SAN ANGELO, Texas - The Angelo State men's basketball team embarks on their ninth South Central Regional appearance, face rival West Texas A&M in round one at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas.
 
Tickets for the tournament will go on sale at noon on Tuesday. Day passes will cost $10 each, or a tournament pass can be purchased for $30.
https://lcuchaps.com/sports/2021/7/21/lcu-tickets.aspx
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams were eliminated from the Lone Star Conference tournament by the Buffs who would go on to capture their fifth straight tournament title. Tyrell Carroll led the way for the Rams in the contest wth 22 points, six assists, five steals, and four rebounds. Lathaniel Bastian posted a double-double with 11 points and 16 boards in the loss.
 
ANGELO STATE RAMS (20-9, 9-6 LSC) vs. WEST TEXAS A&M (28-6, 11-5 LSC)
Saturday, Mar. 12, 2:30 p.m. CST – Lubbock, Texas – Rip Griffin Center
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu/
Live Stats: angelostats.com
Live Listen: 101.9 KWFR-FM and kwfrfm.com/sports/
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: The Buffs lead the series 52-22.
Last Meeting: Mar. 3, 2022: WT, 83-73  – Frisco, Texas
WT bested the Rams in their previous meeting at the Comerica Center in Frisco in the first round of the LSC tournament. Julius Brown scored a game high 34 points en route to the Buffs victory. The Buffs have won 13 of the last 14 meeting between the two sides, dating back to the 2015-16 season.
 
SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M:
West Texas enters the week 28-6 on the year and 11-5 in Lone Star Conference play. The Buffs are currently riding an eight game win streak, including their three straight wins to keep the LSC tournament trophy in Canyon. The Buffs retained seven of their players from last seasons DII championship final team.
 
On offense, the Buffs rank first in the conference in scoring, putting up 82.4 points per game. Defensively, WT ranks seventh, allowing 67.9 points per contest. The Buffs shoot 44.2 percent from the field, ranking eleventh in the LSC, while holding opponents to 42.6 percent, the fifth best mark in the conference. West Texas leads the Lone Star averaging 39.8 rebounds a game, ranking third in all of DII, having 1291 total rebounds on the season. Of those, 13.5 per game come on the offensive glass, which is the 10^th most in the nation.
 
The Buffs have a three-headed monster on offense as Julius Brown, Larry Wise, and Zach Toussaint all average upwards of 15 points per game, with Brown leading the pack at 15.4. Brown is the biggest threat at the moment, he averaged 25.3 points per game during the LSC tournament, earning him tournament MVP honors. Kavon Booker and Hayden Blankley lead the Buffs in the rebounding department, pulling down 5.9 and 5.3 respectively.
 
 
 
 
 
QUICK HITS:
-This will be the Rams ninth appearance in the NCAA South Central Regional, the fourth under Cinco Boone.
-The Rams have made it to the regional final twice, 2014-15 and 2015-16, losing to Tarleton State in both contests.
-The Rams are the second highest-scoring offense in the Lone Star, averaging 78.9 points per game.
-ASU leads the LSC in steals with 8.41 per game, while Carroll leads the conference with 2.5 steals per game.
-The Rams are the second-highest rebounding team in the Lone Star with 38.8 rebounds per game with Lathaniel Bastian ranking third with 8.1 rebounds per game.
-Bastian is third in the conference with 1.4 blocks per game, the team also sits third, averaging 3.76.
-Carroll is leading the Rams in points per game with 13.6, followed by Paul Williams with 13.1 points per game and Dante Moses with 12.5.