Harding Game Notes
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Harding men's basketball team will play its first game as a nationally-ranked team since 2008 on Saturday when it goes on the road meet 19th-ranked Christian Brothers at Canale Arena. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live in Searcy on KVHU-95.3 FM radio. Live audio and statistics will be available on HardingSports.com.
Harding entered the national rankings at No. 22 on Tuesday, its first entry into the NABC/Division II Top 25 since the team was 24th on Dec. 16, 2008. The Bisons are ranked for the third time since joining the NCAA for the 1996-97 season. Saturday's game will be its first as a ranking team against another ranked team in NCAA play.
With two victories last week, Harding is off to a 13-2 record, which is tied for its best 15-game start in program history. A victory over Christian Brothers would give Harding its best-ever 16-game start. The 1995-96 team opened the season 13-3.
The Bisons are 3-0 in GSC West Division play and tied with Arkansas Tech for first place in the division. The top four teams from each division advance to the GSC Tournament in March. Harding has started 4-0 in conference play once before, winning its first four GSC games in 2004.
Harding senior guard Stephen Blake was named GSC West Division Player of the Week on Wednesday. It was his first career Player of the Week honor. He averaged 23.5 points in Harding's two victories last week and connected on 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) three-point attempts.
The Bisons have made 22-of-46 (47.8 percent) three-pointers over the last two games and have moved into second in the GSC and 18th in Division II in three-point field goal percentage (40.1). Harding has three of the top 10 three-point shooters in the GSC--Blake (1st, 57.9), Hayden Johnson (5th, 46.5) and Bradley Spencer (8th, 45.5).
Blake leads the GSC in both free throw percentage (86.3) and three-point field goal percentage (57.9).
Harding has won 10 of its last 11 games and is 4-1 on the road.
Harding shot 52.7 percent from the field against Delta State. It was the fourth time in the last six games that Harding has shot 50 percent or better from the field. The Bisons have made 50 percent or more eight times this season, and limited their opponents to less than 50 percent from the field in 14 straight games.
Christian Brothers enters the game with a 15-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the GSC West. The Buccaneers had an eight-game winning streak snapped last week with a 59-45 home loss to Arkansas Tech. CBU responded with victories over Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist.
Junior Zack Warner leads Christian Brothers and ranks eighth in the GSC in scoring at 15.6 points per game. Junior Scott Dennis averages 14.6 points and a GSC-leading 11.6 rebounds. Dennis also ranks among the GSC top 10 in minutes played (1st, 36.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (5th, 1.6), steals (6th, 2.1), assists (8th, 3.6) and blocks (10th, 1.1).
Christian Brothers ranks second in Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 54.1 points per game. Offensively, the Bucs rank 251st of 275 Division II teams in scoring offense at just 63.8 points per game.
Harding and Christian Brothers are meeting for the 64th time with the Bisons leading the all-time series 33-30. The Bucs lead 19-11 in games played in Memphis, but Harding has won three of the last four at Christian Brothers. The teams split the series last year, each winning on the other team's home court.
