SUNDAY: LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
TUESDAY: LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF men's basketball team (12-1, 4-1 GSC) will return home for contests against Mississippi College (7-5, 4-3 GSC) and Delta State (7-7, 5-1 GSC) Sunday and Tuesday. Tip-off in the Sunday afternoon contest vs. the Choctaws is slated for 4:00 p.m. Tip in the Tuesday contest vs. the Statesmen is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Argos are coming off an 81-65 win at Shorter Jan. 2 and, most recently, a 69-68 loss at Lee Jan. 4. The win Jan. 2 helped the Argos to set a new program for consecutive wins at 12. The loss at Lee was the program's first since Feb. 28 of last season.
"We'll get better execution-wise offensively and get to where we understand you can't take a single possession off in a good college game defensively," Burkhamer said about his team's efforts to bounce back from the loss and score a win to open the new week. "We've been good at home, and hopefully we'll come back and play very well on Sunday."
Live streams and live stats for both games will available at goargos.com/live.
ARGONAUTS WIN AT SHORTER
* University of West Florida men's basketball kicked off 2018 right with a win over Shorter at the Winthrop-King Centre Jan. 2 81-65. Moter Deng led the team with 18 points (9-12 FG), 9 rebounds and 2 steals. The win was the 12th straight for the No. 12 Argonauts, breaking a tie with the 1967-68 squad for the most consecutive victories in program history.
* "I think it means we've built the program the right way," said Burkhamer of the record-setting win streak. "We've had guys play well early in the season and have found ways to win with different guys helping us achieve that goal from our bench to our starters."
* UWF went 30 of 60 from the field, outshooting Shorter .500 to .396 for the game. West Florida knocked down 18 of 25 (.720) free throws. The Argos controlled the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 41-26 overall and 16-8 on the offensive end. UWF forced 17 Shorter turnovers and posted a 26-11 margin on points off turnovers. UWF outscored Shorter 21-6 on second chance points.
ARGONAUTS SUFFER FIRST LOSS OF 2017-18
* University of West Florida men's basketball suffered its first loss of the season at Lee University, falling in heartbreaking fashion 69-68 Thursday. Rashaan Benson and Marvin Jones each finished with 16 points, and Moter Deng notched 15 points plus six rebounds. DJ Thorpe added 13 points. The loss snapped a program-record 12-game winning streak to start the season.
* The Argos shot 26 of 65 from the field in the loss while the Flames shot 24 of 48 from the field. Lee won the battle of the boards 34-31 and shot 14 of 19 from the line to fuel the win. UWF finished just 9 of 19 from the line.
* "I thought they outplayed us over a forty-minute game. Also, we can't go 9 of 19 from the free throw line and expect to beat a good team," said Burkhamer. "We had some possessions offensively where we didn't take very good shots that came back to haunt us, and I thought we gave in on some defensive possessions. In close games, one or two possessions make the difference."
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
* The Argos have won 16 straight at home dating back to Jan. 2 last season and are rapidly closing in on the all-time program victory for consecutive home wins (19), which was established during a stretch from Dec. 1967-Dec. 1969. This year's UWF team has already re-written program records for longest overall winning streak and longest winning streak to start a season.
* The Argos did not lose a single game at home in the 2017 calendar year.
* UWF men's basketball won a double overtime thriller 75-72 vs. West Alabama Dec. 16 in the UWF Field House. Jarrett Henderson hit four straight free throws in the final stretch of the second overtime to help UWF turn a one-point deficit into an impressive three-point win.
* Moter Deng scored 18 points, all in the second half and overtime, to lead UWF. He shot 5-of-9 from the field after the halftime break. Darryl Tucker notched his fifth double-double of the year with 17 points (6-14 FG, 5-8 FT) and 15 rebounds. Shondell Jackson registered 12 points (4-10 FG, 2-2 3-PT FG). DJ Thorpe scored 11 points (5-10 FG) and matched a season-best with six steals.
* The Argos stayed hot by downing Montevallo 85-78 Dec. 18. In addition to big games from Benson and Tucker, Bryan Chalifoux finished with a season-high 14 points, and, in his first game of the 2017-18 season, Marvin Jones scored 12 points, dished three assists, and two rebounds. Moter Deng registered five assists and three rebounds.
* UWF shot a season-best .558 from the field and a season-best .550 from beyond the arc. The UWF defense limited Montevallo to a .313 mark beyond the arc and .463 shooting from the field.
"IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR…"
* UWF men's basketball enjoyed the best winning percentage of any Gulf South Conference program during the 2017 calendar year. The team went 26-5 during 2017 to finish with a winning percentage of .838 and top the list of GSC teams. Valdosta State came in second at 27-6 (.818).
ARGOS AGAIN RISE IN NATIONAL POLLS
* The UWF men's basketball program came in at No. 12 in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association Top 25 poll released Dec. 21. The Argos most recently checked in at No. 15 in the NABC Coaches' poll released Jan. 2. Both rankings are a season-high for the team.
ARGOS PURSUE SINGLE-SEASON PROGRAM RECORDS
* DJ Thorpe has registered 36 steals through 13 games so far this season. The mark puts him well over halfway to equaling the Argo record for steals in a single season since 1994, set by Marcus Grant during the 2006-2007 campaign. He posted 62 steals that season.
* Darryl Tucker is currently shooting .629 from the field. If maintained, this percentage would place him fifth all-time in program history for a single season. The record (.673) since 1994 was set by Anthony Russell in 1997-1998. Tucker has posted 18 blocks already this season and is on pace to finish in the top 10 for a single season in program history in that category. The record holder for a single season is Charles Bouie, who racked up 93 in 2007-2008.
* Rashaan Benson has posted 5.1 assists per game so far this season. If maintained, this average would rank him tied for eighth in program history for a single season. The leader since 1994 for assists per game is Moochie Norris, who averaged 8.9 per contest in 1995-96.
TUCKER NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
* Senior Darryl Tucker was named Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Dec. 21 following impressive performances in the Argonauts' wins over West Alabama and Montevallo. The conference Player of the Week honor is the second the UWF men's program has earned this month. Fellow senior Moter Deng was named GSC Player of the Week Dec. 5.
* Tucker, a 6-7 forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Dec. 16's double overtime 75-72 win over West Alabama. He followed that with his sixth double-double (19 points, 17 rebounds) of 2017-18 in an 85-78 victory over Montevallo on Dec. 18.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
* Mississippi College is 7-5 overall and 4-3 in GSC play. The Choctaws are 5-2 at home, 2-2 on the road and 0-1 on neutral floors. Mississippi College has won four straight games dating back to 95-84 win over Auburn Montgomery Dec. 18. The team defeated Southern Arkansas 66-63 Dec. 30, beat North Alabama 98-88 Jan. 2 and defeated Alabama Huntsville 105-93 Jan. 4.
* The Choctaws return seven players from their 2016-17 roster, including three starters. The team finished 7-19 last year and 4-18 in conference play.
* Mississippi College currently ranks fourth in the conference with 82.9 points per game. The Choctaws are known as a very good free throw shooting team, sinking them at the second-best clip in the GSC (.747). They are also known as a very good rebounding team, grabbing 39.3 per game, the third-best mark in the GSC. The Choctaws have committed 199 turnovers this year, tied for the third-most in the conference.
* Stacey Mack is tied for 16th in the GSC with 15.8 PPG. He is ninth in the conference with 7.6 rebounds per game and is seventh with a field goal percentage of .512. He is tenth in the conference with 1.1 blocks per game.
* Antonio Johnson is tied for fifth in the conference with 4.6 assists per game. He is ninth with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0.
* The Argos are 4-3 since 2012 vs. Mississippi College and have won the last three meetings. Five of the seven matches since 2012 have been decided by five points or less. The Argos are 2-2 at home since 2012 vs. Mississippi College.
SCOUTING DELTA STATE
* Delta State is 7-7 overall and 5-1 in GSC play. The Statesmen are 5-5 at home, 2-1 on the road and 0-1 on neutral floors. Delta State has won four straight games dating back to a 71-64 win over Auburn Montgomery Dec. 16. The team defeated West Georgia 76-56 Dec. 18, Alabama Huntsville 62-50 Jan. 2, and North Alabama 61-55 Jan. 4.
* The Statesmen return six players from last year's squad that went 23-9 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Delta State garnered 131 points to finish fourth in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll, one point and one spot ahead of West Florida. The Statesmen opened the season at No. 22 in the DII Bulletin Top 25 and at No. 25 in the NABC Preseason Poll.
* The Statesmen currently rank last in scoring offense (62.9 PPG) but rank first in scoring defense (62.4 PPG). The team guards the three-point line very effectively, holding opponents to a GSC-best .314 mark from beyond the arc. The team takes care of the ball well and distributes well. The Statesmen rank third in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.12 and fourth in turnover margin at 1.14.
* Brett Warner ranks 12th in the GSC in scoring at 16.7 PPG. PJ Davis is tied for 12th in the GSC with 6.4 rebounds per game. Armon Benford is tied for eighth with 4.1 assists per game. Benford is fourth in the GSC with 1.8 steals per game. He is seventh in the GSC with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.2. Teammate Cameron Monix is third with a ratio of 3.0. Brett Warner is fifth in the conference at 35.6 minutes per game.
* The Argos are 6-11 vs. Delta State since 2008. UWF went 1-1 vs. the Statesmen last year, scoring an 83-78 win over a Statesmen team ranked in the national Top 25 Jan. 21. West Florida is 4-5 against the Statesmen at home since 2008.
GSC/NCAA LEADERS
* Darryl Tucker currently leads the GSC with 10.6 rebounds per game. Tucker also leads the GSC in field goal percentage at .629. He is tied for sixth in the GSC with 1.4 blocks per game. He is 14th with 16.0 points per game.
* As of Jan. 5, Tucker is tied for 11th nationally with 3.92 offensive rebounds per game. He is 15th nationally with 10.6 rebounds overall per game. He is tied for 15th nationally with 138 total rebounds. He is 35th in NCAA Div. II basketball with 6.69 defensive rebounds per game. He ranks tied for 22nd with six double-doubles. His .629 field goal percentage ranks 23rd nationally.
* Moter Deng has hit 38 of 43 free throws so far this year. His .884 mark from the line is the third-best in the conference. As of Jan. 5, he is tied for 44th with .884 mark.
* DJ Thorpe is first in the GSC with 2.77 steals per game. As of Jan. 5, he is fifth nationally in steals per game.
* Rashaan Benson currently ranks fourth in the GSC with 5.1 assists per game and is tied for 12th in the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.8.
* West Florida has surrendered 67.2 PPG so far this year, the second-best mark in the conference. The team's 11.8-point average margin of victory is the second-best mark in the GSC.
* UWF is currently second in the GSC in offensive rebounding with 13.5 per game. The Argos have the second-best turnover margin in the GSC, currently at +3.54 per game.
* The Argos have held opponents to a .420 shooting mark from the field, the fourth-lowest percentage in the conference. The team has held opponents to a .322 mark from beyond the arc, the second-best mark in the conference. The Argos average 3.92 blocks per game, the third-highest mark in the conference.
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