LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The seventh seeded Nova Southeastern men’s basketball (12-14) will look to keep their season alive as they travel to Lakeland, Fla. for the first round of the 2011 Sunshine State Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Wednesday, March 2 against second seeded Florida Southern (20-7) at 8 p.m. (or 30 minutes after the women’s game ends). All NSU students will receive free admission to the game as all students of SSC schools will during all tournament games.

The Sharks will play their third game of the season against the Mocs as NSU has gone 0-2 against FSC by a combined five points. For both teams it may feel like the fifth quarter of Saturday’s epic 104-103 win for Florida Southern. It was one of the most entertaining games ever held at NSU Arena as the teams’ styles made for a high scoring fast paced game.

Although the two teams seemed evenly matched over 40 minutes, the Sharks did not pull out the victory. Max Papendieck (Sr., Adelaide, Australia) made two clutch free throws with eight seconds left to put NSU up by two points and the Sharks played solid defense on the final play, forcing a wild three-pointer from the right corner. Unfortunately, FSC’s Terry Jenkins drained his fade away three that only left four tenths of a second on the clock.

“As far as first round conference tournament games go, this one is probably as interesting as any,” said head coach Gary Tuell. “Outside of the NBA, how many times do you see two teams play to a 104-103 finish on Saturday and turn around to do it again on the following Wednesday? Obviously there wasn’t a lot of defense being played on either side Saturday. Just 10 guys following each other around and saying ‘nice shot’ every 20 or 30 seconds.

“It was like watching a game of horse, and Terry Jenkins’ buzzer-beater was really the perfect ending to a heck of a shooting exhibition by both teams. Usually when you shoot 58 percent for the game, 55 percent on threes, make 21 of 25 free throws and score 103 points, you expect to win. The funny thing is, we didn’t guard them all night until the final possession, and on that last play we did everything perfectly… and still didn’t get the stop. So here we go again.”

While the Sharks will likely see the same offensively strong team in Lakeland, FSC will be facing a deeper team. Saturday, the Sharks were only able to field nine players with Lukas Roesch (So., Sugar Grove, Ohio) acting as their only natural post player. Robert Huntington (Jr., Perth, Australia), the team’s third leading scorer with 11.2 points per game, will make his return after sitting out Saturday due to injury. Huntington is in the midst of his best season as he serves as one of his team’s best defenders inside and on the perimeter.

“As I’ve told our guys, the team that wins Wednesday and advances in the tournament will be the team that stays out of foul trouble and makes a commitment to defend,” said Tuell. “I’m sure (FSC head coach) Linc Darner is saying the same thing to his Florida Southern team. There isn’t much mystery to this. One of us has to find a way to stop the other one from scoring. In the last three halves we’ve played against one another, we’ve scored 49, 51 and 52 points. That’s 152 points in three halves. Ironically, they’ve scored 48, 46 and 58 points, which is also 152 points. I guess I need to look at what we did when we held them to 46 because that was one great defensive effort!

“We were so short-handed on Saturday, playing without Ross Allsop (Sr., Sydney, Australia) and Rob Huntington, not to mention playing all year without Brian Cahill (So., Arlington, Va.). At least we are hopeful Rob will be able to play Wednesday. If his ankle has improved enough that he can go, then at least that might help us defensively and give us more depth inside.”

FSC has had a successful run this year and came within a game of capturing a share of the conference regular season title. They are led by three seniors that are among the top players in the SSC in Rion Rayfield, Terry and Brandon Jenkins.

“I have so much respect for Southern’s senior guards, Rion Rayfield, Brandon Jenkins and Terry Jenkins,” stated Tuell. “Those guys just win. I have always believed Rayfield and Nick Wolf at Rollins are the two most important players in the league in terms of how they impact their teams. A lot of coaches and players may take exception to Rayfield’s fiery spirit, but I love it. He would make any team in the league instantly better.

“But Southern is more than just those three guards. Kids like Cameron Wooten and Damon Ellison are so tough to guard. And if you had to pick two guys who are unheralded but have probably had as much to do with their success this year as anyone, you’d have to recognize Jay Hubble and Brett Bailey. Those guys are great competitors and have helped Southern win so many games. I just enjoy watching their team play, competing against them and doing whatever we can to find a way to beat them. They have my total respect and the respect of our players.”

Despite the close games that the two teams have played this year, the Sharks will have to find a way to win in one of the SSC’s toughest venues. The Mocs have had enormous success at Jenkins Fieldhouse as they have only lost four times their over the last three seasons. The Sharks, who hold a 4-17 record against FSC, have not won in Lakeland since January of 2007.

On March 4, 2008, The Mocs ended NSU’s season by crushing the Sharks, 78-58, at the Jenkins Fieldhouse in the first round of the SSC Tournament. Kevin Chester scored 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting, grabbed six boards and blocked two shots in the final game of his illustrious career. Seniors Papendick, Allsop, Lemar Dyer (Miami, Fla.), John Brooks (Perris, Calif.), and Alex Gynes (Nowra, Australia) will be looking to end their careers on a different note by earning a trip to Melbourne, Fla. for the SSC Semifinals.

“I hope Wednesday’s game is entertaining and fun for the fans, but I seriously doubt if either team is going to let the other one score 100 or more points again. I know their guys are going to be focused and ready to defend and hopefully our guys will find a way to keep it close. If we don’t defend Wednesday night, when the game is over our season will also be over. And when that happens, it’s like death. You can’t go back and say ‘add up the score again.’ I know both teams want to keep playing, and I’m sure both teams are looking forward to playing each other again. Heck, if I was a fan I’d probably buy a ticket to watch this game, and there are not many Division II games I’d buy a ticket to see. It should be fun… at least for one team.”

Fans can follow the action Wednesday via live video HERE and live stats HERE. Fans can also follow NSU basketball through Twitter at www.Twitter.com/NSUSharks.