GAME NOTES; COMPLETE TOP 25 POLL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. –The 5th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team concludes its three-game road swing with one of the biggest games in the NCAA Division II when it travels to play 10th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Game coverage of the Screaming Eagles and the Panthers, including live stats and audio, can be found at www.gousieagles.com.
The Eagles are flying high in 2009-10 with a 15-0 overall record, 6-0 in the GLVC. USI is one win shy of tying its best start ever, 16-0 in 2000-01, and two wins short of the program's longest winning streak, 17 in 2004-05.
The first road swing of the conference schedule is off to a great start for the Eagles, who are two-for-two after defeating Missouri University of Science & Technology, 72-59, and posting a record-setting win at Maryville University, 153-88. The squad set six school records and four GLVC marks in the victory at Maryville.
Senior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois) leads USI and the GLVC in scoring with 24.1 points per game overall and 27.0 points per league game. He also ranks fifth nationally in scoring and leads the country in three-point field goals made per game.
Among the leaders in addition to Smith is junior guard Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana), who leads the GLVC and is second nationally in assist/turnover ratio (5.2-to-1.0), and senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio), who tops the GLVC in blocks (2.0).
USI, as a team, leads the GLVC with an average of 95.3 points per game, 97.0 in the conference, while ranking third in Division II. The Eagles are first in the nation and the GLVC in scoring margin (32.9 points) and field goal percentage (53.0). USI also leads the GLVC in the defensive side of the court, allowing just 62.4 points per contest.
The Panthers of KWC have been unstoppable since losing its season opener, posting a 16-1 overall mark and 5-0 GLVC record. KWC is fifth in the GLVC with 84.8 points per game, while ranking third on defense by allowing 64.0 points per outing. Leading the Panthers is senior guard Desmond Stephens, who is scoring at a 17.8 clip per game.
In the 78 meetings between the two teams, the Panthers have the overall lead, 45-33, and the advantage since 2000, 12-11. The Eagles have had the upper hand since 2003-04, winning eight of 10.
Over the last 34 meetings since 1992-93, the match-up has featured both teams in the top 10 16 times and in the top five eight times. The last time both teams were in the top 10 was in the 2001 GLVC Tournament when KWC was second and USI was third nationally.
Last year, KWC defeated USI at the Physical Activities Center, 69-63. T.J. Smith led the Panthers in the win with 16 points, while Kenny Love led USI with 15 points.
Following the match-up with KWC, USI returns to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center for a short one-game homestand to play another nationally ranked team in the Hawks of Quincy University. Quincy, ranked 14th in the latest poll, is on top of the GLVC North Division with a 14-0 mark and a perfect 5-0 GLVC record.
Senior forward Billy Baptist leads the Hawks and ranks 13th in the GLVC with 15.6 points per outing.
USI leads the all-time series with the Hawks, 24-9, and has the advantage, 15-4, since 2000. The Hawks have played well against the Eagles the last few seasons, winning three out of four since the start of 2008.
After the short one-game homestand, USI starts a four-game road swing at Drury University on January 18. The road trip also includes stops at the University of Indianapolis (January 21), the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (January 28), Lewis University (January 30).
