PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will travel to Canyon, Texas, Wednesday (Nov. 26) to face West Texas A&M University in a non-conference match-up before continuing on to Stephenville, Texas, to take part in the Tarleton State University Thanksgiving Classic Friday and Saturday (Nov. 28-29).

Tipoff for Wednesday's action against the Buffs is set for 7 p.m. at the First United Bank Center. The Gorillas then will face Tarleton State at 7 p.m. Friday and Texas A&M-Kingsville at 5 p.m. Saturday at Tarleton's Wisdom Gym.

The Records
Pitt State brings a 1-2 record into Wednesday's action against WT. The Gorillas rebounded from a pair of losses at the Sanford Pentagon Basketball Classic – to Augustana (86-69) and Northern State (75-68) – to post a 20-point road win over Arkansas Tech (76-56) in their most recent action Nov. 19.

WT is 1-3 on the season. The Buffs opened the season with road losses to CSU-Pueblo (94-81), Western State (97-88, 2OT) and Wayland Baptist (99-91), before bouncing back with an 82-66 home victory over CSU-Pueblo in their most recent action Nov. 22.

Tarleton brings a 3-0 record into Friday's match-up against the Gorillas. The Texans, who posted a 28-3 record a year ago, are currently ranked No. 8 in the most recent NABC/Division II Top 25 poll. Tarleton defeated Dallas Christian, 88-58, in its most recent action Nov. 22.

Texas A&M-Kingsville brings a 2-2 mark into a Friday match-up with Northwest Nazarene. The Javelinas dropped an 86-80 decision to Our Lady of the Lake Universtiy in their most recent action Tuesday (Nov. 25).

Head Coach Kevin Muff
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is in his fifth season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, '86) became the Gorillas' 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons.

He has a 57-57 (.500) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.  Muff is 1-1 vs. WT.

Series History
Wednesday's match-up will be the seventh all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Buffs. The series is tied 3-3. The two teams split two games last year with WT taking a 70-58 win at Canyon on Nov. 30, 2013, and Pitt State claiming an 85-79 victory in Pittsburg on Dec. 18, 2013.

Pitt State is 0-2 vs. Tarleton with the Texans taking a 57-40 win in the most recent match-up Nov. 12, 2011. The Gorillas and Javelinas have not previously met.

Scouting the Gorillas
Early in the season, sophomore guard Josiah Gustafson leads Pitt State in scoring. The Omaha, Neb., native averaged 19.3 points per game. He scored a career-high 26 points in the season opener vs. Augustana before posting a 20-point game against Northern State the next night.

Senior guard Devon Branch also is averaging 17.3 points and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per game. The Aberdeen, Md., native has made 54.1 percent of his shots from the floor (20 of 37). Junior guard Jake Bullard also has chipped in with a 10.3 points per game average. Junior point guard Javis Flynn has contributed 4.3 points and 4.0 assists per game.

As a team, Pitt State has averaged 71.0 points per game, shooting 44.4 percent from the floor (75 of 169), 44.4 percent from 3-point range (16 of 36) and 74.6 percent from the free throw line (47 of 63). The Gorillas have forced 11 more turnovers than their opponents (35 to 46), but Pitt State has been outrebounded by 4.7 boards a game. The opposition has averaged 72.3 points per game and shot 49.7 percent from the field (72 of 145).

Scouting the Opponsition
WT has four players averaging in double figures early in the season: senior guard Tez Dumars (20.5 ppg), senior guard Antjuan Ball (19.8 ppg), senior guard Miles Gatewood (17.8 ppg) and freshman guard David Chavlovich (13.0 ppg). Ball averages a double-double as he also pulls down 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 57.6 percent from the field (34 of 59). The Buffs average 85.5 points per game, but WT allows 89.0 points per game so far.

Tarleton has four players averaging in double figures to date: senior guard Mo Lee (13.3 ppg), senior forward TaShawn Mabry (11.7 ppg), junior guard Michael Hardge (11.0 ppg) and senior forward Davene Carter (11.0 ppg). Carter is 14-17 (.824) from the field on the young season, while Lee leads the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg). The Texans are scoring 75.0 points per game, while limiting their opponents to 57.0 points per game.

TAMUK has four players averaging in double figures on the season: Jamar Goodwin (18.5 ppg), D.J. Weathers (16.5 ppg), Troy Jones (13.5 ppg) and Jordan Jahr (12.0 ppg). Jones also averages a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game. Weathers missed TAMUK's first two games, but scored 25 points in their last outing Tuesday. The Javelinas are averaging 78.3 points per game, but allowing 78.8 points.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    5    Devon Branch, 6-6, 180, Sr., Aberdeen, Md.
    F    32    Trevor Gregory, 6-7, 235, So., Lee's Summit, Mo.
    G    1    Jake Bullard, 6-6, 190, Jr., Cleora, Okla.
    G    3    Javis Flynn, 5-10, 170, Jr., Watonga, Okla.
    G    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 290, So., Omaha, Neb.