Weekly Release
Season Statistics
MCAC Standings

This Week
The sixth-ranked Bellevue University men’s basketball team will conclude the regular season this week with a pair of conference road games. The Bruins will visit Haskell Indians Nations University on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. before playing at No. 19 College of the Ozarks on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m.

Following the Action
All Bellevue University men’s basketball home games this year will feature free live stats. Fans can view the live stats by visiting BUBruins.com and clicking the “Live Stats” link under “Fan Zone” at the top of the page. A video broadcast will be available for both home games.

Saturday’s game at College of the Ozarks will include free video.

Scouting Bellevue
Bellevue, winners of seven of its last eight games is ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Division II Coaches’ Poll released on Monday, Feb. 14, and is 23-5 overall and are tied in first place with Oklahoma Wesleyan University with a 10-2 mark in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bruins are coming off of a 91-59 conference home win against Central Christian College on Feb. 12.

Eugene Bain leads BU in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 10 double-doubles and is second in the MCAC with a 56.7 field goal percentage. Also averaging in double figures is All-American Avery Tyler (11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.3 apg). Jelani Johnson averages 9.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg and is first in the conference with 106 assists. Johnson also has a team-high 40 steals. Ousseynou Diop, this week’s MCAC Player of the Week, adds 8.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg and is first in NAIA Division II with 106 blocked shots. Diop has also totaled four double-doubles this season. Jeremy Cruise leads the squad with 59 made 3-pointers.  

BU scores 81.5 points per game and is first in the MCAC with a 48.3 shooting percentage. They also shoot 36.9 percent from three-point range. The Bruins hold opponents to a conference-low 65.8 points per game on 39 percent shooting.

The Bruins return three letterwinners and two starters from last year’s 28-8 squad that captured the MCAC regular season and tournament titles, while advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA II National Tournament.

Scouting Haskell
Haskell Indian Nations University is 6-22 overall and 3-9 in the MCAC. The Indians are coming off of an 85-82 at Southwestern Christian University on Feb. 12.

Haskell has two players averaging in double figures, and are led offensively by Marcellous Hill (16.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg). Hill paces the team with three double-doubles. Also averaging in double figures is Trey Osborne (11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.3 apg and 2.3 spg).

HIN scores 65.5 points per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three-point range. They give up 76.1 points per game and opponents shoot 43 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from behind the arc.
 
Scouting College of the Ozarks
No. 19 College of the Ozarks is currently 18-9 and this season and are in second place in the MCAC with an 8-4 league mark. The Bobcats are coming off of a 68-63 conference road loss at Oklahoma Wesleyan University on Feb. 12.

The Bobcats are led by Mike Wiebe, who is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Wiebe has scored in double figures 24 times this season. Also averaging in double figures include Jared Howerton (15.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg) and Darian Kelly (11.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.4 apg). Weston Wiebe paces the squad with 76 assists.

Ozarks averages 74.4 points per game and rank third in the conference with a 44.4 shooting percentage from the field. The Bobcats also shoot 37.3 percent from three-point range. They limit opponents to 68.8 points per game on 42.8 percent overall shooting, including 33.3 percent from three-point range.

Meet the Coaches
In his first two seasons at the helm of the Bellevue University men’s basketball program, Shane Paben has guided the Bruins to two consecutive trips to the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, including a semifinal finish in 2010 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2009. He has a career mark of 75-22 (.773) at BU. He is assisted by Bob Ludwig, Jason Isaacson and Micah Stancil. 

Haskell is led by first-year head coach Kills Crow and is assisted by Kortney Smith, Elwood Ott and Ben Carrywater. Steve Shepherd is in his ninth season as the head men’s basketball coach at College of the Ozarks. He’s assisted by Bob Crawford and Scott McElvain.

Diop Named MCAC Player of the Week
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Junior forward Ousseynou Diop has been named the MCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 13.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game last week to help the Bruins pick up three conference wins. Diop, a native of Dakar, Senegal, leads NAIA Division II with 106 blocks this season.

Diop opened the week by recording 14 points and tied a career-high with 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots at Peru State College. He followed that up by scoring a season-high 20 points and pulling down 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year versus York College. Diop concluded the week by registering six points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots to help BU defeat Central Christian College, 91-59. 

National Rankings
Bellevue is currently ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Men’s Basketball Division II Coaches’ Poll, released on Monday, Feb. 14. Two other MCAC teams are also ranked in the poll, Oklahoma Wesleyan University is fourth while College of the Ozarks is No. 19.

Block Party
Ousseynou Diop has blocked 106 shots this season which ranks first in NAIA Division II. He has recorded at least one block in the last 27 games. Diop tied a career-high with eight blocks earlier this week at Peru State College on Feb. 8. He’s also had eight blocks this season versus Oklahoma Wesleyan (Jan. 28) and against Harris-Stowe (Nov. 12). In his first two seasons, he has led the conference in blocked shots. For his career, Diop has swatted 208 shots.

Johnson Leads Conference in Assists
Jelani Johnson has recorded 106 assists (3.7 apg) this season which ranks first in the MCAC. Johnson, a junior from Omaha, Neb., has tallied at least one assist in 27 of 28 games this year, including 12 games with five or more assists.

Doubling Up
The frontcourt duo of Eugene Bain and Ousseynou Diop have accounted for all 14 of the Bruins’ double-doubles this season. Bain has registered 10, including a 15-point and 11-rebound performance versus York College on Feb. 11.
Diop recorded his fourth double-double of the also against York College on Feb. 11. Diop notched a season-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. He also had double-doubles at Midland University (Nov. 11),  versus Harris-Stowe (Nov. 12) and at Peru State College (Feb. 8)

Last Game Recap
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Seniors Eugene Bain and Avery Tyler and junior Jelani Johnson combined for 54 points to lead the eighth-ranked Bellevue University men’s basketball team to a convincing 91-59 victory over Central Christian College Saturday afternoon in MCAC action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The win, which avenged a 92-88 loss to the Tigers on Jan. 22, improved the Bruins to 23-5 overall and 10-2 in the MCAC. Bellevue maintained their half game lead over No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in the league standings. Central Christian fell to 20-6 on the season and 7-4 in conference play.

Bain recorded 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win. Tyler poured in 18 points while adding three rebounds and three assists. Johnson collected 17 points and five assists. Donald Jones and Jeremy Arrington chipped in 10 points apiece as five Bruins were in double figures.

Program Success
Bellevue has reached the NAIA Division II National Tournament in 11 of the last 13 years, including eight straight trips. In that span, the Bruins have compiled nine conference championships, three final four appearances and two runner-up finishes. 

NAIA II Runners Up (2)
2003-04, 2007-08
NAIA II Final 4 Appearances (3)
2003-04, 2007-08, 2009-10
NAIA II Quarterfinal Appearances (5)
2003-04, 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
NAIA II Final 16 Appearances (5)
2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
NAIA II National Tournament Appearances (11)
1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
Conference Championships (9)
1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10

Preseason Rankings
Bellevue opened the 2010-11 season ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll announced Oct. 25.

Two other MCAC schools were ranked in the preseason poll including Oklahoma Wesleyan who was ranked No. 10 and College of the Ozarks at No. 15.   The Bruins were also tabbed as the favorite to win the MCAC Men’s Basketball Championship in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Last Season Recap
Bellevue finished the 2009-10 season with a 28-8 overall record and captured the MCAC regular season and tournament titles, while advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Division II National Tournament.

Avery Tyler, Ron King and Antoine Dade were named to the all-MCAC team. In addition, Shane Paben was named the MCAC Coach of the Year.  Tyler and Dade were also named co-Newcomers of the Year. The Bruins finished the year ranked No. 6 in the final NAIA II Coaches’ Poll.

Up Next
The MCAC conference tournament will begin on Friday, Feb. 25. The host school and game times will be announced next week.