MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Harding men's basketball will play its final regular-season non-conference game on New Year's Eve. The Bisons will take on the Christian Brothers Buccaneers at 3 p.m. in Canale Arena on the CBU campus.
The game will not be broadcast on radio by the Harding Sports Network, but live video and live statistics will be available through Christian Brothers' website, gobucsgo.com.
Harding (5-5) will be riding a two-game winning streak into the game and will be in search of its first win in four road games this season. The Bisons scored 92 points in back-to-back Great American Conference home victories last week to even their overall record and pull within one-half game of the conference lead at 3-2.
Reigning GAC Player of the Week Jacob Gibson made six of Harding's school and conference-record 21 3-pointers in the Bisons' 92-72 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma on Dec. 18. Gibson scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Junior John Hudson, making his first career start, also made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 22 points.
With the record-setting 3-point performance, Harding moved into the top 10 in NCAA Division II with 10.9 3-pointers made per game. The Bisons lead the GAC in the category and also lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (40.1 percent). Junior Blake McNair ranks 11th in Division II and leads the GAC in 3-point shooting at 52.0 percent.
Christian Brothers enters the game 5-4 overall and on a two-game losing streak. The Bucs lost Gulf South Conference home games to West Georgia (67-61) and West Alabama (58-49) last week. The game with Harding will be Christian Brothers' fifth straight in Canale Arena, where the Bucs are 2-4 this season.
Senior guard Trey Casey leads the Bucs in scoring with 18.0 points per game. He has played all 40 minutes in seven of Christian Brothers' nine games and is also the team's leader in 3-point field goals (25) and steals (30). Senior forward Sidy Sall averages 16.4 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds, and senior point guard Ryan Fleming ranks eighth in Division II with 6.8 assists per game.
One of Christian Brothers' five victories came against Harding earlier this season. The teams met Nov. 15 in Searcy with the Bucs winning 72-61. Casey led Christian Brothers with 20 points, and junior forward Drew Hildreth scored a career-high 18 points. The Bucs outscored the Bisons 40-14 in the paint. McNair made six 3-pointers and led Harding with 25 points.
Harding holds a 38-34 series lead against Christian Brothers and have won 13 times in 34 games played in Memphis.
New Year's Eve is a rare playing date for Harding. The Christian Brothers game will mark only the second time Harding has played on the holiday. The Bisons played Gustavus Adolphus College of Saint Peter, Minnesota, on New Year's Eve in 1975 as part of the Granite City Classic in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Bisons lost 80-63.
