GAMEDAY: WKU vs. South Alabama
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
So it begins. WKU’s final statement to the Sun Belt Conference in Basketball starts today. The statement starts off with none other than long time SBC foe South Alabama. The Jaguars have been WKU’s rival since the Tops entered the Sun Belt in 1982. With that being said, South Alabama is also the only current SBC member to have a winning record against the Hilltoppers, that record standing at (33-31).
With WKU having two shots as usual to beat the Jags this season to even up the record, what does South Al bring to the table tonight? A round up of what the Jaguars have done this season includes just a seven point loss to an (11-2) Texas Longhorn squad, and only a 9 point loss to, at the time 20th ranked Gonzaga. South Alabama’s scoring threat comes from Senior Forward Augustine Rubit, as he is averaging 17.3 PPG along with finding 9.5 RPG. I also want to make note of Junior Forward Mychal Ammons, he is putting up 10.1 PPG as well as 7.5 RPG. The Jags are (6-7) on the season and look to try and go even with a win in front of their home crowd.
As for the Tops, they look to keep their heads up from a near win Monday night against Marshall Henderson and the Ole Miss Rebels. WKU’s guard play has been phenomenal here of late, along with Forward George Fant adding dynamics to the front court. In the loss to Ole Miss the Tops led most of the game, they just weren’t quite able to pull away from the Rebels, allowing them to sneak in late second half to steal the win. Even with the Tops being handed the loss, it was a hard fought game and that’s not something to be ashamed of. Especially when they played probably the best game they have all season.
With that said, heading into tonights game they need to continue their trend of play. I see T.J. Price having another outstanding game tonight like he did against Ole Miss (scoring 26 points), he is just a mere six points away from being the 47th member in the 1,000 point club.
By now I feel like I am preaching to the choir, but i still emphasize the Tops need to minimize turnovers in order to get the “W” tonight. They had another game of high turnovers against the Rebels totaling 18 in the contest. Another point that has been preached continuously is more offensive boards. WKU capped off at 12 last game and I still see the need for a few more.
As always the starting line-up prediction. I see Harris, T.J. Price, Jackson, Adeoye, and Fant to be on the court when the ball is tipped.
Things get started at 5:05 this evening so grab you a bite to eat and enjoy what is sure to be a show. Hopefully Hilltopper Nation will be able to kick off 2014 with a WKU victory. Follow all the action on ESPN 3 or on WKU PBS in the Bowling Green area.