Southern Conference Basketball Previews for Dec. 30

Furman (6-6, 0-2 SoCon) at UNC Wilmington (3-7, 0-1 CAA)

Introducing The Matchup

Furman will play its final game of the 2011 year on Friday night, when the Paladins travel to the coast of North Carolina to face the UNC Wilmington Seahawks in the final non-conference game of the season for the Paladins. 

The Paladins, lead by head coach Jeff Jackson, will meet an old foe on Friday night, taking on Buzz Peterson's Seahawks.

Peterson is in his second season at UNCW, where he has compiled an overall record of 16-25. Prior to coming to UNCW, Peterson spent two separate stints as the head coach at Appalachian State, with his most recent stint in the High Country coming in the 2009-10 season, as he helped the Mountaineers reach the title game before eventually dropping a 56-51 game in the title game against Wofford. Peterson led the Mountaineers to their last SoCon title back in the 1999-2000 season, before leaving for the head coaching job at Tulsa.

Peterson has faced the Paladins a total of seven times in his career, posting a 5-2 mark against the Paladins. One of those two losses came a couple of years ago, when Jackson's Paladins posted a 85-82 win in Boone. While Peterson is familiar to the Paladins, UNCW has never faced Furman on the college basketball hardwood. Furman remains one of three SoCon teams that UNCW has yet to face on the college basketball hardwood, with the other two being Chattanooga and Wofford.

Furman will be looking to put an end to a two-game losing skid, which both came on the road, as the Paladins have dropped back-to-back contests to Presbyterian (71-75. Dec.20) and to Georgia (50-64, Dec. 23). The Paladins started the four-game road swing with an impressive, 76-63 win at Western Kentucky back on Dec. 17. UNCW, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from an 87-78 loss at Wake Forest back on Dec. 21.   

Furman Heads to Trask Coliseum to Face UNC Wilminton

Furman (6-6, 0-2 SoCon) at UNC Wilmington (3-7, 0-1 CAA)

A Look At The Seahawks

UNC Wilmington will be hitting the hardwood for the first time since an 87-78 loss at Wake Forest back on Dec. 21. The Seahawks have struggled through the early portion of the schedule and will play their final non-conference game this evening against the Paladins, before beginning conference play in-earnest, hosting Delaware on Jan. 2.

UNCW is an extremely young basketball team that is expected start four freshmen this evening. The Seahawks have been led by two players averaging in double figures this season, in point guard Adam Smith (17.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG) and junior forward Keith Rendlemann (14.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG). 

Smith has been a strong presence for the Seahawks in his first season as the starting point guard for UNCW, entering the contest as the CAA's leading freshman scorer. He ranks fifth in the league in overall scoring, and has reached double figures in eight of 10 outings this season. He scored a career-high 32 points in the loss to Wake Forest last time out, 

The junior forward Rendleman is the most experienced player for Peterson's Seahawks, and is expected to make his 73rd appearance tonight against the Paladins. Five of Rendleman's 11 career double-doubles have come this season, and the savvy, strong junior forward is shooting the ball at a 54.8% clip for his career,

Joining Smith as starters in the backcourt will be Freddie Jackson (3.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG) and KK Simmons (6.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG). Jackson has one double-figure scoring performance this season, posting a career-high 13 points in a 74-49 loss at Dayton. Simmons turned in his best career performance against Toledo and VCU, scoring 11 points in both of those road losses for the Seahawks.

Joining Rendleman underneath the basket this evening will be freshman forward Cedrick Williams (6.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG). Williams, like the other three starting freshmen for the Seahawks, has continued to adjust to the college game with each game. Williams recorded his only career double figure scoring performance in a loss to Davidson earlier this season, as he posted 10 points in the setback.

Sophomore guard Donte Morales (5.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG), junior, seven-foot center Matt Wilson (2.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG) and senior guard Trevor Deloach (3.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG) are the top players coming of the UNCW bench for Peterson. 

As a team this season, the Seahawks are averaging 66.4 PPG, while opponents are averaging 72.0 PPG against UNCW. The Seahawks are connecting 42.2% of their shots from the field this season, while connecting on 29.4% from three. Opponents are shooting the basketball at a 44.5% clip from the field this season, while opponents are a frigid 28.0% from three-point range against the Seahawks this season, 

A Look At The Paladins

Furman will look to put an end to a two-game road losing skid when it takes on the youthful UNCW Seahawks at Trask Coliseum this evening.The Paladins come into Friday night's game sporting a No. 198 RPI rating. The game will be the last non-conference game before the Paladins begin league play in-earnest next week, hosting The Citadel at Timmons Arena next Thursday.

The Paladins have somewhat surprisingly gotten strong play out of a young backcourt, and set to start at the respective guard positions this evening for the Paladins will once again be Richard Brown (9.8 PPG, 3.3 APG) and Charlie Reddick (9.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG).

Brown has started all 12 previous games of the season for the Paladins this season, leading the team thus far with 39 assists on the campaign. Brown scored a season-high 16 points in a win over UVA-Wise earlier this season. 

Reddick is one of the best pure athletes on the Furman roster, but after posting a 22-point game in a loss Elon in late November, and scoring a career-high 23 points against UVA-Wise in a home win, Reddick has been held to a combined 11 points in Furman's past three games against Georgia, Western Kentucky and Presbyterian, which have all come on the road. Twenty-three of Reddick's 39 field goals this season have come from beyond the three-point arc, and he is Furman's leading perimeter shooter coming in.

Set to start in the front court this evening for Furman will be Bryant Irwin (9.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG), Brandon Sebirumbi (9.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and Colin Reddick (4.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG).Irwin is the best scorer of the aforementioned bunch, and he can step out and shoot the perimeter jumper, as evidenced by his 18 triples this season.

Sebirumbi, the lone returning starter from a team that won 22 games a year ago, scored a career-high 22 points in a 75-71 loss to Presbyterian on the road last week. Colin Reddick, the twin brother of Charlie Reddick, has seen his minutes diminish as of late, but has shown the ability to be a factor on the defensive end of the floor, with 68-career blocks.

The top players coming off Jeff Jackson's bench will be senior guard Bobby Austin (7.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG), athletic forward Bryson Barnes (13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG), and talented freshman guard Jordan Lloyd (3.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG).

Austin is an athletic, savvy player that can score off the dribble and has also served Jackson and the Paladins well on the defensive end, tied for the team lead with seven rejections. Barnes has scored in double figures in two of the three games he has seen action in this season, including a career-high 26 points in Furman's 76-63 win at Western Kentucky on Dec. 17. Lloyd is a talented young backup point guard that has continued to develop with increased playing time.

As a team this season, Furman is averaging 66.5 PPG, while opponents scoring 66.1 PPG. Furman is shooting the basketball at a 41.1% clip, while connecting on 34.1% of its efforts from three. Opponents have connected on 43.8% of their shots from the field, including 32.1% from three, against the Paladins this season.

Predicted Final Score: 77-73 Paladins