WEEKEND INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 0-0 (0-0 GAC)	MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS 0-0 (0-0 MIAA)	NEWMAN JETS 0-0 (0-0 MIAA)
Friday, November 14 | 7:30 p.m. Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium | Joplin, Mo. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO Saturday, November 15 | 2:30 p.m. Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium | Joplin, Mo. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($)

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TIPPING OFF
The 2025-26 season for the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team is set to open this weekend with the annual GAC/MIAA Crossover Challenge.
 
This year, the Wonder Boys will be taking to the road and heading to Joplin, Missouri where Missouri Southern is set to host regional crossover. Joining Tech and Missouri Southern are fellow GAC member, Southwestern Oklahoma as well as MIAA member, Newman.
 
The schedule for this weekend will see the Wonder Boys first play Missouri Southern on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The following day, on Saturday, Tech will take on Newman starting at 2:30 p.m.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Wonder Boys finished last season with a 12-17 record overall and a 9-13 mark in the Great American Conference. Tech would make the conference tournament as the No. 8-seed and lost in the opening round to top-seeded Southern Nazarene.
 
Statistically last year, the Wonder Boys averaged 64.8 ppg and ranked 11th in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys ranked first in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 64.8 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys were 10th in the conference as they shot at an overall clip of .429 (681-of-1,589) and limited their opponents to a .422 mark (656-of-1,553) to rank first.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shot at a clip of .294 (173-of-589) to rank 11th in the GAC while their opponents made three-pointers at a mark of .334 (205-of-614) to rank sixth. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shot .711 as a team (344-of-484) to rank ninth.
 
The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his sixth 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 10th season overall, Downey has amassed a 147-111 record. Overall, Downey is in his 19th season as a head coach and has career record of 313-217.
 

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SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern ended their 2024-25 season 11-17 overall and posted a 6-13 mark in the MIAA to finish in a tie for 12th in the conference standings. Entering this season, the Lions have been picked to finish 13th in the MIAA according to the league's preseason head coaches poll.
 
Statistically last season, the Lions averaged 76.6 ppg on offense to rank sixth in the MIAA and gave up an average of 78.7 ppg to rank 14th in the MIAA. In terms of field goal percentages, Missouri Southern shot at a .462 clip overall (788-of-1,705 to rank sixth and allowed opponents to shot at a mark of .456 (789-of-1,732) to rank 11th.
 
From three-point range, the Lions shot at a .359 clip (234-of-652) to rank sixth in the MIAA and allowed opponents to shoot .368 (254-of-690) from range to rank 14th. At the charity stripe, the Lions shot .721 (333-of-462) to rank eighth in the MIAA.
 
The Lions are coached by Sam McMahon, who is in his fourth season at Missouri Southern. In his time as a head coach at Missouri Southern, McMahon has amassed a 41-46 record.
 

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SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman ended their 2024-25 season 15-13 overall and posted an 8-11 mark in the MIAA to finish 11^th in the 14-team league. Ahead of this season, the Jets were picked to finish 11^th in the MIAA according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
 
Statistically last season, the Jets averaged 76.9 ppg on offense to rank fifth in the MIAA and gave up an average of 76.8 ppg to rank 12th in the MIAA. In terms of field goal percentages, Newman shot at a .455 clip overall (771-of-1,696) to rank seventh and allowed opponents to shot at a mark of .453 (764-of-1,688) to rank ninth.
 
From three-point range, the Jets shot at a .360 clip (226-of-628) to rank fourth in the MIAA and allowed opponents to shoot .354 (257-of-725) from range to rank 11th. At the charity stripe, the Jets shot .712 (385-of-541) to rank 12th in the MIAA.
 
The Jets are coached by R.J. Allen, who is in his ninth season at Newman. In his time as a head coach at Newman, Allen has amassed an 85-133 record.