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Harding University Athletics

blake mcnair
Blake McNair and the Bisons play Friday and Saturday in Russellville, Arkansas.

Men's Basketball by Scott Goode (11/12/15)

Harding Men's Basketball Opens Season at GAC/NSIC Crossover

Harding Men's Basketball
GAC/NSIC Challenge in Russellville, Ark.
Harding vs. No. 9 Minnesota State-Moorhead – Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Harding vs. Northern State – Saturday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.
 
THE SETUP
Harding has been very successful in recent season-openers, winning its last three and five of its last six. But a victory in its 2015-16 season opener will raise eyebrows. The Bisons begin the campaign against No. 9 Minnesota State-Moorhead, the 2014-15 NCAA Division II Central Region champions and national quarterfinalist.

Harding plays Friday and Saturday at the GAC/NSIC Challenge, hosted by Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas. Northern State, also of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, is Harding's opponent Saturday.

Despite the distance between Harding and its two opponents, the teams are all members of the NCAA Division II Central Region. Searcy is 967 miles from Moorhead, Minnesota, and 927 miles from Aberdeen, South Dakota, the home of Northern State.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
G – #3 – Reggie Anthony (6-1, 170, SO, Memphis, Tenn.) 4.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.3 apg in 2014-15
  • Started the final eight games last season.
G – #15 – Jacob Gibson (6-5, 180, SR, Jonesboro, Ark.) 14.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg in 2014-15
  • Tied for ninth at Harding with 139 career 3-pointers (67 off school record).
G – #21 – Will Francis (6-5, 210, JR, Searcy, Ark.) 10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.8 apg in 2014-15
  • Led HU in assists (107) and second in steals (22) last season.
G – #23 – Blake McNair (6-4, 170, SR, Harrison, Ark.) 13.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg in 2014-15
  • Ranks fifth at Harding in career free-throw percentage (84.7).
F – #44 – Andraz Kavas (6-10, 235, SR, Ljubljana, Slovenia) 20.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.2 apg in 2014-15
  • Consensus preseason all-American, led the GAC in scoring last season.
 
COACHES
  • Harding – Jeff Morgan (378-251, 23rd season at Harding)
  • Minnesota State-Moorhead – Chad Walthall (111-45, 6th season at Minnesota State-Moorhead)
  • Northern State – Paul Sather (86-58, 6th season at Northern State)
 
GAME NOTES
  • Harding went 14-14 last season and tied for third in the Great American Conference with an 11-9 record. The Bisons reached the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.
  • Harding returns all five starters off last season's team and has six seniors on this season's roster.
  • Harding has won its last three openers and five of its last six. The Bisons defeated Champion Baptist 95-65 in last season's opener.
  • Harding last played in a Classic in Russellville in 2013. The Bisons defeated Midwestern State (74-70) and fell to Northeastern State (66-64).
  • Harding has five new players on its roster this season: freshmen Kent Hegarty, Zach Fryxell, Sonny Djokovic and Braden Eggleston and junior Stefan Andelkovic.
 
SERIES RECORDS
  • Harding and Minnesota State-Moorhead are playing for the first time.
  • Harding and Northern State have played once. Northern State defeated Harding 79-69 on Dec. 29, 1975 at the Granite City Classic in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Butch Gardner led Harding with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
  • Harding head coach Jeff Morgan's older brother, Jerry, played in the first meeting against Northern State. He scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and dished out three assists.
 
OPPONENTS
Minnesota State-Moorhead was the NCAA Division II Central Region champion last season and had a 35-4 record. The Dragons advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 and fell 92-75 to Bellarmine in the national quarterfinals.
  • Minnesota State-Moorhead led Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.82. The Dragons ranked 11th nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage (41.2) and 14th in 3-pointers per game (9.7).
  • The Dragons' leading returning scorer is 6-9 senior forward Isaac Sevlie. He averaged 12.5 points and was the only player on the team without a 3-pointer. Sevlie shot 59 percent from the field and led the team with 51 blocked shots.
Northern State had a 23-9 record last season and advanced to the Central Regional. The Wolves fell 82-72 to Central Missouri in the regional quarterfinals.
  • Northern State's leading returning scorer is senior guard Skye Warwick, who averaged 11.0 points and led the team with 75 3-pointers. The Wolves' top two scorers—Seth Bachand (13.6) and Tydan Storrusten (12.3) were both seniors.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Reggie Anthony

#3 Reggie Anthony

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Will Francis

#21 Will Francis

G
6' 5"
Junior
Jacob Gibson

#15 Jacob Gibson

G
6' 5"
Senior
Andraz Kavas

#44 Andraz Kavas

F
6' 10"
Senior
Blake McNair

#23 Blake McNair

G
6' 4"
Senior
Stefan Andelkovic

#42 Stefan Andelkovic

F
6' 8"
Junior
Gojko Djokovic

#34 Gojko Djokovic

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Braden Eggleston

#50 Braden Eggleston

F
6' 6"
Freshman
Zach Fryxell

#10 Zach Fryxell

G
6' 5"
Freshman
Kent Hegarty

#1 Kent Hegarty

G
6' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Reggie Anthony

#3 Reggie Anthony

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Will Francis

#21 Will Francis

6' 5"
Junior
G
Jacob Gibson

#15 Jacob Gibson

6' 5"
Senior
G
Andraz Kavas

#44 Andraz Kavas

6' 10"
Senior
F
Blake McNair

#23 Blake McNair

6' 4"
Senior
G
Stefan Andelkovic

#42 Stefan Andelkovic

6' 8"
Junior
F
Gojko Djokovic

#34 Gojko Djokovic

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Braden Eggleston

#50 Braden Eggleston

6' 6"
Freshman
F
Zach Fryxell

#10 Zach Fryxell

6' 5"
Freshman
G
Kent Hegarty

#1 Kent Hegarty

6' 6"
Freshman
G