MIDWESTERN STATE (8-7, 7-7 LSC)
vs ANGELO STATE (5-8, 5-8 LSC)
Game 1: Saturday, Feb 20 -- 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
Game 2: TBA
Junell Center/Stephens Arena (San Angelo, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 48-33
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State begins a Lone Star Conference West Division set against Angelo State Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
The first game, which was originally set for Thursday, was postponed due to inclement weather and poor road conditions. The teams will play the return game at Junell Center in San Angelo on either Sunday or Monday.
 
FIVE STORY LINES
  
1 |  Midwestern State enters the weekend standing 10th in the Lone Star Conference Basketball Point Ranking System. The top eight teams advance to the LSC Postseason Tournament set for campus sites from March 2-7. The rating system is an average of points earned per game in a graduated system considering your opponent's record ranging from three points for a home win against a sub-.250 team to seven points for a win against a team with better than a .750 record on the road. A team receives 0-2.5 points in a loss. The Mustangs have the opportunity to add a total of 8.5 points with a sweep of Angelo State this weekend which would be four points at home and 4.5 points on the road for a team with a record of better than .250 but less than .500. That would raise MSU's rating to 3.063 considering no other shifts in previous opponents' records. Currently, St. Edward's holds the No. 8 spot with a 3.071 rating.
 
2 |  Midwestern State competes for the first time in two weeks Saturday afternoon against Angelo State at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It will be the Mustangs' first game on their home floor since Jan. 30. MSU's divisional set against No. 5-ranked West Texas A&M and a single non-conference game versus Western New Mexico were wiped out due to COVID-19 concerns, then weather forced the postponement of Thursday's matchup at Angelo State.
 
3 |  Midwestern State sports an 8-7 record heading into weekend play against Angelo State. The Mustangs are looking to finish their first campaign with a winning record since hosting the NCAA Division II South Central Regional with a 24-6 mark in 2015-16. The breakdown of the seven losses is very intriguing. Five of MSU's seven losses have come to teams ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Top 25. Four of the seven losses were by one point, in overtime or both. The Mustangs suffered back-to-back one-point setbacks at No. 15 DBU, another one-point loss in OT to No. 14 Lubbock Christian and an overtime loss to No. 9 St. Edward's.
 
4 |  Midwestern State extended its run of games with at least one 3-pointer to 569 games by hitting 13 triples against Oklahoma Christian on Feb. 6 at the Eagles' Nest. The Mustangs are one of the premier 3-point shooting teams in NCAA Division II topping the LSC and second nationally with 11.8 made triples per game. Juniors Luke Hamilton (3.27) and Derrick Ogechi (2.87) rate second and third in the LSC and 15th and 41st, respectively, in NCAA Division II in made 3-pointers per game.
 
5 |  Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference and rates 15th nationally with a +7.0 rebound margin. The opposition has out-rebounded the Mustangs one time in 15 games this season, while MSU has controlled at least a +10 edge on the glass six times. Midwestern attacks the boards relentlessly as a team as five players average at least 4.5 rebounds per game led by junior Jermane Carter (7.0), junior Derrick Ogechi (6.3), junior Jalin Brown (6.0), junior Luke Hamilton (5.6) and freshman Pierre Sanders (4.5). Carter tops the LSC and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II grabbing 4.31 offensive rebounds per game.
 
HEAD COACH JUSTIN LESLIE started his second season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's basketball program with a sweep of Cameron last weekend in Lawton. The Mustangs battled to an 8-21 mark in 2019-20 but closed the regular season by winning four out of five games to qualify for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament. Prior to MSU, Leslie posted a 266-121 overall record (.687) at Azusa Pacific leading the Cougars to nine 20-win campaigns, two Pacific West Conference titles, seven postseason tournament appearance and an NCAA Division II Elite Eight showing in 2015. Overall, Leslie owns a 282-149 mark (.654) in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach including a 16-28 record (.364) at MSU.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE RAMS
  
Midwestern State and Angelo State meets for the 82nd time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs lead the series which dates back to the 1965-66 season by a 48-33 margin. Midwestern claimed an 80-74 win in last season's meeting with the Rams on Dec. 19, 2019 in Wichita Falls. It was the Mustangs' first victory under Justin Leslie. Overall, MSU boasts a 32-8 record against the Rams at D.L. Ligon Coliseum which includes 20 consecutive wins against Angelo State from 1988-2013. The series is tied for the sixth longest running of any MSU opponent trailing Wayland Baptist (103 meetings), Texas A&M-Commerce (94), Abilene Christian (83), Texas Wesleyan (83) and Cameron (83). The Mustangs have also faced former foe Tarleton State on 81 occasions.