KCAC
[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: KCAC Postseason Tournament starts tonight for Falcons …
The Lowdown: Avila University at Friends University – KCAC Tournament first roundLocation: Garvey CenterWhen: Tuesday, Feb. 22 @ 7 pmBroadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/What's at Stake: A win over the ninth-seeded Avila University Eagles puts the eighth-seeded Falcons into a quarterfinal matchup at top-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University Thursday night (Feb. 24) at 7 pm in Bartlesville, Okla.KCAC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket Flying with the Falcons: The Falcons won four of their last five games to come in at 11-19 overall and 10-14 in the KCAC to earn the eighth spot in the postseason tourney. Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), with Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) second in scoring at 12.4 ppg along with a team-best 2.5 assists per game. Drew Patterson (FR/Charlotte, NC) is also averaging 9.1 ppg while shooting a team-high 42.2 percent (57-135) from three-point distance. Scouting the Eagles: The ninth-seeded Avila University Eagles finished the regular season at 9-21 overall and 8-16 in the KCAC.Eric Smith Jr. is averaging a near double-double of 15.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg to lead the Eagles. Jaylen Dinkens is also scoring in double-figures with 10.8 ppg and Donte' Simpson has a team-high 4.1 assists per game. The Series: The Falcons entered this season winners of six of the last meetings over Avila, but the Eagles managed to sweep both matchups this year.Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth: "It's exciting to be in our first post-season game, and getting to host in The Garvey. We learned a lot from the first two meetings with Avila, and our guys are focused and playing their best basketball going into the tournament." KCAC Tournament History: The Falcons have enjoyed success at the KCAC postseason tourney, amassing a 22-13 record since 2004-05 while winning four tournament championships in that span. The Falcons' last title run came in the 2014-15 campaign.Immediate Impact: Newcomer Alex Gray (FR) has wasted no time in making his mark for the Friends University men's basketball team. In just 13 career games, Gray is averaging 10.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 2.9 apg. On 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 (Feb. 1). If he had played enough games to qualify, Gray's rebounding and assist totals would both be team-highs for the Falcons. Just Take Me Half the Way: When the Falcons manage to go into the locker room with a lead, they've closed out the victory 10 out of 15 times. But when trailing at the break, the Falcons have lost all 14 games.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: 11-19KCAC: 10-14Home: 7-7Road: 4-9Neutral: 0-3When scoring: Under 50 points: 0-050-59 points: 0-560-69 points: 2-870-79 points: 4-680-89 points: 2-090+ points: 3-0When allowing:Under 50 points:50-59 points: 1-060-69 points: 5-270-79 points: 3-1080-89 points: 2-690+ points: 0-1When leading at halftime: 10-5When trailing at halftime: 0-14When tied at halftime: 1-0When committing more turnovers: 10-18When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in field-goal percentage: 11-5When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-14When leading in three-point percentage: 11-8When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-10When three-point percentage is tied: 0-1When leading in rebounding: 8-9When trailing in rebounding: 2-10When rebounding is tied: 1-0When leading in assists: 9-3When trailing in assists: 2-15When 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.Bill Sloan is in his sixth season at the helm of the Avila University men's basketball program. Prior to being named head coach, Sloan spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the program. Before arriving at Avila, Sloan was an assistant for nearly 20 years across two stints at Kansas City Kansas Community College.Up Next: A victory tonight over Avila would push the Falcons into the KCAC quarterfinal round Thursday night (Feb. 24) at top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Tip-off would be at 7 pm in Bartlesville, Okla.