GAME NOTES: Delta State vs. Arkansas-Monticello/College of Faith (11.29-12.1.14)

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University men's basketball is set to take on the University of Arkansas at Monticello and College of Faith. The Statesmen will face the Boll Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday, Nov. 29 before playing host to the Warriors of College of Faith on Monday, Dec. 1.
 

STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date/Location:	Nov. 29, 2014 | Steelman Field House | Monticello, Ark. Dec. 1, 2014 | Walter Sillers Coliseum | Cleveland, Miss.
Tipoff Time:	Arkansas-Monticello 4:00 p.m. College of Faith 7:00 p.m.
Radio:	Statesmen Sports Network | Philip Tang(PxP)
Series History:	88th meeting with SU; Statesmen lead series 65-22 1st meeting with Faith
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Live Video:	Watch Here

 
 
TIPOFF
Coming off a tough 87-85 double overtime loss to in-region opponent LeMoyne-Owen, Delta State looks to bounce back with games against Arkansas-Monticello and College of Faith.

The Statesmen went 1-1 last week with a loss to the Magicians and a 108-75 win over Selma University.

DSU recorded a season-high field goal percentage of 66.7 percent on 34-of-51 against the Bulldogs of Selma. Jack Madgen led six Statesmen in double figures with 21 points.

Sophomore Devin Schmidt contributed a season-high 30 points in DSU's loss to LeMoyne Owen, narrowly missing his career-high 35 he set against West Alabama on February 4 last season.

Other career-highs reigned down for Alister Chisholm and Zelvin Smith over the weekend.

Against Selma, Chisholm dished out a career-high five assists, while Smith snagged a career-high 12 rebounds in his double-double also adding 12 points.

Madgen, the 6-foot-5 guard, continues to climb up the Delta State record books. The Aussie holds the No. 5 spot in three-pointers made with 111 and No. 7 rank in three-pointers attempted with 263.

This week's matchups against Arkansas-Monticello and College of Faith wrap up nonconference play before Delta State delves into a gruesome Gulf South Conference schedule.

The series with the Boll Weevils of Monticello dates back to December 13, 1946. DSU earned the 63-41 win that night and owns the 65-22 advantage in the series.

Monday, December 1 marks the first meeting between Delta State and the College of Faith. The Statesmen play host to the Warriors at Walter Sillers Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.

Cleveland product PJ Davis continues to build on an impressive first season with the Green-and-White. The freshman averages 10.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game.

For the second week in a row, Davis earned GSC Freshman of the Week honors. The 6-foot-5 forward put together two consecutive 15-point performances against Florida Southern and Selma. 

As a team, the Statesmen rank seventh in field goal percentage (56.3 %) and eighth in free throw percentage (80.4 %).

Madgen holds the number two spot in all of Division II men's basketball for three-point field goal percentage with an 84.6 %.

Delta State is back in action at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Thursday, Dec. 4 as the Statesmen open up conference play against West Georgia and West Alabama.
  

---

 
THE MAN BEHIND THE SWEATERVEST
The Statesmen are led by one of the nation's top defensive coaches in Jim Boone.  The 28-year veteran skipper has hung his hat on his ability to draw up defenses to stop any opponent.  In last year's regular season, the Statesmen allowed a league-best 65.2 points and 39.5 percent shooting per game; ranking 11th nationally in scoring defense and eighth in field goal percentage defense.
 
With another season like the Statesmen had last year, Jim Boone will eclipse 400 career wins in Division II. He now holds a .664 win percentage with a 377-191 record.
 
PRESEASON PICKS
For their performance last season, the Statesmen were tabbed to finish first in the conference this season not only by the conference but also by the D2 Bulletin. With the target on its chest, DSU is prepared for the attention that comes with success.
 
DSU debuted at No. 13 in the NABC Preseason Top 25, the only school in the GSC to make the cut. Florida Southern is the only opponent on the schedule in the preseason poll, ranking at No. 9. In the first official poll, the NABC tabbed Delta State at No. 21. Also, making appearances are Christian Brothers at No. 18 and Alabama-Huntsville at No. 25.
 
POWERHOUSE PROGRESS
In the midst of a program turnaround, head coach Jim Boone has taken a six-win team in 2011-12 and transformed it into a championship caliber powerhouse. In his first season, Boone nearly doubled the win total from six to 11. One year later, he took the same team and more than doubled the win total to 26. A team that was picked to finish fourth in the Gulf South Conference in 2013-14 rose to the top spot of the league rankings at the conclusion of the regular season.
 
STATESMEN SNAG PRESTIGIOUS HONORS
At the end of the regular season in 2013-14, Delta State swept postseason honors in the GSC. Willie Readus, Devin Schmidt, and Coach Boone earned Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year, respectively. Schmidt was chosen to the All-South Region team and was named to the D2 Bulletin All-Freshman Team. Off the court, Jack Madgen and Declan Harrick were the first in program history to be named to the NABC Honor Court. Madgen was also named to the GSC All-Academic Team and Honor Roll. Jake Maestranzi and Harrick joined Madgen on the GSC Honor Roll.
 
HOLY SCHMIDT
Sophomore Devin Schmidt produced a phenomenal debut season last year, averaging 15.1 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. Schmidt is an extremely versatile player with his ability to drive in the paint and pull up for a jumper beyond the arc.
 
The Sevierville, Tennessee native dished out a team-best 138 assists last season. Schmidt became the first freshman since the legendary Carl Brown in 1982-1983 to top 100 assists. Brown, an All-American and DSU's all-time leading scorer with 1,799 points, handed out 147 assists in his first season with the Green-and-White. Scott Nagy owns the school record for assists with 549 and tallied 74 in his freshman season. Chad Akins narrowly missed the career mark with 544 career assists, totaling 75 as a freshman in 2006-07.
 
With the experience and maturity in his artillery for this season, the 6-foot-4 guard is set for another outstanding season. Schmidt was one of five chosen to the Preseason All-GSC team by the head coaches in the conference, while also being named a Preseason All-American by the D2 Bulletin.
 
This season, Schmidt has shown he has picked up where he left off. Schmidt led the Statesmen in two of the three exhibition games against Division I teams Mississippi State and Jackson State, including a 25-point performance against the Bulldogs. He also contributed a double-double in the caravan finale with 13 points and 11 boards against Jackson State.
 
With four regular season games under his belt, Schmidt leads the team in scoring, 22.5 points per game on 29-of-63 from the field, and assists, averaging 5.0 assists per game. He led four Statesmen in double figures in DSU's 89-77 win over Eckerd with 25 points (9-of-16).
 
MADGEN MAKES IT HAPPEN
Entering his third season with the Statesmen, Jack Madgen looks to build on his stellar performance as a sophomore. Last season saw the Williamstown, Australia native total a career-high 32 points in the opening round of the NCAA South Region Tournament. Madgen hoisted the Statesmen over Barry University in a thrilling 82-77 overtime win. He continues to climb up the record books as he now holds the No. 5 spot for three-pointers made in a career with 111, in just two seasons. Madgen also owns the No. 7 rank for three-pointer attempts in a career with 263. He is chasing Delta State great Twentis Magee (1995-98) who holds the top spot in both categories with 195 career three-pointers and 481 attempts.
 
In the Division I caravan, Madgen proved to be the voice of leadership. The 6-foot-5 guard led four Statesmen in double figures with 17 points in DSU's 97-58 loss to Ole Miss. In both regular season games, Madgen has scored in double figures with 16 points against Eckerd and 13 against Florida Southern. His performance against the Tritons included going 4-of-6 from behind the arc and 3-of-3 from downtown against the Mocs.
 
At the national level, the Aussie owns the No. 2 spot in all of Division II men's basketball for three-point field goal percentage with a 84.6 percent.
 
Off the court, the 6-foot-5 guard garnered prestigious honors from the NABC and the GSC. Madgen was named to the NABC Honor Court along with fellow Australian teammate Declan Harrick. He was also named to the GSC's All-Academic Team and Honor Roll for his hard work in the classroom.
 
CLEVELAND BORN AND BRED
Cleveland product PJ Davis has excelled in his first few in a Statesmen uniform. The 6-foot-5 forward recorded his first collegiate double-double in DSU's 97-80 loss to No. 9 Florida Southern.
 
The freshman tallied two consecutive 15-point performances against Florida Southern and Selma University en route to being named the GSC Freshman of the Week for two straight weeks. Davis scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Florida Southern, while contributing 12 points and 6 rebounds against the Bulldogs.  He added a combined two assists, seven blocks, and three steals against the two teams.
 
SO WE MEET AGAIN
The series with Arkansas Monticello is one that dates back to 1946 with DSU winning the first meeting 63-41 in Cleveland under head coach Luther Marter. The series now consists of 87 games with this meeting marking the 88th between the two schools. Although the Statesmen are currently on a four-game losing streak against the Boll Weevils, Delta State earned two wins against Monticello in the 2010-11 season, including a 72-65 victory at Steelman Field House. The series with the Weevils and the Statesmen has always been close with the average margin of victory of 9.2 points. November 22, 2011 saw the largest margin of the series at 31 points when Delta State fell to Monticello 88-57 in Arkansas.
 
In their last meeting on December 15, 2012 in head coach Jim Boone's first season at DSU, the Weevils edged the Statesmen 53-49 in Monticello. Then- Statesmen senior and current professional basketball player Terry Leake led all scorers with 17 points. Jack Madgen, Brice Rowe, and Zelvin Smith are the only players that return from that season. The Statesmen shot 29.4 percent on 15-of-51 from the field compared to UAM's 37.2 percent on 16-of-43.
 
The two squads met earlier in 2012-13 on Nov. 20 with Monticello edging the Statesmen again, 51-48, at Walter Sillers. Leake was the leading scorer for the game with 22 points. Madgen tallied four points with Rowe adding three. As a team, DSU shot 37.3 percent from the field (19-of-51). UAM outshot DSU, going 21-of-51 from the field for 41.2 percent.
 
College of Faith, out of West Memphis, Ark., comes to Walter Sillers for the first meeting between the two squads
 
TEAM RECORDS
The 2013-14 campaign saw Delta State in the top rankings in many statistical categories in the GSC and NCAA. DSU won numerous games last year playing small ball at the free throw line. Last season's team now holds the record for free throw percentage in a single game after shooting .923 (24-of-26) from the charity stripe versus Union on Feb. 22, 2014. The Statesmen also narrowly missed owning the season record for free throw percentage with a .744 average. The record dates back to the 1961-62 season with a .748 percentage.
 
On the national stage, Delta State holds the No. 7 spot in field goal percentage with 56.3 percent and the No. 8 rank for free throw percentage with 80.4 percent. In the conference, the Statesmen are first in blocked shots per game with 4.7 and free throw percentage.
 
DELTA STATE CAPTURES 2013-14 GSC REGULAR SEASON CROWN 
The Statesmen clinched the GSC regular season title on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014 with a 77-71 victory at Union in Fred Delay Gym.  It was the first regular season crown for Delta State (16-4) since the 2005-2006 campaign.