.08. They average 14.3 turnovers per game themselves and force only 11.2
• Tennial is also the team-leader in rebounding. Listed as a guard, but checking in at 6-5, he averages 6.5 boards per game
• OC's one LSC win came on Dec. 31 against Cameron (73-64). On Thursday night, they suffered a three-point loss to Eastern New Mexico in Portales
• The Eagle defense allows an average of 71.8 points per game, which ranks 11^th out of the 17 conference teams

 
THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
Lubbock Christian has faced off with Oklahoma Christian more than any other team in the history of their program. Saturday's game will be the 61^st meeting between the two teams, with the Eagles leading the all-time series 41-29. Since the start of the 2011 season, which was LCU head coach Todd Duncan's first, the Chaps have won 12 of the 18 meetings with OC, including both matchups during the 2020-21 season.