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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team (2-5) will begin its Sunshine State Conference slate Saturday at the NSU Arena against the No. 4 Florida Southern Mocs (8-0) at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.
"I said at the start of the season that the three best teams, and the three greatest challenges for our guys, would be West Liberty, Florida Southern and Drury," said head coach
Gary Tuell. "Nothing has happened to this point to change my mind. West Liberty is number one in the latest NCAA DII poll, Florida Southern is number four and Drury (the defending NCAA DII National Champion) is number three.
"The neat thing about playing three of the nation's top four teams is that we get to play them all at home. That's the equivalent of a Division I team having the opportunity to play Arizona, Louisville and Duke all at home in the same season. It doesn't happen often and we're excited that we have these three teams on our home schedule."
NSU is coming off a win over NCAA Division I FIU Tuesday, 77-59, but have had no time to celebrate. They host the SSC's toughest and historically most successful team Saturday. The Mocs are 8-0, steamrolling some of the nation's best teams heading into the conference opener.
"Florida Southern is so deep and so athletic, unlike any team we'll face all year," said Tuell. "They may very well be the best team in the nation. They have a great senior leader in Dominic Lane and probably the most explosive individual talent in the nation in Kevin Capers. That guy scores almost a point a minute, which is amazing. Tyler Kelly and Frank Adams are really solid guards and Dominique Williams is much improved and gives them a fifth guard with great athletic talent. What makes this Southern team better than the one that went to the Elite Eight last year is the play of their four forwards, Bubby Johnson, Lamar McKnight, Stephen Battle and Garrett Putman. And the freshman from Indiana, Stephen Turner, is not bad either.
"Southern is just relentless. They never take a possession off, they play as hard as any team you will face, and they attack the offensive glass better than any team in America. They are so athletic and quick that they can afford to send four guys to the offensive glass and still get back on the defensive end. That's a luxury not many, if any teams, have. Their guards push the ball quickly up the floor, and their forwards are all capable of bringing the ball up, too. They put tremendous pressure on your defense to get back, but even when you do that you find yourself scrambling to stop their dribble penetration because of their quickness and speed. It's just a nightmare trying to beat these guys. They have a tremendous team and Linc (head coach Linc Darner) has implemented a system of play for them that fits their talents perfectly."
After a 0-5 start, nobody could have expected the Sharks to have this much momentum headed into the conference opener. However, the light bulb went on before the last two games. NSU defeated Belmont Abbey, a 2013 tournament team, on Nov. 29, 86-67. They followed up with the 18-point win at FIU. The Sharks not only upset the DI team, but dominated the game and led the entire way after FIU went up 1-0 in the first minute.
"At the moment we only have six guys playing consistent minutes, so fatigue is a huge concern for us against Southern," admitted Tuell. "But keeping them off the boards and finding a way for our group of munchkins to rebound and defend well enough to make the game competitive are also huge concerns. We just don't match up with them in terms of athleticism, speed, depth or overall talent. Then again, we probably didn't match up very well with Florida International on Tuesday, but our guys found a way to get the job done.
"We're improving offensively and defensively, and the last two games are a reflection of that. We've settled on a defensive identity that we think best fits our team and while we might tweak some things from game to game, we're basically committed to this defensive system for the rest of the season. I love the way our guys are embracing the challenges of playing great competition. And I love their effort and attitude. The first five games were more of a discovery period for us than anything. We think we have a grasp of who our team is and the direction we want to go from here on in, so it's just a matter of working hard every day to improve at what we do.
As Tuell mentioned, Saturday's game is the start of a very tough end to the 2013 calendar year. Following FSC will be No. 13 Livingstone on Dec. 17 and No. 3 Drury on Dec. 19, with both games at home. The Sharks' next three opponents are a combined 19-0 this season. However, NSU is clicking at the right time and embracing their unique gauntlet.
"It's so early in the season," stated Tuell. "Winning your first conference game at home would be nice, but when your first conference game is against the fourth-ranked team in the country and the preseason league favorite that's coming off an Elite Eight season, I don't know how realistic that is. Of course, it wasn't very realistic that we would go to a DI (FIU) and win on their court by 18, so who knows? We will learn a lot by playing Southern, and win or lose, we'll take what we learn and build on it.
"I like my team. And I can guarantee you, regardless of Saturday's outcome, when the game is over I will still like my team."
Tune into 640 Sports on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. for the preshow. Fans can watch the game live
HERE or follow live stats
HERE. Follow the Sharks on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NSUSharks
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