Midwestern State vs. Metropolitan State-Denver
Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 2:30 p.m.
Wisdom Gym | Stephenville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (21-8); Metropolitan State (26-5)
Video: TarletonSports.com 
Radio: ESPN 95.5
Audio: MSUMustangs.com 
Live Stats: TarletonSports.com  
 
ON THE COURT
 - Midwestern State takes on Metropolitan State-Denver (Colo.) in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Saturday afternoon at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
- The winner moves on to face the winner of Saturday's early first round matchup between Texas A&M-Commerce and Angelo State in Sunday's first semifinal round game which tips off at 5 p.m.
- The South Central Region championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
- Metropolitan State-Denver is making its seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.
- The Roadrunners claimed NCAA Division II national championships in 2000 and 2002 and were national runners-up in 2013.
- MSU-Denver has advanced to eight Elite Eights since the start of the 1998-99 season including in each of the last three years.
- Four of the Roadrunners' five losses this season have come against nationally ranked opposition.
- RMAC Player of the Year Mitch McCarron leads MSU-D in scoring at 20.4 points per game while grabbing 6.1 rebounds a game and dishing out 4.5 assists.
- McCarron notched a triple double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in RMAC Shootout quarterfinal against Colorado Christian (3/3).
- McCarron scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games this season including 19 games with 20-or-more points. He twice scored in the 30s including a 36-point performance against Colorado Christian (2/7).
- Senior forward Nicholas Kay pours in 20.1 points while pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field.
- Kay posted six double-doubles this season including two during the RMAC Shootout -- Colorado Christian (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Colorado State-Pueblo (26 points, 11 rebounds).
- Kay has scored at least 10 points in each of his last 35 games dating back to last season.
- Kay scored 20-or-more points in 16 of 31 games this season including a campaign-high 33 against Arkansas-Fort Smith (11/15).
- McCarron and Kay have taken over 50 percent of Metro State's total field goal attempts this season (836-of-1657) and scored 55 percent of the Roadrunners points (1255-of-2280).
- Derrick Clark is in his fifth season at the helm of the Metro State men's basketball program boasting a 137-25 record (.846).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Metropolitan State-Denver meet for the fourth time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals at Wisdom Gym.
- Metro State owns a 2-1 edge in the series which dates back to the 1999-00 season.
- Both of the Roadrunners' wins came on the MSU-D's home floor as Metro State eliminated the Mustangs in each of the last two regionals. MSU-D defeated Midwestern 66-60 in the regional semifinals in 2013 then outlasted MSU 78-56 in last year's regional championship game.
- Midwestern State's lone win over the Roadrunners came by a 77-76 count on Nov. 13, 1999 at the Disney Classic in Orlando. Metro State went on to claim its first national championship later that season.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
- Midwestern State has won 20 games in each of the last seven seasons advancing to the NCAA postseason each year.
- The Mustangs advanced to the Elite Eight three times during the run (2010, 2011, 2012) while winning five Lone Star Conference championships.
- MSU continues to rank near the top of numerous NCAA Division II statistical categories as the Mustangs are fourth in 3-point field goal defense (30.2), seventh in rebound margin (+8.5), ninth in field goal percentage defense (39.6), ninth in total blocks (144.0), ninth in offensive rebounds per game (14.93) and 10th in blocked shots per game (5.0).
- Junior guard Bretson McNeal (Minneapolis, Minn. / DeLaSalle HS (North Dakota State Science)) earned All-Lone Star Conference first-team honors after leading the Mustangs in scoring at 15.7 points per game connecting on 45.5 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from beyond the arc (73-of-173).
- McNeal ranks 10th in the nation in free throw percentage (90.0) and 45th in 3-point field goal percentage (42.2).
- McNeal scored in double figures in 23 of 26 games this season including eight games of 20-or-more. He poured in a season-high 27 points in an overtime win at Lynn (Fla.) (12/15).
- LSC Preseason Player of the Year Xavier Blackburn (Verdunville, La. / St. Thomas More HS (North Dakota State Science)) gained All-LSC honorable mention averaging 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
- Junior forward Khapri Alston (Chicago, Ill. / Thornwood HS (Northeast CC (Neb.))) came on strong to average 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds during Lone Star Conference play to raise his season averages to 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.
- Alston averaged 14 points and five rebounds a game over the last four matching a season-high with 19 points and seven rebounds in his last outing against Cameron (3/5).
- Senior guard Thad Rideau (Port Arthur, Texas / East Ascension HS (UAB)) knocked down three 3-pointers to finish with 12 points in the LSC quarterfinal loss to Cameron. It was Rideau's ninth double-figure scoring effort of the season.
- Rideau knocked down multiple 3-pointers in 10 games this season twice hitting five against Nova Southeastern (Fla.) and Eastern New Mexico.
- Senior guard Kevin Wagner (Lubbock, Texas / Estacado HS (McLennan CC)) dished out seven assists last time out against Cameron and did not commit a turnover in 27 minutes. It was the sixth time this season he committed one or fewer turnovers while 20-or-more minutes this season.
- Wagner has dished out at least five assists in 11 games this season and ranks 30th in NCAA Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.51).
- Senior guard Derrell Gibbs (Wichita Falls, Texas / Burkburnett HS) was named to the LSC All-Defensive Team.
- Junior guard Hershell Grant (Washington, D.C. / Roosevelt HS (Clarendon College)) was held a single point last time out against Cameron after scoring 10-or-more in four consecutive games heading into the LSC Postseason Tournament.
- Sophomore guard Pat Smith (Houston, Texas / Jones HS) has accounted for 11 of his 49 points this season in the last two games while committing one turnover in his last 64 minutes of floor time.
 
THE HAGGERTY ERA
- Nelson Haggerty is in his fourth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
- Haggerty boasts a 96-29 mark (.768) leading the Mustangs to Lone Star Conference championships in each of his three seasons as head coach.
- Haggerty earned NABC South Central Region and Lone Star Conference coach of the year honors in his rookie season of 2011-12 piloting the Mustangs to their third consecutive Elite Eight showing.
- With Haggerty on the bench (including two seasons as top assistant), MSU has advanced to three Elite Eights (2010, 2011, 2012) and to the NCAA Division II postseason five consecutive years.
 
MUSTANGS IN THE NCAA DIVISION II POSTSEASON
- Midwestern State is making its 10th appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
- The Mustangs are one of only six teams to qualify for NCAA II postseason play for each of the last seven season joining Seattle Pacific (11), Florida Southern (8), Metropolitan State-Denver (7), Bellarmine (7), Indiana (Pa.) (7).
- MSU is making its 10th overall appearance in the NCAA Division II postseason which also includes showings in 1999, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
- Midwestern earned its fourth at-large berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament just in 2011 (Elite Eight), 2013 (region semifinalist) and 2014 (region finalist).
- The Mustangs earned automatic bids as LSC Postseason Tournament champs in 1999, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
- Midwestern is 37-25 all time in national tournament games which includes a 21-16 mark in 15 NAIA appearances and a 16-9 mark in 10 NCAA showings.
- The No. 7 seed is the lowest seed for MSU in 10 NCAA tournament appearances. The Mustangs advanced to the Elite Eight playing out of the No. 6 seed in 2011. The Mustangs earned a No. 1 seed in 1999, 2010 and 2012, were No. 2 in 2000, No. 3 in 2007 and No. 4 in 2009 and 2013.
- Midwestern is 4-4 against teams making the NCAA Division II Tournament field this season as the Mustangs are 1-1 against host and top seed Tarleton State, 2-0 against No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce, 0-2 against No. 6 Angelo State, 0-1 against No. 8 St. Mary's (Texas) and 1-0 versus Lynn (Fla.) - the No. 6 seed in the Southeast Region.