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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team returns to the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center on Monday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. to face Flagler in the team’s first of four games against out-of-conference South Region teams.

Coming off a week long break, the Sharks (3-1) return to embark on one of their most difficult weeks of the season. After taking on the Saints Monday, the Sharks will hit the road to play back-to-back games against No. 8 Alabama-Huntsville and Valdosta State, a team that advanced to the Elite Eight last season.

“This is the first of three very difficult tests for us this week,” said head coach Gary Tuell. “Flagler is unbeaten and returns their entire roster from last year’s talented young team. They’ve been very impressive so far, especially in their up-tempo style of play and the way they can shoot the ball from the perimeter.”

There are many similarities between Flagler and NSU. Both teams return all five starters from the previous season and shoot the ball very well. Flagler has taken 82 three-pointers over four games and made them at a 38 percent clip while NSU has made 43 percent of 98 three-point attempts over the same minutes played. The Saints set themselves apart from the home team by playing at a faster pace, with 40 more field goal attempts than the Sharks over four games.

Last season, the Sharks travelled to Flagler and escaped with a three point victory. John Brooks (Sr., Perris, Calif.) scored 19 points in the second half and drained the game winning three-pointer with five seconds remaining on the clock. It was the program’s 18th victory against Flagler and the first since leaving the Sun Conference.

“We were fortunate to escape with a last-second win at their place last year and I don’t see any reason why this game will be different from that one,” said Tuell. “It should be a close, hard-fought and fun game for the fans and the players.”

The time off has given the Sharks a chance to retool and regain health. Shark fans will have an opportunity to see a change in strategy Monday and a new face on the court.

“We spent the off week making a lot of changes in both our philosophy and our execution on the defensive end,” said Tuell. “This is probably not the week to go into three games as tough as this with a lot of defensive changes, but we feel it’s something we have to do if we want to have success in January and February. All I’ve told the kids is to give us their best effort, play with heart and hustle, and we’ll do our best as coaches to make the adjustments as we learn and grow.

“We’re happy to have a chance to play Jacob Reed a few minutes this week. We’ll throw him out there and see how he handles things. He’s been off for most of the past two years with mononucleosis and two knee surgeries. So he’s not in any kind of basketball game shape and he certainly has a long way to go to get his feel for the game back before he can return to the level of play that he’s accustomed to. But it’s nice to have him healthy and we think, in time, he’ll develop into a very important piece of the puzzle for us.”

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