Tiger Men's Hoops heads east to battle Texas Lutheran and Southwestern.
 
The Tigers (16-3, 9-1 SCAC) picked up a pair of home victories last weekend. Trinity opened the weekend with a narrow 69-63 win over Ozarks and then defeated Centenary the following day 76-68. Against Ozarks, Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) totaled 15 points and added three three-pointers. Against Centenary, Jacob Harvey (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave) dropped 22 points on 8-15 shooting and went 6-11 from beyond the arc. Ty Williams (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) also turned in a solid performance with 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals. 
 
As a team, the Tigers are ranked 10th in free throw attempts per game, 15th in steals per game, and 17th in turnovers forced per game. In the SCAC rankings, the Tigers are in first place with their 9-1 conference record. Schreiner is in second place at 7-3, with Concordia at third with a 5-4 record. 
 
NCAA Power Index - Tigers at 42
 
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings are the NCAA's new system for selecting the 12 at-large bids to the NCAA III Playoffs. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant). 
 
With that, the first NPI rankings for NCAA III Men's Basketball have come out this week. Trinity is ranked 42nd with an NPI rating of 60.151. Wesleyan (CT) is in first with a rating of 72. 737, with NYU in second at 69.652. SCAC rival St. Thomas is 25th at 61.728 and regional rival UMHB is 55th with a rating of 58.717.
 
Preview - Pirates and Dogs
 
The Tigers will hit the road to take on Texas Lutheran on Friday, February 7th at 7:30 PM. Then, the following day, Trinity will be in Georgetown to battle Southwestern at 6:00 PM.
 
On the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs: The Bulldogs currently hold a 6-13 overall record (4-6 SCAC) this season. Despite solid wins against La Verne and Centenary, a tough 1-9 stretch in December and January caused their record to take a significant hit. TLU relies on a tight rotation, with seven players averaging over 20 minutes per game. Junior Trey Blackmore leads the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 12 points per game. In their last matchup, the Tigers secured a hard-fought 76-73 overtime victory, extending their winning streak against TLU to four games. Historically, Trinity holds a 19-10 all-time record against Texas Lutheran.
 
On the Southwestern Pirates: Southwestern has already matched last season's win total, holding a 2-17 overall record, including a 2-8 mark in SCAC play. The Pirates' two victories came against Texas Lutheran and Austin College. So far, they have been outscored 1,372 to 1,174 this season.While Southwestern shoots a respectable 44% from inside the paint, they have struggled from beyond the arc, making just 29% of their three-point attempts. Brock Luechtefeld is the only Pirate averaging double figures, leading the team with 12.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. In their last meeting, the Tigers dominated Southwestern with an 87-70 victory. Historically, Trinity holds a 49-23 all-time record against the Pirates.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will take on the same opponents, but at home on Valentine's Day weekend.