Harding Men's Basketball Opens NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Augustana

Coach Morgan Pregame Radio Interview

No. 8 Harding (20-10) vs. No. 1 Augustana (28-2)
Mar. 12, 2016 • Sanford Pentagon • Sioux Falls, S.D. • 5:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio: KVHU 95.3-FM
Internet:
   Audio: www.HardingSports.com
   Video: www.HardingSports.com
Live Stats: www.HardingSports.com

THE COACHES
Jeff Morgan, Harding
   at Harding: 398-261 (22nd season)
   Career: 415-271 (23rd season)
   vs. Augustana (SD): 0-0
Tom Billeter, Augustana
   at AU: 241-143 (13th season)
   Career: 338-193 (18th season)

THE SERIES
Series Record: First Meeting

• Harding will make its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance Saturday when it takes on No. 1 seed and host Augustana at 5:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon. The Bisons also made the tournament in '03, '08, '11, '13 and '14.

• Harding enters the tournament with a 20-10 record, its sixth 20-win season and first since 2012-13. The Bisons were the GAC regular season co-champions and reached the finals of the GAC Tournament.

• Harding is making its third appearance in the Central Regional in the last four seasons. The Bisons defeated Central Missouri and reached the regional semifinal in 2013 and fell to Minnesota-Mankato in the quarterfinals in 2014.

• Augustana is 28-2 and ranked No. 2 in the latest NABC Poll. The Vikings won the Northern Sun regular season championship with a 21-1 record and won the NSIC Tournament with an 89-76 victory over MSU Moorhead.

• Harding's Jacob Gibson won the GAC Player of the Year award. Gibson holds Harding's records for single-game 3-pointers (9), single-season 3-pointers (90, 2015-16) and career 3-pointers (229, 2011-16).

Harding Team Notes:
•   Harding's current roster has four players with more than 1,000 career points. Jacob Gibson leads the quartet with 1,269 points (20th in program history). Andraz Kavas scored 1,068 points before he was injured in Harding's eighth game of the season. Will Francis (1,028) and Blake McNair (1,021) both scored their 1,000 career points in Harding's GAC Tournament opener against Northwestern Oklahoma.

•   Harding enters the game ranked fourth in Division II in 3-point field-goal percentage defense at 29.5 percent. Fourteen of Harding's opponents this season shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range. Augustana enters the game ranked fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 42.3 percent.

•   Harding had three players honored in the GAC's postseason awards ceremony. Gibson was named Player of the Year and first-team All-GAC. Head coach Jeff Morgan was the Coach of the Year, and Blake McNair and Jacob Gibson were named second-team All-GAC.

•   Harding has made 312 3-pointers in 2015-16. With three more 3-pointers made, the Bisons will reach 300 made 3s for the third consecutive season. The 2013-14 team holds the record with 319 3-pointers.

•   Jacob Gibson's 229 3-pointers ranks 20th among active NCAA Division II players.

Series Notes:
•   Harding and Augustana have never met in men's basketball.

•   Harding and Augustana have two common opponents this season. Harding played Minnesota State Moorhead on Nov. 13 and fell 83-81 in overtime. Augustana defeated Moorhead 94-86 in Moorhead on Feb. 6 and again 89-76 in the championship game of the NSIC Tournament.
•   Harding fell 73-67 to Northern State on Nov. 14. Augustana lost to Northern State 90-81 on Feb. 5 in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Series Individual Records, Harding in NCAA II Tournament:
   Points - 31, Aaron Farley vs. Henderson State (3/14/2003)
   Rebounds - 18, Kevin Brown vs. Stillman (3/12/2011)
   Assists - 9, Steven Barnett vs. Tampa (3/15/2008)

Opponent Notes:
•   Augustana enters the game 28-2 overall. The Vikings were 21-1 and won the Northern Sun regular-season championship. Augustana was 13-0 at home. The Vikings have won nine straight games.

•   Augustana leads NCAA Division II with a 1.92 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranks third nationally with 19.4 assists per game and ranks sixth nationally with only 10.1 turnovers per game. The Vikings had only five turnovers in their NSIC Tournament championship win over Moorhead.

•   Dan Jansen, a 6-foot-9 forward from Orange City, Iowa, was named the NSIC Player of the Year. He averages 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. He scored in double figures in 28 of Augustana's 30 games.

•   Tom Billeter, a 1983 graduate of the University of Illinois, is in his 13th season at Augustana. He also coached five seasons at North Dakota State. Billeter earned Coach of the Year honors from the NSIC this season.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Will Francis: G; 6' 5"; Junior

#15 Jacob Gibson: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#44 Andraz Kavas: F; 6' 10"; Senior

#23 Blake McNair: G; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#21 Will Francis
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

#15 Jacob Gibson
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#44 Andraz Kavas
: 6' 10"; Senior
: F

#23 Blake McNair
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G