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CANYON, Texas – No. 3 West Texas A&M return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 5, against Oklahoma Baptist at the First United Bank Center. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game will be aired on the LSC Digital Network.
 
WT will provide live stats and a pay-per-view broadcast for Saturday and Sunday's games. Kent Johnson and Lucas Kinsey will be on the call for the Buffs. Patrons can purchase a day pass for $10 that will allow them to watch any game on the LSC Digital Network for 24 hours. 
 
A LOOK BACK AT THE SEASON OPENER
The Buffs extended the nation's longest home win streak to 43 games with their 100-70 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in front of 500 fans at the First United Bank Center.
 
All 12 Buffs scored in the game including a combined 51 from All-Americans Qua Grant and Joel Murray. Grant finished with his 10th career double-double with 27 points and 10 boards to go along with his six steals. Murray chipped in 24 points and eight rebounds. Jon'il Fugett was also in double figures with 15. 

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Oklahoma Baptist opens the season on Tuesday following an exhibition victory over Mid-America Christian on Saturday in Shawnee. The Bison went 22-9 in 2019-20 under head coach Jason Eaker and earned the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Central Region before the championships were canceled due to COVID-19. 
 
In their 82-57 win over Mid-America Christian on Jan. 2, Jarius Hicklen scored a game-high 23 points. The sophomore from Dallas saw action in all 31 games last season including a start where he averaged 9.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 21 points against Arkansas-Monticello on Jan. 25, 2020. 
 
Jaquan Simms chipped in 15 points while Harrison Stoddart was close to a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Stoddart, a senior from Edmond, has played in 89 games during his career including 68 starts. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Tuesday's game will be the first meeting between the two programs since December of 1977. WT leads the all-time series 4-1 including four straight wins since a 33-31 loss to the Bison on New Year's Day of 1937 in Oklahoma City, Okla. 
 
FIRST GAME, FIRST POINTS
Torian Harris, Parker Nielsen, Cameron Bell, Calvin Fugett Jr. and Ugo Obineke all scored their first career points in Maroon & White on Dec. 16. Obineke and Harris both had dunks during the game with the latter sending the bench into a frenzy with throw down in the face of TAMUC's Emmanuel Adeoye.
 
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
To answer that question with one word, WIN. Since taking over the Buff program on April 16, 2014, Tom Brown has led the Buffs to three straight LSC Regular Season titles and consecutive NCAA Division II Regional titles. 
 
He has gone 163-40 during his tenure at Canyon including 99 wins since 2017, the most of any men's basketball program in NCAA. His 80.3-win percentage is the second-best in program and his six straight winning seasons are the third-most. 
 
HELPING OUT THE DYNAMIC DUO
Grant and Murray haven't gotten most of the attention from the local and national media for the Buffs but J. Fugett has been a key third member of 'The Big Three'. The junior guard started in all 34 games as a Buffs averaging 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game shooting 44.1 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from three and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. 
 
The Denver, Colo. native, who wears No. 4 for the Buffs, has now scored in double figures in 19 games including a career-high 21 points twice. 
 
2020 WASN'T TOO BAD
The Buffs finished the 2020 calendar year as one of three men's basketball programs in America to go undefeated. WT went 21-0 en route to their third straight LSC title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA South Central Regional. 
 
The Buffs own the nation's second longest home win streak at 43 games, one less than Gonzaga. They have also won 24 straight games and 19 straight LSC games dating back to December of 2019.
 
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
The Buffs hit the century mark for the 132nd time in program history in their season opener against TAMUC. They improved to 85-12 when scoring between 100 and 109 points including wins in 11 straight. 
 
WT has now hit the century mark 28 times since Brown took over the program in 2014-15, with only three of those coming in overtime. 
 
SITTING PRETTY AT THIRD
WT stayed at third in the latest NABC Division II Top 25 released on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Northwest Missouri State remained atop the poll with all 16 first-place votes followed Lincoln Memorial and WT. Colorado School of Mines moved up a spot to fourth with Washburn, West Liberty, Truman State, Northern State, St. Edward's and Findlay rounding out the Top 10. DBU entered the rankings at 25th with Texas A&M-Kingsville, Lubbock Christian and UT Permian Basin receiving votes. 
 
WT is also still third in the D2SIDA Top 25, as the organization will not release a new poll until next month. 
 
BUFFS IN THE NABC POLL
The Buffs have now been ranked in the Top 5 of the NABC poll for 14 straight weeks including 10 straight weeks at No. 3. WT has also been ranked in the Top 25 for 49 straight weeks. 
 
GRANT NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grant was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career on Dec. 21 after recording his 10th career double-double in the Buffs season opener against TAMUC.
 
Grant, a native of Waxahachie, earns defensive player of the week for the first time this season after earning the award four times as a sophomore in 2019-20. The LSC Preseason Player of the Year scored a game-high 27 points while pulling down 10 rebounds, eight of those on the defensive glass, to go along with six steals in the Buffs 100-70 victory over the Lions. He was also part of a defense that held the Lions to 41.5 percent from the floor and 25.9 percent from 3-point range.
 
BUFFALO CHIPS
The Buffs improved to 5-2 in season openers under Brown, including five straights. Dec. 16's game was the first time the Buffs scored 100 or more points in the season opener under the seventh-year head coach. 
 
With his 24-point performance against TAMUC, Murray moved up to 16th in the all-time scoring list passing Charles Halbert, Eurskine Robinson and Eddie Harris. He enters the weekend doubleheader against UAFS 15 points short of entering the Top 15. 
 
Grant scored over 20 points for the 29th time in his career on against the TAMUC. The junior guard now sits 23 points short of becoming the seventh player in program history to reach 1,300 career points. 
 
Booker had a strong start to his sophomore season setting a career high in rebounds. The Schertz native pulled down seven rebounds to go along with seven points in 14 minutes of action. 
 
The Buffs forced 25 turnovers in the season opener, the most since forcing 27 in a 105-81 victory over WNMU on Jan. 30, 2020. 
 
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
The Buffs defeated Western New Mexico in Silver City in 2019 behind a double-double from Gach Gach. He had a game-high 18 points going 6-of-11 from the floor while pulling down 10 boards. Murray added 17 points in 30 minutes with Grant chipping in eight points and three rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Buffs will look to open LSC play on Friday and Saturday against Dallas Baptist. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 8 and 4 p.m. on Jan. 9.