Three weeks. Six games.
That’s all that remains in the 2024-25 basketball regular season at Arkansas Tech University, and the Wonder Boys (9-13 overall, 6-10 Great American Conference) find themselves in a tight race to qualify for the 2025 GAC Tournament.
Arkansas Tech is tied with East Central University, Southern Arkansas University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University for eighth place in the GAC standings.
The good news is the Wonder Boys have home games remaining against all three of those teams. ATU will play five of its final six regular season contests at Tucker Coliseum.
The bad news is only the top eight teams in the final standings will advance to the GAC Tournament, which will be played March 6-9 in Fort Smith.
That leaves little margin for error for the Wonder Boys, who won the GAC Tournament title in 2024.
“The inconsistencies have led us to not have an identity,” said Mark Downey, ATU head men’s basketball coach. “We want to be about defending and rebounding. We have to find something positive early in the game on Thursday. I have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to get these guys pumped up, ready to go, locked in and focused for 40 minutes.”
Arkansas Tech will host Harding University for a GAC doubleheader at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at Tucker Coliseum. ATU will then host Ouachita Baptist University for a twin bill at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.
Tickets are available at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets. Live coverage of all four games will be provided by KCJC 102.3 FM, the EAB Media Group app and www.arkansastechsports.com.
The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (4-16, 2-14) enter this week four games outside the cut line to make the GAC Tournament. They suffered a 79-59 loss at Oklahoma Baptist University on Saturday.
“It was really one of the first games this year that we didn’t come out and play with a lot of emotion,” said Dave Wilbers, ATU head women’s basketball coach. “We didn’t have a lot of energy early in the game. We have to be better at that. We did a lot better job in the second half taking care of the basketball and executing.”
Talk to you on the radio.
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
