FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team prepares for one of two opponents in the quarterfinal round of the Sunshine State Conference Basketball Championships, Thursday afternoon in Kissimmee, Fla.

As the No. 1 seed, the Sharks (19-7, 11-5 SSC) will face the winner of Wednesday’s opening round contest between No. 8 Barry and No. 9 Florida Southern. NSU and their quarterfinal opponent will tip off from the Silver Spurs Arena at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

The Sharks have a vested interest in either squad, as their last two losses of the regular season came against each team. Despite the latter loss, March 2 against Barry, NSU remained in the top spot in the south in the NCAA Regional Rankings released on Wednesday.

“We will face either Florida Southern or Barry on Thursday afternoon and our most recent losses were to those programs,” said Freeland. “One thing our players have learned this season is we must prepare for every team in the same manner and respect every opponent.”

The Sharks and Freeland realize they can only now control what they do on their end, in reference to the regional selections, which takes place live on NCAA.com this Sunday night (March 10) at 10 p.m. Not only does the team hold high hopes of a bid (which would be their first appearance in the tournament since 2007-08), but possibly hosting the regionals itself.

“Despite a disappointing loss on Saturday, we are still in great position in the regional rankings,” said Freeland. “We control our own destiny and need to appreciate the opportunity that is right in front of us.“

Here is the entire Thursday quarterfinal round schedule for the women, again, with all games taking place at the neutral Silver Spurs Arena.

Game 3 - 12:00 p.m. – No. 4 Rollins vs. No. 5 Florida Tech
Game 4 - 2:30 p.m. – Barry/Florida Southern winner vs. No. 1 Nova Southeastern
Game 5 - 5:00 p.m. – No. 2 Lynn vs. No. 7 Saint Leo
Game 6 - 7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Eckerd vs. No. 6 Tampa

For the live stream of all games, including the Sharks' Thursday matchup, visit this SSC link. Tune in for live NSU audio HERE, and live stats can be viewed HERE.

For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by clicking here.