The two teams picked to compete for the GLVC West Division title will meet for the first time this season, Saturday afternoon at the Mark Twain Gymnasium, when the University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team will host first-place Drury University at 3 p.m.
The defending division champion Tritons got eight of 16 first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll to narrowly get the favorites nod over Drury, which got seven first-place votes.
But during the actual game action, it has been Drury that’s had the better season, with a 12-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in GLVC games.
Currently, the Panthers are on a four-game winning streak, which includes a sensational 78-37 win Thursday night over previously red-hot Maryville University.
UMSL, which also won on Thursday -- defeating Missouri S&T 76-62 at Mark Twain -- comes into Saturday’s showdown with an 11-5 overall record and 4-4 tally in conference games.
The two teams will play essentially the same schedule the rest of the season, with a rematch scheduled for Drury’s O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield on February 7.
So unless UMSL expects a late-season collapse by Drury, the Tritons almost have to win Saturday’s game to have any shot at winning the GLVC West for the second straight year.
GAMEDAY PREVIEW -- UMSL MEN’S BASKETBALL 2012-2013
DRURY PANTHERS (12-4) at UMSL TRITONS (11-5)
MARK TWAIN GYM -- JANUARY 26, 2012 -- 3 p.m.
PROJECTED STARTERS
DRURY PANTHERS ......................................... UMSL TRITONS
G - 21 Brandon Lockhart (6'1, 175) Sr. -- 11.4 .. G - 12 Michael Weber (5'8, 155) Jr. -- 7.6
G - 11 Drake Patterson (6‘4, 185) Fr. -- 6.6 ....... G - 10 Joshua McCoy (6'4, 185) Sr. - 16.3
G - 33 Alex Hall (6'2, 190) Sr. -- 16.9 ............... G - 3 Darian Cartharn (6'0, 190) Jr. - 13.9
F - 31 Teddy Simniok (6'7, 225) Sr. -- 9.7 ......... F - 0 Charlie Woods (6'7, 185) Sr. - 9.8
F- 23 Ian Carter (6‘6, 210) Jr. -- 9.4 ................... F - 23 Aareon Smith (6'4, 190) So. - 6.3
Drury leads the all-time series against UMSL 13-7, but the Tritons won all three meetings last season, including an 82-71 overtime win at home; a 78-61 win in Springfield; and a 71-60 victory in the GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals last March.
The leading scorer for Drury this season has been junior guard Alex Hall, an all-GLVC selection from last year, who averages 16.9 points a game (fifth-best in the conference), while shooting 44 percent (51-116) from three-point range.
Point guard and native St. Louisan Brandon Lockhart (Chaminade) is second on Drury in scoring with an 11.4 ppg average, and leads the GLVC in assists (6.4) and steals (3.4), while sophomore forward Cameron Adams hasn’t started a game this year, but ranks third on the team at 11.2 ppg.
Senior Joshua McCoy (16.3 ppg) is UMSL’s leading scorer and the seventh-leading scorer in the conference.
He’ll definitely need a better performance than Thursday’s 3-of-10, nine-point effort against Missouri S&T, if UMSL is going to win.
Junior Darian Cartharn (13.9 ppg) had a game-high 17 points against S&T.
The one key factor on Saturday that will most likely determine which team comes out on top, is UMSL matching up against Drury’s pressure defense.
The Panthers lead the GLVC in steals (11 a game) and forced turnovers (20 a game), while UMSL ranks as one of the league’s most efficient teams with just 11.5 turnovers a game.
UPCOMING UMSL MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
January 26 vs. Drury ....................................... 3 pm
January 31 vs. Quincy ..................................... 7:30 pm
*****UMSL PACK THE STANDS NIGHT*****
February 2 at Illinois-Springfield ..................... 3 pm
February 7 at Drury ......................................... 7:30 pm
February 9 at Missouri S&T ............................. 3 pm
February 13 vs. William Jewell ...................... 7:30 pm
February 16 vs. Rockhurst ............................... 3 pm
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