Under the Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, February 25: North Florida at Jacksonville

Under the Radar Game of the Day: North Florida at Jacksonville, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3

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It is the beginning of the end.  The first of 32 conferences to conclude regular season play will do so tonight as the final four games of the Atlantic Sun regular season will be played and by Friday morning the bracket should be released for the conference tournament.  These last few games will certainly be interesting as there are a ton of possibilities still wide open for seeding.  Perhaps the biggest range for one team belongs to the Jacksonville Dolphins.  With a win tonight over North Florida, there is a chance they can clinch the #1 seed (they will need to end in a three way with UNF and Florida Gulf Coast for that to happen), while with a loss there is a chance that they could slide all the way down to #5 and have to go on the road for the quarterfinal round.  Things are simpler for North Florida, win and they take the top seed, lose and they may still take it anyhow (only Jacksonville could beat them out for it, and only under the scenario previously mentioned).

The game itself between North Florida and Jacksonville tonight is also the best rivalry in the A-Sun, known as the River City Rumble.  North Florida won the first meeting of the two teams, 93-68, behind double-doubles from both Demarcus Daniels and Chris Davenport.  Jacksonville was led in that game by Kori Babineaux, who scored 30 points.  Babineaux may prove to be the key to tonight’s game, as the Dolphins have struggled when he has been shut down.  Last game out, NJIT held him to only 8 pooints, and the Highlanders cruised to a 15 point win.  However, if he can bounce back from that game, the Dolphins have a shot, with some help, at locking up home court advantage throughout the Atlantic Sun tournament.