To say there is a lot at stake is an understatement.
Oklahoma Baptist’s third-ranked Bison will go head to head today for top-spot honors in the Sooner Athletic Conference as No. 5 Southern Nazarene invades the Noble Complex for an 8 p.m. tipoff.
The Crimson Storm previously had sole ownership of the SAC’s No. 1 seat, but are now deadlocked for first place with the Bison at 18-2. Both teams lost their respective contests last Saturday to fall into the tie.
This is the next to last regular-season clash for formerly No. 2 OBU, and a victory means a conference title for the Bison as well as getting the top seed in the upcoming SAC Tournament — not to mention an automatic berth in the national tournament.
Next in line in the 12-team conference is Oklahoma City, in third place at 14-6.
The statistics favor OBU (26-2), which holds a 54-36 lead over SNU (23-5) in the all-time series. The Bison have defeated the Storm in three consecutive meetings, including an 83-73 triumph on the road in January.
A win tonight would mark 40 consecutive home wins for the Bison, as well as 275 career wins for head coach Doug Tolin. This would tie the current coaching record held by Bob Bass.
Making their final regular-season appearance in the Noble Complex tonight are OBU seniors Nate Brumfield, Garrett Steinmetz, A.J. Hawkins, Tyler Parker and Mirko Vojinovic. The Bison will finish the regular season on the road Saturday at USAO.
Brumfield remains OBU’s leader in four categories — scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. The Rochester, N.Y., native is averaging 23.1 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, four assists per game and 2.3 steals per game.
Xavier Alexander heads the Crimson Storm with 18.1 points and 6.7 boards, while A.J. Thomas leads SNU in assists (4.2) and steals (1.8).
The fourth-ranked OBU women will start today’s conference doubleheader at 6 p.m. as seniors Taujhnae Travis, Jasmine Brown, Jayme Glover, Vedrana Milakovic, Amy Pryor, Ashley Harrell and Jessi Donnel make their final regular-season home appearance.
Travis leads the Lady Bison with 16.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game, while Pryor leads in assists (3.7) and Harrell leads in steals (2.4) and blocks (1.6).
Lana Keith is SNU’s leading scorer with an average of 18.1 points.
The OBU women (26-2) are tied with Oklahoma City (24-3) for first place in the SAC at 19-1. A Lady Bison victory tonight, plus a loss for Oklahoma City at Wayland Baptist, ensures No. 1 status for OBU.
Rogers State and Lubbock Christian are tied for third at 12-8, while SNU and Oklahoma Christian are deadlocked for sixth at 10-10. A loss tonight could bump the Storm into seventh place.
Although the Lady Bison ran the series last season, defeated the Storm by three points in January and have won the last five matchups, SNU holds a 50-26 lead overall against OBU.
The Lady Bison have a 47-game winning streak at home.
USAO at St. Gregory’s
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, the Sooner Athletic Conference’s cellar dweller at 3-17, will take on the SGU Lady Cavaliers at 6 p.m. today at W.P. Wood Fieldhouse.
The Lady Cavs are 10-18 overall and 5-15 in the conference, putting them in 11th place. After defeating Oklahoma Christian Feb. 18, the SGU women lost to NWOSU last Saturday.
The St. Gregory’s men (6-19) are on a six-game skid, and are 12th in the 12-team conference at 1-19. USAO (5-20) is 11th at 3-17. The men will face off at 8 p.m.
SGU will conclude its regular season Saturday at Southern Nazarene in Bethany.
For a look at the current SAC standings, see the Scoreboard.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
