OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will be looking to upend a top 10 team to open Sooner Athletic Conference competition as the Evangels head to Plainview, Texas on Thursday for a 7:45 p.m. tipoff against No. 10 Wayland Baptist before heading to Plainview, Oklahoma on Saturday for a 3:45 p.m. tip against Oklahoma Panhandle State.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 3-1
• Last Game: Lost at Omaha – 76-59 – Nov. 22, 2023 – Omaha, Neb. (Exhibition)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Eddie Smith (69, 17.3 ppg), Jasiah Lewis (38, 9.5 ppg), Magok Manyang (37, 9.3 ppg)
  • FG% (M-A, %): Seth Hurd (13-23, 56.5%), Magok Manyang (13-25, 52.0%), Eddie Smith (26-51, 51.0%)
  • 3FG% (M-A, %): Eddie Smith (10-21, 47.6%), Magok Manyang (5-13, 38.5%), Conner Calavan (4-13, 30.8%)
  • FT% (M-A, %): Mikel Henderson (4-4, 100%), Jasiah Lewis (8-10, 80%), Eddie Smith (7-9, 77.8%)
  • Reb: Magok Manyang (29, 7.3 rpg), DeAngelo Adkins (29, 7.3 rpg), Seth Hurd (16, 5.3 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (12, 3.0 apg), Mikel Henderson (10, 2.5 apg), Eddie Smith (7, 1.8 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (13, 3.3 spg), Eddie Smith (10, 2.5 spg), Jasiah Lewis (7, 1.8 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (3, 0.8 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (2, 0.5 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is off to a strong start to the 2023-24 season heading into conference play as the Evangels have gone 3-1 in their countable non-conference games with their lone loss coming in a nail-biting 51-49 defeat to NAIA powerhouse Bethel (Kan.) on Nov. 7.
  • The Evangels have also put together two very strong performances in a pair of exhibition losses to NCAA Division I foes with a 74-69 defeat at Oral Roberts (Okla.) on Nov. 10 and a 76-59 loss at Omaha (Neb.) on Nov. 22.
  • While the Evangels have struggled offensively, averaging just 76.0 points per game, MACU has more than made up for it with its play on the defensive end as the Evangels enter league play as the No. 1 scoring defense in the SAC at 57.8 pgg, holding its opposition to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from the three-point arc.
  • MACU has been extremely balanced on the offensive end with eight players averaging eight or more points per game, headlined by senior guard Eddie Smith, who is pouring in 17.3 ppg on a highly efficient 51.0 percent shooting, including going 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the three-point arc.

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 10 Wayland Baptist (Texas)

• Record: 4-1
• Last Game: Won vs. Southwest (N.M.) – 99-81 – Nov. 18, 2023 – Plainview, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2008-): WBU leads 21-11
• Last Game vs MACU: WBU won 103-77 – Jan. 26, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: WBU won 4
• Players to Watch:
  • Linton Brown – SR – G
    • 95 Points (19.0 ppg), 33-69 FG (47.8%), 16-35 3FG (45.7%), 13-17 FT (76.5%), 19 Reb (3.8 rpg), 7 Assists (1.4 apg)
  • Tajae Hill – JR – G
    • 68 Points (13.6 ppg), 24-44 FG (54.5%), 11-21 3FG (52.4%), 9-12 FT (75.0%), 12 Reb (2.4 rpg), 8 Assists (1.6 apg), 9 Steals (1.8 spg)
  • Meikkel Murray – JR – G/F
    • 62 Points (12.4 ppg), 26-54 FG (48.1%), 10-21 FT (47.6%), 38 Reb (7.6 rpg), 11 Assists (2.2 apg), 6 Steals (1.2 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Wayland Baptist enters SAC competition with a 4-1 record in non-conference play thus far while coming off a 99-81 home win over the University of the Southwest on Nov. 18.
  • The matchup will feature the league's best scoring defense against a Pioneers offense that ranks second in the SAC and 22^nd in the NAIA at 89.0 points per game. Overall, WBU features an incredibly balanced scoring lineup with five players averaging 10 or more points per game.
  • Headlining the Pioneers scoring efforts is senior guard Linton Brown. The NCAA D-I Coastal Carolina transfer is averaging 19.0 ppg on a blazing 47.8 percent shooting clip, including 45.7 percent from three and 76.5 percent from the three-point arc.
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to try and snap a four-game losing streak to the Pioneers, but have put together two very solid efforts in its last two games inside the Hutcherson Center. In their last meeting in the venue on Dec. 3, 2022, the Pioneers held off a furious second half comeback as MACU rallied from 21 down to cut it to a six-point game on a Conner Calavan three to make it 70-66 with 2:56 to go, but WBU managed to hold off MACU to secure the 78-68 win.

Oklahoma Panhandle State

• Record: 2-2
• Last Game: Lost at CSU-Pueblo – 100-39 – Nov. 26, 2023 – Pueblo, Colo. (Exhibition)
• Series vs MACU (2018-): MACU leads 6-4
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 82-79 – Jan. 28, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 3
• Players to Watch:
  • Fred Robinson – SO – G
    • 72 Points (18.0 ppg), 24-59 FG (40.7%), 3-13 3FG (23.1%), 21-29 FT (72.4%), 12 Reb (3.0 rpg), 6 Assists (1.5 apg)
  • Joe Greaves – SR – G
    • 51 Points (12.8 ppg), 18-47 FG (38.3%), 12-31 3FG (38.7%), 30 Reb (7.5 rpg)
  • Amaree Brown – FR – G
    • 33 Points (11.0 ppg), 10-20 FG (50.0%), 3-7 3FG (42.9%), 10-18 FT (55.6%), 13 Reb (4.3 rpg), 8 Assists (2.7 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Oklahoma Panhandle State has been primarily facing NCAA Division II opponents in exhibition contests during the month of November as the Aggies are coming off a 100-39 defeat at Colorado State-Pueblo in an exhibition game on Nov. 26. OPSU will open Sooner Athletic Conference play at home against Southwestern Christian on Thursday night before battling the Evangels on Saturday.
  • The Aggies have struggled mightily on the offensive end to start the season as OPSU ranks second-to-last in the SAC in scoring offense (63.3 ppg), but are one of the better teams in the league on the defensive end, conceding the third-fewest points (67.5 ppg).
  • OPSU is led on the offensive end by sophomore guard Fred Robinson. The William Woods transfer is putting up 18.0 ppg on a 40.7 percent shooting clip and is getting to the line at a strong rate, knocking down 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the charity stripe.
  • The Evangels will be looking to extend their win streak to four over Oklahoma Panhandle State. MACU won a pair of tight contests against the Aggies last season, pulling out a 73-70 win inside Anchor D Arena last season on Dec. 1, 2022 before following it up with an 82-79 win inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Jan. 28.