OUAZ SPIRIT (0-0) vs. PARK GILBERT BUCCANEERS (0-0)
Game Details	Friday, October 30 • 4 p.m. (Arizona) • Glendale, Ariz. • ACU Events Center
Video Stream	OUAZ Digital Network (Produced by ACU)
OTT App	NAIA Network (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV & Roku)
Live Stats	ouazspirit.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Game Notes	OUAZ (PDF) • Park Gilbert (PDF)
OUAZ SPIRIT (0-0) vs. RANDALL SAINTS (0-1)
Game Details	Saturday, October 31 • 1 p.m. (Arizona) • Glendale, Ariz. • ACU Events Center
Video Stream	OUAZ Digital Network (Produced by ACU)
OTT App	NAIA Network (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV & Roku)
Live Stats	ouazspirit.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Game Notes	OUAZ (PDF) • Randall

SPIRIT NOTES
•    After a long offseason, the OUAZ men's basketball team will begin the program's fourth season this weekend with a pair of games at the ACU Fultz Classic. OUAZ faces in-state foe Park Gilbert on Friday at 4 p.m. before taking on Randall University on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games are at the ACU Events Center.

•    ACU will stream both games on their video portal ($7.95/game) and have live stats available. Links for live features can be found at OUAZSpirit.com/live.

•    The Spirit enters the new season coming off an 11-17 campaign last season, including a 6-12 mark in GSAC action to finish tied for seventh in the 10-team league.

•    After getting off to a slow start to the 2019-20 season, the Spirit ended the year by splitting its final 10 games. They also defeated three ranked opponents during the year.

•    OUAZ is 3-11 all-time in games played at a neutral site and the team has dropped seven straight games on a neutral floor dating back to the 2017-18 season.

•    The 2020-21 roster features six players that appeared in a game for the Spirit last season – including two starters – while bringing in 10 newcomers and two players that sat out last season as a redshirt. They are looking to replace last season's highest-scoring trio in the NAIA and the 57.1 points per game they accounted for.

•    OUAZ ended last season 24th in the NAIA DI in scoring by averaging 83.64 points per game. They scored above 80 points in a game 14 times during the year and went for 90-plus nine times, including the final two games of the season.

•    The Spirit scored those points despite ranking 83rd in the NAIA by making just 6.04 3-pointers per game. They only had 8-plus threes in a game 10 times while shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.

•    OUAZ began to create a home-court advantage in its move to Faith Arena last season as the Spirit finished with an 8-6 record at home. That included consecutive wins to close the season and two wins over ranked opponents.

•    Elijah Simmons is the returner with the highest scoring average from last season at 11.5 points per game. Simmons started 25 games last season and scored in double figures 19 times while grabbing 4.2 rebounds per night.

•    Marcus Williams returns from an injury after playing just three games last season. He scored 38 points in those outings and went 13 of 28 from beyond the arc. During the 2018-19 season, Williams averaged 14.6 points per game with 74 made threes.

•    Williams came into his own as a scorer at the end of the 2018-19 season. After reaching 20 points just once in the first 20 games he played, Williams hit the benchmark three times in the team's final six games. He averaged 20.5 points per game in those final six contests, raising his season scoring average nearly two points per game over the span.

•    Kam Malbrough joins the team from Alameda College where he averaged 17.8 points per game as a sophomore. Malbrough scored in double figures 25 times –including the final 17 of the season –and he went for 20-plus 13 times.

•    According to the poll of the league's coaches released on October 17, OUAZ was projected to finish eighth in the league this season. The team received 26 points from the coaches 

•    Despite releasing that poll, the GSAC has yet to announce a conference schedule of games at this point as decisions are still be made in regards to COVID protocols within the conference. A final decision and schedule is expected to be released in the next two weeks.

•    The 2020-21 NAIA basketball season marks a return to one division for the first time since the end of 1990-91. That also changes the NAIA National Championship from a 32-team field to a 64-team field.

•    With the change, 16 schools will host a four-team Opening Round bracket with those winners advancing to the final site at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

•    OUAZ will announce its spectator policy for home games in November. Earlier this month, the Athletics Department partnered with Hometown Ticketing to provide a contactless and digital ticket option for its fans.