OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Men's Basketball team is preparing for an eventful week of basketball as the Evangels will be back at home inside the Gaulke Activity Center for an 8 p.m. tip-off as they take on Central Christian on Teddy Bear Toss Night.

The Evangels will then make the short trek to the Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon for a 12:30 p.m. tip against No. 5 Langston.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 5-2 (0-2 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at Omaha – 84-62 – Nov. 29, 2025 – Omaha, Neb. (Exhibition)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Morris Williams (117, 16.7 ppg), Shannon Strickland (94, 13.4 ppg)
  • FG Percentage (%, M-A; Min 3 FGM/G): Shannon Strickland (51.6, 32-62), Morris Williams (48.1, 39-81)
  • 3FG Percentage (%, M-A; Min 1 3FGM/G): Shannon Strickland (50.0, 13-26), James Locke (37.1, 13-35)
  • FT Percentage (%, M-A; Min 2 FTM/G): Shannon Strickland (89.5, 17-19), Morris Williams (77.1, 27-35)
  • Rebounds: Morris Williams (44, 6.3 rpg), Clance Crosby (40, 5.7 rpg)
  • Assists: Demerius Shakur (15, 2.1 apg), Two Tied (13)
  • Steals: Zander Baker (13, 1.9 spg), Morris Williams (8, 1.1 spg)
  • Blocks: Clance Crosby (9, 1.3 bpg), Two Tied (3)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is back at home following an exhibition road trip to NCAA D-I Omaha last Saturday. Despite playing without their leading scorer in Morris Williams, the Evangels managed to play the Mavericks tough, hanging in the contest before eventually falling by a score of 84-62.
  • In that contest, Zander Baker was absolutely lights out from three-point range, going 6-for-8 to finish with 18 points to lead all MACU scorers. James Locke and Corey Skillman also managed to break double-figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.
  • Currently, MACU is searching for its defensive identity once again after opening Sooner Athletic Conference play in mid-November with a 75-72 loss at Southwestern Christian on Nov. 20 and a 94-66 defeat at home to Oklahoma City on Nov. 22.
  • Despite MACU's offensive struggles as well, one bright spot on the offensive end has been the play of redshirt senior guard Shannon Strickland. The Monticello, Ark. native is one of the very rare group of players in the SAC that ranks in the top 10 in the conference in field goal percentage (51.6, 8^th), three-point field goal percentage (50.0, 5^th), and free throw percentage (89.5, 4^th).

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Christian (Kan.)

• Record: 5-4 (0-3 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. No. 5 Langston (Okla.) – 68-58 – Nov. 26, 2025 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2003-): MACU leads 19-3
• Last Game vs MACU: CCCK won 80-73 (OT) – Feb. 10, 2025 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series Streak: CCCK Won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Chris Whitten – SR – G
    • 211 Points (23.4 ppg), 73-143 FG (51.0%), 19-51 3FG (37.3%), 46-58 FT (79.3%), 39 Reb (4.3 rpg), 9 Assists (1.0 apg), 10 Steals (1.1 spg)
  • Jevarrick Butler – GR G
    • 119 Points (13.2 ppg), 42-92 FG (45.7%), 20-51 3FG (39.2%), 15-21 FT (71.4%), 40 Reb (4.4 rpg), 12 Assists (1.3 apg), 17 Steals (1.9 spg)
  • Travis King – JR – F
    • 94 Points (10.4 ppg), 39-56 FG (69.6%), 15-33 FT (45.5%), 71 Reb (7.9 rpg), 19 Assists (2.1 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Central Christian has had to go through the murderer's row of challenging competition to start SAC play as much like the Evangels, the Tigers are also seeking their first league win. While CCCK is 5-1 in non-conference play, it is 0-3 against SAC competition, suffering losses to (RV) Texas Wesleyan, No. 20 Nelson, and No. 5 Langston.
  • Offensively, the Tigers rank in the middle of the pack in the league at seventh in scoring offense at 77.3 ppg. CCCK is posting the league's fourth-best shooting percentage (47.6) and fourth-highest three-point rate (35.5 percent). However, an area of weakness for the Tigers this year has been its free throw shooting, ranking eighth at 67.0 percent with the seventh-most made throws (126).
  • On the defensive side, the Tigers also rank in the middle of the pack at sixth in scoring defense (71.6 ppg) on the seventh-best field goal defense (42.5) and fourth-best three-point defense (31.1).
  • Mid-America Christian will be needing to look to contain one of the SAC's best pure scorers in senior guard Chris Whitten, who currently ranks second in the league in points per game (23.4) while shooting a highly efficient 51.0 percent from the field and a solid 37.3 percent from three-point range. Travis King also provides a strong low post presence for the Tigers, ranking second in the SAC in rebounds per game (7.9) to go with the fourth-highest field goal percentage (69.6) while chipping in 10.4 ppg.
  • The Evangels and Tigers split their season series during the 2024-25 campaign as MACU won the matchup inside the Gaulke Activity Center by a score of 83-68. However, the Tigers got the best of MACU in their meeting in McPherson as the Tigers tied it on a buzzer-beating layup to force overtime before coming away with the 80-74 win.

Langston (Okla.)

• Record: 7-1 (3-0 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at Central Christian – 68-58 – Nov. 26, 2025 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 13-8
• Last Game vs MACU: LU won 76-71 – Mar. 3, 2025 – Langston, Okla. (SAC Semifinal)
• Series Streak: LU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Orlando Thomas – SR – G
    • 112 Points (14.0 ppg), 33-83 FG (39.8%), 12-30 3FG (40.0%), 34-46 FT (73.9%), 43 Reb (5.4 rpg), 9 Assists (1.1 apg), 13 Steals (1.6 spg)
  • Omar Henry – JR – F
    • 100 Points (12.5 ppg), 36-62 FG (58.1%), 26-34 FT (76.5%), 52 Reb (6.5 rpg)
  • Robert Alexander – JR – G
    • 35 Points (4.4 ppg), 13-38 FG (34.2%), 6-18 3FG (33.3%), 30 Reb (3.8 rpg), 24 Assists (3.0 apg), 9 Steals (1.1 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Langston is off to a stellar start to SAC play, owning a 7-1 overall record and are 3-0 in league play with a pair of gritty wins over (RV) Texas Wesleyan and No. 20 Nelson. The Lions faced a tough fight in their last game at Central Christian on Nov. 26, but LU staved off Central for the 68-58 win after the Tigers managed to cut it to a four-point game in the second half.
  • A team that prides itself on its defensive prowess, the Lions enter their Thursday night game at Science & Arts tied for the SAC's best scoring defense and sixth-best in the NAIA at 62.1 ppg. Even though LU ranks fifth in the league in field goal defense (41.2), the Lions are by far and away the best three-point defense in the SAC at 29.4.
  • Langston features a balanced lineup with five players averaging 9.8 or more points per game, headlined by Orlando Thomas. The senior guard is averaging 14.0 ppg on a 39.8 percent shooting clip and is dangerous from behind the arc, knocking down 40 percent of his long distance tries. Junior forward Omar Henry leads the team in the paint, averaging 12.5 ppg on a stellar 58.1 percent shooting clip while also leading the rebounding efforts at 6.5 boards per game.
  • After both teams split the regular season series with each team winning at its home venue, the Lions got the best of MACU in its last matchup in the SAC Semifinal on Mar. 3, 2025 inside C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse. MACU held a 38-31 lead over Langston at the half, but MACU struggled to slow down the Lions in the second half, outscoring MACU 45-33 to eliminate the Evangels by a score of 76-71.