Small Conference Game of the Day – February 26

VMI at HIGH POINT, 7:00 PM Eastern, bigsouthsports.com

The Big South continues to be one of the most exicting, wide open conferences this season.  That does not mean they are a good conference — in fact there is only one team in the league with a top 200 RPI, and no teams in the top 200 BPI or KenPom.  The conference tournament champion appears to be destined for a trip to Dayton and a First Four “play-in game”.  Just who that champion will be, however, is still anyone’s guess.

Entering tonight’s action, two teams stand at 10-4 in conference play, three more teams are 9-5 and two teams are 8-6, putting more than half the conference still alive for the two division titles with only two games left to play.  As for the North Division, tonight’s SCGD matches up the two co-leaders (and the two teams that are 10-4 in Big South play), the VMI Keydets against the High Point Panthers.  VMI enters the game at 17-10 overall and plays one of the most exciting styles of play in the country.  Their adjusted tempo of 75.2 is second in the nation behind only Northwestern State.  They have hit triple digits 8 times so far this season (and are 8-0 in those games).  The Keydets are led offensively by QJ Peterson, Rodney Glasgow and D.J. Covington, all three of whom average more than 18 points per game.

High Point enters tonight’s game at only 14-13 overall, but their 182 RPI is tops in the Big South.  They have won 8 of their last 9 games, making them the hottest team in the conference and helping them surge into a tie for first place.  They did lose at VMI back on January 22, 82-80, and will be looking to avenge that loss at home tonight.  The Panthers got their first ever postseason bid last season, playing in the CIT.  They are looking to improve on that this year, with a possible automatic bid to the NCAA tournament within their grasp.