GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 21-6 (17-4 GAC)	SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS 11-16 (9-12 GAC)
Saturday, March 2 | 3 p.m. W.T. Watson Center | Magnolia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | GAME NOTES

TIPPING OFF
Tied for first place in the Great American Conference standings with one more regular season game left, the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team will play for at least a share of their fourth GAC regular season championship overall on the road at Southern Arkansas this coming Saturday.
 
This will be the 190th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas in a series that dates back to the 1927-28 season. Overall, Tech holds a 108-81 lead in the series. Since the two became charter members of the GAC prior to the 2011-12 season, the Wonder Boys are 17-15 against Southern Arkansas.
 
This will be the second game between the Wonder Boys and Muleriders this season. They met in Russellville back on December 17. Tech won that initial meeting, 69-57.
 
Tip-off for Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. from the W.T. Watson Center in Magnolia.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Wonder Boys are 21-6 overall this season and are 17-4 in the GAC and will be in the field of eight for the upcoming GAC Tournament as they are currently tied for first place in the standings. Most-recently, the Wonder Boys pushed their winning streak out to six games with a 69-64 win at home against Henderson State this past Thursday.
 
Statistically, the Wonder Boys average 73.8 ppg and rank fifth in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys rank first in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 65.2 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys are fourth in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .464 (708-of-1,525) and limit their opponents to a .425 mark (590-of-1,387) to rank first.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shoot at a clip of .398 (240-of-603) to rank first in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .358 (180-of-503) to rank ninth. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shoot .706 as a team (336-of-476) to rank sixth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys have three players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Taelon Peter and his 20.0 ppg. Cassius Brooks and Tommy Kamarad are next in scoring at 12.0 ppg and 11.9 ppg, respectively.
 
Josh Mitchell is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Kade Shaffer leads the team and is averaging 4.7 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Wonder Boys are led in steals by Peter at 1.9 steals per game and in blocks by Mitchell at 1.7 blocks per game.
 
The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his fourth season back on the sidelines at Tech after a 10-year hiatus. In his first stint, Downey patrolled the sidelines at Tech for four seasons from 2006-07 - 2009-10. In his final season, Downey guided the Wonder Boys to a program-record 30 wins and during that season, the Wonder Boys were ranked No. 1 in NCAA DII for the first time ever.
 
In his time at Tech, which is now in its eighth season overall, Downey has amassed a 131-93 record. Overall, Downey is in his 17th season as a head coach and has career record of 297-199.
 

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SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
Southern Arkansas is 11-16 overall this season and are 9-12 in GAC play and are currently tied for seventh place in the standings with two other teams. Still not having clinched a berth into the GAC Tournament, the Muleriders got a step closer their last time out with an 88-64 win on the road at Ouachita Baptist this past Thursday.
 
Statistically, the Muleriders average 70.8 ppg and rank ninth in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Muleriders rank fourth in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 71.0 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Muleriders are 10th in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .434 (688-of-1,584) and limit their opponents to a .449 mark (683-of-1,522) to rank sixth.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Muleriders shoot at a clip of .320 (193-of-603) to rank 10th in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .352 (202-of-574) to rank seventh. From the free throw line, the Muleriders shoot .693 as a team (343-of-495) to rank seventh.
 
Individually, the Muleriders have three players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Carel Ray Jr. and his 19.5 ppg. Gregory Hammond Jr. is next at 12.3 ppg while Anthony Igiede rounds out double-figure scoring at 10.4 ppg.
 
Ray Jr. is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Nevi Tell leads the team and is averaging 2.9 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Muleriders are led in steals by Tell at 1.6 steals per game and in blocks by Hammond Jr. at 1.0 blocks per game.
 
The Muleriders are coached by Logan Quinn, who is in his second season at Southern Arkansas. In his time at SAU, Quinn has a 33-26 overall record. Last season, Quinn led the Muleriders to 22 wins and a GAC Tournament Championship.