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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – For the fifth consecutive year, the Henderson State men's basketball team will play meaningful basketball in March.
 
The 2023 Great American Conference Tournament at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma will play host to the league's top eight teams as they battle it out over the next four days to be crowned GAC Champion and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Reddies, as the six seed, will begin their championship hopes Friday, Mar. 3 at 8 p.m. when they square off against the three seed Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm in the final game of the opening round.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson comes into postseason play as one of the hottest teams in the field, having won six of its last seven games, including three wins by 20 or more. One of those 20-point win came against the very same Southeastern team who HSU will see in Friday's first-round matchup. The Reddies dismantled the Savage Storm in what was their second largest margin of victory ever against a GAC opponent, 106-72.
 
The red-and-gray's recent success can be attributed to a revitalization of the offense, with Henderson scoring 80 or more in five of their last six victories. Prior to that, HSU had scored 80 points just three times, two of which came against Williams Baptist and Lyon College. The Reddie attack has averaged 86.8 points per game in the last six triumphs.
 
A big reason for Henderson's offensive outpouring has been the play of Eastern Oklahoma State transfer Zyon Patterson. The six foot seven inch guard has scored 15 or more points in fourth straight games while shooting 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field during that stretch, including 53.8 percent (7-13) from behind the arc.   
 
Senior Franck Kamgain and junior Alvin Miles, both of whom were named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention team this week, have been the catalysts for head coach Jimmy Elgas' squad all season. Kamgain leads the team with 13.9 points per game, which is 13th in the conference, while Miles is delivering a team-high 4.6 assists per outing, which is second in the league. During the month of February, Miles averaged 16 points, 6.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
 
Henderson State and Southeastern have met one other time in the history of the GAC Tournament. As part of HSU's championship run during the 2019-20 season, the No. 3 seed Reddies outlasted the No. 2 seed Savage Storm in the Semifinals, 76-73. In the conference tournament's 12-year existence, the three seed is 7-5 against the six seed.    
 
SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA ST.
Southeastern enters postseason play on a three-game winning streak, including a last-second victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State to close out the regular season, 95-93. The Savage Storm's 15-7 conference record landed them the three seed in what will be their sixth consecutive trip the GAC Tournament.
 
Jett Sternberger, who was one of six players to land on the All-GAC First Team, paces SE with 17.2 points per game, followed by All-Conference Second Team recipient Brennen Burns with 15.4 points. Kody Clouet and Kyle Leslie back up Sternberger and Burns with 12.1 and 11.7 points, respectively. Leslie, who is shooting 40.7 percent from three on the year, knocked down eight triples against HSU in the season's first meeting as part of a career-high 34 points.
 
With the help of that quartet, Southeastern boasts the top scoring offense in the league at 85.2 points per game. The Savage Storm defense, however, is allowing 78.6 points per game for the second most in the conference. Henderson's recent boost in offensive production has them eighth in the GAC at 72.7 points per game while being fifth in scoring defense (71.3 ppg).