TULSA, Okla. (Feb. 28, 2018) – Only four years removed from his stellar playing career, Oklahoma Christian assistant Kendre Talley still is in the process of accumulating coaching wisdom, but he has one valuable piece he is sharing this week with the Eagles.

Talley is living proof a No. 7 seed can thrive in a postseason conference basketball tournament. In fact, that's the seed OC held when Talley earned most valuable player honors while leading the Eagles to the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament title in 2012.

OC this week will play in its first conference tournament since then, with the seventh-seeded Eagles (10-17) facing No. 2 seed (and No. 17-ranked) Arkansas-Fort Smith (24-4) in the Heartland Conference Championship opener at noon Thursday at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa. And make no mistake – the Eagles know they are capable of winning the whole shooting match.

"It was wanting to prove yourself, to show everybody that you could actually do it, to show yourself that you could do it, but to also know that you can do it," Talley said of that 2012 run. "At the end of the day, you want to strive for the finish line and everybody doesn't make it. If you can get across, you've got a chance at it. We just have to go in there (this week) and prove a point.

"It's all about getting another shot and taking advantage of it."

The Eagles' 2012 run was one of the most improbable in OC athletic history, coming as it did after a 16-12 regular season during which OC lost numerous close games. But at the SAC tournament, the Eagles beat three ranked NAIA teams in three days, downing No. 10 Rogers State, No. 13 John Brown (Ark.) – on JBU's home court – and No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist. OC nearly took down the eventual NAIA Division I champion, Concordia (Calif.), in the first round of the national tournament.

So, head coach Cory Cole said, it doesn't matter so much what seed his team is this week. The important thing is, the Eagles are in the Heartland tournament and have the opportunity to compete, which was one of their primary goals for this season.

"This is what we have been pushing for all season," Cole said. "Our goal for the season was to put the foundation for OC tradition back on the map. For us, that meant getting back in the postseason. We were never concerned with a seed. We thought we could compete in the league, which we did. Every season has its ups and downs but we were able to weather those downs and get back on tempo.

"Our guys were really focused with the end in mind, of having that conference postseason tournament championship to play for, and an NCAA berth. Every team that's going is playing for the same thing. It doesn't matter how you got there."

Most observers have pegged this year's Heartland tournament as one of the most wide-open in the league's history, and OC has a lot to do with that line of thought. OC owns wins this season over top-seeded Dallas Baptist (Texas) and Arkansas-Fort Smith and also is one of only two teams to have beaten Great American Conference champion Southern Nazarene.

The Eagles also split season series with fourth-seeded Lubbock Christian (Texas) and fifth-seeded Rogers State, so they know they're capable of beating anyone. It's a matter of execution, Cole said.

"When you shrink the focus and it's just one game, now guys really know that all the things your coach has been telling you is for this moment," he said. "I know the guys will be locked in. They do a good job of listening, but now they'll be more dialed in."

The chance for a quick rematch against UAFS also could help the Eagles. OC stunned the then-unbeaten and No. 4-ranked Lions 62-58 in Oklahoma City on Jan. 4, holding UAFS to its lowest point total of the season. The teams didn't play in Fort Smith until last Thursday, when the Lions snapped a 39-39 halftime tie and pulled away for an 86-73 win.

UAFS has won six straight games and leads the Heartland in scoring margin at plus-12.6 points per game. The Lions like high-scoring, high-tempo games, as evidenced by their 82.4-point scoring average. Three UAFS players (all seniors) boast double-digit scoring averages – Oklahoma transfer Darrion Strong-Moore (14.7 points per game), DaVaunta Thomas (14.4) and Ladarius Coleman (12.4).

Cole knows a key for OC will be to try to slow the tempo and give the Lions fewer offensive opportunities.

"In tournament play, you've got to have good guards and good posts and you've got to rebound strong," he said. "You've got to be able to go seven or eight deep. We're not one-dimensional. We can win a low-scoring game. We've got to play our style against every opponent and control the tempo."

Thursday's game will be a homecoming for OC senior Abel Rodriguez, a Union High School graduate who will be returning to his old home gym. Rodriguez has picked up his game down the stretch this season, with three double-figure scoring games among the Eagles' last seven contests. He had his first career double-double in a win over Lubbock Christian on Feb. 17 that secured a tournament berth for OC.

"Abel, the last month or so, has been really locked in," Cole said. "Not just on the court, but as a man. It's been a transformation. It's really spilled over onto his teammates. He's one of our most likeable guys and one of our best leaders. … It means a lot to him to get to play back where it all started, to have a chance to play in front of his family and friends on his home court with his new team."