The Week Ahead, February 9-12

This Land is Your Land, This Land is Southland

Monday, February 9, 7:30PM – Stephen F. Austin @ Northwestern St.

Stephen F. Austin – 93
Northwestern St. – 82

Stephen F. Austin kept their Southland domination going with an 11 point win over Northwestern St. on Monday night. Ty Charles was the player of the game for Stephen F. Austin scoring 19 and adding 5 assists and 2 steals. Jalan West stuffed the stat sheet in a losing effort for Northwestern St. He had 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Stephen F. Austin remains unbeaten in Southland play while Northwestern St. falls to 7-4.

Return of the MAC

Tuesday, February 10, 7:00PM Kent St. @ Akron – Kent St. has lost 2 of their last 3 to fall into a tie for first in the MAC East. They’re led by Jimmy Hall who averages 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. They rely on a strong defensive effort (they only give up 60.9 points per game), but can they score enough (they only average 65 points per game)? Akron, one of two other teams tied with Kent St. for first, has won 4 of 5 heading into the game. Akron boasts a balanced attack with 12 players averaging more than 3 points per game and no players averaging more than 11. The winner stays in first place in a crowded the MAC East title race.

Tuesday, February 10, 7:00PM Toledo @ Buffalo – Toledo currently sits alone in first place in the MAC West, while Buffalo is a game behind first in the MAC East. They are both still very much alive in the race for the MAC regular season title. Buffalo has righted the ship after losing 2 in a row in late January by winning 3 or their last 4. They’re led by Justin Moss and Shannon Evans who are accounting for more than 45% of Buffalo’s points. The duo averages 33.6 points per game, 12.6 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 2.4 steals per game. Toledo averages 74.7 points per game, good for 36^th in the nation, but will they be able to stop Moss and Evans and stay alone in first place in the MAC West?

Sweet Tea in the Big South

Wednesday, February 11, 7:00PM Winthrop @ High Point – There is a logjam at the top of the Big South. Seven, yes seven, teams are tied for first place at 8-4 in the league. Four of those teams will face off against each other on Wednesday night to give us some clarity. The first of those games is Winthrop traveling to High Point. The first time the two teams played was a double overtime win for High Point on the road. Now, High Point gets the Eagles at home with a chance to sweep the season series and stay in first place. They’ve lost 2 in a row, though, and are only 3-3 since mid-January. Winthrop, on the other hand, has won 5 of 6 and is 7-3 since that double OT loss to High Point.

Wednesday, February 11, 7:30PM Coastal Carolina @ Charleston Southern – The second game at the top of the Big South is Coastal Carolina traveling to Charleston Southern. Coastal Carolina looked to be falling out of the Big South race when they lost 4 of 5. They have since won two big games over UNC Asheville and High Point to stay in the thick of things. Both of those games were at home, however, where they are 11-2 this season. They are just 6-5 on the road. Charleston Southern comes in just 2-2 in their last 4 games. It will be a battle of offense versus defense. Coastal Carolina likes to play a slow-paced grind it out game, whereas Charleston Southern wants to run and score. The winner remains in the hunt at the top of the Big South. The loser makes their road to the Tournament that much harder.

MWC You in March

Wednesday, February 11, 11:00PM Wyoming @ San Diego St. – There are three teams tied in the loss column in the Mountain West. Two of them meet this week when Wyoming takes on San Diego St. The Aztecs are coming off a loss to Boise St. (the other team tied for first), but they beat Wyoming on the road by 8 in mid-January. The Aztecs have trouble scoring the ball, but the defense allows just 53.8 points per game, good for 3^rd in the nation. Wyoming is no slouch on defense either, though. They allow 54.4 points per game, 4^th best in the country. Expect a low-scoring but hard-fought game. In terms of NCAA Tournament status, the game means more for Wyoming who is solidly on the bubble.

James Bond Will Return in…Big Skyfall

Thursday, February 12 9:05PM Sacramento St. @ Eastern Washington – This game is what the What’s a Mid-Major watch is all about. Sacramento St. and Eastern Washington are tied in the loss column in the Big Sky and have a two game lead over Montana and Northern Arizona. The winner has the inside track to the number one seed in the conference tournament. Eastern Washington played a tough non-conference schedule taking on SMU, Indiana, Washington, and Sam Houston St. (winning the Indiana game). They have rolled through conference play only losing once – to Sacramento St. Sacramento St. has won 11 of 12, including the 13 point win over Eastern Washington. Neither team has much hope for an at-large bid, so conference tournament seeding is vital. Eastern Washington scores 82 points per game, 5^th best in the country, so slowing down their attack is key for Sacramento St. Don’t expect a low-scoring game. It will be a shootout from the start. First team to 90 wins?

Weekend Games We Have Our Eye On

• Kent St. @ Toledo - Potential MAC Championship preview?C
• Columbia @ Harvard – Ivy League will come down to Harvard and Yale. Can the Crimson keep pace? 
• Green Bay @ Valparaiso – Cream of the Horizon League crop go at it with first place on the line. 
• Iona @ Manhattan – Iona is the team to beat in the MAAC. Can Manhattan make the conference race closer? 
• St. Bonaventure @ Dayton – Bonnies coming off a big win against VCU. Dayton off a heartbreaking loss to GW. At-large hopes on the line for the Flyers. 
• Gardner-Webb @ Winthrop – The logjam at the top of the Big South will clear out soon. Who will be on top when the dust settles? 
• Central Michigan @ Buffalo – Speaking of logjams, the MAC East needs some clarity. This game will help. 
• VCU @ George Washington – Can VCU learn to play without their steals machine? We’ll find out in this game. 
• North Dakota St. @ South Dakota St. – Summit League supremacy on the line. Can the Jackrabbits avenge an earlier loss to ND St.? 
• Yale @ Princeton – Yale trying to keep pace with Harvard; just like Harvard is trying to keep pace with Yale. Princeton looking to get themselves into the Ivy League race. 
• Colorado St. @ San Diego St. – Colorado St. needs a win for at-large hopes. San Diego St. needs to improve seeding. MWC standings are on the line, too. 
• Northeastern @ UNC-Wilmington – CAA champ could be one of these two. Who will get the leg up heading into conference play? 
• Old Dominion @ UTEP – Old Dominion can work on securing their at-large hopes. UTEP can set themselves up for a C-USA title run.