[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: No. 24 Falcons Clash with York Tonight

The Lowdown: York College at No. 24 Friends University

Location: Garvey Center

When: Monday, Jan. 21 @ 8 pm

Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/

Flying with the Falcons: The No. 24-ranked Friends University Falcons saw their 12 game winning streak come to an end with a tough 102-92 setback at No. 1-ranked and KCAC front runner Oklahoma Wesleyan University Saturday night (Jan. 19).

The Falcons are now 16-5 overall and remain in the third spot in the KCAC at 12-4 in the league.

Jordan Murdock (SR/Wichita, Kan.) is leading the Falcons in points (28.6 ppg), rebounds (9.1 rpg) and assists (4.9 apg). He is second in the league and third in the NAIA in points per game, while also ranking second in the KCAC in assists per game and fifth in rebounds.

The Falcons are also receiving double-figure scoring output from James Conley (JR/Derby, Kan. ) (16.0 ppg), Atir Cherne (SR/Wichita, Kan.) (11.7 ppg) and Vernon Vaughn (SR/Kansas City, Kan. ) (11.4 ppg).

Friends is the highest scoring team in the KCAC, averaging nearly 92 points per game that is good for eighth in the NAIA. The Falcons are also first in the league and third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.796).

Scouting the Panthers: The York College Panthers have dropped three straight games and are 9-11 overall and 7-8 in the KCAC.

Patrick Burnett is anchoring the Panthers this season in points (16.3 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg) and assists (3.5 apg). York is also getting double-figure scoring production from Aaron Munday-Rashid (11.2 ppg) and Michael Tolbert (11.0 ppg).

The Series: The Falcons are 6-6 against York in the last 12 meetings, but have lost six of the last seven to the Panthers that includes four of five matchups since the Panthers joined the KCAC in the 2016-17 season. The Falcons are 3-2 vs. York in Wichita during that stretch.

Setting the Tone Early: The Falcons have done a great job of jumping ahead and taking control in the first half, taking a lead into the break in 17 of their 21 outings thus far. Friends has made it stand too, going 15-2 in those games.

Under 80 is Key: The Falcons have won all 10 outings when holding the opposition below the 80 point mark, compared to a 6-5 mark when allowing 80 or more points.

A Career to Celebrate: Jordan Murdock is putting together a career that will be remembered at Friends University long after his playing days are over. Murdock recently reached the 2,000 career point milestone in his 75th career game after taking only 41 games to score 1,000 career points.  Last season's KCAC Player of the Year and first-team NAIA All-America performer, Murdock has scored in double-figures in all but one of his 82 career games at Friends, with a career scoring average of 26.9 ppg.

Falcons by the Numbers:

When scoring:

Under 50 points:

50-59 points:

60-69 points:

70-79 points:

80-89 points: 7-2

90+ points: 9-3

When allowing:

Under 50 points:

50-59 points:

60-69 points: 5-0

70-79 points: 5-0

80-89 points: 5-1

90+ points: 1-4

When leading at halftime: 15-2

When trailing at halftime: 1-3

When tied at halftime: 0-0

When winning the turnover battle: 13-4

When turnovers are even: 2-1

When losing the turnover battle: 1-0

In OT: 0-1

The Coaches:

Dale Faber is in his 16th season leading the Friends University men's basketball program.

Overall, Faber is 268-216, with a 179-110 mark in KCAC play in his tenure at Friends. He has been named the KCAC Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2014), along with four KCAC Tournament Championships and a pair of KCAC Regular Season Championships.

In the 2017-18 campaign, Faber guided the Falcons to a top five finish in the KCAC after hovering in the top two of the league for much of the season.

Faber also coached the KCAC Player of the Year and first-team NAIA All-America performer, Jordan Murdock, who led the nation in scoring (29.8 ppg) last season.

Faber's philosophy for building and maintaining a successful program is simple: find good student-athletes with strong values who are dedicated, hardworking, loyal and committed to representing Friends University in a positive light at all times. Known for his quick humor, Coach Faber strives to be supportive in all aspects of his player's lives. The philosophy of faith, family, academics and basketball has become a thought process that continues to fuel his teams.

 "Entering our 16th year at Friends University, our goals remain consistent. We should never lose track of what a blessing it is to be able to grow our relationships within our team and the Friends University community. We will work hard to be a team that pursues success on the court but also strives to be well thought of because of our efforts academically and growing our participation in the NAIA Champions of Character Program.

Faber and his wife of 31 years, Stacey, live in Wichita.

Tree Burks is in his second season as head coach of the York College Panthers.  In his first year at the helm, Burks guided the Panthers to 17 wins that featured three victories over NAIA Top 20 teams. This is Burks' sixth season overall with the program, including two years as associate head coach prior to taking over the lead role.

Up Next: The Falcons will be at Tabor College Thursday night (Jan. 24), with tip-off set for 8 pm in Hillsboro, Kan.