JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A third-consecutive win and a season sweep are both on the line for the Lincoln men's basketball team, which returns to action on Thursday night (Feb. 18) with a game in Hays, Kan. against Fort Hays State.

Lincoln beat FHSU, 76-64, on Jan. 9, and is seeking its second sweep of the season after beating Emporia State for the second time in 2020-21 last Saturday (Feb. 13), 84-58. The Blue Tigers had previously won an 80-73 decision at Newman on Feb. 11, and are vying for their second win streak of at least three games this season.

LU enters the week with a scoring margin of +2.1 that ranks third in the MIAA, and LU is sixth in the conference in scoring offense (77.0) and seventh in scoring defense (74.9). The Blue Tigers rebound well, ranking fourth in the MIAA and ninth in NCAA Division II in total boards (635) as well as fourth in the league with 35.3 rebounds per night. Approximately 10 of those rebounds per game are on the offensive side of the ball, rating LU third in the MIAA in that statistic.

The Blue Tigers are also fifth nationally in total steals (148), with Cameron Potts, one of just three NCAA Division II players with a triple-double in 2020-21, ranking eighth in the country with 36 takeaways. Potts is currently second in the conference in assists per game (5.3) and third in Division II with 96 total dishes. Potts is also averaging 11.2 points and 5.6 boards.

Sai Witt, a three-time player of the week honoree this year, averages a team-high 8.7 rebounds, the fifth-most by an MIAA player in 2020-21. Witt, who also averages 16.6 points, is leading the MIAA, and is ranked 20th nationally, with 3.5 offensive rebounds per contest. LU's leading scorer is Quinton Drayton, who averages 16.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, while Derrick Woods, with 13.0 points per game, is also averaging double digits.

Yaniel Vidal is 14th in Division II with 32 steals, and has made 44 treys (19th-most in DII) while shooting .431 from three-point land. Vidal additionally averages 9.3 points, while Charles Wilson is averaging 6.8.