RV Saint Mary-Woods (IN) @ WVU Tech | 4:30pm CT
WVU Tech was a fringe Top 25 team 1st semester but have dropped 4 out of 5 games since January 1st. Can the Golden Bears return back to form at home tonight? Not saying this is quit a MUST-WIN game yet for the Golden Bears, but they currently sit a game behind both Alice Lloyd and Shawnee State for the 4th and final seed in the RSC East Division. They have 10 games remaining, including two home games vs both Shawnee and ALC, but if they can steal a win tonight it would go a long way for their post season hopes! For SMWC, they sit one game up on both IU Kokomo and IU Southeast for the 1-seed in the RSC West Division. This is the first of a tough two-game road trip as they will play Allice Lloyd on Saturday. We currently have them on the “IN” line in our Bracketology Report. As of now, they should get in, even as an at-large, BUT they don’t want to leave it to chance. Big game for them not only to keep moving towards a RSC Title and seeding in the RSC Tourney, but also the RSC team with the best overall record gets the 2nd RSC Auto-Bid, if they don’t win the tourney! The Woods, currently holds that position!
No. 1 Georgetown @ RV Cumberlands (KY) | 6:30pm CT
If this game was NEXT Thursday, we may have ourselves a Top 15 battle! Cumberlands, who had risen all the way up to No. 9 in the November 27th poll, seems to have recovered from a mid-season dip at ‘The Show’ in Kingsport, TN. Last week they knocked off No. 2 Freed-Hardeman at home. A Freed team, who then went on to beat No. 1 Georgetown this past Saturday! A Patriot win tonight would move them to 4-0 in MSC play. They do have the toughest part of their MSC schedule coming up in the 2nd half of conference play, but this would be another HUGE win for them as they work towards a regular season title and a #1-Seed in the MSC Tournament. Lurking behind them, in a 3-way battle for 2nd place, is Georgetown! The Tigers lost their first game of the season this past Saturday. One thing Chris Briggs coached teams have done so well in the past is to not lose back-to-back games! This game is a bit of a clash of styles as Cumberlands will look to push the tempo and Georgetown wants to keep this as low scoring as possible. If this game is played in the 70’s…advantage Georgetown, but if the tempo gets the game pushed into the 80’s, then advantage Cumberlands! This is another game, where if you want to know just how good NAIA basketball is at the elite levels, you should tune in to watch this one!
RV Texas Wesleyan @ Wayland Baptist | 6:45pm CT
To put it simply, the SAC is chaotic! You currently have SIX teams who are within 2 games of 1st place! Texas Wesleyan had won six straight games prior to losing this past Saturday, on the road, to RV Nelson. They still have won 8 of their past 10 games, with their only other loss in that time period, coming at home to this Wayland Baptist squad! Wayland is coming off of a 4-game road trip that saw them lose their first 3 games of the trip. They were able to finish the road trip with a win at Central Christian, but it’s a road trip where they started it in a tie for 1st place. Luckily, for them, and everyone else still in the running, MACU was able to knock off Langston this past weekend as well, which keeps everyone within striking distance still! This game is honestly big for both league seeding as well as for both teams who are trying to make a case for an at-large bid! The SAC typically gets 3-4 teams into the tourney. Wins like this go along ways with the selection committee when having to choose between the two. Especially for Texas Wesleyan, who may be playing their best basketball, but who can’t afford to be swept by WBU on the season!
No. 17 Central Baptist (AR) @ No. 22 William Woods (MO) | 7:30pm CT
Maybe the BIGGEST game to be played inside of Anderson Arena?!? William Woods comes into this game on a 10-game winning streak. Their last loss?! A November 21st Road loss to Central Baptist! The Owls still have a road trip to Columbia later this year, but as long as they don’t get tripped up elsewhere, we could look back at this game come AMC Tourney time and say that this game was for an AMC Regular Season Title! CBC currently sits one game ahead so a win tonight would give them a 2-game lead and they will be the “favorite” in every game the rest of the way! Outside of any collapses, both teams should be comfortably “IN” the NAIA tourney already. This game is about the AMC 1-seed, hosting the AMC Tourney and possibly moving up a seed line with the selection committee when the time comes! BIG Top 25 matchup in Fulton, Missouri tonight!
Top 25 Games
No. 1 Georgetown @ RV Cumberlands (KY) | 6:30pm CT | UCSN
No. 2 Freed-Hardeman vs Campbellsville (KY) | Lion Digital Network
No. 4 LSU Alexandria @ LCU | 7:30pm CT | Wildcats Sports Network
No. 6 Arizona Christian vs OUAZ | 8:30pm CT | GSAC Network
No. 7 The Master’s vs Life Pacific (CA) | 9:30pm CT | GSAC Network
No. 8 Langston (OK) vs College of the Ozarks | 7:45pm CT | SAC Network
No. 11 Montana Tech @ Montana State – Northern | 8pm CT | MSU-Northern Athletics YouTube
No. 13 Dalton State (GA) VS ABAC | 6:30pm CT | Roadrunner HudlTV
No. 19 Rocky Mountain (MT) vs Providence (MT) 8pm CT | Rocky Athletics YouTube
No. 20 Hope International (CA) vs Embry-Riddle (AZ) | 9:30pm CT | GSAC Network
Top “Bubble Matchups”
4:30pm CT
IU Kokomo @ Alice Lloyd | ALC Facebook Live
IU Southeast @ Rio Grande | Rio Stretch Internet
7:45pm CT
John Brown @ Central Christian (KS) | SAC Sports Network
