UP NEXT: After WIU plays its final game of 2014, and final nonconference game of the season Tuesday (Dec. 30) when they welcome Anderson (Ind.) to Macomb, the Leathernecks open league play at home Friday (Jan. 2) when Fort Wayne comes to Macomb to bring in 2015... Western then plays host to Omaha on Sunday (Jan. 4) at 1 p.m.

A LOOK AT ANDERSON: The Anderson Ravens, an NCAA Division III institution and members of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, enter Tuesday night's game with a 3-6 overall record... Anderson is coached by Owen Handy who is in his third season in charge of the men's basketball program and owns a career coaching record of 20-42... The Ravens have dropped three of their last four games, most recently falling to both Texas Lutheran University and Schreiner University as a part of the Trinity University Invitational in San Antonio, Texas... Max Mollaunm, Justin Jordan, Nathaniel Acree, Brett Anderson and Nathan Gross have started all nine games this season for the Ravens... Mollaunm leads the team in scoring having averaged 15.6 points per game, while Jordan (14.6) and Acree (10.1) are second and third in points per game... Gross leads the team in rebounds per game with an 8.1 average... Jordan leads the team in assists per game (5.2).

LEATHERNECKS VS. RAVENS SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's meeting will mark the first time the two programs play one another.

PRESEASON FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD: Western Illinois recently wrapped up a five-game stretch that includes teams that were picked either first, second or third in their respective conference preseason polls... Western concluded the difficult stretch of games last Tuesday (Dec. 23) in Tennessee when they fell to the Memphis Tigers, 78-51... The Tigers were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference with 82 points... Before Tuesday's game, WIU opened the stretch on the road earlier this month with losses at Akron (73-49) and Cleveland State (76-54)... Akron was selected to finish first in the Mid-American Conference with 117 points (17 first-place votes)... Cleveland State was selected to finish second in the Horizon League with 335 points (9 first-place votes).... On Dec. 11, WIU beat Idaho (78-75) who was picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll with 97 points (2 first-place points)... In the Leathernecks' most recent action they beat Alabama State (78-68) who was picked to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 106 points (4 first-place votes).

COVINGTON FOR THREE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington had 70 three-pointers as a freshman, and has 28 so far as a sophomore... He has 98 in his career... He has played in 38 career games, has only had three games played without at least one three, and has made at least one triple in 35 games... He has 26 games with multiple three pointers... He has nine games with one trey, five games with two triples, nine games with three makes from long range, nine games with four three pointers, two games with five connections from beyond the arc, and a career-high six three-pointers in one game.

DOUBLE FIGURES: Sophomore guard Garret Covington has 586 career points and averages 15.0 points per game... He has 30 games with 10 or more points, 21 games having scored between 10-19 points, and nine games with 20-plus points... He finished the Leathernecks' win over Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 22) with 29 points, a career-best... Those 29 points were the most by a member of the program since David Jackson scored 32 against Fort Wayne on Nov. 21, 2006.

SANDIFER'S ASSISTS: Sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer has 142 assists in his young career, and averages 3.6 per game during his career... As a freshman, he played in all 30 games and averaged 3.1 per game, and has played in all 10 games this season and averages 5.0 per game... He has at least one assist in all but one of his 40 career games played... He has multiple assists in 36 of those games... Three-plus assists in 30 career games... 15 games with four-plus... Six games with five-plus... Five games with six-plus... Three games with eight-plus, all of which have come this season... And a career-high 13 assists this season versus Greenville College (Nov. 29) while not turning the ball over in 29 minutes of play... His 13 helpers was two shy of WIU's single-game record.

20-PLUS ASSISTS AS A TEAM: As a team, Western Illinois has finished three games with 20 or more assists... Most recently, the Leathernecks had 20 assists on 29 made baskets in their win over Alabama State (Dec. 13)... WIU's first game of the season with 20-plus helpers came in its game at UIC (11/17) when the Leathernecks finished with 20 assists on 24 made baskets... The second game this season in which Western had 20 or more assists was in the Leathernecks win over Greenville College (11/29) when they dished out 24 helpers on 35 made baskets... Last season, WIU had three total games with 20-plus assists, all against non-Division I opponents... Before this season, the last time WIU had 20 or more assists against a Division I opponent was Jan. 29, 2012 versus Omaha when the Leathernecks recorded 25.

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE NATION (as of Dec. 28): Two Western Illinois players rank in the top 100 of three national statistical categories: Garret Covington ranks 51st in three-point field goal percentage (41.2) and 58th in three-pointers per game (2.8)... Jabari Sandifer ranks 55th in assists per game (5.0).

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (as of Dec. 28): Sophomore Garret Covington ranks: Second in points per game (16.4)... Third in three-pointers (28)... Fifth in free throw percentage (78.9)... Eighth in total points (164), three-point field goal percentage (41.2) and total field goals (52)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer ranks second in total assists (50)... Junior Jamie Batish ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio (2.5)... Junior guard J.C. Fuller ranks 10th in free throw percentage (75.0).