UP NEXT: Western hits the road for Summit League games at Denver (Jan. 14) and North Dakota State (Jan. 16) next week before returning home for its longest remaining home stand of the year... The Leathernecks play host to South Dakota (Jan. 22), IUPUI (Jan. 30) and North Dakota State (Feb. 1).

LEATHERNECKS VS. GOLDEN EAGLES SERIES HISTORY: Oral Roberts leads the all-time series 27-7... The first meeting between the two programs, and the only meeting that was a nonconference contest came during the 1968-69, a game Oral Roberts won 82-69... WIU won the last meeting between the two teams when the Leathernecks upset first-seed ORU in the semifinals of the 2012 Summit League Tournament, 54-53... The Golden Eagles have won 12 of the last 14 games.

HOME SWEET HOME: Western is 36-12 (.750) inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 10-4 during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 during the 2012-13 league slate, and 7-5 last season... So far this year WIU is 7-1 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court.

COVINGTON FOR THREE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington had 70 three-pointers as a freshman, and has 31 so far as a sophomore... He has 101 in his career... He has played in 43 career games, has only had five games played without at least one three, and has made at least one triple in 38 games... He has 27 games with multiple three pointers... He has 10 games with one trey, six 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 642 career points and averages 14.9 points per game... He has 33 games with 10 or more points, 24 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 160 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 14 games this season and averages 4.9 per game (68 total)... He has at least one assist in all but one of his 44 career games played... He has multiple assists in 40 of those games... Three-plus assists in 34 career games... 19 games with four-plus... Seven games with five-plus... Six 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. 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer was named Summit League 'Player of the Week' Monday morning (Jan. 5) after helping the WIU men's basketball squad go 3-0 on the week and begin league play undefeated. The Naperville, Ill. native averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game this past week, and shot 47.4 percent (18-of-38) from the field. Sandifer averaged 21.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in the Fighting Leathernecks two Summit League games while only turning the ball over three times total. Sandifer recorded his three highest scoring performances of the season on the week. He opened the week by scoring 16 points, a career-best at the time, and four assists in WIU's win over Anderson (Dec. 30). The sophomore then bettered his career-high in points in Western's league-opening game when he dropped 22 on the Mastodons of Fort Wayne (Jan. 2) to go along with four helpers. Sandifer wrapped up the week with another 20-point outing in the Leathernecks' victory over Omaha (Jan. 4), tallying 20 points and dishing out six assists.

ANOTHER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore men's basketball player Garret Covington (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) was named The Summit League 'Player of the Week' on Dec. 15 after helping the Leathernecks go 2-0 the week prior... It was his second career honor, and first of the 2014-15 season... The sophomore guard, whose 17.8 points per game on the season leads The Summit League in scoring, averaged 22.5 points in this past week's two contests. Covington tallied 27 in WIU's come-from-behind win over Idaho before totaling 18 in the Leathernecks victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) preseason favorite Alabama State.

TEAM LEADERS: Sophomore Garret Covington and junior Tate Stensgaard are the only two Leathernecks to have started all 14 games this season for the Leathernecks... Covington also leads the team in points per game (15.7), minutes per game (31.3), field goals (63), three-pointers (31), free throws (63), three-point field goal percentage (37.3) and free throw percentage (81.8)... Stensgaard also leads the team in field goal percentage (55.6)... Senior Mohamed Conde leads the team in rebounds per game (6.3), total defenseive rebounds (50) and total offensive rebounds (32)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer leads the team in assists per game (4.9)... Junior Jalen Chapman leads the steals (18) and blocks (7).

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (through Jan. 8): Sophomore Garret Covington ranks: Fourth in free throw percentage (81.8)... Fourth in three-pointers (31)... Fifth in points per game (15.9). Sophomore Jabari Sandifer ranks: First in assists per game (4.9)... 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.9). Senior Mohamed Conde ranks: Sixth in rebounds per game (6.3). Junior J.C. Fuller ranks: 10th in free throw percentage (77.8).

WIU AND ITS OPPONENTS IN THE NCAA'S DAILY RPI: (as of Jan. 8): Western Illinois has an RPI of 278 in NCAA's Daily RPI... It's opponent's rankings are: 232. Pacific | 285. UIC | 262. Southeastern Louisiana | 104. William and Mary | 159. Akron | 171. Cleveland State | 254. Idaho | 245. Alabama State | 125. Memphis | 286. Fort Wayne | 283. Omaha | 146. South Dakota State | 184. Oral Roberts | 208. Denver | 164. North Dakota State | 260. South Dakota | 265. IUPUI.