Men's Basketball | 03.05.2022

NO. 4/No. 1-seed LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (26-2, 12-2)
vs. No. 12-seed TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE (17-9, 6-7)
Saturday, March 5 – 2:30 p.m. CT
Comerica Center (Frisco, Texas)
All-Time Series: Tied 1-1
 
NEED TO KNOW

• Lubbock Christian senior forward Parker Hicks wsa named the LSC Player of the Year on Wednesday, claiming the honor for the second straight season
• Hicks and teammate Lloyd Daniels were both selected to the All-LSC First Team
• LCU got its first-ever win inside the Comerica Center on Thursday and are now 1-1 there all-time
• The Chaps are 4-0 in neutral site games so far this season, having won one in Hawaii, two in Las Vegas and now one in Frisco
• TAMUK was the last team in for the tournament but already has a pair of upset wins to get to the semifinals

 
MADNESS
Even though they came had a first-round bye and came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed, Lubbock Christian nearly didn't make it to Saturday's semifinal. The Chaps came quite literally down to the wire in their quarterfinal matchup with St. Edward's, as Hicks scored the game-winning basket with less than a second to go. It was LCU's first-ever win in the Comerica Center and only their second in the Lone Star Conference Championship ever (2-3). The Madness of March will now continue and present a new challenge, as the Chaps face a team they did not play against during the regular season.
 
THE DEFENSE DOESN'T REST
LCU won Thursday's game 58-56, marking the 13^th time this season they have held an opponent to fewer than 60 points. They are undefeated in those contests. The Chaps also had nine steals, which was tied for their second-most in a game this season. Lubbock Christian opponents this season have averaged just 62.1 points per game, which gives them the No. 5 scoring defense in the nation. Chap opponents shoot only 39.1 percent against them, which ranks sixth in D-II, and 29.6 percent from behind the arc, which ranks 13^th nationally. Muhammad leads the team in steals with 35 (four on Thursday) and Hicks has 26 blocks. Hicks also averages 7935 defensive rebounds per game, which is the ninth-best mark in D-II.
 
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
Thursday night's 39.1 percent shooting performance was LCU's worst in more than two years. The last time the Chaps shot below 40 percent from the field in a game was Feb. 6, 2020, when they shot 37.3 percent against West Texas A&M. Lubbock Christian will try and get back to normal on Saturday, because normal is 51.5 percent, a.k.a the sixth-best shooting percentage in the nation. Hicks and Lloyd Daniels rank first and second on the LSC field-goal percentage leaderboard at 55.7 and 53.1 percent, respectively, and Aamer Muhammad is fourth at 49.2 percent. LCU also shot only 28.6 percent from behind the arc on Thursday, while their season average of 40.3 percent ranks seventh nationally.
 
CHAPS HELPING CHAPS
The layup from Hicks won it on Thursday, but the assists from Rowan Mackenzie was probably the tougher part of the play. Lubbock Christian has been good at finding teammates in positions to score throughout this season, averaging a league-leading 16.2 assists per game. Daniels is the best in that category for the Chaps, and he ranks third in the league individually with 4.8 assists per game. LCU makes smart passes too, averaging just 10.0 turnovers per game. The Chaps' assist to turnover ratio of 1.63 leads the LSC and ranks No. 6 nationally.
 
FAIR OR FOUL
We already know Lubbock Christian plays one of the toughest defenses in the country, but they make it even better because of how rarely they commit fouls. The Chaps average just 13.0 personal fouls per game, which is the fewest in the league. Only five teams in all of Division II average fewer than LCU. Chap opponents have attempted just 392 free throws all season, which is the fewest in the LSC. Lubbock Christian does not attempt a ton of free throws themselves (443, 13^th in the LSC), but they make 80.5 percent of their attempts, which is the fourth-highest free throw percentage in the nation.  
 
LONE-STARS
Six different members of the Lubbock Christian men's basketball team were honored with Lone Star Conference postseason awards, the league announced on Wednesday night. Parker Hicks was recognized as the LSC Player of the Year. He was also named to the All-Academic Team, the All-Defensive Team and the All-LSC First Team. Daniels joined him on the First Team, marking his third-straight season on the team. Muhammad was named to the All-LSC Third Team, Mackenzie was an All-LSC Honorable Mention pick, and Aaron Gonzales was named to the All-Freshman Team. Head coach Todd Duncan was also named the LSC Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.
 
 NATIONALLY KNOWN
The Chaps held firm in this week's two D-II Top-25 polls. LCU is No. 4 in the NABC poll, which is voted on by the coaches, with 350 points. In the D2SIDA poll, which is voted on by sports information directors, the Chaps drew 343 points and are ranked No. 4. LCU is not receiving first place votes in any polls at this time, but the Chaps were ranked No. 1 nationally for a two-month span earlier this season. The Chaps have beaten four opponents who were ranked at the time of playing this season.
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS

• TAMUK has already upset the No. 5-seed Texas A&M International and the No. 4 seed St. Mary's to get to Saturday's semifinal
• The Javelinas took the 12^th and final spot in the tournament by posting a 6-7 record in Lone Star Conference play during the regular season
• Only one TAMUK player – C.J. Smith – averages double-figures, but another eight another eight of them average at least five points per game
• The Javelinas rank third in the conference in turnover margin, forcing opponents into 14.5 per game while committing just 12.0 per game themselves
• Opposing teams shoot 35.4 percent from behind the arc against the Javelinas, which is the third-worst mark in the LSC

 
THE SERIES WITH THE JAVELINAS
Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville have met just twice in school history. The first time was all the way back in 1997, and the Javelinas came away victorious by a score of 81-69. They did not meet again until 2020, in LCU's first season as a member of the Lone Star Conference, and the Chaps won 75-60. The regular season meeting between the two teams was supposed to open LSC play on Dec. 31, but was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.