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Not sure if we’ve whipped up on old 2012 or if old 2012 did the whipping. Yeah, I really am sure, but it’s depressing so I won’t mention anything about it. Whichever, we’re about to wrap up another go-round and step into the ring for the next try. Happy New Year.

SOUTHEASTERN basketballers are back at work preparing for the second-semester which opens Thursday, January 3.

That’s when Southern Arkansas brings the Muleriders and Lady Muleriders to town for a Great American Conference doubledip that tips off at 5:30 p.m. in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

Arkansas-Monticello visits the Snake Pit for a 2 p.m. twinbill Saturday, January 5.

Both are important conference shootouts. Starting Thursday night, Southeastern has 16 GAC doubleheaders in a row and both teams are in position to make positive moves.

COACH DARIN GROVER’S young ladies could jump from 2-7 and 1-3 to 4-7 and 3-3 in the conference with wins here this weekend.

The Storm will visit Oklahoma Wesleyan at 2 p.m. Monday in a non-conference game.

Southern Arkansas comes in at 2-7 and 0-4 with one player in double figures. Katherine McBride, a 5-7 sophomore from Lucas, Texas, leads the Lady Muleriders with 13.8 points per game. She’s a 46.2 percent shooter on 12 of 26 three-pointers.

Tori Nichols is grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game and the 6-3 freshman from Houston, Miss., will have to be kept away from the basket.

The Storm is led by 5-5 senior point-guard Bailey Welch of Cashion, who is averaging 13 points per game, shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc on 11 of 33 and 93.6 percent from the charity stripe with 44 of 47.

Ronay English, a 5-6 junior guard from Anadarko, averages 10.6 points and Haley Schaefer, 5-11, sophomore forward from Wright City, is scoring 9.3 points and pulling down 5.1 boards per game. Taylor Richards, 5-6 freshman guard from Durant, leads the team with 34 assists.

Monticello’s Cotton Blossoms are also 2-7 and 0-4 and will play at East Central Thursday before the Saturday date in Durant.

Donlicia James, a 5-10 freshman from Monroe, Louisiana, is scoring 11.8 points and grabbing 7.3 boards per game and Jordan Goforth, a 5-9 freshman from Plano, Texas, averages 9.1 points a game.

COACH KELLY GREEN’S men have jumped to second place in the GAC standings.

The overall record is 7-3, tied with Henderson State and Harding for the most wins in the league.

Southeastern’s 3-1 GAC record trails only Southwestern Oklahoma’s 3-0 mark. The Bulldogs are 4-5 overall.

Southern Arkansas comes in at 5-4 and 2-2 and will ride the scoring of Nigel Jones, a 6-6, 190-pound junior from Wadley, Alabama, who averages 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Darrin Johnson, 6-3, 210, junior from Chicago, scores 11.2 points per game and Daviel Clements, 6-0, 175, senior from Jesup, Georgia, is hitting 10.3 ppg.

The Storm is led by Chris Roussell, 6-4, 190, senior from Edgard, Louisiana, with 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Steven Kohli, 6-7, 235, senior from El Paso, Texas, is averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 boards.

Andris Misters, 6-5, 190, freshman from Jelgava, Latvia, is in double figures at 10.1 points.

James Harris, Mr. Instant Offense off the bench, is scoring 9.8 points per game while shooting a blistering 50 percent (26 of 52) from beyond the arc. Harris is a 5-9, 180-pound senior guard from Tulsa and Murray State.

Mateus Oliveira, a 6-10, 235-pound junior from Limiera, Brazil, averages 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting 66.7 percent from the field on 42 of 63.

Southeastern has won three of the last four games, all GAC contests.

Monticello’s Wonder Boys, 6-4 and 1-3 going into the East Central games on Thursday night, will be here Saturday afternoon.

Kori Forge, a 6-0, 185-pound senior from Atlanta, Georgia, leads Monticello with 22.3 points per game. A.J. Calhoun, 6-7, 195, senior from Mobile, Alabama, is averaging 8.9 points and 7.6 boards per game.