Games #1/2
Northeastern State (8-20, 4-15 MIAA last season) vs. Southwestern Oklahoma (4-24, 2-20 GAC last season) / Northwestern Oklahoma (22-7, 17-5 GAC last season)
Friday, Nov. 9/10, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. | Tahlequah, Okla. | NSU Event Center
Opening Tip
- Northeastern State opens the season at home for the first time since 2014.
- The RiverHawks are 3-5 in the MIAA/GAC Challenge.
- Head Coach Mark Downey is 1-1 against Southwestern Oklahoma and 0-1 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma.
- Northeastern State will stay close to home with its first seven games being in Oklahoma.
- Played Rhema Bible in an open scrimmage on Monday evening at the NSU Event Center.
About the Bulldogs
- Voted to finish ninth in the Great American Conference.
- Went 4-24 overall and 2-20 in GAC play.
- Under the guidance of former Central Oklahoma head coach Terry Evans who is in his first season at SWOSU.
- Beat Oklahoma City, 101-97, in exhibition play with Tre Evans scoring 43 points.
- Returns five letterwinners with Nick Shoemaker as its top scorer from last season averaging 9.6 points a game.
RiverHawks vs. Bulldogs Series
- Northeastern State has lost their last three against the Bulldogs.
- SWOSU's first visit to the NSU Event Center.
- The RiverHawks last win came on Jan. 15, 2011 (58-52) while both programs were members of the Lone Star Conference.
About the Rangers
- Was picked sixth and had one first place vote in the GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Under the guidance of head coach Shawn Dirden who his in his third season (34-22)
- Went 22-7 overall and 17-5 in GAC play.
- Returns GAC Newcomer of the Year, Treyvon Andres who averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds last season.
- Returns six letterwinners.
RiverHawks vs. Bulldogs Series
- Series is split at 3-3 in the last six meetings.
- In the MIAA/GAC Challenge, the Rangers hold a 3-1 advantage.
- Northeastern State's last win over the Rangers came in Durant on Nov. 14, 2015 (92-90)
- Rangers beat the RiverHawks in the lone visit the NSU Event Center (76-73) in 2014.
Looking Back
- Northeastern State lost 95-60 in an exhibition at Tulsa to start the season.
- The RiverHawks missed their first nine shots from the field while Tulsa started the contest on a 12-0 run.
- In the second half, Northeastern State out-scored TU 20-to-14 in the paint.
- D'Angelo Jackson paced the RiverHawks with 17 points.
Ignoring the Polls
Out of 14 teams, Northeastern State was picked 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and 14th the media.
Already at 1,000+
Senior transfer
D'Angelo Jackson starts the season with 1,203 career points in-between stops at Eastern Illinois and Highland CC. Jackson has a career average at over 15 points per game and was selected as a NJCAA All-American.
An older group
Northeastern State has one freshman on its roster this season with nine juniors, and four seniors.
Former Rangers
Jahmel Bodrick,
Michael Bowers, and
Caleb Smith all come to Northeastern State from Ranger College (Texas) and played for Former Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie.
