Columbia, Mo. - The Cougar men's basketball team, ranked No. 4 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, will be in action tomorrow afternoon against sixth-ranked Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University in the NAIA Game of the Week. First place in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) will be on the line as both teams enter Saturday's matchup at the top of the conference standings with unblemished 7-0 records in league play.
 
The Lions (13-0) are enjoying an outstanding first season as members of the AMC after a stay in the TranSouth Athletic Conference, where they earned four runner-up finishes in the last six years. Freed-Hardeman is coming off 78-72 home victory over Park University on Thursday night as Orlando Bass led the way with a game-high 25 points. Bass (14.7 ppg) and senior forward Kyle Teichman (16.8 ppg) lead a Lions offense that ranks fourth nationally in scoring margin at +21.7 points per game and 12^th in field goal percentage at .490, while also holding opponents 64.5 points per contest (sixth-best in the NAIA). Head Coach Jason Shelton is in his ninth season at Freed-Hardeman and led the club to five straight 20-win seasons from 2007-2012. The Lions are currently off to the best start in program history, surpassing the 1998-99 mark of 8-0.
 
Columbia (16-1) defeated Mid-Continent University 70-67 on Tuesday night and has won seven straight games dating back to December 28^th. Benedictine (Kan.) College handed the Cougars their lone loss of the season on December 18^th, a 73-59 defeat in Atchison, Kansas. Senior guard Devin Griffin leads a balanced Columbia offense that ranks fifth in the NAIA in both field goal percentage (.509) and three-point field goal percentage (.402) in addition to several other top rankings. The Cougars have six other players averaging at least 8.0 points per game, but will be without second-leading scorer Derrick Dilworth (15.6 ppg) and key reserve Zach Rockers (11.0 ppg). Head Coach Bob Burchard is closing in on 650 career victories and currently sits at No. 5 on the NAIA Division 1 active wins list with a mark of 648-227 (.741) in 26 seasons at Columbia.  
 
Freed-Hardeman will look continue its winning ways on their home court with nine straight victories at Smith-Kirk Court to start the 2013-14 campaign, while the Cougars boast a 7-1 road record this season. The two teams will meet again on February 22^nd in Columbia after Saturday's matchup, which is scheduled for a 4:00 pm start in Henderson, Tennessee.
 
The 17^th-ranked Lady Cougar squad (12-4, 8-0 AMC) will also face a stiff test against the second-ranked Freed-Hardeman women's team (16-0, 8-0 AMC) on Saturday. First place in the American Midwest Conference women's basketball standings will also be on the line in the contest, scheduled for a 2:00 pm tip-off. Visit the Columbia men's and women's schedule pages for live audio and video links to follow each game.