6:30pm CT | #16 Grace (IN) @ No. 17 Huntington (IN)
The Crossroads League is really heating up and this Top 25 matchup is a must watch game! Grace comes into this game winners of 5-straight games! Ian Scott is a PRO, but this Grace team, leads the NAIA in assists per game and are tough to scout because they share the ball, make shots and have different guys stepping up every night! They play with great pace and the ball doesn’t stick. They are going to need to hit shots tonight as they head to Huntington. Speaking of pros, Lane Sparks has been electric since his return to the lineup! Huntington is 4-0, in his 11 games played, when he makes 3+ 3 pointers! The Foresters are coming off a tough 76-78 road loss to Marian. That loss pushed them to 2 games back of Bethel for 1st place. Need to protect home court tonight to avoid being 3 games back!
7:30pm CT | No. 25 Graceland (IA) @ Peru State (NE)
The Heart of America Game of the Week. Rightfully so too as both teams come into this game tied for 2nd place in the Heart Standings! Graceland is coming off a tough, 63-64, Heart of America road loss to No. 12 Baker. Cole Bowen has been fantastic and the Carter’s (Busch and Brown) have also helped Graceland to a 12-2 record this season. Peru State comes in on a 5-game win streak. Oddly enough, their last loss also was a road loss to No. 12 Baker. Carlos Hines is leading the way, averaging 18.2ppg in Heart of America play. Devin Tomlinson, the Freed-Hardeman transfer, as we saw last year all the way up to the National Championship, has been a menace defensively! Tomlinson along with Lamar Lovelace and Ty Griggs all average double figures in league play. This game may be first team to 70 wins! Big game for both as they try to keep pace with Baker for a Heart of America Title!
8:00pm CT | St. Mary (KS) @ No. 24 Oklahoma Wesleyan
St. Mary sits at 8-0 in KCAC play putting them 1 game up on Oklahoma Wesleyan! Goes without saying that this would be a HUGE road win for USM as it would put them up 2 games in the KCAC standings. They have won 9-straight games and this begins a tough week of action for them as they travel to OKWU tonight and then to Bethel (KS) on Saturday. They have been without leading scorer, Damare Smith for the past couple of games. Sophomore’s Jordan Brown and Kaeden Bonner have put up big games since his absence though to keep their win streak alive! Bryce Johnson and Joey Schultz have also had good seasons! For the Eagles, it’s the veteran trio of Derrick Talton Jr., Jaden Lietzke and Dylan Phillp who lead the way. The 2x KCAC Player of the Year, Lietzke is making his return tonight after a month away due to injury. OKWU can take over 1st place with a win at home tonight!
9:30pm CT | No. 4 Arizona Christian @ No. 9 The Master’s (CA)
How about a late-night Top 10 matchup to cap off the evening! Arizona Christian has been without the services of All-American, Trent Hudgens, and it sounds like his injury may cost him the season. Terrible news for Hudgens who was putting together another stellar season! The Firestorm are really well balanced and getting production from all over. Anthony Howell and Lorenzo Wright both had big games in the GSAC opener. As did the Freshman, Jalik Dunkley. They were without the services of Ese Onakpoma who has had big games all season for ACU. Arik Nicholas and Dominic Gonzales have also stepped up in games this season! They hit the road for a tough road contest at The Master’s tonight. The Mustangs are coming off a road loss to RV Hope International in their GSAC opener. If students are back on campus this is going to be an EXTREMELY packed and fun environment! National Player of the Year candidate, Kaleb Lowery, is coming off one of his worst performances in a Mustang uniform, where he was held without a single field goal. Look for him to have a big bounce back game tonight! Kendall Moore and the Freshman, Quincy Phillips have been great for TMU this season. This is a game worth staying up late for! Both teams have a lot of fire power! They are both so well coached and both are no strangers to Kansas City over the past few years!
Top 25 Games
No. 6 Northwestern (IA) vs Dakota Wesleyan | 7:45pm CT | Watch
No. 10 Bethel (IN) vs Marian (IN) | 6:30pm CT | Watch
No. 11 Dordt (IA) @ Waldorf (IA) | 7:45pm CT | Watch
No. 12 Baker (KS) @ Benedictine (KS) 7:30pm CT | Watch
No. 18 Ave Maria (FL) @ Warner (FL) | 6:30pm CT | Watch
No. 19 Pikeville (KY) vs Bluefield (VA) | 2pm CT | Watch
No. 21 Keiser (FL) @ Southeastern (FL) | 6:30pm CT | Watch
No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan @ Taylor (IN) | 6:30pm CT | Watch
No. 23 Rio Grande (OH) vs RV West Virginia Tech | Noon CT | Watch
