Men's Basketball Game Day

No. 22 Midwestern State opens exhibition play Thursday night against Southwestern Assemblies of God. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 

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MSU FAST FACTS

LIGON COLISEUM -- HOUSE OF CHAMPIONS: Midwestern State is the only team in NCAA Division II to advance to the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons. The Mustangs boast a 85-16 record (.842) during the time frame and are perfect 9-0 in regional postseason competition. MSU has advanced to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and seven times since making the move to NCAA Division II in 1997.

MUSTANGS RECEIVE PRESEASON NATIONAL RANKING: Midwestern State received a preseason ranking from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for the first time as a member of NCAA Division II entering the seasons at No. 22. The Mustangs were fifth in the final NABC D2 Poll last season.

PICKED SECOND IN LSC: Midwestern State was ticketed to finish second when the Lone Star Conference released its annual preseason poll of coaches, sports information directors and selected media last week. The Mustangs received 12 first-place votes and 262 total points to finish a narrow second to Tarleton State, who also tallied 12 first-place votes with 269 total points. The teams finished as co-champions in 2011-12 with matching 15-3 marks, but MSU claimed the LSC Postseason Tournament title taking a 57-51 win over the Texans in Allen, Texas. Midwestern has claimed more Lone Star Conference championships with six than any other team since entering the league in 1997.

DOME MAGIC: Midwestern State boasts a 59-1 mark at D.L. Ligon Coliseum dating back to the 2008-09 season and currently owns the third longest home court winning streak in NCAA Division II with 18-straight victories. The Mustangs boast a dominating 530-124 mark (.810) since the building opened for the 1969-70 season.

ALL WE DO IS WIN: Midwestern State has won 110 games since the start of the 2008-09 season which ranks as the second most in all of NCAA Divsion II over the time frame. Only West Liberty (W. Va.) has tallied more wins with 117. Bellarmine (Ky.) has also claimed 110 wins.

HAG HAS TAKEN OVER: Midwestern State didn't skip a beat under first-year head coach Nelson Haggerty in 2011-12. Haggerty, who had served as Grant McCasland's top assistant the previous two seasons, was a for Clarence "Big House" Gaines National Coach of the Year honors as he led the Mustangs to a 29-4 mark and a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Haggerty helped Central Missouri to Elite Eight showings in 2007 and 2009 as an assistant under Kim Anderson after starting his collegiate coaching career under Gene Iba at Pittsburg State (Kan.) (2003-06).

REGION SHAKEUP: Midwestern State is still a member of the South Central Region, but the three-time defending champs will face a dominion in 2012-13. The newly formulated region now includes the Lone Star, Rocky Mountain Athletic and Heartland conferences. Gone are the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Great American Conference.

WHAT'S RETURNING: Senior forward Kevin Grayer leads a group of five returning letter winners for Midwestern State in 2012-13. Grayer came on strong to earn all-tournament honors at the South Central Regional this spring averaging eight points and four rebounds. Senior forward Chris Buttermore (2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds), senior guard Jeff Grayer (3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds), sophomore Derrell Gibbs (1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds) and sophomore forward Matt Gallagher (4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds) are the other returners.

SUPER STORM SANDY'S IMPACT: Super Storm Sandy's impact on the East Coast made a small impact on Thursday night's exhibition game between MSU and Southwestern Assemblies of God. The storm has led to a delivery delay for the Mustangs' game uniforms which were to be shipped out of Nike factory in Pennsylvania earlier this week. Please consider donating to the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund today through the Wichita Falls Area Red Cross at (940) 322-8686 or at www.redcross.org/tx/wichita-falls
   

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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
// Thursday, 11.01.2012 // 7 p.m. // D.L. Ligon Coliseum // Wichita Falls, Texas 
Live Stats  |  No Video Streaming

Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) authored the biggest turnaround in the NAIA last year under first-year head coach Donnie Bostwick. The Lions improved 15 games over its 2010-11 12-21 mark to post a 27-11 record to complete their first winning ledger in over a decade. SAGU returns six of its top nine scorers led by 5-10 guard Dominic Rambo who fired in 17.1 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season. Second leading scorer Craig Grigsby, a 6-0 junior from Houston, averaged 10.9 points and 3.0 rebounds a game last season while senior forward Nathaniel Duce Ward (7.3 points, 7.3 rebounds), junior forward Mike Nwelue (6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds), senior guard James Ford (6.3 points) and sophomore guard Jonathan Walter (6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds) were also key contributors.