The Last Week...Part 1

As the title of the post implies...this is the last week of the regular season, in NCAA Division II basketball. Throughout the rest of the week...as often as possible...D-II South Sports looks at some of the scenarios and/or storylines that will shape the final days of regular season action. First up is the Gulf South Conference.

Women: In the GSC West, Delta State (21-6 overall, 11-1 in GSC) has already clinched the title in that division, with a 73-60 win over Arkansas Tech (18-7, 8-4) on the road Saturday. Speaking of the Golden Suns, they'll play host to archrival Arkansas-Monticello (17-6, 9-3) in what basically amounts to a battle for the No. 2 seed in the West come this Thursday.

As for the East, as this blog entry was being written, West Georgia (20-5, 9-1) can lock up first place there with a victory over either Alabama-Huntsville Tuesday night, or a win at North Alabama (14-12, 7-4) in the season finale Saturday. UNA can finish in a tie for second place with Valdosta State (18-7, 8-3) with a win over UWG, plus a Lady Blazer loss to West Florida this weekend.

Then there's the battle for the remaining spots in the Gulf South Conference tournament. Montevallo (8-18, 4-7) hosts West Alabama (10-16, 4-7) in what could be a potential battle for the No. 4 seed in the GSC East. But UWF (8-18, 3-8) entertains VSU in hopes of stealing one of those final two berths. Depending upon what happens in Tuesday's game between UWG and UAH, there could be possibly be a three-way tie for that final spot in that division for next week's GSC tourney.

In the West, Delta State (No. 1 seed), UAM, ATU, and Ouachita Baptist have all clinched GSC postseason bids. That leaves just one spot left to fill between Harding (19-7, 5-7) and Henderson State (10-14, 4-8). The Lady Bisons, though--must win one of their final two games--both on the road, or have the Lady Reddies lose one of their final two games, in order to secure the No. 5 seed from that division. HU plays at Delta State on Thursday, followed by the season finale at OBU Saturday.

Men: Valdosta State (20-5, 8-3) has won four straight games, and has built some all-important momentum going into the Gulf South Conference tournament. But the Blazers have just one more obstacle to clear, clinching the top seed in the GSC East. That can be accomplished with a win at West Florida on Saturday. Still, while the VSU men have gone unbeaten at home in conference play (6-0), they've struggled on the road in league action, as they've gone 2-3 away from the confines of the P.E. Complex. It'll be interesting to see if the Blazers can overcome those traveling jitters this weekend. On a side note, a VSU loss to UWF, plus wins by North Alabama (17-9, 7-4) and Alabama-Huntsville (16-9, 7-4) would create a three-way tie for first place. That would lead to way too many scenarios to break that tie, too many to mention here.

In the West, Christian Brothers (21-4, 10-2) can clinch that division title outright with either two wins, or a Delta State (19-6, 9-3) loss in one of its final two contests. The Statesmen can finish on top by itself with back-to-back wins, plus back-to-back losses by the Buccaneers. Arkansas Tech (18-7, 8-4) can clinch the third seed with a win at home over Arkansas-Monticello (18-7, 7-5).

As far as filling out the remainder of the men's bracket is concerned, West Florida (13-11, 5-6) can all but assure itself of finishing no worse than fifth in the GSC East with a win over VSU this weekend, while West Alabama (12-14, 4-7) can force a three-way tie for the final two spots in the GSC tourney from the East with a win over Montevallo (14-14, 5-6), plus a UWF loss to VSU. Harding (15-10) and Southern Arkansas (11-13) enter the final week of the regular season tied for the fifth and final conference tournament from the West at 5-7 in GSC play. Both teams need a win and help to advance to the GSC tournament.