Saturday's Southern Conference Basketball Previews (League Games)

This is a continuation of the article I wrote a couple of days ago, chronicling the stretch run towards the Southern Conference Tournament in Charlotte, March 5-8. In the previous article, I took a look at some random notes, drafted my All-SoCon team for this season, set my SoCon All-Decade teams, and took a look at team-by-team notes in the North Division.

This article will preview Saturday's action, as there are four key league games and four Bracket Busters contests. After Saturday's action, please check back next week for game previews, as well as South Division notes.

A QUICK LOOK AT SATURDAY'S CONFERENCE GAMES

 

UNC Greensboro (5-21, 4-11 SoCon) at The Citadel (15-12, 9-6), 1 PM

With its 73-56 win over Western Carolina on Thursday night, The Citadel set a new program standard for victories in a two-season stretch, as the Bulldogs claimed their 35th win over the last two campaigns to eclipse the mark of 34 wins previously set under the leadership of the legendary Les Robinson. The win over the Catamounts coupled with Davidson's 73-51 loss to Wofford means the Bulldogs have now forged a tie for third place in the SoCon South.

UNC Greensboro enters Saturday afternoon's regionally-televised contest looking to bring an end to a five-game losing streak after dropping a 70-65 decision at Elon on Wednesday night at Alumni Gym to snap UNCG's eight-game winning streak over the Phoenix.

The Spartans will be looking to snap a two-game skid to the Bulldogs when they take the McAlister Field House floor on Saturday afternoon. With everyone talking about the play of South Division counterparts College of Charleston and Wofford as of late, The Citadel, who is red-hot after claiming its fifth-straight victory over the Catamounts on Thursday evening.

Only Wofford has a longer winning streak in the league, as they have won seven straight heading into Saturday's action. Saturday's meeting between the Spartans and Bulldogs will mark the only regular-season meeting between the two clubs this season.

One of the reasons the Bulldogs have excelled as of late has been both their play on the defensive end of the court during this five-game stretch and perhaps even more the reason why the Bulldogs have been able to experience such success as of late has been their play on the defensive end of the floor.

With the loss of Demetrius Nelson to graduation, many wondered how the Bulldogs would establish any kind of inside presence comparable to what Nelson provided them last season. Slowly but surely, freshman forward Harrison DuPont has provided a resounding answer. Going into Thursday evening's contest with the Catamounts, DuPont had set new season highs in back-to-back games with 15 points in a win at College of Charleston last Monday night and 18 points at Elon last Saturday.

In the victory over the Catamounts on Wednesday night, The Citadel had four players finish in double figures, as Cosmo Morabbi came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 points, while junior guard Zach Urbanus added 14 points and classmate and leading scorer Cameron Wells added 13 to lead a consistent, effective onslaught from the Bulldogs against WCU.

It was also another strong night for freshman post DuPont, who came off the bench to add a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs continued their strong play on the defensive end of the floor as of late, limiting the league's second-leading shooting club to just 33.9 percent shooting for the game, while maintaining its own sharp-shooting of late by connecting on 49 percent of their shots from the field.

The Bulldogs were also deadly from three-point range once again, knocking down 10-of-17 shots from long-range in the impressive win. In 14 of its 15 victories this season, the Bulldogs have knocked down at least nine three-point field goals.

The win gave the Bulldogs three wins over teams in the top two in the standings of both the North and South Divisions of the league. The Bulldogs now own wins over Appalachian State (62-58) and Western Carolina (73-56), who own the top spots in the North and a 72-65 win over College of Charleston, which came last Monday night on the Cougars' home floor

UNC Greensboro, meanwhile, continued its struggles on Wednesday night, with a 70-65 loss at Elon. The loss now means that the Spartans have slipped in the league standings from fourth to the sixth as a result of tiebreaker situations with Samford. Despite the losing effort, Ben Stywall continued his All-SoCon campaign with his league-leading 12th double-double of the 2009-10 season by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds in another strong effort from the senior post player.

Stywall also achieved a milestone along the way, becoming just the third player in school history to collect 900 rebounds for a career.

In a season in which senior guard Mikko Koivisto has struggled, the senior wing produced one of his better performances of the 2009-10 season, scoring 19 points before fouling out of the game in the final moments. Kendall Toney rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points and Elon managed to connect on 13-of-16 free throws down the stretch to hold off a furious rally late by the Spartans.

In the second of two meetings between the two clubs last season, the Bulldogs were able to claim a 66-60 win on the McAlister Field House hardwood, as the Bulldogs scored the final 10 points of the contest to claim the win. Zach Urbanus had a big night for the Bulldogs, as he scored 20 points, while Demetrius Nelson added 19 on 13-of-14 shooting from the field.

The Bulldogs continue to be led by Cameron Wells this season, as he comes into Saturday's action ranking third in the league in scoring average, at 17.5 PPG., while Urbanus is adding 11.2 PPG. The Citadel continues to excel defensively, ranking ninth nationally and leading the SoCon in scoring defense, yielding just 59.5 PPG through 27 games this season.

UNC Greensboro is led by senior post Stywall, who leads the Spartans in both scoring average (14.3 PPG) and leads the Southern Conference in rebounding average (10.5 RPG). Guards Brandon Evans (9.2 PPG.) and Kyle Randall (9.1 PPG.) remain on the cusp of double figures in scoring average.

UNC Greensboro's only road league win came back in December, when it thumped Samford, 73-40 at the Pete Hanna Center. Things probably won't change this afternoon as the Bulldogs should win their sixth-straight heading into a trip to the Upstate to face Furman (Feb. 25) and Wofford (Feb. 27) to close out the 2009-10 regular-season.

Furman (12-14, 6-9 SoCon) at Davidson (13-13, 8-6 SoCon), 2PM

Ever since Davidson joined the Southern Conference, Furman has had all kinds of trouble when it faces the Wildcats. In fact, the Paladins have lost nine straight to the Wildcats and have dropped 29 of their last 31 games to the Wildcats. Furman last garnered a win at Davidson back during the 1989-90 season and have never won a game at Belk Arena.

Davidson's hopes of earning a bye for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament in Charlotte were all but squelched on Wednesday night, as the Terriers came in and dealt the Wildcats there worst loss to the Terriers since the 1988-89 season, with a 73-51 win over Davidson.

It was Wofford's first win ever at Belk Arena and allowed Wofford to claim the season sweep of the third-place Wildcats, with just four games remaining. Furman, meanwhile, dropped a 79-77 decision in Statesboro to Georgia Southern on Wednesday night.

Both Davidson and Furman met back on Jan. 13 in Greenville and the Wildcats were able to earn a hard-fought 86-81 win in a game that the Wildcats played rather careless in down the stretch. Davidson was led in the intial meeting by William Archambault, who led four Wildcats in double figures, as he scored 15 points.

The Wildcats were also buoyed by two talented freshmen, in guard J.P. Kuhlman and Jake Cohen, who added 14 and 11 points, respectively, while senior Steve Rossiter rounded out the Wildcats in double figures with 13 points.

Junior forward Amu Saaka scored a career-high 34 points for the Paladins and nearly helped orchestrate and amazing, come-from-behind victory for the Paladins in the final moments. Saaka scored a career-high 34 points and connected on 12-of-16 field goal attempts in the losing effort for the Paladins.

Furman shot the ball exceptionally well, connecting on 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from the field, but were beaten on the boards by the Wildcats 32-27. Darryl Evans and Jordan Miller also reached double figures for the Paladins, as each scored 11 points, while Bryson Barnes came off the bench to add 10 points.

The Paladins were also 50.0 percent from three-point range (7-of-14) and connected on 26-of-36 from the charity stripe in their ninth-straight loss to the Wildcats.

Davidson looked good in the very early going against Wofford on Wednesday evening, racing out to a 5-0 lead, before Wofford embarked on a relentless 21-2 run and never looked back in handing the Wildcats their most embarrassing loss in front of the home faithful in quite sometime.

The freshman duo of Cohen and Kuhlman were at it once again, leading the Wildcats with 17 and 13 points, respectively in the setback. Davidson turned in one of its worst shooting efforts of the 2009-10 season, connecting on just 29.5 percent of its shots from the field.

Furman was on the road in Statesboro, Ga., facing sixth-place Georgia Southern, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a 79-77 win over the Paladins. That win helped the Eagles avenge a 69-45 loss they suffered earlier this season at Furman's Timmons Arena. The full-court pressure employed by the Eagles bothered the Paladins much of the evening, as Furman turned the basketball over 20 times in the contest, but did manage to hold a 36-28 advantage on the boards.

Saaka led the Paladins' scoring efforts with 27 points (11-of-15 from the field), while Brandon Sebirumbi added a career-high 15 points. Furman finished the contest shooting 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field.

The Paladins enter this afternoon's game continuing to be led by Amu Saaka (16.4 PPG) and Jordan Miller (14.4 PPG) and, as a team, Furman are averaging 69.4 PPG to rank sixth on the league's scoring offense ledger, while the 70.0 PPG the Paladins surrender also rank them sixth in the league in scoring defense.

Furman has excelled in free throw shooting this season, knocking down 73.0 percent (457-of-626) of its charity shots on the 2009-10 campaign to rank third in the league. The Paladins also are tied for the league lead in blocked shots (5.2 BPG) through 26 games this season.

Davidson with three players averaging in double figures, continuing to be led by its talented tandem of freshmen, in center Jake Cohen (12.9 PPG) and guard J.P. Kuhlman (12.6 PPG), while senior William Archambault adds 11.1 PPG. As a team, the Wildcats average 71.2 PPG to rank fourth in the league in team scoring, while allowing 69.0 PPG to also rank fourth in the SoCon in scoring defense.

While Davidson has had its fair share of struggles, the Wildcats aren't struggling enough to lose two-straight at home, especially with Furman coming to Belk Arena, although the Paladins do seem to be getting closer to breaking this long streak. Furman, unlike most seasons however, has the more talented club and will drop a close one.

Wofford (20-8, 12-3 SoCon) at Georgia Southern (6-20, 4-10 SoCon), 2:30 PM

With its seventh straight victory, Wofford reached the 20-win plateau on the hardwood since its days as a Division II club, when the Terriers finished that particular campaign with a 21-6 record. The Terriers have had their troubles at Hanner Fieldhouse over the years and are looking for their first win inside some of the most hostile surroundings in the league for a visitor since the 2008 season, when the Terriers were (86-79) victors over the Eagles.

In fact, the Terriers have won only twice (2001 and '08) in nine trips to Hanner Fieldhouse this decade, with one of those wins taking a 40-point night by former Terrier legend Ian Chadwick to deliver an 82-74 win for Wofford back in 2001.

The Terriers got a somewhat surprising, 73-51, win at traditional SoCon power Davidson on Wednesday night, while the Eagles were 79-77 winners over Furman. For Wofford, it was their 13th win in their last 14 games and the Terriers were able to remain within a half game of College of Charleston in the South Division standings with the win.

Georgia Southern picked up its sixth win of the season in its two-point victory over its arch-rival, with all six games coming at Hanner Fieldhouse this season. The Eagles have lost two straight to the Terriers, including a 71-57 setback earlier this season at Benjamin-Johnson Arena.

In the Jan. 15 meeting between the Terriers and Eagles, Wofford got another superlative effort from Noah Dahlman, who has scored in double figures in all 28 games this season, scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the winning effort. The Terriers led the intial meeting from wire-to-wire and used a 13-4 run to open the second half and break open a relatively close game, taking a 52-29 lead.

Georgia Southern was led by guard Antonio Hanson, who added 14 points while freshman forward Cameron Baskerville pulled down a team-best eight boards in the losing effort. The Eagles trailed 39-25 at the half and were able to not only hold the normally high-scoring Eagles to less than 60 points in the game, they also limited the Eagles to just 36.1 percent shooting from the field for the game and just 37.5 percent shooting from three-point arc.

Wofford also claimed a 42-35 advantage on the glass in the victory a little over a month ago.

In Wednesday night's 79-77 win over Furman, an 18-4 run down the stretch in the contest helped the Eagles overcome a deficit and avenge an earlier season 69-45 setback to the Paladins. The play of Willie Powers III and Antonio Hanson was clutch in the second half, as the talented backcourt duo combined to score 25 of their combined 36 points in the second half to help the Eagles overcome the Paladins down the stretch.

It was the Eagles' full-court pressure that caused the Paladins problems all night, forcing the visitors into 20 turnovers on the evening.

The Terriers continue to be led by Dahlman, who's making a strong statement for SoCon Player of the Year plaudits, averaging 17.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG entering Saturday afternoon's showdown with the Eagles. Dahlman remains the only Terrier player averaging in double figures and continues to sport the league's third-best field goal percentage this season (58.4 percent).

Tim Johnson continues to be a menace on the backboards for Wofford this season, ripping down an average of 7.4 RPG. Jamar Diggs is the next closest Terrier to a double-figure scoring average at 8.6 PPG.

As a team, Wofford continues to be one of the stingiest defensive clubs in the SoCon this season and that has contributed mightily to its unprecedented 20 wins as a Division I member. The Terriers currently rank third in the SoCon in scoring defense (61.2 PPG), while ranking second in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (31.3 percent) and are fourth in overall field goal percentage defense (42.4 percent).

Georgia Southern enters Saturday's afternoon's contest with one of the top backcourts in the leading, with its only two double-figure scorers, Willie Powers III (15.0 PPG) and Antonio Hanson (11.8 PPG) leading the way. The Eagles struggle for the most part on the defensive end of the floor, but their pressing style of defense has helped GSU remain near the top of the league in steals all season, averaging 8.5 thefts per game (230 steals this season) to rank second in the SoCon in that statistical category.

However, the aforementioned stat is quickly nullified when considering the Eagles rank last in both field goal percentage defense (50.8 percent) and scoring defense (78.0 PPG).

Wofford should be able to keep the pressure on the Cougars and forge a tie in the league standings with a hard-fought win at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon and will pick up their third win this decade at another place the Terriers have struggled historically as a league member.

Chattanooga (13-14, 5-9 SoCon) at Samford (10-16, 4-10 SoCon), 3 PM ET

These two clubs are separated by just a one-and-a-half hour drive and met on the hardwood for the first time in the 2009-10 season last week, as the Bulldogs not only matched their largest margin of victory with their 24-point (78-54) win over the Mocs, they also handed UTC its second 24-point loss on its home floor to a conference opponent this season (the other was a 90-66 loss to the College of Charleston back on Jan. 16).

Prior to that previous meeting between the Mocs and Bulldogs, it was learned that both junior Ridge McKeither and freshman Josh Odem, the team's third and fourth-leading scorers and vital components of the Mocs' interior rotation, were suspended indefinitely due to a violation of team rules.

The Mocs dropped their fifth straight contest last Saturday, with a 87-78 loss to Furman at McKenzie Arena, so a road trip at this point in time might be the best thing for the Mocs. Samford, which snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Mocs with its 24-point triumph over UTC a little over a week ago, also has had the week off, with its last contest being a 59-54 loss to red-hot Wofford in a game that the Bulldogs led at halftime.

These two rivals met each other in last year's Southern Conference semifinals, with the upstart Bulldogs, in their first season as a league member, dropping a hard-fought 81-70 decision to the eventual league champion and subsequent NCAA Tournament qualifier Mocs. In that contest, Stephen McDowell scored 32 points and the Mocs held a huge advantage on the boards in the win, holding a 35-13 edge on the glass in that win.

In the initial meeting between the two, junior guard Josh Davis turned in one of the best games of his career, as he scored a career-high 30 points and made good on 7-of-13 shots from three-point range in the big win for the Bulldogs. With those seven triples, he tied an individual career-high for three-pointers in a game.

As a team, the Bulldogs turned in a season-best 62.5 percent shooting clip from the field. The Bulldogs were most deadly from three-point range in the contest, as the Bulldogs connected on 15-of-23 from three-point range in the win. Talented sophomore big man Jeffrey Merritt also turned in a career-high effort in the win with 13 points.

Chattanooga comes into this contest facing the reality that it won't receive the first-round bye in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, but with plenty to play for down the stretch, especially with Elon's win over UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night.

With the Mocs and Phoenix tied in the victories column, the Mocs now need to ensure they finish ahead of the Phoenix in the SoCon standings, as Elon swept the season series and would hold the tiebreaker with the Mocs, should the two finish tied in the standings.

Chattanooga senior swing-man Ty Patterson continues to lead the Mocs, averaging 15.4 PPG and his 5.0 RPG to rank second on the team in rebounding. Patterson is also knocking down 3.3 three-pointers per game and is shooting at a 38.4 percent clip from beyond the arc.

Patterson has scored in double figures in eight-straight games, averaging 17.1 PPG and 5.4 RPG over that stretch. Ricky Taylor continues to be the only other Mocs player averaging in double digits at 11.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG.

Samford comes into Saturday's contest led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Josh Davis continues to pace the Bulldogs in overall scoring at 12.8 PPG, while Trey Montgomery and Bryan Friday contribute 10.8 and 10.2 PPG, respectively. Montgomery might be the Bulldogs' best all-around performer, with 74 assists and 33 steals.

The Bulldogs continue rank as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense (59.5 PPG) and lead the league in field goal percentage defense (40.9 percent). Additionally, on the offensive end of the 2009-10 season, the Bulldogs rank third in the league in field goal percentage shooting (45.9 percent).

While Chattanooga might not win on what should be an emotional Saturday "Senior Day" contest at the Pete Hanna Center, the Mocs will have to go along way to match their 24-point collapse against the Bulldogs in the initial meeting between the two a couple of weeks ago. The Mocs claimed a 66-56 win at Samford last season, but the Bulldogs have been tough to beat at the Pete Hanna Center.

Western Carolina (19-9, 9-7 SoCon) at Kent State (19-8, 10-3 MAC), 8 p.m.

Losers of four of its last five games, Western Carolina seems a shell of the team that won at Louisville in December and a sported an RPI in the low 40's at one point this season. It was even thought that at one point, the Catamounts might get in the tournament regardless of whether they won the league's tournament in Charlotte, N.C. in early March. Saturday night's contest will be televised live by ESPNU.

However, the Catamounts, who appear safely in position to garner the second bye in the SoCon North, need to have a good showing in Saturday evening's showdown with MAC traditional basketball power. Kent State is a club most remember from the 2002 NCAA Tournament, when the Golden Flashes were led by current San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, who led the Golden Flashes into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, knocking off Oklahoma State (69-61), Alabama (71-58) and Pittsburgh (78-73 OT) before losing to in the regional final to eventual national runner-up Indiana (81-69).

Tonight's game will also mark the classic case of teacher vs. pupil, as WCU head coach Larry Hunter coached current Kent State head coach Geno Ford during his playing days at Ohio University. Hunter earned his Hall-of-Fame status as a head coach during his time spent coaching players like Ford and former "Shaq of the MAC" Gary Trent during his time stolling the sidelines in Athens, OH. Hunter coached the Bobcats to a MAC title in 1994, which was Ford's freshman season as a Bobcat guard.

In total opposition to how WCU enters Saturday's evening's Bracket Busters showdown, the Golden Flashes have been victorious in nine of their last 10 outings. Kent State needs just one victory to record its 11th 20-win season in the past 12 years. The Golden Flashes are one of just nine teams since the 1998-99 season that have been able to make such a bold statement. The Golden Flashes have played in an ESPN Bracket Buster game all eight seasons in the existence of the tournament. Kent State has played two Southern Conference members this season and the Golden Flashes have knocked off both of those teams. Kent State opened the 2009-10 season with a hard-fought 69-66 win over Samford at the M.A.C. Center and got their most impressive win over a SoCon foe in California in the Cable Car Classic, with a 73-66 win over 20-win Wofford.

 

Still, with a win Saturday night, the Catamounts would eclipse the 20-win plateau for the first time as a Division I member and would post the program's first 20-win season since the 1971-72 season. Saturday night's contest between the Catamounts and Golden Flashes marks just the second meeting between the schools, with the inaugural meeting coming last season. The Catamounts were able to pick up an impressive, 89-84, come-from-behind victory at Kent State last season. It was one of the more impressive wins for the Catamounts during the non-league slate last season.

In last season's meeting, Brigham Waginger's career-high of 20 points led four Catamounts in double figures, as the Catamounts were able to claim an 89-84 win and fourth-straight victory overall. It was a win that was significant in many ways for Western Carolina, as it signaled the Catamounts would be a factor in the North Division race last season, as WCU went on to finish with a North Division title for the first time since the 1995-96 season. Waginger is a native of central Ohio, which is an area that has proven to be fertile ground for WCU basketball recruiting for several years, as former star Kevin Martin is the most-notable player to emerge from central Ohio for the Catamounts over the years. Waginger lit it up in front of the local folks on that particular early December evening, connecting on 7-of-10 shots from the floor, including going 3-of-5 from three-point range in the win.

Jake Robinson was also clutch in the contest for the Purple and Gold, as he added 18 points, including three triples and eight boards, while Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Harouna Mutombo and Brandon Giles added 16 points apiece to round out the double-figure scorers in the victory.

Western controlled the game early on in last season's meeting, racing out to a 10-4 lead, but it was all Kent State from there, as the Golden Flashes recovered to take their first lead of the half five-and-a-half minutes into the game and took a 39-31 lead into the halftime locker room. The Golden Flashes actually took as much as a 13-point lead before the Catamounts clawed back within eight points just prior to the break. Both teams battled back and forth in the second half before WCU was able to steal the victory after forcing overtime on the Golden Flashes home floor.

For Kent State, the Golden Flashes were led by talented guard Chris Singletary, who scored a game-high 29 points, while talented post presence Brandon Parks added a double-double, with 22 points and 14 boards.

The Catamounts enter this evening's contest on the heels of a 73-56 loss at The Citadel on Thursday night, while Kent State was a 74-67 victor over rival Ohio University on Wednesday night at the M.A.C. Center on the campus of Kent State. In Western's loss at The Citadel on Thursday night, the Catamounts, who sport one of the top shooting percentages of any of the teams in the SoCon coming into tonight's game (45.0 pct., 4th in SoCon), were held to just 39.3 pct. shooting from the field for the game by the Bulldogs' stingy play on the defensive end of the floor. The Catamounts had only one player reach double figures in the loss at The Citadel, as Brigham Waginger finished the contest with 12 points, with nine of those points coming on three triples. The Catamounts actually held a 33-32 halftime lead. The main difference in the loss was the Bulldogs were able to hold WCU's four seasonal leading scorers to just 5-of-28 shooting from the field in the road loss.

WCU enters Saturday night's contest continuing to be paced by seniors Brandon Giles and Jake Robinson, who are averaging 12.0 PPG apiece per game. JUCO transfer Mike Williams, who has provided an immediate punch to the Catamount lineup this season, comes in adding 10.8 PPG. and Harouna Mutombo is right on the verge of averaging in double figures, at 9.6 PPG. The Catamounts rank second in the SoCon in scoring offense (75.0 PPG) and lead the league in steals(9.4 SPG).

Kent State looked impressive in its 74-67 win over visiting Ohio on Wednesday night and the Golden Flashes were paced on the night by Chris Singletary's 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to exemplify the complete player he is and how much he dictates things for KSU. Sophomore forward Justin Greene also added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort. The Golden Flashes only connected on 36.7 pct. of their shots from the field, but held the Bobcats to the same shooting percentage and out-rebounded the Bobcats, 46-38.

Singletary continues to lead the Golden Flashes in scoring average, at 14.1 PPG., 5.6 RPG and 4.4 APG and is one of the most-underrated point guards in the country. Justin Greene leads KSU in the post, averaging 13.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG this season. His 11.1 PPG increase in scoring average ranks him eighth in the nation for improvement in scoring.

This could be the game where WCU gets its act together going into the stretch run of the season and this would be the perfect place to do it. While KSU has lost just twice at home this season and has played extremely well as of late at the M.A.C. Center, the Catamounts are an experienced ballclub and already proved what they could do once this season in a hostile environment, with a 91-83 win at Louisville. Look for Hunter to go back to his MAC roots and pull out a momentum building victory for his Catamounts on Saturday night.

 

College of Charleston (18-9, 13-3 SoCon) at George Mason (16-11, ), 8 p.m.

One of the more intriguing match ups in a day stocked full of intriguing "Bracket Busters" games is the game between the SoCon's College of Charleston's Cougars and the Colonial Athletic Association's George Mason Patriots. Most remember the Patriots as the team that became one of the Cinderella runs we'll never forget in the NCAA Tournament back in 2006, as GMU advanced all the way to the Final Four. That's one round further than even Stephen Curry was able to take the mighty Davidson Wildcats, who advanced all the way to the Elite Eight in 2008.

The Cougars, who have won 12 of their last 15 games, including five of their last six, might be catching the Patriots at a great time, as George Mason is coming off back-to-back losses. The Patriots haven't dropped three-straight games since games since February of 2007, when they dropped consecutive games to Old Dominion (66-59, OT), at VCU (63-49) and at home to Hofstra (68-60). Normally, the Patriots have been nearly unbeatable at the Patriot Center and are a daunting 39-3 in the friendly surroundings since 2005. The Patriots were most recently in action on their home floor on Tuesday night, dropping a hard-fought, 63-60, loss to CAA power William & Mary.

College of Charleston and George Mason will be meeting for just the third time on the hardwood, as the Cougars have won both of the previous meetings. Two of the most recognizable coaches in college basketball will stroll the sidelines on Saturday evening for each respective club, in CofC's Bobby Cremins and GMU's Jim Larranaga. Larranaga is familiar with the SoCon landscape, as he served as an assistant coach (1971-76) at Davidson College in its initial stint as a SoCon member.

The Cougars only setback in their last six outings came last Monday night, with a 72-65 loss at home to The Citadel. The Cougars were last in action on the SoCon hardwood on Wednesday night, facing North Division leader Appalachian State in a key Southern Conference clash at the Carolina First Center. After the final buzzer sounded, the Cougars had survived, posting a 73-72 win over the Mountaineers.

With the Cougars leading by 10, 51-41 with 15:53 remaining in the contest, the Mountaineers stormed back into the contest on the backs of both Donald Sims and Josh Hunter to take a two-point lead, at 65-63, with 4:41 remaining. The lead would see-saw back in forth the rest of the way, with Kellen Brand's triple giving the Mountaineers a 72-71 lead with 40 seconds to go. That set the stage for CofC to go to one of the most clutch performers of any player in the SoCon, allowing Andrew Goudelock to go to work. Goudelock would get fouled and proceeded to knock down both free throws and CofC defense was able to make those free throws stand up in coming away with the narrowest of wins.

Senior forward Jeremy Simmons led the Cougars with a career-high 20 points to go with 10 boards, while leading scorer Andrew Goudelock added 18 and Florida State transfer Casaan Breeden rounded out the Cougars in double figures with 15 points.

The Cougars enter Saturday evening's contest ranking third in the nation in three-pointers made (9.4/ 255 triples this season) per game and continue to be led by SoCon Player of the Year candidate Andrew Goudelock, who enters the contest averaging 19.3 PPG, which ranks second in the league and 36th nationally. Goudelock also ranks 41st nationally in three-point field goal percentage (39.2/74-of-189). Jeremy Simmons enters the contest averaging 12.1 PPG and ranking second in the league in overall field goal percentage (59.3/112-of-189) and ranks fourth in the league in rebounding (7.9 RPG). Finally, Simmons leads the league in blocked shots per game (2.2 BPG/49 total blocks).

Teaming with Goudelock in the Cougars' backcourt are Donovan Monroe and Tony White, Jr. Both Monroe and White, Jr. help form one of the league's top backcourts and the duo rounds out the double-figure scorers for CofC entering Saturday evening's contest, averaging 12.7 PPG and 11.1 PPG, respectively.

George Mason comes in having to play without one of its regulars for Saturday night's nationally-televised showdown with the Cougars, as sophomore forward Mike Morrison was ejected after receiving two technical fouls in last weekend's loss to Old Dominion. He was issued an automatic one-game suspension and one additional game was added to that initial suspension by the CAA office. George Mason is led in scoring by talented point guard Cam Long's 12.8 PPG

George Mason, despite the struggles, should get back to its winning ways, although it won't be easy against the battle-tested Cougars, who are playing their best basketball of the 2009-10 season coming into the match up. All in all, it's one of the best televised Bracket Buster match ups of the weekend and a 'must-see' for all college basketball junkies out there.

Tennessee Tech (13-15, 7-10 OVC) at Appalachian State (16-11, 10-5 SoCon), 7 p.m.

Appalachian State will look to regroup after Wednesday night's heartbreaking, 73-72, loss at the College of Charleston, stepping out of conference to participate in the Bracket Busters showcase. The Mountaineers have experienced their share of both success and heartbreak over the past few years in Bracket Buster games.

In 2007, the Mountaineers traveled to take on a Wichita State club that had made the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament the preceding season and the Apps were able to 'shock' the Shockers with a 60-58 win that came by virtue of a a D.J.Thompson 'tear drop' shot with four seconds remaining, lifting the Apps to a historic road win in front of stunned 10,478 fans at Koch Arena. Niagara would deal the Mountaineers a heartbreaking defeat in a Bracket Busters game a year later, getting a 76-75 win at the Holmes Center, as a result of a buzzer-beating trifecta from Stanley Hodge as time expired to send the Purple Eagles in to jubilation in front of the shocked Mountaineer faithful.

Saturday night, Appalachian State will engage the Tennessee Tech for just the sixth time in school history, with the Mountaineers holding a narrow, 3-2 all-time series edge. Tennessee Tech, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference has had an especially tough week on the hardwood, losing overtime games to both Austin Peay (77-72, OT) and UT-Martin (109-102, 2 OT). Saturday night's meeting between the Mountaineers and Golden Eagles will mark the first meeting between the two schools since the 2004-05 season, when the Apps scored a 98-87 win over the Golden Eagles at the Holmes Center.

In ASU's heartbreaking 73-72 loss at College of Charleston on Wednesday night, which snapped the Mountaineers' four-game winning streak, Appalachian had a chance for a win at the buzzer, however, Josh Hunter's baseline jumper bounced out and the Cougars held on for the win. Despite the setback, two-time defending Southern Conference Player of the Week Donald Sims continued his strong play, leading the Apps with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Hunter continued his strong play of late, adding 14 points and six rebounds, while Isaac Butts and Kellen Brand closed out the double figure scorers, with 10 points apiece.

The Mountaineers enter Saturday evening's contest with the league's leading scoring offense (75.4 PPG) and also have the SoCon's leading scorer in junior guard Donald Sims, who's averaging 19.8 PPG. Sims though, hasn't been the only piece to the Mountaineers' puzzle this season, as the Mountaineers have been getting solid play from Isaac Butts in the paint as of late. Butts is leading the conference in field goal percentage (62.3 pct.) and places second in the league in rebounding average, pulling down 7.9 caroms per contest. Senior guard Kellen Brand continues to be the team's heartbeat and emotional leader. He enters the Saturday night's contest averaging 10.3 PPG and is regarded as the team's best one-on-one defender and possibly the Mountaineers' best overall athlete.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech was in action on Thursday evening, dropping its second-straight heartbreaking game of the week, with a 77-72 setback to the Austin Peay Governors in the Bluegrass State. However, with a win seemingly in its grasp, having led almost the entire game, the Golden Eagles were finally caught in the final moments by the Govs, as APSU's Anthony Campbell knocked down a three-pointer with 24 seconds to go in the game and Tennessee Tech missed in its chance to win the game in regulation, ultimately leading to the overtime session and thus, the five-point victory for the Govs at the Dunn Center. The Golden Eagles were led in scoring by sophomore wing-guard Kevin Murphy's 21 points, while also ripping down seven boards. Senior classmates Frank Davis and Elijah Muhammad closed out the Tennessee Tech players in double figures, adding 15 points apiece in the losing effort.

Tennessee Tech is led by senior guard Frank Davis, who comes in averaging 14.6 PPG and the senior is one of the deadliest outside shooters in the history of the Ohio Valley Conference, ranking on the league's Top 10 all-time triples ledger with 247 trifectas in his collegiate career to rank No.10 on the all-time chart. Davis is deadly accurate from three-point range, connecting on 47.2 pct. of his triples to rank third nationally. His 84 triples also rank him 24th in the nation and lead the OVC.

The leading scorer for the Golden Eagles is sophomore guard Kevin Murphy, who's averaging 15.1 PPG. and Davis' backcourt mate Elijah Muhammad rounds out the Golden Eagles averaging in double figures, at 12.4 PPG. Junior forward Alfred Jones is averaging 8.6 PPG and has been one of the nation's most accurate shooters inside the paint, connecting on 66.2 pct. to rank second in the nation in field goal percentage.

Both teams like to get up and down the floor, so this game should be an exciting one to watch. However, the Mountaineers have been strong at home of late, having won two games in convincing fashion after their last non-conference game against Division II King College, which turned out to be a debacle in an 87-76 setback. However, that game has propelled the Apps to their third North Division title in four years, should the Apps avoid a monumental collapse down the stretch. Don't look for the Mountaineers to suffer the same fate as they did the last time they faced a non-league foe.

Elon (7-19, 5-10 SoCon) at Gardner-Webb (7-19, 4-12 Atlantic Sun ), 7 p.m.

Our last Bracket Buster's game of the day is Elon taking on Gardner-Webb at Paul Porter Arena on the campus of Gardner-Webb University, marking the fourth-consecutive season the Phoenix have participated in the Bracket Busters showcase. This will mark the 34th all-time series meeting between the two Old North State schools, with the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb holding a commanding 23-10 lead in the all-time series, including claiming the last meeting between the two schools, which was a 68-65 decision in favor of the Bulldogs at Alumni Gym.

Elon is playing well as of late and the Phoenix have won three of its last five three games, including snapping an eight-game losing streak to UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night at Alumni Gym. The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs are coming off a 69-64 loss to Winthrop on Tuesday night. Gardner-Webb plays as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The Bulldogs have played a challenging non-league slate this season, as both teams will be playing their final respective non-league games of the 2009-10 season this evening. The Bulldogs have played Texas, North Carolina, Charlotte and Duke all in the non-league slate this season. Gardner-Webb has faced one other Southern Conference teams this season, as the Bulldogs were 75-59 losers to the Catamounts back on Nov. 28 at Paul Porter Arena.

In Elon's victory over UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night, the Phoenix used a balanced scoring attack to snap the eight-game skid to the Spartans, with a 70-65 win over the Spartans at Alumni Gym earlier this week. Sophomore guard Drew Spradlin led the Phoenix with 14 points, while Terrance Birdette added 12 off the bench. Rounding out the double figure scorers on the night for the Phoenix were senior center Adam Constantine, who tallied 11 points, while point guard Chris Long finished with 10.

Elon enters this evening's contest led in scoring by Spradlin, who enters the contest averaging 13.2 PPG and is pulling down 4.4 RPG. The only other Phoenix player averaging in double figures is Constantine, who's adding 12.0 PPG and leads the club on the boards, averaging 8.0 boards per game.

Gardner-Webb enters this evening's Bracket Busters affair led by senior guard C.J. Hailey, who is averaging 12.7 PPG and he is the only Bulldogs player averaging in double figures, although there are a couple of Bulldogs averaging on the verge of double figures, in guard Anton Silver (9.7 PPG) and forward Jonathan Moore (9.3 PPG). Forward Joshua Henley leads the team on the glass, averaging 7.0 RPG. Grayson Flittner is a streaky scorer and can score a lot of points in a little time with his ability to shoot the outside shot. He leads the team with 48 triples this season.

This should be a tight struggle between two young teams that have struggled this season. However, Elon has played better on the road as of late and this Phoenix team is starting to get things together at the right time. Elon will come away from Porter Arena with another momentum-building win tonight.

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Photo Credit: Southern Conference