RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The 15th-ranked and No. 1 seed Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (23-3, 21-1 Great American Conference) will face the eighth-seeded Arkansas-Monticello (13-13, 10-12 GAC) in the first round of the GAC Tournament on Friday, March 4 at the Bruin Fieldhouse in Bartlesville, Okla. Tipoff for the quarterfinal game is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
 
TOURNAMENT SETUP
If the Golden Suns advance, they would face the winner of the No. 4 Southern Arkansas/No. 5 Henderson State game in the semifinal scheduled for Saturday, March 5 with a slated 8 p.m. tipoff.
 
THE MATCHUP
Tech has played well against UAM this season. In the last meeting back on Feb. 20 in Monticello, the Golden Suns tied a season-high in scoring with a 106-67 victory and had six players score in double figures, despite the team's leading scorer Fatima Adams being out due to illness. Tech also won the previous meeting in Russellville back on Jan. 23 by a score of 90-60. The Golden Suns lead the Cotton Blossoms in the series history 67-24 and have won 16 straight against UAM as well as 21 of the last 22 meetings dating back to 2007.
 
GAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Arkansas Tech will be seeking its second GAC Tournament Championship in the league's fifth season. The Golden Suns won the GAC Tournament back in 2013 when they defeated Southwestern Oklahoma in the GAC Championship game 70-66. Tech advanced to the GAC Tournament title game last season before falling to Harding 68-50, but still received an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Senior forward Fatima Adams is unprecedented leader for the Golden Suns in many categories. Not only does Adams lead the team in scoring (21.7 ppg), but she also leads the conference and is tied for third in all of Division II in scoring. Adams also leads the Golden Suns in rebounding (9.4 rpg) and is also third in the GAC in that category.
• Junior guard Anissa Pounds is the Golden Suns' second-leading scorer (12.0 ppg) and provides a dangerous perimeter game. Pounds is third in the GAC in three-point field goal percentage (.426) and has company in the backcourt. Junior guard Calli White is also one of the league's best three-point shooters, coming into the tournament as the league's fifth-best three-point shooter (.413).
• Senior guard Bre Brooks has the Golden Suns fifth-ranked scoring offense (84.1 ppg) in the nation clicking on all cylinders. Brooks leads the GAC in assists per game (4.8) and is second overall in assists (128).

 
THE BROADCAST
All Tech basketball games will be carried live on KCJC-FM (102.3) in Russellville, with Sam Strasner calling the play-by-play and Kelly Davis providing color analysis. Live audio, video, and statistics are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.