UMHB will face rivals Hardin-Simmons today and McMurry on Saturday in a pair of American Southwest Conference doubleheaders that could a long way toward shaping the field for next month’s ASC Tournament.
For the fourth-ranked Crusaders (11-1, 8-0 ASC), a successful West Texas swing would keep them in the driver’s seat for the bid to host the conference tourney.
And for the Lady Crusaders (8-4, 6-2), Hardin-Simmons, No. 8 McMurry and No. 2 Howard Payne - who they host next Tuesday - are the only teams they trail in the ASC West Division standings.
Crusaders carry target
The numbers are somewhat gaudy for the UMHB men. They’ve won 29 of their last 33 games and last week became the first ASC West team to sweep the East since the league went to its expanded schedule.
Those are nice accolades, but the accomplishments accompanied by their lofty ranking have turned the Crusaders into targets. They seem to be drawing the best efforts from their opponents as evidenced by recent history - three of UMHB’s last four wins have been by a combined seven points.
“That’s just the way it is, and I would certainly think less of everybody if they weren’t more prepared to play a top-10 team,” UMHB coach Ken DeWeese said. “If somebody beats us, they’ve done something. Even if they lose their next game, they still beat the No. 4 team in the nation.”
At 7:30 tonight, the Crusaders will face a Cowboys team with more incentive than knocking off a ranked opponent. HSU (5-7, 4-4) is locked in five-way battle for the final three tournament slots from the West, and a win over first-place UMHB would give the Cowboys a leg up on the rest of the cluster.
“In the conference standings, we have a zero by our name in the loss column,” DeWeese said. “Anytime somebody beats us, that gives them an advantage over everybody else.
“I certainly think Hardin-Simmons will be there in the end, and this is truly a big game for them. If they beat us, they’re probably going to be in the ASC tournament.”
To do so, the Cowboys will need big games from 6-8 senior center Mardochee Jean and junior guard Marcus Smith, a transfer from New Mexico Military Institute.
Jean - the ASC’s all-time leader in rebounds - has expanded his role with team-high averages of 16 points and nine boards. Smith is one of three HSU players averaging nine points.
“Mardochee is more offensive-minded this year, and they’re going to him a tremendous amount,” DeWeese said. “We’re going to defend him with 1½ guys and crowd him. He’s quicker than anybody we have to guard him, so that’s why we’re going to defend him with more than one.”
The Crusaders counter with athleticism and depth. Guard Jason Wagner, wing Tilmon Gaddy and 6-10 post Ryan Burgart are all averaging in double figures for points, and UMHB has 10 players who average 10 minutes or more per game.
“We don’t have any guys that have surprised me because we expected this from them,” DeWeese said. “But we also don’t have any guys that have been disappointments, either.”
An uphill climb
Facing perennial West women’s powers HSU (10-2, 7-1), McMurry (11-1, 8-0) and Howard Payne (13-0, 9-0) in consecutive games is a tall order, but UMHB coach Kim Kirkpatrick believes her team is hungry to make an impression.
“Our girls realize that we’re on a little roll,” said Kirkpatrick, whose squad is riding a six-game winning streak. “We tell them that we want to keep it going and also improve in some areas.
“We know this is a tough three-game stretch for us. We just want to make sure that we’ve done everything we can to be fully prepared, and then play as best we can.”
UMHB, which has beaten every team in the West except McMurry at least once in Kirkpatrick’s three-year tenure, has built its winning streak with balance and depth.
Other than freshman post Landie Thompson - who averages 15 points and eight rebounds - no other Lady Crusader averages in double figures, yet at least one other player has stepped up each game.
In its last three games, UMHB had two players in double digits - Thompson in all three and three different players once each.
“We have a few other girls who can score consistently,” Kirkpatrick said. “But by having someone different step up each night, it makes it more difficult to defend us.”
The Lady Crusaders’ unselfishness and balance are also to their advantage. UMHB had assists on 23 of its 28 field goals in its last game.
“That mind set of, ‘It doesn’t matter who gets it done as long as we get it done,’ is a big plus for us right now,” Kirkpatrick said.
Notes: All four games in Abilene will be carried live via an internet audio broadcast at umhb.edu/athletics. . . . McMurry (4-8, 1-7) was the last team to deal the UMHB men a regular-season conference loss.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
