LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (14-6, 9-3)
vs. WEST TEXAS A&M (13-6, 8-5)
Thursday, January 30 – 7:30 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
 
TIPOFF
Lubbock Christian will remain at home this week as part of their four game homestand, welcoming rival West Texas A&M to the Rip Griffin Center on Thursday before hosting Eastern New Mexico on Saturday. This week starts the Chaps' second time through the Lone Star Conference Western Division, as they host teams they have already played on the road. LCU is coming off back-to-back wins last week against Oklahoma  Christian and Cameron, while West Texas A&M went 1-1 on the road in games against DBU and UT Tyler.
 
MILESTONES
In the Chaps' Saturday win against the Aggies, they were led in scoring by Najeeb Muhammad, who matched his career high with 26 points. Muhammad's 24^th point of the game, which came on a free throw with 39 seconds left, was the 1000^th of his Lubbock Christian career. Senior Ty Caswell is closing in on the millennium mark as well, sitting at 901 career points after a 20-point outing on Saturday. Ethan Duncan is in shouting distance of 1000 at 837 career points and is not far away from entering the top-five in three-pointers made in Chaparral history.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
Lubbock Christian hit 14 three-pointers on Saturday, shooting 51.9 percent from deep. It is the fourth time this season that the Chaps have shot better than 50 percent on three-pointers. LCU is shooting 40.2 percent from deep overall, which leads the LSC and ranks No. 4 nationally. Duncan made two on Saturday, bringing his season total to 65, which is the eighth-most in all of Division II and leads the LSC. Jaylen Thompson has only attempted 24 three-pointers, but is shooting a whopping 50 percent, and Caswell is also shooting better than 40 percent after going 6-for-8 against Cameron.
 
PROTECT THE ROCK
The Chaps turned the ball over just nine times against the Aggies, their 12^th time this season with fewer than 10 in a game. This season, they average just 9.8 turnovers per game, which is the fewest in the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 12 nationally. Against Angelo State on Jan. 18, they turned it over just two times, which was their fewest in a single game since 2021. LCU also ranks second in the league in assist to turnover ratio at 1.45. Muhammad is the league-leader in that category individually at 3.2.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
Effective field goal percentage is a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points, while all other field goals only count for two points. Lubbock Christian leads the LSC and ranks No. 21 in the nation in that stat with a mark of 56.5 percent. Their actual field goal percentage of 48.1 is good enough for 41^st nationally and second in the LSC. They shot a whopping 60.4 percent from the field Saturday, their third time this season shooting better than 60 percent. Sean Murphy leads the team in field-goal percentage, shooting 60.3 percent, which would rank No. 30 nationally and second in the LSC if he met the minimum of five made field goals per game.
 
RIVALRY ON THE RANGE
The LCU/WT matchup will continue the 2024-25 school year's Rivalry on the Range series. Announced on August 6, 2019, the Rivalry on the Range is a year-long competition including 15 sports in which the two schools will compete against one another. The Rivalry on the Range series scoring components includes head-to-head battles in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball, with additional points available in postseason play. Fans can review the scoring system at rivalryontherange.com.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
Thursday marks the third game in a four-game homestand for the Chaps, who are 6-2 at the Rip Griffin Center this season. On their home floor this season, LCU is averaging 88.4 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting. Opponents in the Rip are averaging 67.4 points on just 47.6 percent shooting. Amondo Miller Jr., Duncan, Caswell, Murphy and Muhammad are all averaging double-figures at home this year. The Chaps are 150-81 (.649) in home games under head coach Todd Duncan.
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
St. Mary's earned a five-point win against UT Permian Basin on Saturday to hold onto their top spot in the conference at 11-1. The Rattlers will go on the road to Texas A&M-International and Texas A&M-Kingsville this weekend with DBU still right on their heels. Three teams in the West Division have two losses, including the Chaps, Falcons and Midwestern State. UTPB technically has a half-game lead in the division, having played one more game than LCU and MSU.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M have met 36 times on the hardwood, first matching up in 1978. The Buffs lead the all-time series 25-11, but 10 of those wins came prior to the 21^st century. The series is much more even since LCU moved into the NCAA. In those 20 meetings, the Chaps have won nine times, including each of the last two matchups. When the two teams met earlier this season in Canyon, the Chaps held the Buffs to just 48 points, which was their lowest total since Feb. 15, 2014
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• WT guard Ahamed Mohammed leads the conference in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game
• The Buffs average 80.4 points per game, which is the third-most in the LSC
• Head Coach Tom Brown is in his 11^th season leading the Buffs, posting an overall record of 281-67
• Buff guard Jaylin Sledge leads the league in steals, averaging 2.2 per game
• Noah Pagotto is the only other West Texas A&M player averaging double-figures at 16.1 points per game