No. 9 Midwestern State squares off with No. 5 Tarleton State as the teams for the 10th time since the start of the 2009-10 season Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
It marks the second Top 10 meeting between the squads this season. With a win, MSU can move into a tie atop the Lone Star Conference standings with the Texans.
 
With a win, the Mustangs would surge into a first-place tie in the race for the conference title.
 
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. or 25 minutes following the conclusion of the women's game which begins at 6.
 
WHERE TO FIND THE GAME
 
100.9 BOB-FM -- The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of two-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. The Taco Casa Pregame Show begins immediately following the women's broadcast.
ON THE WEB -- BOB-FM's audio broadcast simulcasts on BOBRadio.fm.  LINK
ON THE AIR -- Monday night's game airs via delayed broadcast via Time Warner Sports. The game will air on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Channel 15 and on The Texas Channel (Time Warner Digital Channel 88) on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
LIVE STATS -- Live stats are available courtesy of the Midwestern State Athletic Communications Office.  LINK
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
Midwestern State has picked up the pace over the last week delivering 20-ball wins over Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville last week and has now won four straight and seven of the last eight.
 
The Mustangs rolled to a 77-53 win over Incarnate Word Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, and then pounded Texas A&M-Kingsville 71-50 on the road to deal both teams their biggest defeats of the season.
 
And MSU is doing it with sheer depth as 11 different players averaged at least 3.5 points in each of the wins.
 
Senior forward David Terrell continues to lead the Lone Star Conference shooting 66.7 percent from the field fueled a team-high 32 dunks. The Houston native comes off the bench to score 9.9 points and pull down 6.3 rebounds in just 17.5 minutes per game. Terrell averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 board in the Mustangs' two wins last week.
 
Senior guard Michael Loyd had an eight-game streak of double figure scoring games snapped Saturday in Kingsville, but the Las Vegas native continues to lead the team with 12.9 points a game while dishing out 3.5 assists and pulling down 2.9 rebounds a game.
 
Junior guard JaMichael Rivers broke out of a shooting slump by bombing in three treys on his way to an 11-point outing at Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native averages 10.7 points and 3.3 rebounds a game.
 
Junior forward Anthony Harris sat out against Texas A&M-Kingsville due to illness, but continues to be strong for the Mustangs. The 6-7 Fort Worth native scores 12.2 points and pulls down 4.9 rebounds a game.
 
The Mustangs will be going for their 13^th consecutive victory at D.L. Ligon Coliseum where they have posted wins in 53 of their last 54 games.
 
A win would propel MSU into a first-place tie with the Texans in the race for the Lone Star Conference championship. It would also give the Mustangs a leg up in the South Central Regional rankings which is due for release for the first time this season on Wednesday.
 
ABOUT THE TEXANS
 
Tarleton State (21-2, 12-1) plays away from its comfort zone of the Wisdom Gym for just the seventh time in 24 games this season when it battles No. 9 Midwestern State Monday night in Wichita Falls.
 
The Texans boast a 16-1 mark on its home floor this season winning by an average of 21.2 points a contest.
 
Although TSU has found a way to win five of its six road games - all part of the LSC league slate, the results have been much different.
 
The Texans own a slim 1.7 point scoring margin after having their 15-game winning streak snapped by Incarnate Word 62-51 on Feb. 4, 2012 in San Antonio.
 
Tarleton has played just once since then taking a 77-54 win over a fledgling Arlington Baptist program Thursday night.
 
Tarleton is pace by senior guard Chris Harrell who scores 13.3 points and pulls down 4.4 rebounds a game as part of a tight eight-man rotation for the Texans.
 
Senior forward Fabian Wilson (11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds) and senior guard Shedrick Haynes (11.2 points, 3.5 assists) are the only other double-figure scorers for Tarleton which averages 70 points a game as a team
 
Other key rotation players include junior guard Brian Word (7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds), sophomore forward Zach Nelson (7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds), senior forward Wes Dipprey (6.1 points, 5.3 rebounds), senior guard Warren Webb (4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds) and sophomore guard Coleman Furst (4.6 points, 1.5 assists).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
 
Midwestern State meets Tarleton State for the 62nd time on the hardwood Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Mustangs own a commanding 40-21 lead in the series which dates back to the 1961-62 season.
 
But the Texans have claimed four of the last meetings in the series including a 79-75 decision on Jan. 28 this season in Stephenville.
 
Tarleton snapped the MSU's 41-game home court winning streak in its last visit to Wichita Falls by a 49-47 margin on Feb. 21, 2011.
 
Midwestern is 14-10 all time against the Texans at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
This will be the 10th meeting between the teams over the last three seasons as the Mustangs claimed a four-game sweep over the Texans in 2009-10 before Tarleton regrouped to take three of four games last season.
 
MSU has eliminated the Texans from the NCAA Division II postseason in each of the last two years en route to Elite Eight appearances.