TOP STORYLINES
• This is the 32nd season of West Florida Basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 432-403 (.518) in 835 games. UWF is 120-180 (.400) in 21 seasons of Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have made nine conference tournament appearances.
• Despite a 2-9 record in 2015-16, UWF has only suffered more than half its losses by five points or less.
SOMERFIELD'S EFFORTS ON THE BOARDS
• Junior transfer Austin Somerfield currently leads the Gulf South Conference with 9.2 rebounds per game, a mark that also stands as 38th best in NCAA Division II.
• Somerfield has four games this season where he posted double digit rebounds, including a season high on Nov. 14 against Fort Valley. Somerfield has also posted 17-rebound games against Alabama Huntsville and Delta state.
• Somerfield currently leads the team in scoring as well, averaging 15.3 points per game.
GRIFFIN STARTS 2016 STRONG
• Graduate student Lendward Griffin posted a season-best 20 points on Jan. 2 against Union. Griffin went 10-14 (71.4%) shooting against the Bulldogs.
• With the performance, Griffin's points per game average eclipses the double digit mark as the Jacksonville native now owns a 10.7 ppg average.
• Griffin also led UWF on the boards against Union, grabbing nine.
ROTATION OF SCORING
• Four of five starters for UWF currently average above 10 points per game, as Somerfield (15.3), Stramaglia (11.7), Griffin (10.1) and Pruitt (10.1) have all been scoring options for the Argos thus far.
ABOUT WEST ALABAMA
• UWA comes into Saturday winning its last three, with most recently defeating Lee 80-63 at home on Monday. UWA has also beat Auburn-Montgomery and Shorter on its current win streak.
• UWA has played the vast majority of its season at home, having a 7-4 record in Livingston and just a 1-2 record when traveling.
SERIES HISTORY
• UWF and UWA are playing for the 42nd time in men's basketball on Wedensday, with UWF holding a 22-19 all-time advantage.
• UWA currently rides a six-game win streak against the Argos, as the last UWF win dates back to Feb. 19, 2012.
• UWF dominated the head-to-head matchup in the early 2000's, having a 12-game win streak against UWA from Feb. 15, 1999 - Feb. 21, 2005.
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.
