Posted by davefilby on 8/5/2013 9:14:00 AM (view original):
St Edwards (6-1) at Limestone (5-2): Funngun10 takes the troops to Limestone hoping to add to their 6 game road winning streak. They've done it on the strength of Timothy Worm's long-range marksmanship, scoring nearly 16 ppg. Athletic St Edwards has also held opponents to less than 42% shooting. Limestone hangs their hat on even stingier defense, holding opponents to 58 ppg on 38% shooting. Atrioventricular of senior guards (Cannon, Grisby& Sweet) provide the offensive punch, with over 34 ppg. limestone a one point favorite.

Valdosta St 74, Queens (NC) 63:  Valdosta entered the game 3 points away from having an undefeated record, including an impressive 28 point dismantling of ranked Mount Olive.  Jr guards Luis Walker and Steven Peden provide the scoring and defensive presence in Valdosta's press.  Queens owned wins over ranked Goldey-Beacom and Wisconsin, Parkside, and was fresh off splitting a pair of OT games.   Queens has a versatile attack with PG Howard Milsaps, SF Russell Rappaport, and C Gregory Willis all scoring in double figures.

Milsaps did his part for Queens, but Rappaport and Willis were harrassed into 5-of-16 shooting.  Walker and Peden combined for 25 and Valdosta shot 51% from the floor.  Valdosta moves to 8-1, while Queens slips to 6-3

Pfeiffer 63, N Alabama 55:  N Alabama entered the game with 3 of their 4 losses to ranked teams.  Pfeiffer was hovering just outside the top 25, having won 7 of 8 games to start the season.  N Alabama's leading scorers Crowley, Bannister, and Pell like to pound the rock inside and put pressure on the opposing team's bigs.  Earl Walker likes to drive and finish for Pfeiffer.  The team that solves the other's zone will have the upperhand.

It's hard to say either team solved the zone, it's more a matter of which team was "less ugly."   N Alabama shot less than 37% from the floor, with the big three going 12-of-33.  Earl Walker got 22 points, making a living at the charity stripe with 10-of-13 shooting.  Away from Walker, Pfeiffer went 11-27 from the floor.  Pfeiffer moves to 8-1, while N Alabama slips to 4-5.

CVAC 6, Heartland 3.  Heartland, favored in all three games, needs a sweep in tonight's contests to take it to the tiebreaker.

Posted by davefilby on 8/6/2013 6:56:00 PM (view original):
Lees-McRae (6-3) at Drury (8-1):  Dennyj's Lees-McRae team owns a 6-3 record, as they've racked up some wins before tough CVAC conference play.  Two losses were by a combined 6 points, and they held their own with highly ranked Bryant.  The Jr backcourt tandem of Nevin & Dasilva combine for 25 ppg, while the team holds opponents to 39% from the floor.  Fresh off a 4-1 performance in the Yam Jam, bentlie29 and Drury swing by the Challenge sporting an 8-1 overall record, the lone blemish an OT loss to Yam Jam Champ Lander.  Drury's athletic man--to-man keeps them in any game (holding opponents to 39%), while the 5 senior starters provide enough points to win most nights.  Drury favored by 5.

Longwood (5-4) at Incarnate Word (8-1):  Reigning champion bbunch and Longwood must have been a little hungover from all the celebrating in Farmville, dropping 4 of 5 games to start the season.  Nevermind that 3 of the 4 were to ranked teams, bunch has the ship righted and went 4-1 in the Yarnell.  Billy Gardner and Nathan Matamoros provide the offensive skill for this athletic & defensive oriented bunch.  Incarnate Word is off to an uncharacteristic hot start to the season, going 8-1, with the lone loss to #1 Northeastern St.  A polar opposite to Longwood, this bunch of unathletic oafs doesn't play a lick of defense and relies on outscoring their opponents.  Douglas Chiodo (the one guy who could play for Longwood) leads the way with over 17 ppg.  I-Word by a bucket, but I'm not buying it for a minute.

St Mary's (TX) (7-2) at Belmont Abbey (7-2):  Mduncanhogs has been living right.  3 of St Mary's victories have been in OT, while a 4th was on a made shot with 0:08 in regulation.  Johnny Barrows & George Spinks are a dynamic inside-out duo with a combined 32 ppg.  It's been a tale of two schedules for crashdive and Belmont Abbey.  On the one hand, the two games against top notch competition have resulted in two double-digit losses.  On the other hand, recognizing the CVAC conference schedule provides enough strength of schedule for any team, the 7 victories have come against teams that will be lucky to qualify for the NT.  Kenneth Nunnally scores 15 ppg off the bench.  Second leading scorer Edward Fells is nursing a hamstring pull.  St Mary's is favored by 3.