The Lowdown: No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist @ No. 25 Mid-America Christian University
Time: Saturday (Jan. 24) at 5 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
Rarefied Air: MACU head coach Willie Holley become one of only 17 head coaches and only one active NAIA head coach (Dr. Dave Holmquist, Biola University) to reach the 800 win plateau by winning 86-52 last week at Southwestern Christian University. The milestone win also puts Holley in elite company such as Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Knight, Jim Boeheim, Dean Smith, Jim Calhoun, Adolph Rupp and Eddie Sutton. The second winningest coach in NAIA history, Holley currently stands at 801 career wins.
The Dish on the Evangels: After letting a 27-point second half lead slip through the cracks, senior guard Semar Farris drained a clutch jumper just inside the free throw line with 1.3 seconds left to snap an 81-81 gridlock and give the Mid-America Christian University Evangels their fifth straight victory, 83-81 in a gut-wrenching Sooner Athletic Conference battle tonight (Jan. 22) inside the Gaulke Activity Center. The No. 25-ranked Evangels remain tops in the SAC at 6-1 in the league with a 13-6 overall record.
Semar Farris leads the Evangels in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (102), steals (45) and threes (38). Reggie Davis is second in scoring with 14.7 ppg and has a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Jarius Wilson (10.5 ppg) and Jerrick Massenburge (10.4 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures, while Chris Runnels has swatted a team-best 28 shots on the season.
The Dish on the Bison: After beginning the season 14-2, the No. 8-ranked Oklahoma Baptist University Bison have lost two of three, including a 92-74 defeat at USAO last night (Jan. 22). OBU is now 15-4 overall with a 4-3 mark in the SAC.
Ty Allen is pacing the Bison with a team-best 20.1 points per game, followed by Aaron Abram's 17.7 ppg and team-high 8.0 rebounds per game. Bryon Miller is scoring 16.2 ppg and Cale Jackson is averaging 13.9 ppg. D.J. Hervy has dished out a team-leading 107 assists on the season for OBU.
The Series: The Evangels have lost 12 of 15 meetings with Oklahoma Baptist University since joining the NAIA, but won two of three last season. MACU swept the two regular season meetings before the Bison bested the Evangels in the semifinals of the SAC Postseason Tournament.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and became just the 17th coach in college basketball history with 800 victories with an 86-52 victory at Southwestern Christian University last Saturday (Jan. 17). Holley now has an astounding 801 career wins, good for second all-time in the NAIA.
Entering the 2014-15 season, Holley has announced that this year will be his last of a legendary tenure.
He coached the Evangels to a tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 12-8 league record, their highest-finish as an NAIA school.
He also led MACU to its first-ever SAC Tournament victory last season and had the program within one spot of qualifying for their initial NAIA National Tournament berth.
After coming up just short for the NAIA Tournament, the Evangels qualified for their 23rd National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament appearance.
The 2013-14 campaign also featured Holley coaching an NAIA All-America performer for the fourth straight season, as guard Semar Farris earned second-team NAIA All-America honors.
Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the Sooner Athletic Conference and broke through in 2012-13. Holley guided the Evangels to a finish of third in the SAC with a 9-7 league record. MACU made their first appearance in the NAIA Top 25 in school history, coming in as high as tied for 23rd. The Evangels went on to capture their 20th NCCAA Central Regional Championship and finished fifth at the NCCAA National Tournament.
The 2012-13 season also featured guard Charlie Shorter, who was named SAC Player of the Year, NCCAA National Player of the Year and was a first-team NAIA All-America selection. It's the third straight season Holley has coached an NAIA All-American, as Shorter and Brandon Williams were Honorable-Mention selections in 2011-12 and 2010-11, respectively.
Holley's coaching style is to establish in his players a "no quit" attitude. This style led to an improbable NCCAA National Championship in 2007. The title was the fourth of Holley's illustrious career as he previously won the championship in 1998, 2003, and 2004. This year the plan is to take that same attitude and improve on last season's effort.
During his time at Mid-America, Holley has become a fixture in the athletic program, as he served as Athletic Director from 1973-2012. In 1997, Holley was inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame, and he has been named the NCCAA Division II Coach of the Year four times - 1985, 1995, 2000 and 2004. Holley has also coached 18 All- Americans and won numerous conference and regional championships.
Holley earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Louisiana - Monroe in 1970. He and his wife, Janet, have three daughters: Angela, Jessica and Stacey.
Doug Tolin is in his 15th season as head coach of OBU and has led the Bison to 12 consecutive NAIA Tournaments, including a national championship in 2010 and a national runner-up finish in 2012. Last season, Tolin guided the Bison to an unlikely SAC tournament championship as the No. 8 seed. He is a three-time SAC Coach of the Year and was named the NAIA Coach of the Year in 2010.
Up Next: The Evangels will stay at home and host USAO next Thursday night (Jan. 29) at 8 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
