The East Central University men's basketball team will finish up a four-game road trip, Saturday, Dec. 14 when they travel to Claremore, Okla., for a meeting with Rogers State at 4 p.m. at the Claremore Expo Center.

Game Notes

The Broadcast
ECU's radio home for Tigers basketball in 2012-13 is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Kenny Morrison returns to broadcast the games for his 17th season. Morrison, a 1987 ECU graduate, spent two seasons doing color prior to taking over the play-by-play duties during the 1997-98 season.  

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) and the KXFC radio broadcast on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the men's basketball schedule page. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast online or through the FREE KXFC App available in ITunes, Google Stores where apps are sold and www.kxfcradio.com.

Scouting Rogers State
The Hillcats, who are transitioning to NCAA DII, are 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heartland Conference.  RSU last outing was Dec. 2 when they defeated Newman (71-64) in their first conference game of the season at home.  The game against ECU will be the fifth-straight game at the Claremore Expo Center for the Hillcats.

Rogers State currently has a +9.9 scoring and +6.1 rebounding margin for the season.  They are a strong shooting team, with a .481 team percentage, but also allow a .473 mark by their opponents.

The Hillcats have four players that are averaging double-digits in the scoring column.  The quartet accounts for 73 percent of the scoring, 52 percent of the team rebounds and 69 percent of the shots attempted.  Robinson Odoch Opong leads the team with 19 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while shooting .440 from the field.  Odoch Opong alone had taken 58 percent of the teams triples, going 26-of-61 (.426).  Damien Hooks is next on the list with 17.9 points and 6.1 boards per game.  Deran Banton adds 13.6 points and 2.6 rebounds, while J. C. Hartzler has 10.9 points and 5.5 boards per outing.

The Series
Saturday's meeting will be the first between ECU and Rogers State.

Winning the Unwinnable Road Trip
The Tigers had a great conference road trip, winning at both Harding and Arkansas Tech.  ECU defeated Harding 93-83 and ATU 94-78.  The wins made the Tigers the first team from the GAC to earn wins at both Harding and ATU in league history.

Lucas Earns GAC Weekly Honors
Junior Brandon Lucas has been named the Great American Conference Player of the Week for Dec. 9 after helping the Tigers earn two big road wins at Harding and Arkansas Tech last weekend.

Lucas led the Tigers to road victories at Harding and ATU as they became the first program in GAC history to pull off that weekend sweep. He averaged 23.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two contests. He shot 68.2 percent from the floor, going 15-for-22 and 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. He went 8-for-9 in the win at Harding.

Abundant Free Throws
Free throws became a large part of the Tigers win against the Wonder Boys, as both teams combined for 99 free throws in the game.  ECU went 39-of-55 and ATU was 27-of-44 for the game.

Mitchell Up for Good Works Team
Senior Miles Mitchell was recently named a nominee for the 2014 Allstate Good Works Team. The award recognizes a select group of college basketball student-athletes who have made significant contributions to the greater good of their communities through volunteerism and civic service.

Mitchell is one of 43 nominees for the DII, DIII and NAIA section and the only member of the group from the Great American Conference.  The team will be announced in February and will consist of five student-athletes from the group of 43.

Making a Difference Off the Court
On the court is not the only place that you can find a member of ECU men's basketball team this season.  Since head coach Ja Havens has taken over the program the Tigers have renewed their commitment to community service.  ECU has been a part of several community service projects since the start of the school year, with an emphasis on youth events.  The Tigers have been to several elementary and middle schools in the area to read with the students and to get to know their younger fans.

Consistent Colby
A coaching change did not stop senior Colby Carr from continuing his consistent performances on the court.  Carr has recorded at least one point and one rebound in all 34 games since he joined the Tigers in 2012-13.  The New Orleans, La., native is also not afraid to share the ball, dishing out an assists in the last 23 games for ECU.

Starting Out on the Right Path
For the first time since joining the GAC, the Tigers picked up a win in their first conference game of the season when they defeated Ouachita Baptist 81-54.

Tigers Picked to Finish 10th
The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the Great American Conference in the 2013-14 GAC Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.

ECU received 28 points in the poll and were above Southern Arkansas, with 22 points.

Up Next
The Tigers will return to the Kerr Activities Center for the final game of the 2013 portion of the season, Friday, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. against Southwestern Adventist.  The game tie is earlier than normal because the athletic department will be hosting its first Field Trip Game, where 5th graders from the local schools were invited to the game.