SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State Rams unofficially begin their 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday night as they welcome the Arlington Baptist Patriots to the Junell Center-Stephens Arena with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m. in exhibition action.

THE MATCHUP                    

ANGELO STATE vs. ARLINGTON BAPTIST
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 - 6:00 P.M.
JUNELL CENTER-STEPHENS ARENA  |  SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
TICKETS

NEWS & NOTES                  

2025-26 REWIND
The 2025-26 campaign saw the Rams win their first five games of the season and 10 of their first 14 games on the way to a 17-14 overall record. Angelo State held the second-best scoring defense in the LSC a year ago, allowing just 67.4 points per game which ranked 30th in all of NCAA Division II basketball.
 
PLAYER TO WATCH LIST
Senior forward Jhordan Ryan was named to the LSC Preseason Players to Watch List following a stellar campaign in 2025-26. The Montserrat native ranked ninth in the league last season with 6.7 rebounds per game as he had eight double-doubles during his first season in the Concho Valley to earn All-LSC Third Team accolades.
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Angelo State was picked to finish eighth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll announced on October 19th by the league's offices in Richardson, Texas. The Rams received 499 points in voting conducted by the conference's head coaches, sports information directors and one media representative from each institution.
 
Defending LSC Champion DBU picked up 35 of the possible 49 first place votes for a total of 841 points to sit atop of the poll followed by Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's, Western New Mexico, St. Mary's, West Texas A&M, ASU, Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Tyler, Oklahoma Christian, UT Dallas, UT Permian Basin, Midwestern State, Texas A&M International, Cameron and Sul Ross State.
 
DRAWING A CROWD
The Rams ranked third in the Lone Star Conference in attendance during the 2026-27 campaign as they averaged 749 fans over their 12 home contests with an overall attendance mark of 8,976.
 
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots enter the week with a 1-2 overall record to start the 2026-27 campaign. ABU fell to Paul Quinn (90-49) and Nelson University (101-72) before picking up a 67-66 win over Mid-American Christian on Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City.
 
ABU finished last season with an overall record of 11-12. The Patriots averaged 86.0 points per game as they shot 43.1% (704-of-1634) from the floor including 31.4% (164-of-522) from behind the arc and 71.8% (407-of-567) from the free throw line. The Patriots grabbed 810 total rebounds (267 offensive, 543 defensive) to average 35.2 boards per game to go along with 348 assists, 358 turnovers, 226 steals and 45 blocks.
 
Five different Patriots averaged double-figure scoring in 2025-26 highlighted by Davion Allen's 15.6 points per game. The Pflugerville, Texas product returns for his senior campaign as he saw time in 12 games with 11 starts a year ago, shooting 42.6% from the floor including 32% from deep to go along with 38 rebounds, 21 assists, 17 steals and three blocks.
 
Marcel Dalcourt appeared in 21 games with 19 starts last season for the Patriots as the senior from Breaux Ridge, Louisiana went 107-of-234 (45.7%) from the field including 46-of-116 (39.7%) from behind the arc and 37-of-48 (77.1%) from the charity stripe with 149 rebounds, 46 assists, 34 steals and nine blocks while averaging 14.1 points per game.
 
Arlington Baptist is a private college and the Patriots sponsor 16 sports that compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
 
ABU HEAD COACH BUBBA JENNINGS
Bubba Jennings in in his sixth season at the helm of the Arlington Baptist men's basketball program, taking over the head coaching duties in May of 2021. In his first season, the Patriot Men's Basketball team won the Southwest Regional Championship and the 2022 ACCA National Championship, securing the program's fifth overall title.
 
Before coaching, Jennings had a stellar playing career at Texas Tech University from 1980 to 1985. He recorded 1,727 points, 378 assists, and 149 steals, earning four All-Southwest Conference selections. During his senior year, he led Texas Tech to a 23-8 overall record, winning the SWC Conference Championship and securing a spot in the NCCA Tournament. Jennings received numerous accolades, including SWC Player of the Year, SWC Offensive Player of the Year and All-American Honorable Mention.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Junell Center is one of the most recognizable buildings on the ASU campus and is home to one of the finest playing courts in NCAA Division II – Stephens Arena. The university's Board of Regents approved the plans for the new center, at an estimated cost of $20 million. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in the summer of 1999, and construction was completed in December of 2001. The first athletic contest held in the facility was on January 17, 2002, as the Rams and Rambelles hosted Texas A&M-Kingsville in a basketball doubleheader.
 
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams are 42-8 inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, good enough for a .840 winning percentage. The Rams won their first 21 games on their home court under Patel's guidance, including a 13-0 mark in 2022-23 during Patel's first season at the helm.
 
ASU HEAD COACH VINAY PATEL
Vinay Patel enters his fifth season at the helm of the Ram Basketball program for the 2026-27 season after taking over in San Angelo on April 29, 2002. Patel has mentored 14 All-LSC honorees during his time in the Concho Valley including Steve Webb being named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson was named the LSC Newcomer of the Year in 2024.
 
The Shamrock, Texas native holds over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience with stops at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma City University, Rogers State and West Texas A&M.
 
OPENING THE SEASON
Angelo State opens their 2026-27 campaign on the road as they travel to the Rocky Mountain State for South Central Region matchups against Adams State (Nov. 13) and Western Colorado (Nov. 14). The Rams return to the Concho Valley on Friday, November 20th as they host Sul Ross State in the home opener at the Junell Center-Stephens Arena.
 
LSC BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
- The LSC men's basketball season began on October 30th. Three different league institutions started their campaign last weekend at D2CCA Tipoff Classics across the country.
- West Texas A&M began 3-0 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin while Lubbock Christian (Ellensburg, Washington) and St. Edward's (Honolulu, Hawaii) went 2-1 during opening weekend.
- Lone Star Conference Hoops Week took place on October 19-23. Watch interviews from all 17 men's basketball teams and the preseason player of the year on the conference's YouTube page.
- All 17 LSC men's basketball teams are eligible to win the regular season title and advance to the LSC and NCAA Division II postseason tournaments.
- The nine-team LSC men's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 2 on campus and March 5-7 at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Tickets will go on sale in February.
- The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball South Central Regional is scheduled for March 13-14, 16 at a site to be determined. The Elite Eight is set for March 23, 25, 27 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.