Four ranked teams play tonight. All four are matched up with an unranked opponent that is below .500 in their conference. What does that mean? MID-MAJOR SPOTLIGHT!!!
8:00 pm: Liberty @ Coastal Carolina: Not quite a month ago, the Coastal Carolina went into Lynchburg, VA, and knocked off Liberty to take sole possession of first place in the Big South. Neither team has lost since. In fact, besides that game, neither team has lost in conference play. The Chanticleers are 11-0 in the Big South while Liberty is sitting one game back at 10-1.
Reasonably speaking, the Chanticleers would normally be considered the favorite to win tonight. They've already beaten Liberty on the road, and tonight's game will be played in Conway, SC. That said, CCU is missing Mike Holmes, the South Carolina transfer that was averaging a double-double and played in the first game. He has since been kicked off the team, which means that we can all but toss that first result out the window. Its better that way, isn't it?
The players to watch: For Liberty, it would be Eric Gordon's younger brother Evan, a 6'2" sophomore that is leading the team at 14.4 ppg. CCU has their own talented perimeter player in 6'3" junior Desmond Holloway, who averages 19.1 ppg.
7:00 pm: Wofford @ Charleston: The Southern division of the Southern conference -- or as I like to call it, the South-South -- is probably the better of the two divisions. Wofford and Charleston are probably the two best teams in the Southern division. What I'm sure of, however, is that the winner of this game will be all alone in first place in the Southern division. Charleston won the first meeting between these two at Wofford.
The players to watch: Andrew Goudelock of Charleston is averaging 23.5 ppg and 4.4 apg. He's nasty. Noah Dahlman isn't as much talented as he is rugged and relentless on the block. He's averaging 20.2 ppg.
7:00 pm: Valpo @ Cleveland State: This is the third of three games that will determine a conference leader tonight. Cleveland State you should know about. They won their first 12 games of the season and were garnering votes for the top 25 at one point this season. Valpo, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise at the top of the league. To be fair, both of these teams are a surprise at the top of the Horizon simply because they are not Butler.
The players to watch: Norris Cole is one of three players nation wide that is leading his league in scoring and assists (Nolan Smith, Charles Jenkins) and one of four averaging 20 points and five assists (Tu Holloway). Brandon Wood and Cory Johnson provide Valpo with a solid inside-outside tandem.
7:30 pm: Belmont @ Jacksonville: With the exception of a slip-up at rival Lipscomb's gym, the Bruins have been torching their opponents. But Jacksonville has already notched a win over a big time opponent, beating Florida in the O-Dome.
The players to watch: Belmont is this year's Murray State. No one averages more than 11.8 ppg. Jacksonville doesn't have anyone average more than 12.5 ppg, but 6'5" forward Ayron Hardy leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals and is second in rebounding.
Other Notable Games:
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thursday's Pregame Beat: A big mid-major night |
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