* This is the 32nd season of West Florida Basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 433-404 (.518) in 837 games. UWF is 121-181 (.400) in 21 seasons of Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have made nine conference tournament appearances.
ABOUT UWF
• UWF is 2-5 after suffering a pair of road setbacks against Lee and Shorter The Argos are scoring 75.3 ppg while allowing 78.0 ppg.
• The Argos are shooting 45.4 pct from the floor, which ranks eighth in the GSC. They are shooting 39.4 pct from outside which is second in the league, and are making 7.2 3FGs per game. UWF has made 69.5 pct from the FT line. The Argos are making 15.9 FTs per game, compared to just 11.9 for their opponents.
• The Argos average 38.6 rpg & have outrebounded five of the last six opponents.
• A group of four players are averaging double figures in scoring with three of those not wearing a UWF uniform a year ago. Austin Somerfield (16.9), Mario Stramaglia (13.6) and Jelani Pruitt (10.7) either redshirted or were in junior college this time last year. Senior Lendward Griffin chose to return to the program for a sixth year and is fourth in scoring with 10.0 ppg.
• Somerfield and Pruitt lead the team on the glass, pulling down 9.7 and 5.8 rpg respectively.
• A total of five players average at least 2.0 assists per game, led by freshman Rashaan Benson and junior Jason Laatsch.
• West Florida has committed just 125 fouls this season, the lowest total in the GSC and the 13th fewest in NCAA Division II.
YEAR ONE OF THE JEFF BURKHAMER ERA
• The Argos are in the first season under Jeff Burkhamer, who was announced as the fourth head coach in program history on April 15, 2015. The 31-year coaching veteran entered the year with a 218-153 (.588) record in 13 seasons as the head coach at Lander and Armstrong State. He also has a record of 155-41 in six seasons as a junior college head coach at North Greenville College and Santa Fe Community College. The Ohio native has Division I experience as an assistant at Winthrop (1984-85), Charleston Southern (1985-87) and Morehead State (1987-89), and was on the coaching staff for the Grand Rapids Hoops (1991-94) in the CBA.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
• Mississippi College has started the season 2-4 and currently riding a three-game skid after starting the season 2-1. MC is coming off a 64-53 defeat against Christian Brothers on Saturday.
• MC features an offense revolved around Tory Rice, who leads MC scorers with 15.7 ppg. Rice also leads the team in rebounds with 11.5 per game.
• UWF and MC have one similar opponent in 2015-16 in Spring Hill. MC fell to Spring Hill 70-63 on Nov. 17.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
• UWF and MC are playing for the 8th time in men's basketball on Saturday, with UWF holding a 4-3 series lead. West Florida is 3-1 all-time when hosting MC.
• UWF won its first three games against MC, sweeping the Choctaws in 1968-69 and winning its first match against MC in 1994-95. Mississippi College took both decisions against UWF in the 2014-15 season.
• UWF and MC played a double overtime thriller at the Field House on Feb. 7 2015 with MC prevailing 92-88. Jason Laatsch scored a career high 23 points against the Chocktaws in the effort, while Justin Williams recorded 14 points and converted four three-point attempts.
ABOUT DELTA STATE
• DSU has started the season 8-2, including a 3-1 conference mark. Delta State rides a three-game win streak into this weekends games.
• DSU travels to Valdosta State for a GSC matchup on Thursday before heading to Pensacola for Saturday's contest.
• Most recently on Saturday, DSU defeated No. 24 Union, 71-69, at home.
• Guard Devin Schmidt is the focal point of the Statesmen offense, as he averages 24.8 ppg and shoots 43.5% from three. Schmidt also is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and leads the Statesmen with 3.7 assists per game.
• James Kilpatrick is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 6.4 rpg despite playing all games off the bench and averaging less than 20 minutes per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. DELTA STATE
• UWF and Delta State are playing for the 17th time, with DSU holding a 11-5 advantage. UWF has taken two of the last three meetings.
• UWF is 3-3 when hosting DSU in Pensacola since 2008.
• UWF took the decision in the last meeting, as the Argos bested DSU 86-82 on Feb. 5 in overtime. Deangelo Legrier recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds against the Statesmen.
PRUITT THE LION TAMER
• Jelani Pruitt scored a career-high 30 points in a 96-85 win over North Alabama on Saturday. Pruitt's previous career-best was 26 points, which he did during his freshman campaign at Neosho Community College two years ago.
• Pruitt also set a career high in rebounds against UNA, pulling down 15 boards.
• Pruitt's first half against UNA entailed 17 points and converting seven of his first 10 shots. Prior to facing UNA, Pruitt had totaled 19 points over the span of three games, while battling an ankle issue suffered in the season opener against Benedict in Valdosta, Ga.
SOMERFIELD BECOMING HARDER AND HARDER TO GUARD
• Austin Somerfield is UWF's leading scorer and rebounder, as the junior averages 16.4 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game.
• Somerfield's 9.8 rebounds per game is the second best average in the GSC.
• Somerfield went off against Fort Valley State on Nov. 14, scoring a career-high 35 points and grabbing a career high 18 rebounds.
• Somerfield has recorded double-digit point totals in four out of five games this season.
• Somerfield stands 37th in NCAA Division II in rebounds per game and 43rd in offensive rebounds per game (3.4).
JUSTIN WILLIAMS NAMED TO ALLSTATE NABC GOOD WORKS TEAM
• Justin Williams was named to the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works Team® as announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Allstate Insurance Company in early December.
• Williams is one of 257 players named and one of 48 non-NCAA Division I players recognized.
• Williams is a physics and mathematics major with extracurricular activities including volunteering at Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen, a mission trip to Nicaragua last August, vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and helps out with the Miracle League of Pensacola.
JAN. 23 DOUBLEHEADER AT UAH TO BE TELEVISED NATIONALLY ON ASN
• The UWF basketball programs will receive some national exposure when their games at Alabama Huntsville on Jan. 23 will be televised as part of the American Sports Network's Division II Basketball Showcase.
• To accommodate the television broadcast of the doubleheader, the women's game will now tip-off at 1 p.m. followed by the men's contest at 3 p.m.
• The games will stream live on NCAA.com and the NCAA Sports Mobile App. WFGX MyTV 35 in Pensacola/Mobile Ala. has carried ASN broadcasts in the past.
2015-16 SCHEDULE ANALYSIS
• UWF will play 26 games this season, including 12 at home in the UWF Field House.
• The Argonauts will play nine games against five teams that qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division II Championship - Alabama-Huntsville, Benedict, Union, West Alabama, West Georgia. The first of those cAme in the season opener against Benedict in Valdosta, Ga. on Friday, Nov. 13.
UWF PICKED 11TH IN GSC POLL
• UWF was picked to finish 11th in the Gulf South Conference in the preseason coaches poll. The Argonauts received 26 total poll points and one first place vote.
• Alabama Huntsville received nine of 11 first place votes and was picked to finish first with 95 points. West Georgia (78 pts), Union (76) and Delta State (73) were bunched together in the next three spots.
NEW LOOK FOR UWF FIELD HOUSE FLOOR
• The UWF Field House floor received a new paint scheme over the summer, with an emphasis on cleaner design and less color. The court now features a darker wood stain in the lane and a similar darker stained GSC logo near midcourt on opposite sides of the floor.
• The 4-foot restricted arc in the lane was added in preparation for its implementation at the Division II level next season.
• The Argonaut head at midcourt remained in color as did the navy blue border that surrounds the court.
• Social media identifiers of '#GoArgos' and '@GoArgos' were placed in front of the bench areas.
NCAA RULES CHANGES
• The NCAA made a number of rules changes to both the men's and women's games this season. Some of the more visible changes in the men's game include:
• Shot clock reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Restricted area arc expanded from three feet to four feet - Division I in 2015-16; D-II & III in 2016-17.
• Timeouts:
- Reduction of 30-second timeouts from four to three; only two carry over to the second half.
- A 30-second timeout called within 30 seconds of a media timeout will become the media timeout.
- Coaches can only call timeouts during a dead ball situation.
• The 10-second backcourt count resets except when:
- Defender causes the ball to go out of bounds;
- Offense retains possession on a held ball; or
- A technical foul is called on the offensive team.
Note: A charged timeout by the offensive team results in a new 10-second count.
• Removed the five-second closely guarded count on a dribble.
• Guarding in the post: Arm bar allowed in post area when offense has back to the basket with or without the ball.
• The offense can no longer score on a charging foul.
• Removed the prohibition against dunking the ball while the ball is dead; teams will be allowed to dunk during pregame and halftime.
