Men's Basketball Set for GAC Tournament Opener

2025-26 Men's Basketball Game Notes

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Postseason play kicks off for Reddie men's basketball on Thursday night; Henderson will face Oklahoma Baptist for a third time this season in the opening round of the GAC Tournament in Fort Smith.

Henderson State finds itself in the GAC Tournament once again; after Saturday's results, the Reddies were part of a five-way tie for sixth place, a scenario in which three teams would keep their season going while two would find themselves at the end of the road. Henderson found itself as the last team to clinch a spot and enters postseason play as the number eight seed.

Henderson shot its second-best field goal percentage of the season in Saturday's home loss to Harding. The Reddies shot just under 56 percent from the field, its best since an early December home win over East Central. The difference in the game was the three-point line, where the Bisons made seven more field goals than HSU in the one-point ballgame.

With the conference season officially ended, the Reddies finished with the most bench points per game (22.6) in the Great American Conference. The team also ranked third in fast-break points per game (12.7) and field-goal percentage (46.4 percent).

Individually, multiple Reddie players found themselves in the top-ten in the conference in various categories. Zaveion Okoh was fourth-best in the league in field goal attempts (367), steals (49), and steals per game (1.8), while KJ Sykes ranked ninth in steals (39), Tyson Whybrew ranked seventh in offensive rebounds per game (2.2) and ninth in blocks per game (0.9), while Xavier Owens finished ninth in the league with 90 made free throws.

Scouting Oklahoma Baptist

Oklahoma Baptist finished the 2025-26 GAC slate with a 20-2 record, the second-best in league history. Only the 17-18 and 22-23 Southern Nazarene teams finished with a better conference record than this season's Bison.

The Bison have used their offense to spark all of their success this season. The 77.9 points per game average ranks best in the Great American Conference, and the Bison have the stats to back that number up: they also rank first in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, total rebounding, and free throw attempts.

Terry Coner, Jr. continues to be the catalyst for everything OKBU does. The presumptive All-GAC first teamer leads the league in free throws, ranks second in points per game, and is top-five in assists.

Last Meeting: Henderson State Reddies cut a double-digit deficit to two in the final minutes, but seventh-ranked Oklahoma Baptist University held on for a 70-61 win. The Reddies battled in the second half behind Jabari West, who scored nine of his team-high 11 points after the break. West sparked a 9-2 run with a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper that trimmed the deficit to 60-55 with 5:29 remaining. Henderson State closed to within 61-59 on Jameel Wesley's 3-pointer with 3:56 left.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Jabari West: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#4 KJ Sykes: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#11 Zaveion Okoh: G; 6' 4"; Junior

#15 Tyson Whybrew: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#20 Xavier Owens: G; 6' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#1 Jabari West
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#4 KJ Sykes
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#11 Zaveion Okoh
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G

#15 Tyson Whybrew
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#20 Xavier Owens
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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