GAME INFORMATION
NO.8 SEED ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 12-16 (9-13 GAC)	NO. 1 SEED SOUTHERN NAZARENE CRIMSON STORM 20-6 (17-5 GAC)
Thursday, March 6 | 8 p.m. Southside Arena | Fort Smith, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO

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TIPPING OFF
With a margin of error of zero over the final two weeks of the season, the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team won their final three games and got the needed help along the way to secure the eighth and final spot in the upcoming Great American Conference Tournament.
 
As the No. 8-seed, the Wonder Boys have drawn the assignment of taking on top-seeded Southern Nazarene in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday night. SNU ended the regular season with a 20-6 overall record and were 17-5 in the GAC, earning the regular season championship outright.
 
This will be 28th meeting all-time between Tech and Southern Nazarene and the third this season. In a series that dates back to 1983, the series has been played in earnest since 2012 when they two became conference rivals. Overall, Southern Nazarene holds a 17-10 advantage in the series. SNU has also won both of the previous regular season meetings as well.
 
Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. inside Southside Arena in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Live Stats and Live Video links are available at: www.arkansastechsports.com/coverage
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Wonder Boys ended the regular season 12-16 overall and 9-13 in the GAC to earn the No. 8-seed in the conference tournament. As mentioned earlier, the Wonder Boys are riding a three-game winning streak into the conference tournament. That three-game streak is the longest of the season thus far for the Wonder Boys.
 
This is the first time that Tech has been the No. 8-seed in the tournament. The previous lowest seed they had was the No. 7-seed in 2016. Overall, Tech has the highest winning percentage of any team in the GAC Tournament (.682) and have the most wins all-time with 15
 
Statistically, the Wonder Boys average 65.4 ppg and rank 11th 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 65.0 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys are 10th in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .431 (662-of-1,536) and allow their opponents to shoot at a .421 mark (633-of-1,505) to rank first.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shoot at a clip of .297 (170-of-572) to rank 11th in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .334 (198-of-593) to rank fifth. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shoot .709 as a team (338-of-477) to rank ninth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys have one player averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Cassius Brooks and his 18.6 ppg. Two other players are averaging at least 7.5 ppg as well.
 
Seybian Sims is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Kade Shaffer leads the team and is averaging 3.8 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Wonder Boys are led in steals by Brooks at 1.6 steals per game and in blocks by Albright Obode and Sean Cobb at 0.7 blocks per game.
 
The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his fifth 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 ninth season overall, Downey has amassed a 147-110 record. Overall, Downey is in his 18th season as a head coach and has career record of 313-216.
 

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SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene ended the regular season 20-6 overall and 17-5 in conference play to earn the top-seed in the conference tournament. For SNU, this will be the fifth time that they have entered the GAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. As the No. 1-seed, SNU is 7-2 all-time in the GAC Tournament and have only lost once in their first game of the tournament as the top-seed.
 
Statistically, the Crimson Storm average 73.7 ppg and rank seventh in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Crimson Storm rank second in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 66.7 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Crimson Storm are fourth in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .467 (674-of-1,443) and allow their opponents to post a .432 mark (609-of-1,409) to rank third.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Crimson Storm shoot at a clip of .351 (210-of-599) to rank fourth in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .333 (180-of-540) to rank fourth. From the free throw line, the Crimson Storm shoot .720 as a team (358-of-497) to rank eighth.
 
Individually, the Crimson Storm have three players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Stevie Strong and his 18.1 ppg. Baron Bracey is next at 13.6 ppg followed by Tracey Godfrey Jr. who rounds out double-figure scoring at 10.2 ppg.
 
Bracey is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Strong leads the team and is averaging 5.1 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Crimson Storm are led in steals by Strong at 1.8 steals per game and in blocks by Timur Krupalija at 0.8 blocks per game.
 
The Crimson Storm are coached by BJ Foster, who is in his second season at Southern Nazarene and his eighth overall. In his time at SNU, Foster is 36-20 and is 135-90 overall.