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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (12-13, 5-10 SSC) has reached the final game of the regular season as the Shark’s prepare for the Sunshine State Conference Tournament but first will tackle the Florida Southern Mocs (20-7, 11-4 SSC) Saturday, Feb. 26 at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center. Tip-off and senior day festivities are slated for 4 p.m.

“Obviously we’re disappointed coming into our final home game without three of the players who we projected to be starters at the beginning of the season (sophomore guard Brian Cahill (Arlington, Va.), back surgery; senior center Ross Allsop (Sydney, Australia), broken hand; junior forward/center Robert Huntington (Perth, Australia) ankle sprain),” said head coach Gary Tuell. “We have certainly had our share of injuries over the years. But it’s most disappointing for Ross, who has given so much of himself to our program over four years and deserves the opportunity to finish his career here on the court rather than watching from the bench.

“We’ll be short-handed and … well, just plain short against Florida Southern on Saturday. But our guys will compete and do the best they can as we use this game to prepare for Wednesday’s first round opponent in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament.”

The Sharks have clinched a spot in the SSC Tournament and know that their first round game will be on the road but they do not know if they will take on Rollins, Florida Southern or Eckerd. NSU currently sits in a three-way tie with Lynn and Barry at 5-10. If all three teams lose or win, Lynn will come out on top and face Eckerd while NSU will receive the seventh seed and play an immediate rematch against Florida Southern.

The Sharks will take on Eckerd if they win and if both Barry and Lynn lose. The Sharks will face Rollins if NSU loses, Barry beats Saint Leo, and Lynn loses on the road against Rollins. Therefore, the outcome of Saturday’s game will only marginally effect where NSU is seeded in the tournament. However, Florida Southern enters NSU Arena with a chance to hold a share of the regular season conference championship, which would depend on Rollins losing at home against Lynn.

Behind all the scenarios in play this Saturday will be the most important element to Saturday’s game, the senior day festivities. Four seniors will play in the final home game of their careers at NSU with one watching from the bench. All five will be honored before the game.

“We have five seniors who will be honored Saturday, but the real honor has been mine just for the opportunity to coach these five guys and get to know them as people,” said Tuell. Ross has been a joy to be with and an anchor on our defense for four seasons. Alex Gynes (Sr., Nowra, Australia) has been up and down with injuries over his three years here, but when he’s healthy he’s as good as anyone in the league. Max Papendieck (Sr., Adelaide, Australia) has had to play just about every position on the floor for us at one time or another and he’s always been willing and never complains.

“John Brooks (Sr., Perris, Calif.) began with us two years ago as a shaky point guard and has matured into a terrific shooting guard who has had a wonderful senior season. And of course there is Lemar Dyer (Sr., Miami, Fla.), who came to us as a walk-on and who we always projected to be a backup point guard, but who has fought and battled and willed himself into the lineup and eventually into starting jobs just by his effort and hustle and leadership. These are all great guys who will graduate on time and have been a joy to coach. More importantly, they’ve been outstanding students and positive influences on campus.”

Earlier this season the Sharks travelled to Lakeland, Fla. and lost a nail-biter against the Mocs, 85-81. In what has become arguably the greatest season for a three-point shooter at NSU, Brooks had a trademark night against Florida Southern as he shot 7-for-8 from the three-point line and scored 22 second half points. The Sharks are 4-16 against Florida Southern all-time.

“We only have eight healthy bodies for Saturday’s game against Florida Southern, and truthfully a couple of those eight guys are banged up pretty good and not really close to 100 percent,” said Tuell. “We’ll play all eight guys and use Saturday’s game as an opportunity to work on some things and to try and improve in some areas where we still have weaknesses.”

“Winning or losing is irrelevant to us at this stage. It’s always nice to win, and we’ll certainly do our best to get a victory, but it’s far more important that we learn and improve and take a positive step forward as we prepare for Wednesday’s first-round tournament game. Saturday is all about honoring the five seniors and then getting to the business of working to get better for Wednesday’s tournament opener. Our focus right now is getting as healthy as we can and as good as we can for the post-season tournament.”

SSC Standings: Rollins holds a 12-3 record and has clinched the first seed in the conference tournament and at least a share of the regular season SSC title. With a win or a loss by Florida Southern, the Tars will become regular season SSC Champions. Florida Southern currently sits at 11-4 and has clinched the second seed while Eckerd has sealed the third seed with an 11-5 record. Tampa and Florida Tech sit tied for fourth with 9-6 records. They face each other Saturday with the winner gaining home court advantage over the other in the first round of the conference tournament. Barry, Lynn, and NSU are all tied at 5-10. With a 1-14 record, Saint Leo has locked up last place in the conference standings.

Fans can follow the Sharks via live video HERE and live stats HERE. Fans can also keep track of the game through the NSU Athletics Twitter Feed at www.twitter.com/NSUSharks.