Five-time defending LSC champion Buffs open conference play Thursday

CANYON, Texas (KFDA) - The WT men’s basketball team is ranked 25th in the nation. After a win against Oklahoma Baptist this past Saturday, and they’re preparing to open conference play tonight.

The sound of a slam dunk is a familiar one for any team that’s visited the First United Bank Center in Canyon in the last five years. The Buffs have accumulated a 77-5 home record over the last five seasons en route to five straight conference championships.

They haven’t lost at home yet this season. It’s a streak they’ll look to continue when they open conference play tonight.

“It’s a great league,” Associate Head Coach Chris Gove said. “You have to be ready every time. Preseason predictions are preseason predictions, so you have to show up. Every game is a slugfest, whether you win by one or 20, getting that win is the most important thing. Playing well and moving on to the next one.”

First up is the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions, who handed them one of their only conference losses last year 75-69.

“They have one guy who’s scoring 20 a game and he actually started the year off pretty slow,” Gove said. “He’s had 39 and, I think, 30 in these last two games, so we really have to know where this guy is on the court. He can shoot the ball, but if you overdo it, then other players are getting layups for them. We have to be physical.”

Gove is talking about Payton Brown, the redshirt freshman averaging just over 21 points per game for the Lions.

They’ve won four in a row coming into their matchup with the Buffs, but they’ve never beaten the Buffs in the First United Bank Center.

The game tips off at 7:30 tonight.

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