GAME INFORMATION
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ARKANSAS TECH
WONDER BOYS
0-0 (0-0 GAC) |
(rv) MISSOURI SOUTHERN
LIONS
0-0 (0-0 MIAA) |
NEWMAN
JETS
0-0 (0-0 MIAA) |
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Friday, November 13 | 4 p.m.
Fugate Gymnasium | Wichita, Kan.
LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE |
Saturday, November 14 | 4:30 p.m.
Fugate Gymnasium | Wichita, Kan.
LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE |
TIPPING OFF
The 2026-27 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 Wichita, Kansas where Newman is set to host regional crossover. Joining Tech and Newman are fellow GAC member, Southwestern Oklahoma as well as MIAA member, Missouri Southern.
The schedule for this weekend will see the Wonder Boys first play Missouri Southern on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. The following day, on Saturday, Tech will take on Newman starting at 4:30 p.m.
TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Wonder Boys finished last season with an 8-20 record overall and a 6-16 mark in the Great American Conference. This season, Tech is picked to finish eighth in the GAC according to the preseason coaches poll.
Statistically last year, the Wonder Boys averaged 65.7 ppg and ranked 11th in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys ranked sixth in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 69.8 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys were 11th in the conference as they shot at an overall clip of .431 (643-of-1,493) and limited their opponents to a .414 mark (650-of-1,569) to rank third.
From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shot at a clip of .328 (203-of-618) to rank eighth in the GAC while their opponents made three-pointers at a mark of .315 (214-of-680) to rank fifth. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shot .735 as a team (350-of-476) to rank seventh.
The Wonder Boys are coached by
Mark Downey, who is in his seventh 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 11th season overall,
Downey has amassed a 155-131 record. Overall,
Downey is in his 19th season as a head coach and has career record of 321-237.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern ended their 2025-26 season 18-13 overall and posted a 10-9 mark in the MIAA to finish seventh in the conference standings and qualify for the conference tournament. At the MIAA Tournament, Missouri Southern won a pair of games before losing by two points in the semifinals. Entering this season, the Lions have been picked to finish fourth in the MIAA according to the league's preseason head coaches poll and received one first-place vote.
Statistically last season, the Lions averaged 83.4 ppg on offense to rank second in the MIAA and gave up an average of 78.0 ppg to rank 11th in the MIAA. In terms of field goal percentages, Missouri Southern shot at a .474 clip overall (948-of-2,001) to rank fifth and allowed opponents to shot at a mark of .450 (868-of-1,930) to rank 10th.
From three-point range, the Lions shot at a .346 clip (239-of-690) to rank ninth in the MIAA and allowed opponents to shoot .319 (254-of-797) from range to rank seventh. At the charity stripe, the Lions shot .750 (451-of-601) to rank third in the MIAA.
The Lions are coached by
Sam McMahon, who is in his fifth season at Missouri Southern. In his time as a head coach at Missouri Southern,
McMahon has amassed a 59-59 record.
SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman ended their 2025-26 season 5-23 overall and posted a 1-18 mark in the MIAA to finish 14
th in the 14-team league. Ahead of this season, the Jets were picked to finish 14
th in the MIAA according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
Statistically last season, the Jets averaged 74.1 ppg on offense to rank 11th in the MIAA and gave up an average of 84.2 ppg to rank 14th in the MIAA. In terms of field goal percentages, Newman shot at a .432 clip overall (746-of-1,725) to rank 14th and allowed opponents to shot at a mark of .497 (871-of-1,752) to rank 14th.
From three-point range, the Jets shot at a .328 clip (220-of-670) to rank 13th in the MIAA and allowed opponents to shoot .387 (259-of-670) from range to rank 14th. At the charity stripe, the Jets shot .720 (363-of-504) to rank eighth in the MIAA.
The Jets are coached by
R.J. Allen, who is in his 10th season at Newman. In his time as a head coach at Newman,
Allen has amassed a 90-157 record.
