Midwestern State vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith
Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 | 5 p.m.
Claremore Expo Center | Claremore, Okla.
Records: Midwestern State (0-0); Arkansas-Fort Smith (2-1)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: None
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network  
Live Stats: RSUHillcats.com  
 
Midwestern State at Rogers State
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 | 4 p.m.
Claremore Expo Center | Claremore, Okla.
Records: Midwestern State (0-0), Rogers State (0-0)
Radio: None
Watch: Hillcat Network 
Listen: Hillcat Network 
Live Stats: RSUHillcats.com 
 
ROGERS STATE CONFERENCE CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 11
No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith vs. No. 20 Midwestern State, 5 p.m.
Rogers State vs. Colorado State-Pueblo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 12
No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith vs. Colorado State-Pueblo, 2 p.m.
Rogers State vs. No. 20 Midwestern State, 4 p.m.
 
ON THE COURT
No. 20 Midwestern State opens regular season play at the Rogers State Conference Challenge Friday and Saturday at the Claremore (Okla.) Expo Center.
 
The Mustangs take on No. 23-ranked Arkansas-Fort Smith Friday at 5 p.m. before closing the classic against host Rogers State Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1 - Midwestern State opens the season as the favorite to win its 10th Lone Star Conference championship as the Mustangs received 12 first-place votes to finish ahead of Tarleton State, Angelo State and West Texas A&M which split the other 16 first-place nods.
2 - MSU is ranked 20th in the NABC Division II Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing seventh in the final regular season rankings in 2015-16. The Mustangs are ranked 10th in the preseason D2 Media Poll.
3 - The Mustangs have won their last five season openers and are 49-21 all-time in lid lifters.
4 - Midwestern has won four of its last five against nationally ranked teams and five of the last seven. The Mustangs are 13-11 against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25 during the Nelson Haggerty era.
5 - Friday's Top 25 matchup between No. 20 Midwestern State and No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith marks the earliest an MSU squad has faced a nationally ranked opponent.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
* Midwestern State doesn't return a starter and only five letter winners off of last season's Lone Star Conference titlist.
* The Mustangs have claimed at least a share of seven of the last 10 Lone Star Conference championships while advancing to the NCAA postseason in each of the last eight seasons including Elite Eight runs in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
* MSU shot 50 percent or better in each of their four halves in exhibition wins over Science & Arts (Okla.) (107-75) and Oklahoma City (96-82).
* The Mustangs connected on 11-of-22 from the arc against USAO and 10-of-20 versus Oklahoma City.
* MSU placed five players in double figures against USAO, while scored 10-or-more points against Oklahoma City.
* Junior guard Devante Pullum poured in 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting with five 3-pointers dishing out six assists Monday against Oklahoma City.
* Senior guard Pat Smith has shot 5-of-8 and finished with 14 points in both exhibition games. He hit four 3-balls against USAO.
* Junior forward Igor Ibaka averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds with three blocked shooting 66.7 percent from the field during exhibition play.
* Junior guard Brandon Neel scored in double figures in both exhibition wins to carry an average of 12.5 points per game while dishing out 3.5 assists.
* Junior forward Nick Powell scored 10 points per game off of the bench in exhibition play going 7-of-11 from the field with three 3-pointers.
* Senior guard Sheldon Hagigal poured in 15 points with six rebounds and three assists while burying three triples in the exhibition opener against USAO. He sat out the Oklahoma City game with an injury.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
* Arkansas-Fort Smith is ranked 23rd in the NABC D2 Top 25 and 19th in the D2 Media Poll.
* The Lions opened the season by taking two of three games at the CCA Tip-off Classic last week in East Orange, Calif. UAFS claimed wins over St. Cloud State (Minn.) (85-74) and Metro State (Colo.) (84-66) before falling to Lone Star Conference member West Texas A&M (94-86).
* Senior guard Alex Cooper was named a Basketball Times Preseason All-American after averaging 14.8 points and 4.7 assists in 2015-16 shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the arc.
* Cooper was joined on the preseason All-Heartland Conference quad by fellow senior guard Seth Youngblood, who led the Lions in 2015-16 pouring in 15.8 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from the arc.
* Junior guard DaVaunta Thomas paces UA-Fort Smith through the first three games this season averaging 21 points and seven rebounds per game. The 6-5 guard from Tulsa Hale High has scored at least 20 points in each game this season while connecting at 50-percent clip (7-of-14) from the arc.
* Josh Newman starts his 11th season at the helm of the Arkansas-Fort Smith program leading the Lions to a 191-108 record (.639). The Lions are 121-83 (.593) in their first seven seasons in NCAA Division II advancing to the postseason in 2014 and 2016.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State meets Arkansas-Fort Smith for just the second time on the hardwood Friday afternoon at the Claremore (Okla.) Expo Center.
* MSU claimed the only meeting between the programs knocking the Lions out of the 2014 NCAA Division II South Central Regional's opening round by a 72-66 margin in Denver.
 
SCOUTING THE HILLCATS
* Rogers State enters its first season as full members of NCAA Division II picked to finish fourth in the Heartland Conference. The Hillcats are eligible for postseason play for the first time this season.
* Senior forward Jeylyn Sharpe is RSU's lone returning starter off of last season's 23-5 squad. He averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
* The Hillcats bolstered the roster with a pair of Division I transfers in forward Christopher Ikuenobe (UTRGV) and guard J.D. Tisdale (Bowling Green) along with junior college move-ins Don Leak (Cowley County) and Baron Smith, Jr. (Cowley County).
* Justin Barkley enters his seventh season at the helm of the Rogers State program posting 20 wins in five of his previous six campaigns. The Hillcats boast an overall record of 126-55 (.696) with Barkley at the helm.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Rogers State meet for the first time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon in Claremore.
 
THE HAGGERTY ERA
- Nelson Haggerty is in his sixth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
- Haggerty boasts a 121-36 mark (.771) leading the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II postseason in each of his campaigns at the helm and to  Lone Star Conference championships in four of his five 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. He repeated as LSC Coach of the Year while piloting the Mustangs to their fourth LSC title in his five seasons at head coach in 2016.
- 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 six consecutive years.
 
NEXT TIME OUT
Midwestern State plays host to Adams State (Colo.) for its home opener Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.