2020-21 LIPSCOMB MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES Contact: Kirk Downs • Assistant AD for Communications & Digital Media • Phone: (615) 966-5457 • Email: [email protected] Website: www.LipscombSports.com • Address: One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 • Fax: (615) 966-1806 Lipscomb (6-6, 1-1) at Bellarmine (3-3, 0-0) GAMES 13-14 Jan. 8-9, 2020 | 6:00/4:00 PM | Louisville, Ky. | Freedom Hall SCHEDULE (6-6, 1-1 ASUN) STORYLINE TEAM COMPARISON (H: 5-2; A: 0-4; N: 1-0) After wrapping up the opening weekend of Scoring Offense ......................71.1 76.0 Date Opponent TV Time/Result ASUN Conference play, the Lipscomb men’s Scoring Defense ......................70.3 62.5 basketball team hits the road this weekend to NOVEMBER Scoring Margin ...................... +0.8 +13.5 take on league-newcomer Bellarmine at historic FG Pct. ................................... .459 .537 25 CAMPBELLSVILLE ESPN+ Canceled Freedom Hall. FG Pct. Defense ..................... .439 .437 28 vs. Lamar ^ YouTube W 76-73 3-pt. FG Pct............................. .373 .432 In the first-ever games as an ASUN member, the 29 @ Tulane ^ ESPN+ L 68-66 3-pt. FG Pct. Defense ............. .322 .381 Knights and Bisons will tip at 6 p.m. Friday and Free Throw Pct. ..................... .692 .692 DECEMBER at 4 p.m. Saturday. Rebound Avg. .........................32.9 31.8 2 @ Cincinnati ESPN+ L 67-55 Opp. Rebound Avg. .................35.3 26.3 Both contests will air on ESPN+ with Nick Rebound Margin ..................... -2.4 +5.5 5 @ Arkansas SEC L 86-50 Curran handling the play-by-play and Forrest Assists Per Game ....................15.1 18.2 Smallwood as the color analyst. 7 @ SEMO ESPN+ L 82-77 Turnovers Per Game ...............12.1 10.8 9 SEMO ESPN+ W 80-74 (OT) Opp. Turnovers .......................12.5 15.2 Turnover Margin .................... +0.4 +4.4 12 BELMONT ESPN+ L 81-71 STARTING NOTES 15 TREVECCA ESPN+ W 61-45 • Lipscomb is in its 90th season of basketball and its 17th season of ASUN play as a full member. 21 CROWLEY’S RIDGE ESPN+ W 97-60 • The Bisons have won 4-straight ASUN road openers, including a 66-63 victory at Stetson on Jan. 2, 29 FREED-HARDEMAN ESPN+ W 93-72 2020. JANUARY • Lipscomb’s 181 total assists on the year rank 24th in the country. The team’s 15.1 assists per game 1 LIBERTY * ESPN+ W 77-70 total is the 3rd-best total in the ASUN. 2 LIBERTY * ESPN+ L 66-50 • Lipscomb returns 10 letter winners and three of its primary starters from a squad that finished 16- 8 @ Bellarmine * ESPN+ 6:00 PM 16 overall and 9-7 in ASUN play. That team finished the year in stride, winning eight of its final 10 games to climb to third in the league standings. 9 @ Bellarmine * ESPN+ 4:00 PM 22 FGCU * ESPN+ 7:00 PM • Lennie Acuff is in his 2nd season at the helm of the program and his 31st overall as a head coach. His 16 wins last season were the most by a first-year head coach in Lipscomb’s Division I era. 23 FGCU * ESPN+ 7:00 PM • The Bisons have played in three straight conference championship games (2018-20) and were 29 @ Stetson * ESPN+ 6:00 PM tabbed as the league’s preseason favorite by the ASUN head coaches and the media. 30 @ Stetson * ESPN+ 4:00 PM • Lipscomb features a balanced attack, with four players scoring in double figures, seven players FEBRUARY averaging at least 5.0 points and 12 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. 5 KENNESAW STATE * ESPN+ 7:00 PM 6 KENNESAW STATE * ESPN+ 7:00 PM PROBABLE STARTERS 12 @ Jacksonville * ESPN+ 6:00 PM 13 @ Jacksonville * ESPN+ 5:00 PM 19 NORTH FLORIDA * ESPN+ 7:00 PM 20 NORTH FLORIDA * ESPN+ 7:00 PM 26 @ North Alabama * ESPN+ 6:00 PM 00 -JOHNSON 1 - JONES 3 - FERGUSON 13 - HAZEN 23 - Asadullah 27 @ North Alabama ESPN+ 6:00 PM ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP MIN >> 26.5 MIN >> 29.4 MIN >> 28.7 MIN >> 21.7 MIN >> 26.8 TBD TBD ESPN+ TBD PPG >> 13.7 PPG >> 10.4 PPG >> 12.0 PPG >> 5.5 PPG >> 12.5 TBD TBD ESPN+ TBD REB >> 3.3 REB >> 1.9 REB >> 4.1 REB >> 5.7 REB >> 7.7 TBD TBD ESPN TBD All Caps - Home games AST >> 2.8 AST >> 1.6 AST >> 1.3 AST >> 1.2 AST >> 4.1 SPORTS INFO: FG% >> 54.7 FG% >> 41.7 FG% >> 45.5 FG% >> 43.5 BLK >> 0.7 Director of Communications ..........................................................................Kirk Downs Office Phone .........................................................................................(615) 966-5457 3FG% >> 58.3 3FG% >> 38.9 3FG% >> 38.7 3FG% >> 22.2 FG% >> 55.2 Email .....................................................................................kirk.downs@lipscomb.edu Website ..................................................................................www.LipscombSports.com FT% >> 77.3 FT% >> 76.5 FT% >> 74.1 FT% >> 70.6 FT% >> 50.0 2020-21 LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL | LIPSCOMBSPORTS.COM | @LIPSCOMBMBB NUMERICAL No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School (Last School) 0 KJ Johnson G So. 6-2 170 Lewisburg, Tenn. (Marshall County HS) 1 Greg Jones G Jr. 6-3 195 Frisco, Texas (Wakeland HS) 2 Will Pruitt G Fr. 6-3 195 Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (Mt. Juliet HS) 3 Romeao Ferguson G Gr. 6-5 195 Burlington, N.C. (Belmont Abbey) 4 Tanner Shulman G Fr. 6-4 195 Chattanooga, Tenn. (McCallie School)) 5 Kaleb Coleman F So. 6-6 215 Orlando, Fla. (Oak Ridge HS) 10 Jake Wolfe G So. 6-5 195 Aurora, Ill. (Aurora Christian School) 11 Alex Jones G So. 5-9 170 Alpharetta, Ga. (Buford HS) 12 Carson Cary G So. 6-2 175 Columbia, Tenn. (Columbia Academy) 13 Parker Hazen F Sr. 6-8 215 Columbia City, Ind. (Iowa Western CC) 14 Tommy Murr G Fr. 6-0 160 Athens, Ala. (Lindsey Lane Christian School) 15 Ed Eubanks F So. 6-4 195 Franklin, Tenn. (Ensworth School) 22 Jacob Hobbs F So. 6-7 195 Elizabethtown, Ky. (Central Hardin HS) 23 Ahsan Asadullah C Jr. 6-8 260 Atlanta, Ga. (North Clayton HS) 25 Miles Miller G So. 6-2 170 Meridian, Miss. (Ole Miss) 35 Luke Howard F Fr. 6-8 220 Vancouver, Canada (Harding Academy) ALPHABETICAL No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School (Last School) 23 Ahsan Asadullah C So. 6-8 265 Atlanta, Ga. (North Clayton HS) 12 Carson Cary G Fr. 6-0 158 Columbia, Tenn. (Columbia Academy) 5 Kaleb Coleman F Fr. 6-6 204 Orlando, Fla. (Oak Ridge HS) 15 Ed Eubanks F So. 6-4 195 Franklin, Tenn. (Ensworth School) 3 Romeao Ferguson G Gr. 6-5 195 Burlington, N.C. (Belmont Abbey) 13 Parker Hazen F Jr. 6-7 201 Columbia City, Ind. (Iowa Western CC) 22 Jacob Hobbs F Fr. 6-7 190 Elizabethtown, Ky. (Central Hardin HS) 35 Luke Howard F Fr. 6-7 192 Vancouver, Canada (Harding Academy) 0 KJ Johnson G Fr. 6-1 154 Lewisburg, Tenn. (Marshall Co. HS) 11 Alex Jones G So. 5-10 170 Alpharetta, Ga. (Buford HS) 1 Greg Jones G So. 6-3 195 Frisco, Texas (Wakeland HS) 25 Miles Miller G R-Fr. 6-2 168 Meridian, Miss. (Ole Miss) 14 Tommy Murr G Fr. 6-0 160 Athens, Ala. (Lindsey Lane Christian School) 2 Will Pruitt G Fr. 6-3 195 Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (Mt. Juliet HS) 14 Tanner Shulman G Fr. 6-4 198 Chattanooga, Tenn. (McCallie School) 10 Jake Wolfe G So. 6-5 197 Aurora, Ill. (Aurora Christian School) PRONUNCIATIONS: Head Coach: Lennie Acuff (2nd Season) Romeao Ferguson romeo Assistant Coaches: Kevin Carroll (2nd Season) Ahsan Asadullah ah-sahn uh-SOD-jew-lah Roger Idstrom (8th Season) Parker Hazen HAY-zen Tyler Murray (2nd Season) Lennie Acuff A-cuff Roger Idstrom EED-strom Director of Basketball Ops: Daniel Harris (2nd Season) Jason Laatsch latch Video Coordinator: Jason Laatsch (1st Season) 2020-21 LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL | LIPSCOMBSPORTS.COM | @LIPSCOMBMBB HEAD COACH: LENNIE ACUFF Lennie Acuff was named the 19th head men’s basketball coach at Lipscomb University on April 23, 2019. The Acuff File With a 30-year storied coaching career, Acuff has established himself a proven winner and one of the best teachers in the game. @CoachAcuff To make things tough for Acuff, who was already entering his first Alma Mater: Shorter College (1988) coaching job at the Division I level, the Bisons had seven players, more than 7,700 career points and 3,000 career rebounds walk out the door Overall Record: 577-347 (31st year) prior to his arrival in 2019-20. Not only did he have to work eight first- Lipscomb Record: 22-22 (2nd year) year players into the roster, but there were only two guys on the team who had ever started a game. But for a coach with more than 550 wins over his career, Acuff was Year-by-Year Record ready for the challenge. He continued to tell anyone who would listen Belhaven College that 2019-20 would be a “jumping on point” for the program. Glancing back on his first D-I campaign, it sure looks like he was right. He 1990-91 14-19 .424 pushed his team to its fullest potential and put the Bisons back in the 1991-92 17-16 .486 ASUN Conference championship game for a third straight season. 1992-93 21-12 .636 He guided Lipscomb to a 16-16 overall record and coached a team picked fifth in the preseason to a third-place finish 3 yrs 52-47 .525 in the league (9-7) after winning eight of the final 10 games. The 16 wins were the most by a first-year head coach in Lipscomb’s Division I era.