KCAC
[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons go for third straight win tomorrow night vs. Tabor
The Lowdown: Tabor College at Friends UniversityLocation: Garvey CenterWhen: Saturday, Feb. 12 @ 7 pmBroadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/Radio: ESPN Wichita 92.3 FMWhat's at Stake: A win would give the Falcons a three-game winning streak, their longest of the season. A victory would also keep the Falcons in position for the eighth seed in the KCAC, giving them a home game in the opening round of the conference postseason tournament.Flying with the Falcons: The Falcons followed up their upset victory last Saturday night over (RV) Southwestern College with a dominating 78-60 win at the Sterling College Warriors Wednesday night (Feb. 9) in Sterling, Kan. The win moves the Falcons (9-18, 8-13 KCAC) into the eighth spot in the KCAC, with seeds 4-8 scheduled to host a KCAC tournament opening round game on Feb 22.Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg), with Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) second in scoring with 12.7 ppg along with a team-best 2.6 assists per game. Drew Patterson (FR/Charlotte, NC) is also averaging 9.6 ppg while shooting a team-high 41.9 percent (54-129) from three-point distance. Scouting the Bluejays: The Tabor College Bluejays have dropped two straight games to come in with a 7-17 overall record and a 5-16 mark in the KCAC.Montel Stewart leads Tabor with 10.3 ppg and Bruno Araujo has recorded a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game. Lonnie Langston has distributed a team-best two assists a game and Austin Hilton is hitting a KCAC-high 51.9 percent from three-point distance. The Series: The Falcons defeated the Bluejays 77-66 in the first meeting this season in Hillsboro, Kan. and have now won six of the last seven matchups in the series. Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth:"Saturday night will be another test for our guys. Trying to extend our win streak to the longest of the season will take a great effort from everyone. Tabor has a deep bench, and they have a lot of athleticism. It should be a great environment!"White Out: Fans are encouraged to wear white to create a "White Out" and a boisterous atmosphere for the Falcons!Immediate Impact: Newcomer Alex Gray (FR) has wasted no time in making his mark for the Friends University men's basketball team. In just 10 career games, Gray is averaging 11.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 2.8 apg. On Monday (Feb. 7), Gray was named the KCAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week following a career-high 25-point effort at Ottawa University last Tuesday (Feb. 1). Make or Miss League: Sometimes the game of basketball is as simple as just making more shots than the team you're playing against. That's been the case this season for the Falcons, who are 7-4 when they lead in field-goal percentage, but are winless all 14 times that the opposition shoots better from the floor.Sponsor Alerts: Friends University Athletics is excited to have Home2 Suites by Hilton back as an official athletic sponsor this season! For more on what they can offer, click HERE to visit their official webpage.Friends University Athletics also welcomes Phoenix Home Care and Hospice as a sponsor this season! For more info on what they can provide, click HERE.Tickets: Fans are able to tickets all home basketball games by clicking HERE.Falcons by the Numbers:Overall record: 9-18KCAC: 8-13Home: 6-6Road: 3-9Neutral: 0-3When scoring: Under 50 points: 0-050-59 points: 0-460-69 points: 0-870-79 points: 4-680-89 points: 2-090+ points: 3-0When allowing:Under 50 points:50-59 points: 0-060-69 points: 4-170-79 points: 3-1080-89 points: 2-690+ points: 0-1When leading at halftime: 9-5When trailing at halftime: 0-13When tied at halftime: 0-0When committing more turnovers: 8-17When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in field-goal percentage: 9-4When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-14When leading in three-point percentage: 9-8When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-10When leading in rebounding: 6-8When trailing in rebounding: 2-10When rebounding is tied: 1-0When leading in assists: 7-3When trailing in assists: 2-14When assists are even: 0-1In OT: 0-0The Coaches:Austin McBeth is in his first season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.McBeth arrived at Friends following a highly successful stint as the head assistant coach at NCAA D-II Truman State University of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).Serving as the recruiting coordinator for Truman State, McBeth was at the heart of a team that won the GLVC regular-season championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA D-II National Tournament.At Truman, McBeth also served in roles as the director of strength and conditioning, academic advisor for "at risk" players, summer camp director, director of community service while being heavily involved in fundraising and skill development for guards and post players.McBeth's coaching experience includes head assistant coaching stops at the University of Illinois-Springfield, also of the GLVC and NAIA program Montreat College in Black Mountain, NC.He was also a part of his alma mater team, the Iowa State University men's basketball program under head coach Fred Hoiberg, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.McBeth was a Volunteer GA Assistant Coach at ISU in 2013 and served as a camp instructor for the Cyclones in the summer of 2012.Off the court, McBeth is the perfect fit for the Friends University Christian mission, having served as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) President at Iowa State while also filling the role of an FCA Co-Sponsor at Iowa State, Montreat and Illinois-Springfield. In addition, he has authored two books on coaching philosophies and the important role that coaches play in the lives of athletes.Micah Ratzlaff is in his 15th season as head coach of the Tabor College Bluejays. Ratzlaff also played at Tabor following a two-year stint at Oral Roberts University. At Tabor, Ratzlaff earned first-team all-conference honors and also honorable-mention All-America recognition.Up Next: The Falcons will be at the University of Saint Mary next Wednesday night (Feb. 16) at 8 pm in Leavenworth, Kan.