OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City heads to Bartlesville this weekend for the NAIA National Tournament, where the Stars will play Montana Tech in a first-round contest.
 
Game time is 8 p.m. on Friday.
 
OCU Notebook
The Field: The Stars open with an 8 p.m. game on Friday against Montana Tech and with a positive result, OCU would take on either Oklahoma Wesleyan or Southern University-New Orleans at 5 p.m. on Saturday. OCU is the eighth seed in the NAIA's Liston Quadrant and Montana Tech is seeded ninth. Oklahoma Wesleyan is the top seed and SUNO is seeded 16^th.
 
SAC Champions: Oklahoma City rallied from a significant second-half deficit, defeated ninth-ranked Langston in overtime, 74-67, and won the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship on Feb. 28. It was OCU's first SAC Tournament title since 2019 and its 11^th championship all-time. The win sends OCU to the NAIA Tournament, with opening round announcements coming on Thursday. The Stars will be making their 26^th appearance at the NAIA Tournament and the first since 2019. Jonas Carlisle was the Tournament MVP and Brian Alexander joined him on the All-Tournament team.
 
OCU on Neutral Courts: The Stars are 1-2 on neutral courts this season, including a one-point loss to No. 13 LSU-Shreveport. Brian Alexander leads OCU with 17.7 points per game, followed by Jonas Carlisle at 16.3 and Jackson Hopps at 10. OCU averages 76 points per game on a neutral court.
 
OCU as the Away Team: If the Stars and Oklahoma Wesleyan win in the first round, OCU will play its 15^th game as the visitor. The Stars are 9-5 on the road this season. Jonas Carlisle averages 19.4 points per game on the road, followed by Brian Alexander at 15.8 and Jackson Hopps at 10.5. The Stars average 79.9 points per road game.
 
Stars on Offense: The 21-10 Stars have three players averaging in double figures in the scoring column, led by Jonas Carlisle at 17.5. Brian Alexander averages 15.5 points per game and Jackson Hopps checks in at 10.1 points per game. The Stars average 82.3 points per game. OCU, which started the season without a clear point guard, has gotten 106 assists from Carlisle and 102 from Alexander. Carlisle leads OCU with 80 three-pointers and shoots 40 percent from the perimeter. The Stars have six players, including three starters, shooting over 80 percent from the free-throw line. In the paint for OCU, Alphonse Muteba shoots 63 percent from the field and has 100 offensive rebounds this season.
 
Stars Defensively: OCU allows 73.9 points per game. Brian Alexander leads the team with 42 steals. Jonas Carlisle, who was named to the SAC All-Defensive team, has 41 steals, 30 blocks and averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game. Alphonse Muteba leads the Stars with 42 blocks. Carlisle (157), Muteba (114) and Alexander (100) all have triple-digit defensive rebounds.
 
NAIA Tournament History: This is OCU's first appearance in the NAIA Tournament since 2019 and its 26^th overall. The Stars are 49-11 in the NAIA Tournament, including six national championships (1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008).
 
History with Montana Tech: The Orediggers beat OCU 88-69 back in 2021 in Butte, Mont.
 
Scouting the Orediggers: Montana Tech makes its seventh appearance in the NAIA Tournament and has a 5-6 record in the tournament. The Orediggers are 22-8 on the year. Brayden Koch, a 6-3 junior guard, averages 15 points per game to lead the team. Hayden Diekhans, a 6-6 forward, leads the team with 7.2 rebounds, 73 assists and 41 steals.
 
Checking in on the Eagles: Oklahoma Wesleyan is 28-3 this season and riding an eight-game winning streak. Tamaje Izuagbe, a 6-6 sophomore, leads the Eagles at 18.6 points and six rebounds per game.
 
History with SUNO: The Knights are 17-13 this season and beat Tougaloo in overtime to win the HBCU championship. This is SUNO's eighth trip to the NAIA Tournament and the Knights are 3-7 in that tourney. Jaylon Hicks, a 6-5 freshman wing, leads the team at 15.7 points per game. Dorian Booker, a 7-0 junior post, averages a team-best 7.8 rebounds.