The 18th-ranked Angelo State men's basketball team will finally play in front of a home crowd this weekend as the Rams host the Ed Messbarger Classic presented by Western Shamrock beginning Friday, Nov. 26 at the Junell Center. ASU will face Missouri Baptist on the opening day of the tournament before taking on Arkansas Tech on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 7 p.m.
 
LAST WEEK:
The Rams finished a perfect 2-0 for the second weekend in a row, picking up two victories at the Javelina Classic in Kingsville last week. ASU opened play with another big win over a Division II opponent, defeating Northwest Nazarene 73-65. The Rams led by as much as 23 points during the second half while four players reached double-figures in points, including Tyrell Carroll who finished with six steals in the game. Angelo State followed that up with a 55-point win over Dallas Christian to improve to 4-0 on the year.
 
#18 ANGELO STATE RAMS (4-0) vs. MISSOURI BAPTIST (5-3)
Friday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m. CST – San Angelo, Texas – Junell Center
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: Tied 0-0
Last Meeting: This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
 
SCOUTING MISSOURI BAPTIST:
The Spartans enter the weekend with a 5-3 overall record, picking up wins over College of the Ozarks, East-West, and Benedictine College who held the 24^th ranking in the NAIA Top 25. Members of the NAIA's American Midwest Conference, Missouri Baptist finished last season with a 15-9 overall record, going 10-4 in conference play.
 
Three players average double-figures in points with RJ Pair leading the way with 12.7 points per game. Following him is Brendon Hardy with 11.5 points and John Yaeger with 10.4. Yaeger is also the leading rebounder for the Spartans, totaling 52 boards this season while Jadis White has collected 13 steals and 40 assists so far this season.
 
#18 ANGELO STATE RAMS (4-0) vs. ARKANSAS TECH (1-1)
Saturday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. CST – San Angelo, Texas – Junell Center
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: The Wonder Boys lead the all-time series 2-1.
Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2014: ASU, 88-79 (OT)
Dropping the first two meetings between these two, the Rams picked up their first win in the most recent matchup, defeating the Wonder Boys 8879 in overtime in San Angelo. ATU won the first meeting back in 2000, winning 79-73 at home.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH:
The Wonder Boys are 1-1 on the season but will play Missouri Southern Tuesday night and Texas A&M – Kingsville in their first game of the Ed Messbarger Classic on Friday before facing the Rams. ATU finished the shortened 2020-21 season with a 7-11 overall record, going 5-10 in the Great American Conference.
 
Czar Perry leads the Wonder Boys in scoring after the first two games of the season, averaging 15.5 points per game. Cameron Kennedy is shooting 58 percent to start the year, averaging 12.5 points while Tony Hall and Niko Gosnell had tallied 11.5 and 11 points per game respectively. Hall is also leading the team in rebounds, averaging 8.5 per game while Perry is also the assist leading, with 16 total.
 
QUICK HITS:
The Rams rank second overall in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, averaging 94.2 points per game. That mark ranks 14^th overall in all of Division II as well.
 
ASU's defense has caused problems for the opposition, ranking first overall in steals with 12.25 per game while ranking second in rebounds with 41.5 per game. The Rams rank sixth in DII in steals per game and 11^th in blocks per game, averaging 5.5. ASU is also 30^th in DII in rebounding margin, sitting at plus-nine.
 
Devaughn Thomas is leading the Rams with 17.5 points per game which is the seventh-highest point total in the LSC. Paul Williams has averaged 13.8 points per game and has collected seven steals while Carroll has tallied 15 assists and 12 steals to go along with an average of 11.3 points per game. Lathaniel Bastian is the leading rebounder for the Rams, collecting 30 on the season for an average of 7.5 rebounds per game which is fourth in the conference.

In the first edition of the NABC Division II Top 25 poll, the Rams came in at No. 18 after starting unranked in the preseason poll.