West Texas A&M (13-7, 8-6) at (RV) Midwestern State (14-5, 9-4 LSC)
Date & Time	Saturday, February 1st at 3 p.m.
Location	Wichita Falls, Texas | D.L. Ligon Coliseum
Live Statistics	StatBroadcast
Live Video (Pay Per View)	FloCollege
Other Links	Game Notes

 
CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's basketball finishes its four-game road stretch on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Midwestern State. The Buffs and Mustangs meet for the 81^st time on the hardwood with a 3 p.m. tipoff at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Athletic Communications Department from Midwestern State will provide live stats and a pay-per-view web stream. Fans will need to purchase a monthly ($19.99) or annual ($107.88) subscription with FloSports, the official streaming provider of the Lone Star Conference. The subscription allows fans access to any content available on FloSports.
 
A LOOK AT THE BUFFS
The Buffs are led by junior guard Ahamed Mohammed who averages 17.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while tallying 48 assists. Noah Pagotto follows Mohammed with 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Jailyn Sledge paces the team with 6.8 rebounds per game while making 40 steals and 19 blocks.
 
SCOUTING MIDWESTERN STATE
The Mustangs come off a narrow 70-69 loss to Eastern New Mexico on Thursday night, falling to 14-5 overall and 9-4 in Lone Star Conference play.  Midwestern State is led by head coach Justin Leslie who is in his sixth season in Wichita Falls and 18^th overall. Leslie has produced an 77-77 record at the helm of the Mustangs with a 343-198 mark in his career.
 
On the season, Midwestern State averages 78.8 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field while giving up 67.4 points per game to opponents. Two players for the average double-digit scoring for the Mustangs paced by Mason Gibson's 16.6 per contest. Pierre Sanders (12.9) also averages double figures. Reggie Hill leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game while Pierre Sanders paces the team with 74 assists and 34 steals.
 
THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series with Midwestern State 45-35 including 12-23 in Wichita Falls. Earlier this season, the Mustangs went into Canyon and held off a Buffs' comeback to walk away with a 70-69 victory. Tom Brown is 11-7 against Midwestern State in his tenure at the helm of the Buffs.
 
L, 69-70 – Canyon, 2025
W, 89-62 – Canyon, 2024
W, 72-67 – Wichita Falls, 2024
L, 86-92 – Wichita Falls, 2023
W, 72-71 – Canyon, 2022
 
LAST TIME OUT
West Texas A&M men's basketball couldn't keep up with the Chaps of Lubbock on Thursday night as the Buffs fell, 68-53. The loss drops WT to 13-7 overall and 8-6 in conference action. Three Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Thursday night led by a team-high 12 from Narit Chotikavanic. Amir McMillian (11) and Jailyn Sledge (10) also ended their day in double figures. Sledge recorded his fifth collegiate double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds with a team-leading three blocks.


THE BROWN ERA
Head coach Tom Brown enters his 11th season at the helm of Buffalo Basketball, building the program into one of the elite NCAA Division II schools in the nation.  He has guided the Buffs to seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments including the Buffs first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2021. Under Brown, the Buffs are 279-69 since he took the reins in 2014 for an incredible winning percentage of 80.2%.  Brown registered his 250^th career victory on Jan. 13, 2024, after the Buffs defeated UT Permian Basin, 77-69, to become just the second coach in program history to reach the 250-win plateau. 


NABC TOP 25 POLL
Washburn remained at the top of the poll with 15 first-place votes for 399 points. Daemen remained at No. 2 with 1 first-place vote and 382 points followed by Nova Southeastern (370), Alabama Huntsville (353), and Missouri S&T (332). Valdosta State (294), Fairmont State (288), DBU (266), Findlay (259), and Lincoln Memorial (232) round out the top 10.
 
The South Central Region is represented by three teams in the poll with DBU leading the way at No. 8. Colorado School of Mines (12^th) and MSU Denver (23^rd) also earned spots in the poll.  St. Mary's and Midwestern State received votes in the poll.
 
ON THIS DAY: FEB. 2
Saturday's game marks the 31^st time the Buffs have played on this date and first since 2023. WT is 16-14 in games on Feb. 2 including 2-0 under Tom Brown. The Buffs are 4-1 in their last five games on this date and 7-3 in their last 10.
 
W, 70-66 – UT Permian Basin, 2023
W, 83-70 – Cameron, 2019
W, 82-67 – Angelo State, 2013
W, 70-56 – Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2011
L, 74-89 – Eastern New Mexico, 2004
 
BEVO FRANCIS TOP 100 WATCH LIST
West Texas A&M junior Ahamed Mohammed was named to the Top 100 Watch List for the 2024-2025 Bevo Francis Award presented to the top player in Small College Basketball, awarded by SmallCollegeBasketball.com. The honor is awarded to a deserving player whose university is affiliated within NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.
 
The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character, and team achievements. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season.
 
On February 15^th, the list will be reduced to the Top 50 players. One month later on March 15^th, the Top 25 players will be announced. The finalists for the Bevo Francis Award will be on April 5^th with the winner announced on April 7^th. More information will be available in the coming months.
 
LSC PRESEASON FAVORITE
WT earned the top spot in the poll with 28 first-place votes and 687 points followed by Dallas Baptist with 12 first-place votes and 671 points. Lubbock Christian (4 fpv, 628) took the third spot while Angelo State (555) and St. Edward's (545) make up the top five. Texas A&M International (1 fpv, 427), Eastern New Mexico (391), Cameron (386), UT Permian Basin (338), and Oklahoma Christian hold the sixth through 10^th spots, respectively. Midwestern State (318), St. Mary's (313), Texas A&M-Kingsville (198), UT Tyler (152), Western New Mexico (124), and Sul Ross State (63) finish out the poll.
 
THE LONE STAR
The 2024-25 LSC basketball schedule will feature 16 men's teams in two divisions with each team playing a double round-robin schedule within their division. Additionally, teams will play eight crossover competitions against teams from the opposite division for a total of 22 conference games.
 
The Lone Star Conference presents its 51st men's basketball tournament March 7-8-9, 2025, played at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The eight-team bracket includes the East and West Division winners, who automatically receive berths, with the remaining qualifiers and seeding based on results versus all LSC teams. The Division II Men's Basketball Championship starts with regionals March 14-18 at campus sites and continues to the Elite Eight March 25-29 in Evansville, Ind.
 
2023-24 REVIEW
The Buffs returned to the Final Four in the 2023-24 season, capturing the program's fifth regional title. Despite seeing its run of consecutive Lone Star Conference tournament titles come to an end, WT earned the top seed in the South Central region, hosting the regional tournament for the second consecutive year. The Buffs swept their way through the regional tournament, defeating eight-seeded Angelo State and fourth-seeded and No. 12-ranked Dallas Baptist to reach the championship game. Facing off against third-seeded and No. 6-ranked Colorado Mesa, a big second half lifted the Buffs to the regional title with Larry Wise earning Tournament MVP honors. At the Elite Eight, WT defeated fifth-seeded and No. 14-ranked North Georgia 90-76 to advance to the Final Four where top-seeded Minnesota State outlasted the Buffs, 79-72.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
West Texas A&M is home to one of the finest multi-purpose facilities in the country as the First United Bank Center has served as the home of the Buffaloes since January 26, 2002. The Buffaloes are a staggering 274-58 inside of the FUBC during that time for a winning clip of 82.5%. The Buffs are an astounding 153-17 at the First United Bank Center under Tom Brown including three undefeated seasons at home.
 
HOME OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of NCAA Division II.
 
The Buffs and Lady Buffs finished third in the 2023-24 Division II LEARFIELD Director's Cup standings. It marked the sixth straight and eighth overall time that WT finished inside of the Top 10 including the fifth straight inside of the Top 5.
 
UP NEXT
WT returns to the First United Bank Center on Thursday, Feb. 6 when UT Permian Basin comes to town. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE BUFFS
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Buff action on online and on social media.  Follow the Buffs on X (@WTAMU_MBB), Instagram (@wtamu_mbb), and Facebook (/WTAMUMBB).