Men's Basketball 11/22/2019 4:34:00 PM

OCU vs. Wayland Baptist men's basketball preview

Stars host third-ranked Pioneers on Saturday

3:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23
Abe Lemons Arena inside Freede Center

THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University hosts No. 3 Wayland Baptist in NAIA men's basketball
• Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and OCU students, faculty and staff get into all regular-season OCU home athletics events free with their ID
• When the Stars score 70 points, fans get a 2-for-1 combo coupon for Raising Cane's

ABOUT THE STARS
• The Stars took a 73-41 victory over Panhandle State on Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena to start Sooner Athletic Conference play victorious. OCU (6-2, 1-0 SAC) is now 20-4 all-time versus the Aggies. The last time the Stars allowed less than 50 points in a conference game came in a 52-49 win at Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) on Feb. 6, 2016
• Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-7 senior from Lewisville, Texas, delivered 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Davis provides OCU with 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest this season
• Rashaun Coleman, a 6-0 junior from Houston, contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Coleman leads the Stars with 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game
• P.J. Grooms, a 6-4 sophomore from Birmingham, Ala., recorded a season-high 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting from 3-point territory, while grabbing six rebounds
• OCU received votes in the preseason ratings. Oklahoma City reached the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament for the 25th time last season and has won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008
• OCU ranks 16th in NAIA Division I in 3-point field goal percentage (39.9 percent) and 19th in scoring defense (66.13)
• The Stars have been slotted to take fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference according to the preseason coaches poll. OCU owns 13 SAC regular-season championships and 10 SAC Tournament titles
• Oklahoma City dropped an 86-74 contest against Wayland Baptist on Feb. 16, 2019 in Plainview, Texas, in the two teams' last meeting. Chris Williams scored 28 points off the bench for the Stars. Oklahoma City holds a 44-21 advantage over Wayland Baptist over the years

ABOUT THE PIONEERS
• Wayland Baptist claimed a 77-65 victory over Southwestern Christian on Thursday in Bethany, Okla. The Pioneers (5-1, 1-0 SAC) found 26 bench points in the win
• Jack Nobles, a 6-6 senior, led the charge with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor. Nobles averages 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game
• J.J. Culver, a 6-5 senior, contributed 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Culver leads the NAIA in scoring (32.2) and averages 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.5 steals per contest
• Wayland Baptist enters the game at the No. 3 spot in the national rankings
• The Pioneers allow 64.7 points per game to rank 15th in NAIA Division I in scoring defense
• Wayland Baptist was picked to finish first place in the preseason SAC poll

ABOUT THE COACHES
Stan Holt (6-2, first season with OCU)
• Holt arrived to OCU after directing fellow SAC school Langston to national prominence, putting together four consecutive 20-win seasons in his five seasons with the Lions. During his time there, Holt also won a conference tournament title in 2016 and reached the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament quarterfinals in 2017
• Langston produced five all-Americans and 18 all-conference performers under Holt
• Prior to his days at Langston, Holt spent time on the coaching staff at the University of Southern California. The Trojans appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments during his tenure
• Holt's head-coaching record stands at 113-52 in his sixth year

Ty Harrelson (93-44, fifth season with Wayland Baptist)
• Brought Wayland Baptist to the NAIA Division I Tournament quarterfinals for the second time ever in 2018 and first time since 1985
• Became an all-American during his playing career at Wayland from 2001-03 and holds multiple school records
• Played and coached professional basketball the past 12 years, most recently in Australia, prior to returning to Texas

ON THE AIR
• Oklahoma City University athletics provides live and on-demand audio, stats and video of its contests on OCU's Stretch portal. Cost to watch the game is $7.95 per game, $34.95 for a men's basketball season pass and $79.95 for an all-season pass in 2019-20
• Andrew Himes calls the action. Himes enters his ninth season as the voice of the Stars and has been broadcasting OCU basketball for 12 years starting on color commentary as an OCU student
• Fans can access regular-season broadcasts from NAIA institutions as well as from NAIA Championships postseason contests via Stretch Internet through custom apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Users can search for "NAIA" on the app interfaces on any compatible device, and then download the free NAIA Network app

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Players Mentioned

#2 Chris Williams: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#23 Anthony Davis: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#2 Rashaun Coleman: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#5 P.J. Grooms: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#2 Chris Williams
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#23 Anthony Davis
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#2 Rashaun Coleman
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#5 P.J. Grooms
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G