1-8-20 Men's Basketball vs. Pikeville

Men's Basketball CU Athletics

Tigers to begin four game home stand with tough MSC foe on Thursday

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Hot play of late leads the Tigers back into the Powell Athletic Center for a four game Mid-South Conference home stand beginning with the country's fourth ranked team, the University of Pikeville Bears. 
 
Pikeville, coming off a four-point win over Thomas More on Monday will enter Powell, wanting to improve upon an impressive 15-1 start. However, the Tigers will look to continue their stellar defense and limit UPIKE, who enters averaging 85 ppg. With a 1-9 record in their last 10 meetings with the Bears, Campbellsville will look to turn the tide and enter the weekend with six straight wins.
 
HOW TO WATCH  
SERIES FACTS
  • Thursday evening's matchup will be the 80th all-time meeting between the Bears and Tigers.
  • Campbellsville will look to even the series at 40 wins a piece, as Pikeville holds the series lead, 40-39.
  • Playing at home, the Tigers have gone 21-19 against UPIKE.
  • Campbellsville has struggled of late against the Bears, going 1-9 in their last 10 meetings.
  • Pikeville squeaked by the Tigers in both games last season, taking 88-82 and 83-80 wins.
  • In the previous meeting, the Tigers took the Bears to overtime behind Hagen Tyler's 24-point performance, but it was not enough as the Tigers were outscored 10-7 in the OT period.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS
  • UPIKE enters the meeting as the NAIA's fourth ranked team, holding a 15-1 record.
  • The Bear's lone loss came as they dropped a 73-60 game on the road against Georgetown, the NAIA's top ranked team.
  • Outscoring opponents by an average margin of 27.47 ppg, Pikeville ranks third in the NAIA in scoring margin.
  • The Bears have had tremendous success on both sides of the ball, as they rank first in the NAIA in fg%, shooting 54.7%, and points allowed per game, only giving up 61.64 ppg.
  • Pikeville also ranks in the top 10 in turnover margin (6.33), assist/turnover ratio (1.51), and rebound margin (11.6).
  • Individually, Jordan Perry leads the Bears in scoring, averaging 19 ppg, ranking 15th in the NAIA.
  • Luke Layhew, the 6-8 center, leads UPIKE in rebounding, averaging 7 per contest, as well as ranking fifth in the NAIA, with 67.3% shooting from the field.
 
MASON AND MITCHELL HEATING UP
  • As the Tigers are in the midst of a five-game winning streak, Taiveyhon Mason and Richie Mitchell have become staples for the Tiger offense.
  • In the streak, Mason has led the way, scoring 19.6 points per game, including a career-high 25 points against Miami-Hamilton.
  • Throughout this span, Mason has shot 39-67 from the field for a 58% clip.
  • Mason's hot play led him to his first MSC Player of the Week honor on Jan. 1st.
  • Mitchell, on the other hand began his hot play against Lindsey Wilson, as he dropped a career-high 16 points.
  • He followed that game with another career mark of 18 points against Simmons College.
  • After an injury in the matchup with Miami-Hamilton limited his numbers to 12 points and forcing him to miss the Carver College game, Mitchell returned against Cumberland for his first career start and another 16 point outing.
  • In his five game spark, Mitchell has averaged a 55% shooting clip.
 
DEFENSE SPARKS THE TIGERS
  • Campbellsville has found their success when defense plays strong, as they are 12-2 when holding opponents to under 50% shooting and 11-1 when opponents shoot less than 35% from three.
  • Throughout their five game win streak, the Tigers have only given up 57.8 ppg.
  • Allowing 66.2 ppg. on the season, CU currently ranks 11th in the NAIA.
  • Campbellsville also ranks 13th in the NAIA with 134 steals on the season, led by Mason's 34.
 
POWELL IS THE PLACE TO BE
  • In his four year tenure with the Tigers, Coach Vernon has found tremendous success in the Powell Athletic Center with a 39-14 overall record, highlighted by a 14-2 record last season.
  • This season, the Tigers have gone 7-3 at home, with two of their three losses coming within three points.
  • CU has won four consecutive home games, dating back to Nov. 23.
 
TIGER CLAWZ
  • The Tigers have hit a 3-pointer in 535-straight games dating back to the beginning of the 2003-04 season on Dakstats. 
  • The first half has been the Tigers' friend this season, outscoring opponents 636-502. The second half has been their nemesis only outscoring opponents, 698-616. 
  • Taiveyhon Mason ranks 11th in the NAIA in steals with 34 and No. 27 with 2.0 steals per game.
  • Mason is 1.0 rebounds away to lead CU in these per game categories - points, assists, steals, and rebounds.
 
UPCOMING STRETCH
  • This game marks the first of a four game stretch of home games for the Tigers.
  • Following this game, Campbellsville will return to the Powell Athletic Center on Saturday, to host Shawnee State at 4 p.m. ET.
  • The Tigers will then stay home for two more home events with the University of the Cumberlands on Thursday, Jan. 16th, and the first-ranked Georgetown Tigers the following week.
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Players Mentioned

Hagen Tyler

#24 Hagen Tyler

G
6' 3"
Senior
Danville, Ky.
Taiveyhon Mason

#14 Taiveyhon Mason

G
5' 10"
Junior
Hopkinsville, Ky.
Richie Mitchell

#23 Richie Mitchell

G
6' 1"
Senior
Michigan City, Ind.

Players Mentioned

Hagen Tyler

#24 Hagen Tyler

6' 3"
Senior
Danville, Ky.
G
Taiveyhon Mason

#14 Taiveyhon Mason

5' 10"
Junior
Hopkinsville, Ky.
G
Richie Mitchell

#23 Richie Mitchell

6' 1"
Senior
Michigan City, Ind.
G