HELENA, Mont. - The No. 6 Carroll College men's basketball team takes the court Thursday against No. 25 Arizona Christian and Friday against The Master's at the New Year's Classic in Santa Clarita, California. The combined record of the two opponents is 20-2.
 
The Saints enter the weekend with an 11-1 record and have won three-straight games. Carroll is the best field goal percentage and free throw percentage team in the country. They are also in the top 10 in blocks and assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Ryan Imhoff leads the Saints in points (17.8), rebounds (7.42), assists (3.67) and blocks (1.75) per game. Zach Taylor is averaging 16.8 points per game, Match Burnham is scoring 11.5 PPG and Oliver Carr is scoring 10.1 PPG.
 
Arizona Christian is 10-1 on the year and its only loss came at the hands of The Master's, the other opponent on the weekend. The Firestorm is 12th in the NAIA in Field Goal percentage defense. ACU played in the NAIA tournament last season and advanced to the round of 16.
 
Chris Sterling leads the Firestorm, scoring 19.7 PPG. Shy McClelland averaged 14.8 PPG and Matt Willkomm scores 11.6.
 
"We have a mighty challenge versus 10-1 Arizona Christian," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "They are really good. They're living up to their nickname--they score a lot, they get hot, like a Firestorm."
 
Friday, the Saints take on The Master's who is 9-1 on the year. The Mustangs' lone loss was in double-overtime to No. 9 Westmont. Lawrence Russell leads TMC in points (17.5), rebounds (8.9), assists (4.4) and steals (2.5). Reid Shackelfors averages 17 PPG and four other Mustangs average double figures.
 
The Master's is fourth in NAIA DI in scoring and seventh in field goal percentage.
 
"Both contests feature top-25 caliber competition far from home," Cunningham said. "Time to mount up! We strive to grapple and grow and catch a nice rhythm each time out."
 
Live stats and video will be available via The Master's Stretch Internet Portal. The Saints take on ACU at 6 p.m. Thursday and The Master's at 6 p.m. Friday.