Game Notes in PDF Format

Tournament Central

CANYON, Texas – The top-seeded and 11^th-ranked West Texas A&M men's basketball team opens the 2018 NCAA South Central Regional, Saturday at 6 p.m. versus No. 8-seed Colorado School of Mines.
 
OPENING TIP QUICK HITS

• The No. 11 West Texas A&M men's basketball team won its first outright Lone Star Conference regular season championship since 1994 and won its first Lone Star Conference Tournament championship since 2006 with a thrilling 80-76 win over No. 2-seed UT Permian Basin last Sunday.
• WT is 28-3 overall and went 15-3 in Lone Star Conference play, defeating every LSC member and every team on its schedule at least once this season.
• In a rematch of the 2017 NCAA South Central Regional Final, the Buff will host No. 8-seed Colorado School of Mines in the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional Saturday at 6 p.m. at the First United Bank Center.Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming of the championship at www.gobuffsgo.com on the men's basketball schedule page.Colorado School of Mines won the game 88-63 advancing to the Elite Eight.
• WT senior David Chavlovich is nine points from breaking the Lone Star Conference all-time scoring record of 2,380 points set by Nate Granger of East Texas State (Texas A&M-Commerce) from 1973-77.Chavlovich already holds numerous other conference records.
• This South Central Regional is absolutely stacked as it features five ranked teams in the latest NABC Top 25 (Mar. 6) and one receiving votes.WT is 11th, while Dallas Baptist is 16th, UT Permian Basin is 19th, Regis is 22nd and Arkansas-Fort Smith is 23rd.Fort Lewis is receiving votes.Texas A&M-Commerce and Colorado School of Mines both have been ranked during the season.This regional is arguably the toughest of the eight in the 64-team tournament this season.
• Colorado School of Mines is 22-8 on the year and the Orediggers went 15-7 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this season.
• WT head coach Tom Brown is in his fourth season at the helm of the Buffs as he is 92-34 and won his first LSC Coach of the Year honor, while Mines' coach Pryor Orser is in his 17th season and is 314-181 there.

 
BUFFS IN THE NCAA'S –  WT is making its second-straight NCAA appearance for the first time since 2010 in 2018.  WT went 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament last season, reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1997-98 when the Buffs' made their lone appearance in the Elite Eight.  WT is making its 15th appearance overall in the Division II tournament as the team is 7-16 all-time.   WT participated in nine postseason tournaments during the Division I era, including three NIT appearances.
 
WATCH AND HEAR THE BUFFS – Fans not able to attend WT men's basketball games this season can  find links to live stats and audio/video streaming at www.gobuffsgo.com on the men's basketball schedule page as Kent Johnson and Lucas Kinsey will have the call of all the games both home and away this season. 
 
POTENTIAL STATION CHANGE - With the Lady Buffs also competing in the NCAA Regional this weekend, if the Lady Buffs win their first game on Friday, Saturday's men's game will be broadcast on KIXZ - AM 940 instead of 98.7 Lonestar FM as the teams will be playing at the same time.  If the Lady Buffs don't win Friday, Saturday's men's game will be on 98.7 Lonestar FM. Check back with www.gobuffsgo.com for a story on which station the men's game will be on following the women's game on Friday.
 
TOUGH AT HOME - The Buffs are 14-1 at home this season and have won 35 of the last 36 games at home dating back to the 2015-16 season.  Prior to an 82-74 loss to Tarleton State on Jan. 18, 2018, the Buffs had won 29-straight home games which marked the fifth-longest winning streak to that point nationally.  Since, WT has won its last six at home.
 
WT IN THE NABC POLL – With the LSC championship last week, the Buffs moved up to No. 11 in the latest NABC Top 25 heading into the NCAA Tournament.  Lincoln Memorial remained the top team, followed by Ferris State, Western Oregon, Bellarmine and the defending national champion Northwest Missouri State is fifth.  Northern State sits sixth, followed by Queens (N.C.), Southern Nazarene, West Florida and Morehouse.  WT is 11th, while Dallas Baptist is 16th, UT Permian Basin is 19th, Regis is 22nd and Arkansas-Fort Smith is 23rd.  WT has been ranked in every NABC Top 25 this season, beginning the year at 21st and moving up to as high as seventh twice
 
CHAVLOVICH LSC TOURNAMENT MVP - Senior David Chavlovich was named LSC Tournament MVP after he helped lead WT to its first LSC tournament title since 2006.  Chavlovich averaged a team-high 19.7 points, while going 19 of 49 from the field (.388), 6 of 23 from beyond the arc (.261) and 15 of 21  from the line (.714).  He averaged 6.0 rebounds for third on the team, while dishing out 20 assists to just four turnovers, one block and four steals. Senior Jordan Evans also earned a spot on the all-tournament team as he went 17 of 33 from the field (.515) with 11 triples in 26 attempts (.423) and was a perfect 9 of 9 from the line, while averaging 3.3 rebounds per game, along with three assists and three steals.  He averaged 18.0 points for the championship.
 
RECAPPING THE LSC TOURNAMENT - The Buffs put together a championship performance at the LSC Tournament and overcame some adversity playing in two venues due to facility issues at Dr Pepper Arena on the first day as they played their first game at Kitty Magee Arena on the campus of Texas Woman's University.  For never playing there before, WT showed no issues as it raced out to a commanding 46-16 lead at halftime over Eastern New Mexico.  WT shot 45.5 percent for the half, while holding the Greyhounds to a season-low 18.2 percent on 6 of 33.  The 16 points allowed also was a season-low.  WT finished the game winning by 16 as ENMU came to play in the second half, outscoring WT 54-40, but the first half deficit was too much to overcome.  The Buffs had a pair of double-doubles in the game led by 12 points and 11 rebounds from Ryan Quaid and junior Gach Gach recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Evans scored a team-high 20 points with four triples.  The Buffs then drew Texas A&M-Commerce in a rubber-match game as the Buffs prevailed 73-63 with 23 points from Chavlovich, along with Quaid's second double-double of the championship on 13 points and 11 rebounds.  The Buffs built on a one-point halftime lead to 14 points midway through the second half for the win.  The Buffs held TAMUC to just 38.7 percent shooting and just 4 of 25 from beyond the arc.  That set up another rubber-match game between the top-seeded Buffs and No. 2-seeded UT Permian Basin.  UTPB led by as many as 11 twice in the game, but the Buffs kept fighting and a seven-point possession midway through the second half turned the tied as WT never trailed again.  WT led for just 7:37 in the game, mostly the final 7:37, and the 29:24 minute-lead for UTPB was the largest trailing time in a WT win this season as the previous was 24:05 at Colorado State-Pueblo (W, 91-80).  Evans and Chavlovich each had 21 points to lead WT, while the 3-point line was key as the Buffs were 11 of 37, as UTPB was just 4 of 14.  For the championship, WT held the opposition to just 14 of 63 from beyond the arc (.222), while the Buffs were 29 of 93 (.312).  WT also held the opponents to a .390 clip from the field on 73 of 187, while WT was 81 of 191 (.424).
 
BLOCK PARTY - WT recorded 15 blocks in three games in the LSC tournament, including a season-high 11 rejections in the final against UTPB.  Seven different Buffs had blocks against the Falcons led by Gach with a career-high four blocks.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE BUFFS - The West Texas A&M men's basketball team had a strong showing on the all-conference teams, released at annual awards banquet prior to the tournament last week.  Junior Ryan Quaid was named LSC Academic Player of the Year, while he and senior Rylan Gerber were named to the LSC All-Academic Team.  Freshman Gaige Prim was named LSC Freshman of the Year, while head coach Tom Brown was tabbed Coach of the Year.  Quaid and senior David Chavlovich earned first team all-conference honors, while senior Jordan Evans earned second team accolades and Prim was an honorable mention selection.  Quaid also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.  Prim is the first Freshman of the Year for the Buffs since Chavlovich earned the honor in 2015.  Brown is the first Coach of the Year honoree for the Buffs since former coach Rick Cooper earned the honor four times as South Division Coach of the Year and once as coach of the in 1994 before the league split into divisions.  Quaid is the first Academic Player of the Year for men's basketball since former Buff Tyler Cooper won the award three years from 2006-2008.
 
LEAGUE TITLE - WT won its first outright regular season title since 1994 and has had division titles in 1999 and 2008, while sharing a division crown in 1998, 2000 and 2007.  WT also has shared league regular season titles in 1987 and 1991.  WT also won its seventh LSC Tournament title this year as the Buffs improved to 35-19 all-time in the LSC Tournament and 7-5 in the LSC championship game as the seven titles ties with Midwestern State for most in league-history, while the 35 wins in the tournament also are most in league history.
 
WITH A WT VICTORY - The Buffs the would face either No. 4-seed Fort Lewis or No. 5-seed Texas A&M-Commerce.  WT played Fort Lewis last season defeating the Skyhawks in Canyon, 90-82 on Nov. 11, while WT has won two of three this season against Texas A&M-Commerce.  The Buffs downed the Lions 73-63 in the semifinals of the LSC Championship last week.
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR THE REGIONAL
1 - Coach of the Year in WT's Tom Brown
2 - Two conference Player of the Year honorees in the regional in Daeshon Francis (UTPB) and Darrion Strong-Moore of UAFS as both are going head-to-head in the first round.
3 - This is the third time WT has hosted a regional with the previous two being in 1987 and 1998. 
5 - There are five teams ranked in the latest NABC Top 25 of the eight teams in the regional with one more receiving votes, while all eight have been ranked at some point this season.
6 - Six of the teams in the field were in the tournament last season.
9 - WT senior David Chavlovich is nine points from breaking the LSC all-time career scoring record of 2,380 points.  He has 2,372 at the moment as the school's all-time leading scorer.
10 - First Team All-Conference selections and all five from the LSC.
28 -  A total of 28 wins by the field in the NCAA Tournament as WT and Colorado School of Mines have seven each.
56 - A combined 56 years of tournament experience between the schools in the field with WT having the most as it's making its 16 trip to the tournament.
195-46 - Overall record of the teams in the regional.
1996 - Last time Regis made the NCAA Tournament marking the furthest back from a team in the field to qualify this season. 
 
ABOUT COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES - The Orediggers enter with a 22-8 record overall and a 15-7 mark in the RMAC this season, finishing fourth.  Colorado School of Mines is making its fifth-straight NCAA appearance and eighth in the last nine years.  Mines lost in the RMAC semifinals to eventual champion Regis.  Despite the finish in the league, the Orediggers have a potent offense returning from last year's Elite Eight team.  The Orediggers are led by Luke Schroepfer who leads the team and is eighth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a .465 clip.  Schroepfer is averaging 15.3 points per game as he ups his play in March to 17.1 points per game in 10 postseason games and a postseason career-high 23 points against WT last season.  Teammate Ben Sonnefeld is 15th nationally in assist/turnover ratio at a 2.85 clip, while Mason Baker is 36th nationally in free throw percentage at a .870 clip.  Schroepfer is second in the RMAC in 3-point field goals made per game (2.63) and second in the 3-pointers made with 79.  He leads the team with 459 total points and averages 33:50 minutes per game for fourth in the league.  As a team the Orediggers are 12th nationally in assist/turnover ratio at a 1.5 clip, while ranking 12th in blocked shots per game (5.0), ninth in fewest turnovers (288), 29th in field goal percentage (.487), 32nd in free throw percentage (.758), 47th in scoring margin (8.2) and leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at a .439 clip.  Mines is 11th in total blocks (149) and sixth in turnovers per game at a 9.6 clip.  Schroepfer, Sonnefield and Michael Glen earned all-conference honors this season and Glen was named Freshman of the Year.
 
THE LAST MEETING -  WT and Colorado School of Mines met in the Sweet Sixteen last season as the Orediggers posted an 88-63 win to advance to the Elite Eight.  Gokul Natesan was named Region Most Outstanding Player for the Orediggers as he scored 13 points and 12 assists, while Schroepfer went 9 of 10 from the field for 23 points.  Mines used an 11-2 run to open the game held WT scoreless for 6:30 during the half and then used a 16-5 run opening the second half.  The Buffs were led by former Buff Eric Golightly with 20 points, while Chavlovich and Quaid each had 10 points.  WT shot 21 of 59 from the field, 6 of 24 from beyond the arc and 15 of 20 from the line, while pulling down 30 rebounds.  CSM shot 34 of 58 from the field for 58.6 percent, but went just 4 of 13 from beyond the arc and 16 of 20 from the line with 39 rebounds.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES - WT leads the all-time series 7-2, but Mines has won the last two, including an 89-75 decision in Golden, Colo., on Nov. 21, 2003.  Prior to that, the teams hadn't played since 1938-39, where WT won seven-straight from 1936-1939. 
 
SCORE 120 - The 120 points by WT and the 88 from Angelo State marked the most scored between two teams in the First United Bank Center (208) since it opened in 2002.  WT's 120 was the most since the Buffs scored 122 against SW Assemblies of God during the 1999-2000 season.  As for a conference team, it was the most since scoring 127 against Abilene Christian in the LSC Tournament in Canyon in 1991.  This marks the seventh time this season WT has scored 100 points or more (6-1).
 
PRIM POW AGAIN - For the third time this season, freshman Gaige Prim was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week as he put together another outstanding week as he averaged a double-double for the No. 8-ranked Buffs posting his eighth-double-double of the season with a career-high 20 points and tied his career-high with 15 rebounds in a 120-88 thumping of Angelo State on Feb. 17 for Senior Day.  He went 11 of 19 from the field for the week (.579), while going a team-high 11 of 14 from the line (.786) with one assist and one block.  Prim pulled down a team-high 10 offensive rebounds and 12 on the defensive end for the week as he accounted for 22 of 78 total rebounds for the Buffs in the two games.  For the season, Prim is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game, while ranking second on the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game.  He is 106 of 196 from the field (.541), while going 97 of 127 from the line (.764).  He has 81 offensive rebounds and 133 on the defensive end this season for 214 total rebounds.
 
EVANS TOPS IN 3'S - Senior Jordan Evans broke senior teammate David Chavlovich's record of 112 triples in 2015-16 as Evans now has 115 for the season.  He is 115 of of 289 from beyond the arc.  
 
QUAID MOVES UP IN SEASON REBOUNDS - Junior Ryan Quaid entered the top ten in rebounds in a season with 266 the and now is third with 312 rebounds.  He needs 10 rebounds to tie for second with  Bill Clifton (1954-55) with 322.   
 
TOP IN 3's - Both Chavlovich and Evans are the top two career 3-point shooters in school history as Chavlovich has buried 369, while Evans has 290 triples.  The duo also leads the record book in 3-point field goals attempted for a career has Chavlovich has attempted 1021 triples, while Evans has 742.
 
PLAYIN' GAMES - Chavlovich broke the school-record for games played in a career on Senior Day (Feb. 17) as he now stands at 122, surpassing the previous mark of 116 set by Kyle Shield (2004-08).  Senior Rylan Gerber is tied for 10th all-time in games played with 106.  
 
CHAVLOVICH NATIONALLY - Nationally speaking, Chavlovich ranks second in NCAA Division II among current player in career scoring with 2,372 points and fourth overall in all divisions.  He is first in D2 in triples made (369), first in 3-pointers attempted (1021) and leads all divisions.  He is first in D2 and second in all divisions in field goals attempted (1,829).  He is second in D2 in 1,500 points and 350 assists with 478 assists.
 
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 20 - With the 105-86 win over UT Permian Basin on Jan. 30, the Buffs won their 20th game, marking the third consecutive season of 20 or more wins.  WT last won 20 or more games for three seasons or more from 1997-2001 with four-straight 20-plus win campaigns.
 
THE 25-3 REGULAR SEASON - WT's 25-3 regular season is the most wins since the 1941-42 season when the team went 28-2 during the regular season and finished 28-3 with a loss in the NIT.  The 25 regular season wins this year also ties for second-most all-time in school history (1939-40 & 1940-41).
 
28-3 RECORD - The 28-3 record by the Buffs ranks tied for second all-time in school history in wins in a season with the record being 29 set in 1940-41.  The 1941-42 team went 28-3, while the 1940-41 squad went 29-6. 
 
QUAID TABBED WEEKLY BEST AGAIN - Junior Ryan Quaid was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season following his ninth and tenth double-doubles in road wins at Angelo State and at Texas A&M-Kingsville (Jan. 11-13).  Quaid finished the week averaging 17.5 points, 15.5 rebounds with 31 total rebounds and 21 defensive boards, along with three blocks, and went a team-best 13 of 21 from the line (.619).  He was 9 of 12 from the line. He is the only player in the league to earn the honor four times this season.
 
QUAID TABBED USBWA WEEKLY BEST  - Junior Ryan Quaid was named United States Basketball Writers Association Division II men's basketball National Player of the Week.  It is his first weekly honor as USBWA National Player of the Week.
 
CHAVLOVICH NAMED TO WATCH LIST -  Senior David Chavlovich was named one of 50 student-athletes to the Small College Basketball (SCB) 2018 Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List, announced Feb. 15. Chavlovich and UT Permian Basin's Daeshon Francis are the lone representatives from the LSC, and the South Central Region.  The Top 25 players will be announced on Mar. 25, while the finalists will be unveiled on Mar. 31, with the winner being announced April 2.
 
BROWN AT 90 - WT fourth year head coach Tom Brown won his 80th game at the helm of the Buffs in the thrilling 70-69 victory at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 13.  He won his 90th game in the quarterfinal win of the Lone Star Conference Tournament in an 86-70 win over Eastern New Mexico, also marking his first LSC Tournament win.  Brown is 92-34 (.730) and is 3-3 now in the LSC Tournament in four years  
 
EVANS FIFTH IN SCORING - Senior Jordan Evans sits fifth all-time in career coring at WT with 1,382 points in 97 games for a 14.2 average per game.  He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season.  He is 24 points from fourth place, occupied by Price Brookfield (1940-42) with 1,406 points.
 
CHAVLOVICH TOPS ALL-TIME - This season, senior David Chavloivch has taken over the all-time lead in career field goals made (751), field goals attempted (1,829), 3-point field goals made (369), 3-point field goals attempted (1021), free throws made (501) and free throws attempted (637). 
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE - Junior Ryan Quaid ranks 19th nationally in double-doubles with 14 to lead the LSC.  Haywood Highsmith of Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) leads the nation with 28.  Quaid has 20 double-doubles for his career.  WT freshman Gaige Prim has eight double-doubles this season in his first year as a Buff.  The duo has had double-doubles in the same game twice this season against Midwestern State (1/4/18) and at Cameron (2/8/18).
 
HIGH SCORING BUFFS - WT is averaging 88.7 points per game ranking ninth nationally and leading the LSC.  The Buffs have scored 90 or more points 13 times this season and have scored over 100 points seven times.  All but six games this season the Buffs have scored 80 or more points.  WT is seventh nationally in scoring margin at 15.2 per game to lead the league.
 
DEADLY FROM DISTANCE - WT is second nationally in 3-point field goal attempts (991), while ranking third in 3-pointers made (360) and ninth in 3-pointers per game at 11.6 as all lead the LSC.  WT is 360 of 991 from beyond the arc this season for a .363 clip ranking third in the LSC.  The Buffs are holding teams to just a .323 clip from beyond the arc for 23rd nationally and second in the LSC. 
 
CHAVLOVICH AND EVANS FROM DOWNTOWN - Senior Jordan Evans is second nationally in 3-pointers attempted (289), fifth in 3-pointers made per game (3.71) and third in total triples with 115.  Evans is first in the LSC in 3-point field goal percentage at a .398 clip.  Senior David Chavlovich is fifth in the LSC in triples made with 72, fourth in triples attempted (219) and sixth in the league in triples per game at 2.40.   
 
GETTING THE FREEBIES - As a team, the Buffs are seventh nationally in free throw attempts this season (766), fourth in free throws made (583) and first in the LSC in free throw percentage at a .76.1 clip for 30th nationally.  WT recorded a perfect 10 for 10 in free throws against Tarleton State Jan. 18, marking the second time this season the Buffs have been perfect at the line (9-9 vs. Rollins (12/19).  WT went a season-high 37 of 46 from the line (.804) at Cameron (2/8/18).   
 
WITH THE ASSIST - The Buffs are 58th nationally in assist/turnover ratio at a 1.24 clip to lead the LSC, while ranking second in the league in assists per game at 15.4.  WT is second in the league in total assists with 476, ranking 38th nationally.  Senior David Chavlovich is second in the LSC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.40 and leads the LSC in assists per game at 5.2 for 35th nationally.  He is 33rd in the nation in total assists with 156 to lead the LSC.  He needs just two dimes to move into a tie for ninth all-time in school history in assists in a season with 158 (Estrada Murray, 2000-01 / Michael Hamelin, 1997-98). 
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK - WT is third in the LSC in fewest turnovers with 385, while ranking second in the LSC in turnovers per game at 12.4.  WT is fifth in the LSC in turnover margin at 1.5.
 
GLASS CLEANERS - The Buffs are ninth nationally and second in the LSC in defensive rebounds per game at 29.45, while ranking sixth nationally in total rebounds with 1,297 for second in the LSC.  WT is eighth nationally in rebounds per game at 41.84 for second in the conference.  WT is 44th nationally and third in the LSC in offensive rebounds per game at 12.39.  Junior Ryan Quaid is 24th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.19) ranking second in the league, while leading ranking second in offensive rebounds at 2.87 ranking 65th nationally.  He is 24th nationally in rebounds per game at 10.1, ranking second in the LSC.  Quaid is 11th nationally in total rebounds with 312 for second in the league. 
 
GETTIN' TO THE RIM - The Buffs are fourth in the LSC in field goal percentage at a .453 clip.  Junior Ryan Quaid leads the team at a .623 clip ranking 12th nationally and second in the LSC on 165 of 265.  WT is 903-1995 from the field.  Quaid's 165 field goals made ranks second on the team behind senior David Chavlovich with 189. Chavlovich is third in the LSC in made field goals.
 
LSC RECORDS FALL - Senior David Chavlovich owns the LSC career records for 3-pointers made (369) and 3-pointers attemped (1021).  The previous records were 325 triples made from Stephen Hamrick of Eastern New Mexico (1992-96) and 3-pointers attempted (811) also by Hamrick.  Chavlovich is eight points from tying the LSC career scoring record in the LSC of 2,380 points by Nate Granger of Texas A&M-Commerce (East Texas State) from 1973-77.  Chavlovich has scored 600 or more points each of the last three seasons.
 
CHAVLOVICH FOR 40 – Senior David Chavlovich dropped a career-high 40 points in the 92-88 win over Adams State (11/17).   Chavlovich went a career-best 13 of 18 from the field, 6 of 9 from beyond the arc and 8 of 10 from the line.  He played in a season-high 35 minutes and his 40 points ties the LSC high this season with Corinthian Ramsey of Tarleton State who had 40 against UC-Colorado Springs.  The 40 points by Chavlovich ties former Buff Dale Blaut (2/14/70) for fourth-most all-time in a game by a Buff.
 
BUFFS SIGN ONE IN NOVEMBER - WT signed the services of Mar'Qualen Grant for the 2018-19 season as he inked with the Buffs on National Signing Day.  Grant, shot 59 percent from the field and averaged 15.3 points per game for Waxahachie High School, while averaging six rebounds per game, four steals per game and six assists per contest.  He was a first team all-district 10-5A selection last season and was named the 2016-17 Newcomer of the Year in District 10-5A.  Last season, Grant helped lead his team to a 29-7 record and 14-0 in district play, while finishing the season as the 5A Region 2 semifinalist.  He also competed in AAU for head coach Brandon Ray.  Grant helped lead his team to the title of the Adidas Gauntlet Tournament in South Carolina.  It was the first time a Texas team had won the tournament.
 
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