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Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Preview: NCAA South Regional vs. Eckerd

OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT PAGE OF THE 2018 NCAA DIVISION II SOUTH REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PAGE

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No. 5 VALDOSTA STATE vs. No. 4 ECKERD
WHAT: Men's Basketball NCAA Division II First Round
WHEN: Saturday, March 10th, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Atlanta, Ga. - Morehouse College
Audio Link | Video Link | Stats Link | Game Notes
 
No. 5 VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS
  • BACK FOR MORE - Valdosta State finished the regular season with just three losses on the year, and just two losses in GSC play, which netted the team its second regular season GSC Title in as many years. Valdosta State's appearance in the South Regional Tournament marks the second consecutive year in which the Blazers have made the round of 64. Last time VSU won an NCAA National Tournament game was in 2009-10, when the Blazers won three South Regional games to advance all the way to the Elite Eight.
  • JUSTICE SERVED - Last Tuesday, Beau Justice was announced as the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year. Justice is the second straight Blazer to earn Player of the Year recognition and succeeds Jeremiah Hill, who received the honor during an All-American campaign last year. The junior out of Peebles, Ohio ranked among the top two eligible Gulf South Conference scorers during the 2017-18 regular season. The sharpshooting guard currently ranks among the league's top ten in scoring (20.3 points per game, 2nd), field goal percentage (47.9 percent, 10th), free throw percentage (90.1 percent, 2nd), 3-point field goal percentage (41.7 percent, 2nd), and 3-point field goals per game (2.9, 2nd). On the national level, his aforementioned free throw percentage places him 10th on the Division II leaderboard. Justice was also named First Team All-GSC, and KJ James received Second Team All-GSC honors.
  • DOWNTOWN TRAIN - The Blazers have connected on 358 three pointers this season, which represents a new school mark for shots made beyond the arc in a single season. Valdosta State is currently ranked third in the nation in the category, and have moved to second all-time for single season threes in Gulf South Conference history, just 14 away from Alabama-Huntsville's record total of 372 last season. Winston Morgan leads the way with 102 threes, which he reached after hitting seven treys last Tuesday night against UWG to snap a 28 year old school record of 95 set in 1990-91 by J.J. Taylor.
 
NO. 4 ECKERD
  • SERIES HISTORY - Eckerd and Valdosta State will square off for the sixth time in program history on Saturday. Valdosta State holds the slight edge at 3-2.
  • TOP TIER - Eckerd comes into the National Tournament red hot after securing a convincing 96-71 win over Barry in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship.
  • PLAYERS TO WATCH - The Blazers will aim to solve two of the SSC's most dynamic players in Trevon Young and Drushaun McLaurn. Both earned spots on the Sunshine State Conference First Team All-SSC list, and both rank among the top 10 in the SSC in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

 
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Players Mentioned

Beau Justice

#12 Beau Justice

G
6' 2"
Junior
KJ James

#20 KJ James

F
6' 5"
Senior
Winston Morgan

#3 Winston Morgan

G
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Beau Justice

#12 Beau Justice

6' 2"
Junior
G
KJ James

#20 KJ James

6' 5"
Senior
F
Winston Morgan

#3 Winston Morgan

6' 0"
Junior
G