OCU at Texas Wesleyan men's basketball preview

Stars take on Rams in top-25 matchup

5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21
Sid Richardson Center in Fort Worth, Texas

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City makes its third trip to Texas in as many weeks for a top-25 matchup with conference foe No. 12 Texas Wesleyan.

ABOUT THE STARS: Oklahoma City fell at home for the first time this season to St. Gregory's 81-78 on Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena in Oklahoma City. The Stars (13-4, 4-3 SAC) led by as many as nine in the first half, but failed to hold the lead down the stretch.
Tyler Alderman, a 6-foot-9 senior from Fishers, Ind., led the Stars with a season-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds. Over the last three games, Alderman is averaging 20.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.00 blocked shot per contest. Alderman contributes 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.18 blocks a game.
Xavier Smith, a 6-9 senior out of Richardson, Texas, scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. It was Smith's conference-leading ninth double-double of the season. He ranks fourth in the NAIA with 38 blocks this season, recording 16.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.24 rejections a game. Syrus McDonald, a 6-foot senior from Flint, Mich., provided OCU with 11 points, seven assists and two steals. McDonald is averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest this season.
OCU stands third in the NAIA in total blocks (91) as well as blocks per game (5.35). To see how the Stars compare to the rest of the NAIA statistically, click here.
The Stars dropped to the eighth spot in the latest NAIA Division I poll. The Stars have been picked to take second in the SAC according to the preseason coaches' poll. Oklahoma City owns six NAIA national championships won in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
The Stars have a 12-10 edge in the all-time series. OCU dropped Texas Wesleyan 74-73 on Feb. 25, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Lou Dunbar hit the game-winning shot with 1.5 seconds left.

ABOUT THE RAMS: Texas Wesleyan fell 79-77 to Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Thursday in Plainview, Texas. TWU (11-6, 3-2 SAC) held a 26-8 lead early in the first half, but were outscored 11-2 in the last 2:03 of the game.
Jeremy Crane, a 6-5 junior, had 19 points and five rebounds in the loss. He averages 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.88 made 3-pointers per game. Dion Rogers, a 6-foot senior, provided 15 points, five rebounds, one block and one steal. He is the leading scorer for the Rams, averaging 18.6 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest.
Texas Wesleyan is currently ranked 12th in Division I and has been picked to finish third in the 10-team Sooner Athletic Conference.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Vinay Patel is in his second season as OCU head coach. In his first year, Oklahoma City finished 15-11 and tied for second in the Sooner Athletic conference. Before coming to OCU, he spent one season as Rogers State's assistant coach and aided the Hillcats to a 20-8 season led by conference player of the year Frederico Santos. Patel spent nine years as assistant at West Texas A&M. During that time, West Texas went to the NCAA Division II Tournament five times, won the Lone Star Conference championship and took two Lone Star South Division titles. He elevated to the interim head-coaching position before he ended his time at West Texas A&M.
Brennen Shingleton is in his fifth season as head coach at Texas Wesleyan after serving as an assistant coach and later as an associate head coach for ten years. Shingleton holds an overall record of 73-51 in four seasons. Last year, Shingleton was named Sooner Athletic Conference coach of the year after leading the Rams back to the NAIA Tournament. The team posted an overall record of 24-8 and won the SAC regular-season championship with a league record of 14-4.

QUOTABLE: "Texas Wesleyan is the No. 1 team in the league right now. They're playing really well. They've got a couple of [NCAA] Division I transfers over there that are really good. It's going to be a tough matchup. They've already beat some of the best teams in the league at home and on the road. They're in the top spot, and it's a game that we know is going to be competitive and one we know we need to go try to get." – Patel on Saturday's game

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ON THE AIR: Texas Wesleyan will provide live stats as well as video of the matchup.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Lou Dunbar: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#4 Tyler Alderman: C; 6' 9"; Senior

#3 Syrus McDonald: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#11 Xavier Smith: C; 6' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#22 Lou Dunbar
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#4 Tyler Alderman
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C

#3 Syrus McDonald
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#11 Xavier Smith
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C