No. 3 Midwestern State faces a familiar foe in the NCAA Division II semifinals Sunday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum as the Mustangs square off with Tarleton State for the fourth time this season.
MSU and Tarleton fight for the right to advance to the regional championship game against the winner of Central Missouri and Fort Hays State Tuesday at Ligon Coliseum.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Where to find the game
- 100.9 BOB FM - The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of former Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. The Taco Casa Pregame Show beings at 6:45 p.m.
- On the Web - BOB FM's audio broadcast simulcasts on bobradio.fm and on MSUMustangs.com.
- Live Stats - Live Stats are available through South Central Regional Tournament Central at MSUMustangs.com.
How they got here
No. 3 Midwestern State rode an all-around performance by senior point guard Jason Ebie who notched a career high with 23 points to go along with nine assists and six rebounds in a 91-74 win over Incarnate Word in Saturday night's NCAA Division II South Central quarterfinal at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Tarleton State constructed a 12-point second half lead, then held on for a 75-71 win over MIAA champion Nebraska-Omaha Saturday night at Ligon Coliseum.
Jeremiah Wilson delivered his ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Texans.
Mustangs in the South Central Regional
Midwestern State is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and, for the first time in school history, the Mustangs are making consecutive NCAA postseason appearances.
MSU is now 4-4 in eight NCAA postseason games. The Mustangs continues their string of semifinal appearances as Midwestern has advanced to the second round in each of its five postseason showings.
The Mustangs are 1-3 in semifinal round games which includes a win over Northeastern State in 2000 at Joplin, but have taken losses to Truman (1999), Southeastern Oklahoma (2007) and Central Missouri (2009).
About the Texans
Midwestern State and Tarleton are definitely not strangers as the teams meet for the fourth time this season.
The Texans (24-7) boast a 15-2 mark since the calendar advanced to 2010 against teams not wearing MSU jersies with losses coming at Dallas Baptist and Angelo State.
Tarleton owns a 15-2 mark at Wisdom Gym, but is 6-4 on the opposition's home floor.
The Texans are paced by junior guard Devon Hills who leads a quartet of Tarleton players in double figures at 13.3 points a game and pulls in 4.0 rebounds a contest.
Senior guard Effran Bryant is Tarleton's best perimeter option having knocked down 85 trifectas while shooting 40.3 percent from the arc this season. He is averaging 12.2 points and dishes out 2.3 assists per game.
Backcourt mate Corin Henry, a junior, adds 11.7 points and dishing out 4.2 assists a contest, while senior forward Jeremiah Wilson gives the Texans inside muscle with 10.8 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds a game.
Tarleton scores 71.3 points a game and limits the opposition to 59.2.
Who's hot
Senior Jason Ebie has accepted a scoring role more and more readily during No. 3 Midwestern State's current eight-game winning streaks.
The Houston native is coming off of a career-best 23 point effort in Saturday night's 91-74 win over Incarnate Word.
It was the third time during MSU's current winning that Ebie has bettered his collegiate career high-point game.
The Alief Elsik High product and transfer from TCU scored 20 points against Eastern New Mexico on Feb. 13 and dropped in 22 points in the LSC semifinals against Northeastern State on March 5 before his all-around performance against Incarnate Word as he also dished out nine assists and pulled in six rebounds.
Ebie is averaging 14.9 points, 7.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds during MSU's current eight-game winning streak.
He is one of five Mustangs averaging in double figures during the winning streak including Craig Green (20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds), Chris Hagan (14.1 points, 3.3 assists), Charlie Logan (11.8 points, 7.9 rebounds) and Anthony Moore (11 points, 5.6 rebounds).
About the series
Midwestern State and Tarleton State clash for the 56th time on the hardwood Sunday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
The Mustangs own a 38-17 edge in the series which dates back to 1962 and have been victorious in seven of the last nine contests between the squads including three wins this season.
MSU defeated the Texans twice during LSC Rivalry Week witha 66-49 win on Feb. 3 in Stephenville before holding off Tarleton 72-69 on Feb. 6 in Wichita Falls.
The Mustangs also defeated the Texans 65-55 in last week's Lone Star Conference championship game in Bartlesville, Okla.
This is the first meeting between the teams in NCAA postseason play.
Rare fourth meetings
Midwestern State and Tarleton State will meet for the fourth time this season Sunday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
It will be the first time since the 1969-70 season that an MSU team has faced a common opponent four times in a season.
The then-Indians went 3-1 against Texas Wesleyan 40 years including a home win, a split in Fort Worth and win in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Midwestern did face the Univesity of North Texas and Trinity (Texas) four times each year from 1951-52 until 1954-55 as part of the Gulf Coast Conference schedule.
Going for 30
Midwestern State goes for 30 wins for just the third time in school history tonight against Tarleton State.
The 2009-10 Mustangs are primed to join the 1972-73 and 1973-74 squads which posted 30-7 and 31-6 records, respectively.
The Indians advanced to the NAIA Elite in 1973 and finished as national runners-up in 1974.
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