Regional rankings...and looking ahead to Super Bowl weekend

While the rest of the U.S. is getting ready for the Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, there are a lot of things going on within D-II South Nation this weekend, at least as far as basketball is concerned. As January fades into February, the contender--slowly, but surely--are starting to be separated from the pretenders. Let's take a brief analysis of the regional rankings in NCAA Division II hoops, then take a look ahead to Saturday's key match-ups.

South Women: The Gulf South Conference leads the way in the initial South Region poll of the season, with four teams ranked in the Top 10, led by No. 2 Delta State, followed by No. 4 Valdosta State, No. 5 West Georgia, and No. 9 Arkansas Tech. The SIAC put two teams into the regional rankings for Week 1, with Fort Valley State ranked No. 6, while Clark-Atlanta is No. 10.

Southeast Women: If there's any doubt that the Peach Belt Conference has arrived as one of the premier conferences in all of NCAA Division II, it's very evident in the first regional rankings of 2009. Francis Marion has proven to be a team to be reckoned with in the Southeast Region, as the Patriots are ranked No. 2 only behind No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne. USC Aiken also will prove to a serious force in the PBC title race come February, as the Lady Pacers come in at No. 5. Clayton State comes in at No. 6, while Georgia College & State University rounds out the rankings at No. 8.

South Men: For the first time in recent memory, men's teams from the SIAC grabbed the top two spots in this week's South Region poll. No. 2 Benedict, though, may be in line to claim the top spot in the South after knocking off No. 1 Claflin, 55-45, on the road Thursday night. While the GSC has five teams regionally ranked (No. 4 Christian Brothers, No. 5 Arkansas-Monticello, No. 6 Arkansas Tech, No. 9 North Alabama, and No. 10 Delta State), the balance of power just might reside in the West Division, as four of those squads come from that side of the league. The proof in the pudding came Thursday night, as UAM rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat ATU 56-53. CBU, on the other hand, eased past Southern Arkansas 60-46.

Southeast Men: It was a history-making week for the Peach Belt Conference as far as making its presence felt in basketball polls goes. Not only did the PBC place four teams in the NABC/Division II Bulletin rankings for the first time in conference history, (No. 7 Augusta State, No. 12 Armstrong Atlantic State, No. 14 USC Aiken, and No. 24 Georgia College & State University), it also put six teams in the first-ever Southeast Region poll. As an added bonus, the league also dominated the top four spots on the charts, led by No. 1 ASU, No. 2 GC&SU, No. 3 AASU, and No. 4 USC Aiken. Further showing the strength of the PBC, Clayton State came in at No. 7, followed by North Georgia at No. 8.

Key games this weekend

WOMEN

North Alabama (10-10, 3-2) at West Georgia (14-5, 4-1)--Saturday 5:30 p.m. EST

The Lions face the Wolves in a crucial GSC East contest.

West Florida (7-13, 2-3) at Valdosta State (15-4, 5-0)--Saturday 2 p.m. EST

The Lady Blazers hope to extend their win streak to seven straight games against the Argonauts.

Also keep an eye on: Harding (13-5, 1-5) at Ouachita Baptist (12-6, 2-4), Henderson State (9-9, 3-3) at Delta State (16-5, 6-0), Armstrong Atlantic State (11-6, 6-4) at USC Aiken (15-5, 7-3), and UNC Pembroke (9-8, 5-5) at Clayton State (13-4, 7-3).

MEN

#7 Augusta State (14-3, 8-2) at #24 Georgia College & State University (14-2, 8-2)--Saturday 4 p.m. EST

#12 Armstrong Atlantic State (15-2, 8-2) at #14 USC Aiken (13-4, 8-2)--Saturday 7:30 p.m. EST

The top four teams in the Peach Belt Conference square off against each other this weekend. When the dust finally settles, at least two of those teams will be tied for first place in league play.

#17 Christian Brothers (16-3, 5-1) at #22 Arkansas Tech (14-5, 4-2)--Saturday 6 p.m. CST

The Buccaneers need a win to keep pace with No. 16 Arkansas-Monticello (16-3, 5-1) in the GSC West, while the Wonder Boys look to snap a two-game losing streak.

Also keep an eye on: Francis Marion (11-5, 4-5) at North Georgia (9-7, 3-7), West Florida (10-8, 2-3) at Valdosta State (15-4, 3-2), and Harding (12-7, 2-4) at Ouachita Baptist (12-7, 2-4)

Thursday Night Showcase--D-II Style

Wow! Are we almost three full weeks into 2009 already? Yes, it's hard to believe, but true.

Having said that, how about Thursday night basketball action in D-II South Nation.

Due to a small gas explosion on the campus of the University of West Alabama, tonight's basketball contests between UWA and Valdosta State have been postponed. Those games are expected to be made up Saturday, unless otherwise noted. The twinbill between West Alabama and West Florida, at UWF in Pensacola, Fla, will be played on Sunday instead of Saturday.

As for the games that will actually be played, speaking of UWF, both the Argonauts and Lady Argos will travel to central Alabama one last time, as they'll face lame-duck Gulf South Conference member Montevallo in a critical GSC East doubleheader tonight. All four teams at both schools enter that twinbill with identical 1-2 records in conference play, with the Argos and Lady Argos sporting 9-7 and 6-12 records, respectively, while both UM squads have respective 9-10 and 5-13 overall marks.

All eight GSC West schools have their hoops teams in action tonight. That includes the three teams ranked in the top 20 of this week's NABC Division II Bulletin men's poll: Harding at No. 12 Christian Brothers, Ouachita Baptist at No. 17 Arkansas Tech, and Henderson State at No. 19 Arkansas-Monticello.

Finally, in the Peach Belt Conference, Armstrong Atlantic State goes west to Columbus, Ga. to face Columbus State. The women's game should be of particular interest on this Thursday night, as the Lady Pirates are 10-4 overall, and 5-2 in the PBC, while the Lady Cougars are 11-6, and 4-3 in conference games.

Looking ahead to the weekend on the hardwood

While ESPN has a "Blockbuster Saturday" at the NCAA Division I level, D-II South Nation has its share of critical college basketball games in the Division II ranks, too. Here are the games of interest this weekend.



WOMEN



Gulf South Conference



Harding (13-1, 1-1) at Arkansas Tech (12-3, 2-0)--4 p.m. CST



The Golden Suns enter this contest looking to stay unbeaten in GSC West Division play, while the Lady Bisons hope to win their second league contests after splitting their first two contests. One of HU's losses, however, came to a Henderson State (7-7, 1-1) squad that's been up and down for most of the season. It'll be interesting to see how the Harding women will fare against the No. 21 ATU women.



North Alabama (9-9, 2-1) at Valdosta State (12-4, 2-0)--1 p.m. EST



The Lady Blazers managed to stay unbeaten in GSC East after edging archrival West Georgia (11-5, 2-1) to gain sole possession of first place in the division after playing only two league games. As for the UNA women, the Lions must re-group quickly after losing to West Florida 76-71 on Thursday.



Peach Belt Conference



Columbus State (10-5, 3-2) at USC Aiken (12-3, 4-1)--5:30 p.m. EST



The Lady Pacers play host to the Lady Cougars in this critical PBC contest. While USCA had Wednesday night off, CSU needed overtime to defeat a scrappy North Georgia team 69-65. Which goes to show that nothing is easy in the PBC.



Honorable Mention: Georgia College & State University (8-4, 3-2) at Francis Marion (11-1, 4-1), Lander (8-4, 3-2) at Clayton State (11-1, 5-0)



SIAC



Clark-Atlanta (12-1, 8-0) at Kentucky State (9-3, 8-1)--1 p.m. EST



This is perhaps the game of the weekend in this league, the Lady Panthers putting their 12-game winning streak on the line against the Thorobrettes.



MEN



North Alabama (13-5, 3-0) at Valdosta State (13-3, 1-1)--4 p.m. EST



The Lions hope to run their record to 4-0 in GSC East play, while the Blazers look to go over the .500 mark in league games after splitting their first two contests (a loss at Alabama-Huntsville last weekend, followed by a win at home over West Georgia Thursday).



Delta State (11-4, 1-1) at Christian Brothers (13-2, 2-0)--5 p.m. CST



The No. 17 (NABC) Buccaneers will be going for their eighth straight win against the Statesmen, who hope to bounce back after a tough loss to No. 24 Arkansas-Monticello 75-70 on Thursday.



Honorable mention: Alabama-Huntsville (10-5, 3-0) at West Alabama (8-8, 1-1), Harding (11-4, 1-1) at No. 22 Arkansas Tech (12-3, 2-0), Ouachita Baptist (10-5, 0-2) at Arkansas-Monticello (12-3, 1-1)



Peach Belt Conference



Georgia College & State University (9-2, 3-2) at Francis Marion (10-2, 3-2)--4 p.m. EST



The Patriots play host to the Bobcats in a showdown of two-loss teams.



Honorable mention: Augusta State (11-2, 5-1) at North Georgia (8-4, 2-4), Lander (7-4, 3-2) at Clayton State (9-3, 2-3)

The Night That Was...and The Night Ahead

It was an exciting Wednesday in the Peach Belt Conference, as one of that league's last unbeaten women's teams fell hard, while the Gulf South Conference opens league play in the East Division Thursday night.



First off, in the PBC, the Francis Marion Patriot women's quest to run their record to 10-0 fell by the wayside, thanks to Meredith Legg and her game-high 23 points, as the USC Aiken Lady Pacers cruised to a surprisingly easy 75-57 win over FMU. The USCA women improved to 11-3 overall, and 3-1 in conference play with that victory, while the Patriots fell to 9-1 and 2-1 in Peach Belt contests.



In other PBC action, Garrett Siler scored 22 points, while collecting 10 rebounds, as the Augusta State men crushed UNC Pembroke 81-46, while the Clayton State women staved off a strong challenge from Columbus State in pulling out a hard-fought 71-68 win at home. The Laker women stayed unbeaten in PBC play at 4-0, while improving to 10-1 overall, with the win.



Finally, teams in the GSC East officially open Gulf South Conference play Thursday, as Montevallo begins its final season in the season in that conference paying a visit to West Georgia. In other games, Alabama-Huntsville hosts West Florida in a battle of men's teams with identical 7-5 records, while the North Alabama men take their 10-5 overall record into the start of conference play against 6-7 West Alabama.



Remember to watch the D-II South Sports Newsbar for more college sports coverage. So long for now.

Augusta State tops USC Aiken, Lakers fall to Bobcats

In a game that lived up to its billing, No. 7-ranked Augusta State stunned No. 2 USC Aiken 87-76 Monday night. On that same evening, the Georgia College & State University Bobcats handed the No. 25 Clayton State University Lakers their first loss of the season in a 58-49 upset win on the road.

Article courtesy of the Peach Belt Conference

Aiken, Augusta meet for 50th time

The No. 2 University of South Carolina-Aiken Pacers and the No. 7 Augusta State University Jaguars meet for the 50th time in men's basketball Monday night. It's the first time the Peach Belt Conference has had a regular season match-up of nationally ranked teams in the Top 10.

Article courtesy of the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle

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USC Aiken, Augusta State get set for historic showdown

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ASU and USC-Aiken Prepare For Rivalry Game

wrdw.com

First wins of 2009 twice as nice for Tuskegee

A New Year brings a pair of first wins of the season for both Tuskegee's teams...at Albany State's expense Saturday night.

Article courtesy of the Albany (Ga.) Herald

Georgia Southwestern upsets Francis Marion men

The Georgia Southwestern State University Hurricanes ended the Francis Marion University Patriots dream of an undefeated season, as they pull off the upset at home, 92-79 Saturday.

Article courtesy of scnow.com

A "Peachy" first Saturday of 2009!

A new calendar year means the start of the conference play in earnest, and the Peach Belt Conference will set out to prove that's one other toughest NCAA Division II conferences in the nation once again.

In women's action, Augusta State (3-5) will look to improve to 2-0 in the PBC against Clayton State (7-1, 1-0) on the road. Meanwhile, in Aiken, S.C., preseason favorite USC Aiken hopes to bounce from an upset loss to Armstrong Atlantic State, and face a North Georgia squad that's also 0-1 in conference play. Francis Marion (8-0) will look to continue its perfect season against Georgia Southwestern State, while Columbus State (7-3) hosts Lander (6-2) in the league opener for the Lady Cougars. The Lady Bearcats, won their first PBC contest on Dec. 15, a 72-58 win over GSW.

The men's side isn't short on key match-ups. One of those contests pits Augusta State (7-1) against Clayton State (8-0). Both the Jaguars and Lakers enter this critical game at 1-0. Augusta's archrival--USC Aiken (6-2) hosts a North Georgia team that's 6-1 overall, but that one loss has come in PBC play, a tough 80-77 setback to Francis Marion on Dec. 15. Speaking of the Patriots, they'll hope to join their female counterparts in running their record to 9-0 at Georgia Southwestern this weekend.

Looking ahead to the new year...

With 2008 now in the rear-view mirror, it's time for basketball teams in D-II South Nation to start focusing on 2009...



For the most part, there's no more beating up on teams like Allen University. Or Carver. Or St. Thomas (Fla.). Or even Voorhees, for that matter. The start of a new calendar year usually means conference play starts in earnest. With that in mind, let's take a brief look at how the three conferences covered by D-II South Sports are shaping up going into the remainder of this season.



WOMEN


Gulf South Conference: Despite three losses, Arkansas Tech is the lone team to be nationally ranked, as the Golden Suns are ranked 20th in the most recent WBCA poll. The lone undefeated squad going into the new year, however, is Harding. The Lady Bisons enter 2009 at 11-0, and are one of six teams in the West Division that have winning records going into GSC play. On the other hand, Valdosta State (9-3) and West Georgia (8-4) are the only East Division teams to have winning records going into the new year.

Peach Belt Conference: Unlike the Gulf South Conference, all but one of the teams in the PBC have played at least one league contest prior to New Year's Eve. Armstrong Atlantic State (7-2) is currently in first place at 2-0, while Francis Marion, Clayton State, Lander, and Augusta State are all 1-0. Columbus State (7-3) is the only PBC team that hasn't started conference play. Of the quartet that's 1-0 in the PBC, Francis Marion is the only team with an overall undefeated record at 8-0.

SIAC: Four teams are unbeaten in league play going into 2009. Preseason favorite Kentucky State (5-2) is 4-0, while three other teams; Clark Atlanta (7-1), Fort Valley State (4-4), and Albany State (3-3) aren't that far behind at 3-0.

MEN

Gulf South Conference: Valdosta State (12-2) has exceeded the expectations of many observers in the East Division so far, as both of the Blazers have come by a combined of three points, to Sunshine State Conference foes Florida Southern and Lynn, respectively. That's not to mention the VSU men are also tied for the No. 25 national ranking with Clayton State in the most recent NABC/Division II Bulletin poll. But the balance of power in the GSC just might be in the West Division, as Arkansas-Monticello is sitting at No. 5, Arkansas Tech at No. 20, while Christian Brothers, Harding and Ouachita Baptist received votes.


Peach Belt Conference: Unpredictability might be the name of the game on the men's side of the PBC, as nine of the league's 11 teams have at least a .500 or better record coming into the New Year. One of the league's surprise teams thus far is Francis Marion, whose Patriots are off to their best start since the 2003-04 season at 8-0. Defending conference tournament champion Clayton State is also off to an 8-0 start, while preseason favorite (and currently No. 2 nationally ranked) USC Aiken has lost back-to-back games after a 6-0 start. Defending national runner-up Augusta State is 7-1 so far this season, and goes into 2009 ranked No. 7 in the NABC poll.

SIAC: As expected, Benedict (3-1, 2-0) has been leading the way thus far, as the Tigers currently hold sole possession of first place in the men's standings. As for SIAC newcomer Claflin, the Panthers have held their own in this underrated league, as they're off to a 9-1 start, in overall as well as conference play. In fact, Miles handed Claflin its first loss of the season in a 66-58 upset loss on Dec. 30.