No. 8 Oklahoma Wesleyan (9-1) @ No. 18 Kansas Wesleyan (7-0)
When: December 3rd, 2022 – 7pm
Where: Mabee Arena – Seward, KS
Watch: Kansas Wesleyan University on the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Network (kcacnetwork.com)
KCAC Standings
Game Changers
Jaden Lietzke 6’7 So.
Jun Murdock 5’11 Jr.
While they play different positions, these two are going to be a fun battle to watch throughout the game. Jaden will man the paint, and his rim rattling, power dunks are game changers in momentum! The reigning KCAC Player of the Year and the 3rd team All-American is quickly earning his stripes as one of the top players in the NAIA! Jun Murdock earned Honorable Mention All-American honors last season and is having another good season this year. The All-American has been a game changer late in games as he has the ball in his hands a lot late in games as he helps to close out wins or when the Coyotes need a big bucket! Both teams will have their scouts and schemes designed to try and limit both of these players, but two really tough players who will have big impacts on the outcome of this game!
Probable Starters
Oklahoma Wesleyan
3 Derrick Talton Jr, 5’10 So. – 7.1ppg/4.3rpg/2.2apg
2 Brandon Bird, 6’4 Sr. – 12.9ppg/5.9rpg/1.6apg
1 Austin Poling, 6’0 Jr. – 5.5ppg/3.2rpg/2.4apg
10 Kaleb Stokes, 6’6 Jr. – 12.5ppg/6.6rpg/1.6apg
5 Jaden Lietzke, 6’7 Jr. – 15.4ppg/6.4rpg/1.6apg/1.3bpg
Key Reserves:
23 Dylan Phillip, 6’4 So. – 8.8ppg/2.6rpg
0 Taylen Miller, 6’1 Jr. – 5.3ppg/3.0rpg/2.6apg
Kansas Wesleyan
12 Jun Murdock, 5’11 Jr. – 13.6ppg/3.5rpg/3.6apg
5 Easton Hunter, 6’2 Jr. – 8.3ppg/1.4rpg
2 Cory Kaplan, 6’6 Jr. – 6ppg/2.3rpg
21 Thurbil Bile, 6’5 Jr. – 6.1ppg/6.3rpg/2.3bpg
24 Alex Littlejohn, 6’6 So. – 9.8ppg/12.2rpg
Key Reserves:
23 Tyus Jeffries, 6’1 Sr. – 7ppg/2.3rpg
4 Marcel Dean, 5’10 Jr. – 6.3ppg
33 Trey Duffey, 6’5 Jr. – 4.7ppg/6.7rpg
Game Breakdown
Oklahoma Wesleyan
The Eagles come into this game at 9-1 with their only loss being a road loss to No. 13 Evangel. They are led by All-Americans Jaden Lietzke and Kaleb Stokes. As good as they both are it’s Derrick Talton Jr, that is the motor that makes the Eagles go. The quick, two-way, guard is so good at breaking down defenses and creating great opportunities for his teammates. While they have ran away from teams at home this season, they are 3-1 on the road with a couple close games. They should be walking into a hostile environment as Coyote fans will have Mabee rocking. This will be their fourth ranked team of the season though, so they are battle tested headed into this one!
Kansas Wesleyan
While we do not currently have the Coyotes in our NAIA Hoops Report Top 25, we do like them. For us, we are more reserved on KWU because their NAIA wins are against teams who are a combined 25-26 this season. With that being said, they are beating those teams like they should, as they are winning by an average of 17.3ppg at home this season. OKWU is a big step up in competition, so the Coyotes have a great opportunity in this one to prove just how good they really are! They are led by All-American, Jun Murdock. Jun is a stud, do-it-all guard who can really take over games. Alex Little John currently sits at 5th nationally in rebounds per game at 12.2. This is a well-balanced squad that competes at both ends of the floor. They sit at 18th in the NAIA in Net Efficiency. If they are going to pull off the upset here, they will need to control the pace of play in this one. They are going to have to crash the glass on both ends of the floor and limit the OKWU runs.
