PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will return to John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court to open MIAA play for a pair of conference games. The Gorillas will entertain the University of Nebraska-Kearney Thursday (Dec. 1) at 7:30 p.m. and then play host to Fort Hays State University Saturday (Dec. 3) at 3:30 p.m.

The Records
Pitt State is 1-6 entering Thursday's action. The Gorillas dropped all three of their games at the Puerto Rico Challenge during Thanksgiving break, falling to Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (63-60), St. Edward's (62-54) and Saint Rose (67-44). Pitt State is seeking to halt a four-game slide overall.

Nebraska-Kearney is 5-2 on the season. The Lopers have won three straight games, including a 75-63 victory over Wayne (Neb.) State Monday (Nov. 28). UNK also posted a home win over Colorado-Colorado Springs (92-91) on Nov. 23 and a road win over Chadron State (75-65 in OT) on Nov. 26.

Fort Hays State brings a 4-2 record into a Thursday (Dec. 1) road match-up against Missouri Southern. The Tigers claimed a 73-65 road win over Newman on Nov. 22 and a 92-63 home win over Sterling College on Nov. 26.

Head Coach Kevin Muff
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is his seventh 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 93-86 (.520) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.

Muff was named the 2015 MIAA Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Gorillas to a 16-11 regular season record and a tie for third-place in the MIAA standings. Pitt State was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after posting an 8-18 (4-15 MIAA) mark a year ago.

He then guided the Gorillas to a perfect 4-0 record in the MIAA Postseason Tournament, helping the Gorillas become the first No. 5 seed to claim the championship. Pitt State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 20-12 overall record.

Thursday's action will be Muff's eighth meeting vs. UNK. He's 3-4 against the Lopers. Muff has a 4-7 record in 11 match-up with FHSU.

Series History
The Gorillas will meet Nebraska-Kearney for the 38th time Thursday. The Lopers hold a 28-9 advantage in the series. The two teams split a pair of match-ups last season with UNK taking a 91-75 win on Jan. 4 at Kearney, Neb., and Pitt State countering with a 77-61 victory on Feb. 13 in Pittsburg.

Pitt State and FHSU will meet for the 158th time Saturday. The Tigers hold an 84-73 advantage in the series, but the Gorilas own a 49-30 margin in games played in Pittsburg. The Tigers beat the Gorillas, 89-78, at Hays on Jan. 2 last year, while Pitt State knocked off FHSU, 101-92, in Pittsburg on Feb. 11.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has two players averaging in double figures early in the season:  junior guard Dakota Jones (10.7 ppg) and junior guard/forward Isaiah Hicks (10.1 ppg).

Additionally, freshman guard Brandon Clifford (8.6 ppg), senior forward Creighton Brinker (7.1 ppg) and freshman guard R.J. Pair (6.0 ppg) all contribute six or more points a game.

Jones (5-11, 175) poured in 22 points in the season-opening loss to MSU on Nov. 11 and he added 20 points in a home win vs. Newman on Nov. 15.

The Warrensburg, Mo., native averaged 11.7 points per game last season, and Jones has compiled 656 points in 68 career games (9.6 ppg).

Hicks (6-6, 205) joined the Gorillas from Cloud County Community College, where he averaged 6.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2014-15. The Long Beach, Calif., native averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a freshman at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, Calif., in 2013-14.

In addition to his 10.1-point scoring average, Hicks leads the team in rebounds (5.6 rpg).

Clifford (6-3, 190) scored a team-leading 24 points in his Pitt State debut on Nov. 11 against Minnesota State. The Paragould, Ark., native made eight of 11 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. He added nine points against SCSU the next night.

For the season, Clifford is shooting .514 from the field, converting 19 of 37 shots.

He was a two-time Arkansas Class 5A All-State selection at Paragould High School. He averaged 28 points, six rebounds and four assists as a senior, helping the Rams to a 20-5 finish.

Brinker (6-7, 215) broke out with a career-high scoring performance against SCSU on Nov. 12.  The Seneca, Kan., native scored 18 points on five of seven shooting from the field. He connected on all four of his 3-point field goal attempts.

For the season, Brinker is shooting .516 from the field (16-31) including .688 from 3-point range (11-16).  He pulled down seven rebounds in the season opener vs. MSU and he's averaging 5.3 rebounds per game to date.

Pair (5-10, 175) signed with the Gorillas out of The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. A two-time first-team All-District selection, Pair averaged 15 points, five assists and 4.5 rebounds per game his senior season. He compiled 1,143 points, 273 assists, 145 3-point field goals and 194 steals during his prep career.

On the young season, Pair has grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game and dished out 12 assists to go along with his 6.0-point scoring average.

Additionally, junior guard Elijah Gaines (6-2, 175) averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while helping Long Beach (Calif.) Community College to a second straight South Coast Conference championship in 2015-16. He is averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game to date.

Senior guard Jordan Phelps has averaged 5.0 points per game while shooting a team-leading .571 from the field (12-21). Phelps (6-3, 180) transferred to Pitt State from Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) University.

Freshman forward Christian Edmondson has averaged 4.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.  Edmondson (6-6, 215) posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds in the Gorillas' home win over Newman on Nov. 15

Edmondson joined the Gorillas from Flower Mound (Texas) High School where he was a first-team Texas Class 6A All-District selection in 201516. He averaged a double-double for the season, generating 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for the Jaguars.

Senior guard Josiah Gustafson has averaged 3.7 points per game in limited action since returning from a shoulder injury.

Gustafson, a two-time All-MIAA performer, started 60 games the previous two seasons.  The Omaha, Neb., native averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during his junior campaign, garnering second-team All-MIAA honors.

He shot 49.8 percent from the field (143-287) and made a team-leading 53 3-pointers (.473, 53-112).  Gustafson ranked 11th in the MIAA in scoring, eighth in the league in field goal percentage and second in the conference in free throw percentage (.885, 92-104).

Gustafson scored in double figures 22 times during the 2015-16 campaign with six games of 20 points or more.

He earned first-team All-MIAA honors as a sophomore in 2014-15 when he averaged a team-leading 15.5 points per game as well as 3.6 rebounds per game.

Gustafson has scored 1,148 points in 89 career games (78 starts), averaging 12.9 points per game.

Junior guard Jaxon Holden suffered a concussion in Pitt State's exhibition game against Kansas State and has missed the Gorillas first seven games.

Holden (6-1, 180) averaged 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his first season  for the Gorillas in 2015-16. The Flower Mound, Texas native shot 49.1 percent from the field and made 26 3-point field goals while starting 13 of 23 games played.

Holden played his freshman season at NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin University in 2014-15, helping the Lumberjacks to a 29-5 record.

As a team, Pitt State is shooting 41.0 percent from the field (158-385), 36.4 percent from 3-point range (51-140) and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (80-130).  The Gorillas are averaging 63.9 points per game.

Pitt State's opponents are shooting 45.7 percent from the field (184-403), 38.3 percent from 3-point range (51-133) and 71.1 percent from the free throw line (106-149) while averaging 75.0 points per game.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    1    Isaiah Hicks, 6-6, 205, Jr., Long Beach, Calif.
    F    23    Creighton Brinker, 6-7, 215, Sr., Seneca, Kan.
    G    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 205, Sr., Omaha, Neb.
    G    10    R.J. Pair, 5-10, 175, Fr., The Colony, Texas
    G    32    Dakota Jones, 5-11, 175, Jr., Warrensburg, Mo.