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THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS Birmingham-Southern Tops Georgia in Exhibition BIRMINGHAM | Birmingham-Southern’s journey to another NCAA Tournament berth stated on a high note with a 52-41 victory over SEC foe Georgia. Paul Cheatham led BSC with 13 points and William Big added 11 points. The Bulldogs looked to be taking hold of the game with a 16-10 lead with 7:33 remaining in the opening half. However, the Panthers were able to keep up with Georgia and prevent them from running away with the game. Cheatham nailed two big 3’s in the final eight minutes of the opening half, including one from the right corner at the end of half to give Birmingham-Southern a 25-23 lead at the break. Birmingham-Southern’s roster full of experience proved to be too much for the Bulldogs youthful team in the second half. The Panthers never trailed in the second half and pushed their lead to 16 with 6:46 remaining after a shot by Big gave BSC a 46-30 lead. The Birmingham-Southern defense held Georgia to just 18 second half points on the way to final score of 52-41. “I was really proud of our guys and how they played today,” BSC coach Jeremy Knight said. “Georgia is a very talented team. They’re very inexperienced with five freshmen and four sophomores on their team, but you can tell they’re going to be very good down the road.” Freshman Shawn Beaubais got the starting nod at center and finished the game with six points and 10 rebounds. Beaubais was also 4-of-4 from the free throw line. “I was really pleased with all of our guys today and their performances – especially our newcomers. Shawn was huge being able to come in and grab 10 rebounds against a quality high major team in his first collegiate game. Donald Dargan only played five minutes but scored three points. I was really pleased with our effort and performance today, but now we have to turn our attention to our next game against South Carolina.” As Knight referenced, the Panthers will travel to Columbia to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in their final exhibition warm up before the regular season begins. South Carolina defeated Charlotte 83-66 in their first exhibition game. “[south Carolina] is very good. They’re another quality team from the SEC. They’re not as inexperienced as Georgia is. They’ve been to the NIT the last four years and I think they’ve made it to the third round the last two years. Almost all of their guards can shoot the ball and a couple of their posts are men down low. It’ll be another good challenge for us and I’m excited to see how our guys perform against them.” Birmingham-Southern will play South Carolina at 3:00 pm CST on Friday.

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS Birmingham-Southern Releases 83 Schedule BIRMINGHAM | The Birmingham-Southern Panthers’ road to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths will be a challenging one. The Panthers released their schedule for the 83 season and its highlighted by three games against high major teams and four teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Two of those NCAA Tournament teams, No. 5 Seton Hall and No. 10 Texas A&M, advanced to the Final Four and Elite Eight, respectively. “We definitely didn’t want to have an easy schedule this season,” BSC coach Jeremy Knight said. “I think one of the main reasons we made the NCAA Tournament last season was because we played such a tough schedule. We don’t want to play a bunch of cupcakes. We need to challenge ourselves and beat some good teams, and this schedule gives us that opportunity.” Birmingham-Southern will also play the other two Division I schools located in Birmingham. The Panthers will host UAB who won the Conference-USA regular season and tournament championships before falling in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second consecutive meeting between the two top teams in the Magic City. Birmingham-Southern will also host Samford in their sixth consecutive meeting, also known as the Battle for Birmingham. Birmingham-Southern is 5-0 against Samford during Knight’s tenure. “I think its great anytime you can play quality Division I teams within a close proximity, much less your own city,” Knight added. “Its great for the programs because these are obviously games the fans care very much about which brings in a lot of money for the host teams. Its also great because the teams are very good teams. UAB won 28 games last year and made it to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a great situation for us to test ourselves against them while also not having to travel more than 10 to 15 miles.” Also included on BSC’s schedule is a pair of exhibition games against SEC opponents. The Panthers will host Georgia in their first exhibition game before traveling to Columbia to play South Carolina in their final exhibition games. “I’m really excited about the exhibition games. They will be very good tests for our team right out of the gate. We feel like we have a very strong schedule with Georgia, South Carolina, Seton Hall, UAB, Texas A&M, and West Virginia included. It can really be a great benefit to us for playing such tough competition, however, it can also burn us if we don’t win some of those games. So we’ll see how we fare. I’m very confident in our team this season and we’re just ready to get started. The game against Georgia can’t get here fast enough.” The highlight of the Panthers Big South schedule will be the game against VMI, which will also be Senior Night for the Panthers. That game will in all likely hood determine who wins the Big South regular season championship and gets to host the Big South Tournament. Birmingham-Southern’s schedule is listed below. Make sure to keep up with all the happenings of the Birmingham-Southern men’s basketball program by following The Birmingham News all season. Georgia [exhibition] (15-14, NIT 1st Round) at South Carolina [exhibition] (18-13, NIT 3rd Round) at Troy (10-18) at Arkansas State (17-11) #5 Seton Hall (28-5, Big East Champion, NCAA Final Four) at Georgia State (11-17) UAB (28-2, Conference-USA Champion, Conference-USA Tournament Champion, NCAA 1st Round) #10 Texas A&M (26-6, Big 12 Champion, NCAA Elite Eight) Montana (19-8) at West Virginia (13-14) Samford (3-24) Liberty* (16-11) High Point* (20-9) at Alabama A&M* (20-10, Big South Tournament Champion, NCAA 1st Round) UNC-Asheville* (15-14) at Coastal Carolina* (17-11) at Radford* (2-25) Alabama State* (7-21) Alabama A&M* (20-10, Big South Tournament Champion, NCAA 1st Round) at Mississippi Valley State* (4-23) at Charleston Southern* (10-17) Mississippi Valley State* (4-23) at Alabama State* (7-21) at UNC-Asheville* (15-14) Winthrop* (2-25) VMI* (21-6, Big South Champion) at High Point* (20-9)

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS Birmingham-Southern Season Preview BIRMINGHAM | Coming off of last season’s NCAA Tournament at-large berth, Jeremy Knight’s 83 Birmingham-Southern squad is in a position to do something no team in the history of BSC has done before – make the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. “[Making the tournament] is always a goal of ours, each year,” said Knight. “So from that standpoint, nothing has changed. We have the same goals this year that we’ve had every single year since I’ve been here – that is to win the Big South championship, win the Big South Tournament championship, and make the NCAA Tournament. However, the opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years is a special opportunity, but we cannot get caught up in that. We need to continue to take things one game at a time, and if we do what we’re supposed to do everything will take care of itself.” Last season was Birmingham-Southern’s second NCAA Tournament appearance with the first coming in 79. The big difference between this season’s BSC squad and the last team that attempted to make repeat NCAA Tournament appearances will be a huge factor – experience. The 80 BSC team had only six players with any experience and featured nine underclassmen. This year will be different. The Panthers will return nine players from last season’s tournament team and will be loaded with upperclassmen. Birmingham-Southern will have the luxury of having five seniors and two juniors to help lead the team this season. “That’s definitely something that hurt us last time,” Knight said in reference to his team’s inexperience in the past. “It’s a challenge in itself trying to get younger guys to adjust to the college lifestyle and pace and intensity of the college game. Our youth and inexperience cost us a couple of games back then, but the good thing is that it’s finally come full circle. The players that were freshmen on that team and got thrown into the fire are now seniors and battle tested. They know what the expectations here are and they know how to go about putting in the work to meet those expectations.” GUARDS Jared Lobdell is expected to take over the reigns of the BSC offense this season after serving as the primary backup last season. Lobdell isn’t known as a scoring threat (he’s averaged 2.4 ppg his career so far), but he is a superb facilitator (he has a career 3.1-to-0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio). “I would love to have a point guard who also poses an added threat as a scorer,” said Knight, “but the ability to take care of the ball and run our offense trumps the ability to score at our point position. Jared does a fantastic job of that and we’re really excited to see what he can do now that he’s running the show.” Paul Cheatham didn’t start a single game last season after starting 16 games during his sophomore campaign. However, he made the most of his minutes (16.4 mpg) with a 47.4%/43.4%/84.4% shooting split and averaged 9.9 ppg (a career high) en route to earning 2nd Team Big South honors – as a backup. As to whether or not he’ll start this season at the 2-guard position or come off the bench again, there’s no telling. One thing is for sure though; Cheatham can shoot the ball with the best of them. Cheatham’s worst 3-point shooting percentage during his career was during his freshman campaign (40.9%) and it has improved each season. “Paul is just a terrific kid. Like any other kid out there he wants to start every game, but he also understand that starting a game isn’t as important as what you do with the minutes you get. He’s always made the most of every minute he’s played. Whether he starts or not it’s going to be hard to keep him off the court. He’ll see plenty of playing time one way or another.” Chris Matthews started every game at the 2-guard position last season and averaged a career high of 9.4 ppg. The senior has had a very mixed career during his time at BSC. He started his first 21 games as a freshman before losing the job to the more experienced Cheatham. He started his sophomore season as Cheatham’s backup before taking over the starting spot the final 12 games. Last season he started every game and averaged almost 10 ppg, but he shot a career low 38.8% from 3 and earned Honorable Mention All-Big South honors. Matthews has just as much ability as Cheatham, if not more, and it will be interesting to see what happens with him this season. “Chris is a very talented player. He can score if we need him to score. Both of our main options at the 2 are very talented and very capable scorers which is a great thing to have. If one of them isn’t having a good game it’s a luxry to be able to pull him and put in another player just as good. Chris is also a very good ball handler and passer so he will see some time at the point as well. There’s a chance we will play Chris and Paul together on the court at the same time if we feel like we need more scoring options on the floor. We’ll see how things sort themselves out once we really get into practice and play a few games.” Richard Kanagy has been buried in an immensely deep backcourt throughout his time at BSC. The junior has only played 254 total minutes in his career and only saw action in 18 games last season. However, Kanagy did get to start in the NCAA Tournament against Alabama when the Panthers faced the eventual first pick in the NBA Draft, Paul Smith. His perimeter game is good but not great. Kanagy’s greatest skillset is his combination of speed and athleticism and his ability to defend. “Richard is a guy who could have transferred somewhere else for more playing time and instead he chose to ride it out. He’s had to wait behind some really good guards during his career, some of the best we’ve had since I’ve been here, and he’s used that opportunity to learn from them and better himself. He’s not a guy that’s going to lead you in scoring and he’s not a great ball hander or passer. But that kid can lock you down defensively. He’s the fastest kid on our team and one of the best defenders. He’s athletic and fast enough that I feel comfortable playing him from the 1 to the 3. His willingness to hang around for so long combined with his defensive ability will allow him to see the floor more this season than he probably has since he’s been here.” Donald Bowen played very sparingly last season (5.3 mpg in 23 games), but he showed why he was recruited to Birmingham-Southern during his freshman campaign – he can shoot the 3. Bowen shot 48.4% from the floor last season and 48.1% from the 3-point line. He also made all nine of his free throw attempts. While he only played 5 minutes a game last season, he averaged 2.3 ppg during his appearances. This season Bowen should see action as a 3-point specialist off the bench. Look for his scoring average, and his minutes played average, to increase this season. “Donald is such a great kid for our program. He wasn’t very highly regarded coming out of high school and a lot of people thought we were crazy for signing him, but last season he showed flashes of what we saw in him and thought he could become. He didn’t as many opportunities to display his ability as he probably would have liked due to our stacked backcourt the last few years, but anytime he was on the floor opposing defenses had to know where he was. He had continued to get better and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he does this season. SMALL FORWARDS Elbert Estrella returns as the only small forward on the BSC roster. Last year he started 29 of 30 games and saw an average of 20.5 minutes per game. Estrella averaged 7.8 ppg, 1.5 apg, and 3.6 rpg which earned him 2nd Team Big South recognition. Estrella has never quite lived up the hype surrounding his arrival in Birmingham (he was the No. 25 small forward in the class of 80), but that’s not to say he hasn’t been a good player. He’s been a very solid player for the Panthers and is probably the most complete inside-out scoring option during Knight’s tenure. Estrella will face no competition for the starting 3 spot, but expect Matthews, Cheatham, and Kanagy to see some time at the 3 spot as a backup. POST PLAYERS William Big had a breakout year last season when he averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.9 rpg while earning 2nd Team Big South honors. He also led the Big South in field goal percentage, shooting 58.9% from the field. Big is an exceptional athlete with great speed for a power forward. He also is solid in rebounding, defending, shot blocking, and his low post game is very good. In short, Big is a very well developed, complete big man. He can do a little bit of everything. Look for him to be the featured player in Knight’s offense this season. “William is just a fantastic player. He can really do everything for us. Ever since he arrived on campus he’s been working hard and preparing for this moment where he’s the center point of the offense. I can honestly say that if he plays like he is capable of playing that we will once again have the Big South Player of the Year on our team.” Michael Stutes played as the primary backup at the 4 last season as a true freshman and averaged 1.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg. Stutes also shot 61.1% from the field and an impressive (for a power forward) 78.6% from the free throw line. Stutes is still very raw player and definitely would have benefitted from a redshirt season last year but the Panthers weren’t in a position where they could let him sit out. Stutes continues to grow and it will be interesting to see where he falls on the depth chart with incoming freshman Donald Dargan. “Michael did a fantastic job for us last season. Not many freshmen can come in and play 16 minutes a game from the get go. He was able to come into a situation where he just needed to give our guys a break and grab some rebounds while he was in the game. He did just that. He’s continuing to develop as a player and as he develops so will his role with this team. His ball handling and passing are unreal – the best I’ve ever seen in a post player. We’re very excited about Michael’s future with our team.” William Wright has spent his entire career as Robert Loar’s backup. Granted, Loar was BSC’s best player in recent memory, but Wright still might have some work to do to prove that he’s earned the vacant starting center position. Last year Wright’s numbers dropped (6.4. ppg to 3.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg to 5.3 rpg) which can partially be attributed to Loar staying on the court as much as possible, but you have to wonder if he has what it takes to be a full time starter or if he’s just a career backup who excels at rebounding. “Will has been great for us during his time here. He’s an outstanding rebounder and he’s a pretty good defender too. He’s pretty athletic and has a good low post game also. He’s definitely gotten lost in the shuffle during his time here due to Robert Loar also playing the center position, but I really do believe and expect for him to perform at a high level this year – he’s very capable.” Shawn Beauvais will walk on Birmingham-Southern’s campus as the most highly decorated recruit during Knight’s tenure and possibly in the history of BSC. Beauvais was ranked as the No. 79 overall player and the No. 19 center by Rivals. He also earned a three-star ranking. While not overly athletic, Beauvais made a name for himself on the prep circuit as a rebounder and rim protector. Beauvais should offer serious competition to Wright for the starting center position. “Shawn is just a man when it comes to grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. We would watch some of his high school games or AAU games and it’s just crazy at how developed his games was at those two areas, which are two areas we identified as needing immediate help. Shawn will provide that immediate help for us and we’ll see how things go in practice as far as who will be our starting center.” Donald Dargan begins his BSC career with an opportunity to earn a spot as William Big’s primary backup at the 4. Dargan will be competing against Stutes for the spot. Both players are fairly similar in their overall skill sets at this point. Dargan really needs to work on his low post games. His lack of a decent low post game and college experience will more than likely have him sitting behind Big and Stutes this season – at least to start with. “We’re really excited about Donald joining our program. He’s going to have every chance to compete with Michael Stutes for that first backup position at power forward and we’ll see what happens. He’s a very good player with a pretty good skill set. He’s definitely got some areas he needs to work on and improve, but that’s just part of it. He has a very high ceiling and we’re looking forward to helping him reach his potential as a player.” Jeffrey Cain will more than likely redshirt during his first season at BSC. The incoming center was a very highly decorated prep player at Lee-Scott Academy in Auburn, but failed to draw the national interest all high school players seek. Cain was ranked as the No. 191 center by Rivals. Cain is athletic and has a good low post game. He is also an okay rebounder, defender, and shot blocker. He should experience a lot of growth and development during his redshirt season and could one day join the group of great post players Knight has coached at BSC. “We really like Jeff’s potential. We really feel like he was overlooked due to playing in the smaller athletic association in Alabama. He just has so much potential and can be a very good post player before he leaves here. He has a very bright future at Birmingham-Southern.” PROJECTED LINEUP PG Jared Lobdell (Jr.) SG Chris Matthews (Sr.)* SF Elbert Estrella (Sr.)* PF William Big (Sr.)* C William Wright (Sr.) ----- 6 Paul Cheatham (Sr.) 7 Shawn Beauvais (Fr.) 8 Richard Kanagy (Jr.) 9 Donald Bowen (So.) 10 Michael Stutes (So.) 11 Donald Dargan (Fr.) *- Returning Starter FINAL VERDICT The Birmingham-Southern Panthers are loaded with experience and talented entering the 84 season. They should compete with VMI and Alabama A&M for the Big South championship. Due to their experience, we’re giving to edge to BSC to unseat VMI as Big South champions. The Keydets have won the last two regular season titles, but have to replace six players from last season’s team. Look for the Panthers to not only win the Big South for the first time since 79 but also make the NCAA Tournament for consecutive seasons for the first time ever. Keep up with the Birmingham-Southern Panthers and follow them all season with The Birmingham News.

RIVALS 83 RECRUITING ROUNDUP The signing period for the “Year of the Small Forwards” is officially over and it’s time to see which teams and conferences fared the best. A year after winning the NCAA Championship the Florida Gators win the Rivals Recruiting Championship. The Gators signed all six of their players from within their own backyard. Florida’s class is led by the No. 7 overall player and No. 1 center Robert Jones (Monticello, Fla./Aucilla Christian Academy). Jones is listed as 7-foot-1 and already boasts athleticism, rebounding, defense, shot blocking and low post skills that are making NBA scouts salivate. Kansas cashed in big time with the No. 2 overall class led by the signing of our number one overall player Warren Kelly (St. Louis, Mo./Gateway HS). The 6-4 small forward brings an elite skill set to the Jayhawk’s wing and he already has the athleticism, defense, low post, and passing skills for the NBA. The Jayhawks have reached the Sweet Sixteen in five of the last seven seasons, but have only advanced to the Elite Eight once in those five trips. Will Kelly be one of the key pieces needed for Kansas to make a long awaited Final Four run? Defending national champion Providence only had a few holes to fill, but the Friars were able to fill them with some very talented individuals on their way to the No. 14 overall class. The key signee for Providence is small forward Leroy Rollins (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia HS). Rollins is ranked as the No. 3 overall player and the No. 2 small forward behind Kelly. Rollin’ overall skill set isn’t as developed as Kelly’s, but his perimeter game is way ahead of Kelly’s and he might be the best defender in the entire class. The Friars were also able to add foreign power forward Miro Zook (Belgrade, Serbia) during the signing period. The five-star recruit averaged 42 points-per-game last season and should be legit low post threat for Providence in his freshman campaign. The final signee for Providence is three-star point guard Mark Bailey (Norwell, Mass./Norwell HS). Bailey comes in as the No. 75 overall player and the No. 16 point guard. Bailey is by no means a scoring point guard, but he can facilitate with the best of them. His speed, athleticism, defense, ball handling, and passing are already among the elite level. It’ll be interesting to see if he stays in college long enough to develop his shooting ability or he will make the jump to the NBA solely as a facilitator. Here are the Top 25 recruiting classes according to Rivals experts: 1. Florida (SEC) 2. Kansas (Big 12) 3. Seton Hall (Big East) 4. Duke (ACC) 5. Illinois (Big Ten) 6. Texas A&M (Big 12) 7. Iowa (Big Ten) 8. Washington (Pac-12) 9. Columbia (Ivy League) 10. Virginia Tech (ACC) 11. Georgia (SEC) 12. Miami (FL) (ACC) 13. Syracuse (Big East) 14. Providence (Big East) 15. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland) 16. VMI (Big South) 17. Texas (Big 12) 18. Michigan State (Big Ten) 19. Tennessee (SEC) 20. Xavier (Atlantic 10) 21. Ole Miss (SEC) 22. Bradley (Missouri Valley) 23. Penn State (Big Ten) 24. Virginia (ACC) 25. Kentucky (SEC) Here is how each conference performed on the recruiting trail this season: 1. SEC 2. Big Ten 3. ACC 4. Big East 5. Pac-12 6. Big 12 7. Northeast 8. Missouri Valley 9. Ivy League 10. Mountain West 11. Atlantic 10 12. Patriot League 13. Big West 14. Big Sky 15. MEAC 16. MAC 17. CAA 18. Conference-USA 19. MAAC 20. West Coast 21. Southland 22. Ohio Valley 23. Big South 24. Summit League 25. Sun Belt 26. Horizon 27. Southern

Birmingham-Southern Athletics Press Release Panthers Finalize Recruiting Class BIRMINGHAM | Coach Jeremy Knight announced the signing of three prep players for the Birmingham-Southern men’s basketball team. The signees include power forward Donald Dargan and centers Jeffrey Cain and Shawn Beauvais. The addition of the three post players brings BSC’s roster size to the NCAA limit of 12 players. “We’re really pleased with the three guys we’re bringing into our family here at Birmingham-Southern,” Knight said. “We played all year last season with just four post players. One of those four was a freshman so we really played a good portion of the season with just three post guys. I made it clear that we needed to focus on post players this signing period to try and balance out our roster and my fantastic staff went out and did just that.” Donald Dargan PF 6-6 212 Russellville, Ala./Russellville HS Dargan earned ASWA 3rd Team All-State honors after leading Russellville High School to the Class 5A Northwest Regional Semifinals in the postseason. He also earned a spot on Rivals Top 300 list as the No. 291 overall player in the class of 83, and the No. 68 power forward. During his senior season Dargan averaged 18.2 points on 70 percent shooting from the field. “Donald is a guy that we targeted from the beginning of the [recruiting] process. He’s a great athlete and a pretty good defender and rebounder as well. His post game is extremely raw, but with his work ethic he has the potential to become a two-way force in the paint. His ceiling is extremely high and we’re thrilled to have him on our team.” Jeffrey Cain C 6-8 239 Auburn, Ala./Lee-Scott Academy Cain averaged 26.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a game and was awarded the AISA Player of the Year award. Cain led Lee-Scott Academy to the AISA Class AAA Semifinals. Rivals ranks Cain as the No. 191 center in the class of 83. “Jeff is another guy we noticed early on and decided we wanted to have him. He’s a really good athlete with a well-developed post game and good rebounding skills. He’s also a capable defender and rim protector. He flew a little under the radar due to playing in a smaller athletic association, but we really believe he has the potential to become a great defender. That, along with his offensive skillset, will make him one of the top post players in the Big South before he graduates.” Shawn Beauvais C 7-0 258 Sumter, S.C./Wilson Hall Academy Beauvais joins the Panthers squad as the most heralded recruit in Jeremy Knight’s tenure. Rivals ranks Beauvais as the No. 79 overall player and the No. 19 center in the class of 83. Beauvais also earned a three-star rating. The seven-footer averaged 25.8 points a game in just 22 minutes of action per game while leading his team to the SCISA Class AAA Semifinals. Beauvais also earned the SCISA Player of the Year award for accomplishments on the court. “Shawn was big signing for us. He didn’t get the attention he was probably expecting coming out of high school as a three star prospect. He’s definitely the most highly decorated recruit we’ve signed here at BSC from a national standpoint. Shawn is going to make an immediate impact for us on defense. His rebounding and shot blocking skills are at an elite level. He’s not overly athletic, which in my opinion is why he didn’t draw much attention from the high majors, and he’s a decent man-to-man defender. His low post game is developing and will continue to improve. He’s a very good passer for a big man; there aren’t many guys that play the 5 and can pass as well as he does. He’s also a great free throw shooter and has a 3.4 GPA. He’s very reminiscent of Robert Loar.” “We’re extremely pleased with the three young men that will be joining our program. We believe that we not only brought in three terrific basketball players, but also three terrific young men who will take care of business on the court and in the classroom. “We’re looking forward to the guys arriving on campus so we can continue our journey to winning the Big South championship and making the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season.”

82 NBA DRAFT RECAP ROUND 1 PK.....TEAM...................................PLAYER........................POS.....YR......HT.....WT.....COLLEGE 1........Orlando Magic......................Paul Smith.....................SG.......Sr........6-0....178....Alabama 2........Philadelphia 76ers................David Vigna...................PF........Sr........6-6....215....LSU 3........Miami Heat...........................Omar Parker..................PF........So.......6-8....234....Washington 4........Milwaukee Bucks.................Antonio Davis.................PG.......Sr........6-4....206....Ole Miss 5........Denver Nuggets...................Timothy Canipe..............PF........Jr.........6-8....239....Colorado 6........Detroit Pistons......................Danny Mathias...............SF........Jr.........6-7....209....Michigan State 7........Indiana Pacers.....................Dustin Moses..................PF........Jr.........6-8....214....Connecticut 8........San Antonio Spurs...............Lester McCarthy..............SF........Jr.........6-5....208....Wisconsin 9........Dallas Mavericks..................Joshua Graham..............SF........Sr.........6-6....204....Duke 10......Charlotte Hornets.................Howard Burton................SF........Jr.........6-5....216....Kansas 11......Phoenix Suns.......................David Jones....................SG.......So........6-2....185....Utah 12......Washington Wizards.............Michael Wiggins.............PG.......Jr.........5-9....165....Seton Hall 13......Brooklyn Nets.......................Shawn Marshall..............PF........Jr.........6-8....204....Michigan State 14......Toronto Raptors....................Clarence Calaway...........C.........So........6-9....212....Illinois 15......Los Angeles Clippers............Donald Basham..............C.........Sr.........6-7....230....Iowa 16......Houston Rockets..................Charles Kimmel...............SF.......Jr..........6-7....215....Seton Hall 17......Oklahoma City Thunder........Daniel McRae..................PF.......So........6-8....217....Providence 18......Portland Trail Blazers............Fred Aquino.....................C........Sr.........6-11...232....Washington 19......Cleveland Cavaliers..............Joseph Duncan...............PG......Jr.........5-11....168....Duke 20......New Orleans Pelicans...........Chris Delatte...................SF.......Sr.........6-5.....209....Virginia 21......Atlanta Hawks.......................Arden Dykstra..................SF......Jr..........6-6.....207....Ohio State 22......Sacramento Kings.................Marvin Cavalier...............PG......Sr.........6-3.....194....Seton Hall 23......Utah Jazz...............................Maximo Romano............C.........Sr.........6-11....256...Miami (FL) 24......New York Knicks....................Tony Albert......................PG......Sr.........6-2......184....UAB 25......Memphis Grizzlies..................Douglas Newman...........PF.......Sr.........6-8......227....UCLA 26......Los Angeles Lakers................Steven Springer..............SF.......Jr.........6-1......198....UCLA 27......Boston Celtics.........................Jim Oliver.......................PF.......Sr.........6-8......204....Wisconsin 28......Golden State Warriors...........Jim Thompson................SG.......Jr.........5-11....166....Minnesota 29......Minnesota Timberwolves.......Bryan Chacon.................C.........Sr.........6-9.....235....Virginia Tech 30......Chicago Bulls.........................Paul Klein........................PG......Jr.........5-10....174....Ohio State ROUND 2 PK.....TEAM...................................PLAYER........................POS.....YR......HT.....WT.....COLLEGE 31......Orlando Magic......................Andrew Palladino..........C..........Sr........6-6....203....Texas A&M 32......Philadelphia 76ers...............Danny Clark...................PF........Sr........6-9....210.....LSU 33......Miami Heat...........................William Doering.............PF........Jr.........6-5....205....Oregon State 34......Milwaukee Bucks.................Roy Ross.......................SG.......Sr.........6-1....177....UCLA 35......Denver Nuggets...................John Yamaguchi............SG.......Sr.........6-3....201....UCLA 36......Detroit Pistons......................Robert Frost..................SG.......Jr..........6-1....184....Kentucky 37......Indiana Pacers......................Walter Landry................SF........Jr.........6-5.....213....UCLA 38......San Antonio Spurs................Dustin McCoy................PF........Sr.........6-2.....191....Florida 39......Dallas Mavericks...................Donovan Judd...............SG......Jr..........6-1......177....Kansas 40......Charlotte Hornets..................Henry Armand...............PG......Sr..........6-0.....173.....Providence 41......Phoenix Suns........................Louis Rupp....................SF.......Sr..........6-3.....187....Duke 42......Washington Wizards.............Arthur Bartow.................SG......Sr..........6-0.....170....Northwestern 43......Brooklyn Nets.......................David Morgan.................PF.......Jr...........6-7.....231....Utah 44......Toronto Raptors....................Thurman Mims...............C.........Sr..........6-9.....245....Florida 45......Los Angeles Clippers............Rosario Marino...............SF......Sr...........6-6.....200....Virginia Tech 46......Houston Rockets..................Daniel Drinkard...............SF......Sr...........6-2.....187....Texas A&M 47......Oklahoma City Thunder........Keith Walser...................SF.......Sr...........6-5....218....Ohio State 48......Portland Trail Blazers...........Terry Burkley...................PG.....Sr...........6-1.....187....Georgetown 49......Cleveland Cavaliers..............Calvin Wason.................PF......Sr...........6-9.....215....Syracuse 50......New Orleans Pelicans..........Elbert Shealy...................PG.....Jr...........6-2.....202....Virginia Tech 51......Atlanta Hawks.......................Jeffrey Plunk..................SG.....Sr...........5-10...167....Virginia 52......Sacramento Kings.................Ernest Lebeau...............C........Sr..........6-7......229....Baylor 53......Utah Jazz..............................Robert Tartaglia..............PF......Sr..........6-4......206....California 54......New York Knicks...................Michael Bess..................PG.....Sr..........6-5......214....California 55......Memphis Grizzlies.................Luke Heppner................C........Sr..........6-8......228....Michigan State 56......Los Angeles Lakers...............John Phillips..................PG.....Sr...........6-5.....197....Wisconsin 57......Boston Celtics.......................Sean Edwards...............SF......Sr...........6-3.....206....Baylor 58......Golden State Warriors..........Olin Wiszynski................PG.....Jr...........5-9.....160....Michigan 59......Minnesota Timberwolves......Dennis Moore.................PF......Sr...........6-9....237....Northwestern 60......Chicago Bulls........................Patrick Greenwald.........PG.....Jr............6-3....180....Providence

BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN FINAL STATITSTICS Robert Loar (Sr., C) 30 GP/30 GS 26 mpg 51.4%/0%/68.3% 15.3 ppg 7.7 rpg *1st in Big South scoring Cody Rogers (Sr., PG) 30 GP/30 GS 23.3 mpg 46.3%/37.1%/72.5% 5.4 ppg 5 apg *1st in Big South assists William Big (Jr., PF) 30 GP/30 GS 23 mpg 58.9%/n-a/60.5% 8.6 ppg 4.9 rpg *1st in Big South FG percentage Elbert Estrella (Jr., SF) 30 GP/29 GS 20.5 mpg 47.1%/40%/52.4% 7.8 ppg 3.6 rpg Chris Matthews (Jr., SG) 29 GP/29 GS 19.3 mpg 48%/38.8%/69.9% 9.4 ppg 2.1 apg Rudy Veasley (Sr., SF) 30 GP/1 GS 17.8 mpg 55.1%/54.9%/81.4% 8.3 ppg 3.1 rpg *1st in Big South 3-point FG percentage *1st in NCAA 3-point FG percentage Michael Stutes (Fr., PF) 30 GP/0 GS 16.5 mpg 61.1%/n-a/78.6% 1.1 ppg 3.4 rpg Paul Cheatham (Jr., SG) 30 GP/0 GS 16.5 mpg 47.4%/43.4%/84.4% 9.9 ppg 1.4 apg Jared Lobdell (So., PG) 30 GP/0 GS 14.6 mpg 63.3%/0%/73.3% 2 ppg 3.4 apg William Wright (Jr., C) 30 GP/0 GS 14.4 mpg 46.8%/n-a/76.9% 3.9 ppg 5.3 rpg Richard Kanagy (So., PG) 18 GP/1 GS 7.8 mpg 66.7%/100%/66.7% 1.1 ppg 1.3 apg Donald Bowen (Fr., PG) 23 GP/0 GS 5.3 mpg 48.4%/48.1%/100% 2.3 ppg 0.5 apg Birmingham-Southern Team Statistics Offense: 73.8 ppg (2nd in Big South) 33.6 rpg (5th in Big South) 18.4 apg (1st in Big South) (11th in NCAA) 3.9 bpg (T-2nd in Big South) 7.7 spg (6th in Big South) 14.2 fouls-per-game (1st in Big South) (T-11th in NCAA) 11.9 topg (T-1st in Big South) (T-13th in NCAA) 50.8% FG percentage (1st in Big South) (14th in NCAA) 43.6% 3-point FG percentage (1st in Big South) (6th in NCAA) 70.4% FT percentage (8th in Big South) Defense: 59.6 ppg (2nd in Big South) 29.8 rpb (2nd in Big South) 11.1 apg (2nd in Big South) 3.1 bpg (3rd in Big South) 5.8 spg (2nd in Big South) (T-22nd in NCAA) 18.8 fpg (4th in Big South) 14.6 topg (T-6th in Big South) 40.6% FG percentage (2nd in Big South) (T-14th in NCAA) 28.9% 3-point FG percentage (1st in Big South) (4th in NCAA) 75.9% FT percentage (12th in Big South) Really pumped about several guys leading the conference in different categories. Especially with Veasley leading the NCAA in 3-point FG percentage. Looking at the overall team statistics I'm pretty pleased with our offense which was one of top offenses in all of the NCAA in most categories. We need to improve in rebounding and especially in FT percentage. One of the main goals of our offense is to be aggressive and get to the line for easy points and putting the other team in foul trouble. We definitely need to shoot better from the foul line. Our defense was pretty good as well. We trailed VMI in most of the Big South categories (their superb defense is one of the reasons they've made the run they have the last two seasons).

82 AP DIVISION I NATIONAL AWARDS AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR Tony Albert....................PG.....Sr.....UAB 23.5 ppg, 4.5 apg AP DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Douglas Newman..........PF.....Sr.....UCLA 6.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg AP FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Eric Hunter.....................SG....Fr.....Florida 10 ppg, 2.6 apg AP COACH OF THE YEAR Seth Banks....................Virginia 29-2 overall record entering Sweet Sixteen, ACC Champion, ACC Tournament Champion, 1-seed in NCAA Tournament *1st COTY Award FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA PG: Tony Albert (Sr., UAB) SG: Gary Swarts (Sr., Wake Forest) SF: Justin Harrison (Sr., La Salle) PF: Dustin McCoy (Sr., Florida) C: Bryan Chacon (Sr., Virginia Tech) SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICA PG: Kevin Cooper (Sr., New Hampshire) SG: Patrick Merrill (Sr., UCLA) SF: Walter Landry (Jr., UCLA) PF: Mark Bertram (Jr., Loyola (MD)) C: Jacob Lowery (Jr., Alabama) THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICA PG: James Blackwelder (So., Arizona) SG: Paul Smith (Sr., Alabama) SF: Rosario Marino (Sr., Virginia Tech) PF: Timothy Canipe (Jr., Colorado) C: Benjamin Sims (Sr., UAB) HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA Alberto Gallo (PG, American) Antonio Davis (PG, Ole Miss) Gregory McKenney (PG, Loyola (MD)) Roy Ross (SG, UCLA) Kermit Merchand (SG, New Hampshire) Mark Whisenhunt (SG, Santa Clara) Donald King (SF, Furman) Donald Palmquist (SF, Northwestern) Eric Henderson (SF, Ole Miss) Billy Turner (PF, Monmouth) David Vigna (PF, LSU) Shawn Holman (PF, Navy) Clarence Calaway (C, Illinois) Robert Loar (C, Birmingham-Southern) Donald Basham (C, Iowa)

82 POSTSEASON NCAA DIVISION III TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND MIDWEST [1] Ferrum College def. [16] Elms College [9] Montclair State def. [8] Nebraska Wesleyan [5] California Tech def. [12] City College of New York [4] Wisconsin-Stevens Point def. [13] Juniata College [6] Methodist def. [11] Delaware Valley [3] Centre College def. [14] Endicott College [7] Bethany College def. [10] Eureka College [2] Chestnut Hill def. [15] Wittenberg EAST [1] Averett def. [16] Worcester State [8] Westminster (MO) def. [9] Massachusetts Liberal Arts [5] Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison def. [12] Roanoke College [4] Dallas def. [13] Rutgers-Camden [6] Capital def. [11] Wisconsin-Superior [3] Howard Payne def. [14] Monmouth College [7] Johnson and Wales def. [10] Philadelphia Biblical [2] Greensboro College def. [15] Franklin & Marshall SOUTH [1] North Carolina Wesleyan def. [16] Pittsburgh State [9] William Patterson def. [8] Southwestern [5] Chicago def. [12] Catholic [4] Union College def. [13] Lycoming College [6] Christopher Newport def. [11] Williamette [3] Wisconsin-Stout def. [14] Wesleyan [10] Ogelthorpe def. [7] Dominican [2] Wisconsin Lutheran def. [15] St. Olaf College WEST [1] Chowan College def. [16] Bridgewater State [8] Anderson def. [9] Brooklyn College [5] Colorado College def. [12] Rochester [4] Yeshiva def. [13] Ramapo [6] La Grange College def. [11] Heidelberg [3] Augustana College def. [14] Sul Ross State [10] Palm Beach Atlantic def. [7] Wisconsin-Oshkosh [2] Menlo College def. [15] Cabrini College SECOND ROUND MIDWEST [1] Ferrum College def. [9] Montclair State [4] Wisconsin-Stevens Point def. [5] California Tech [3] Centre College def. [6] Methodist [2] Chestnut Hill def. [7] Bethany College EAST [8] Westminster (MO) def. [1] Averett [5] Fairliegh Dickinson-Madison def. [4] Dallas [3] Howard Payne def. [6] Capital [2] Greensboro College def. [7] Johnson and Wales SOUTH [1] North Carolina Wesleyan def. [8] Anderson [4] Union College def. [5] Chicago [6] Christopher Newport def. [3] Wisconsin-Stout [2] Wisconsin Lutheran def. [10] Oglethorpe WEST [1] Chowan College def. [8] Anderson [4] Yeshiva def. [5] Anderson [6] La Grange College def. [3] Augustana College [2] Menlo College def. [10] Palm Beach Atlantic SWEET SIXTEEN MIDWEST [1] Ferrum College def. [4] Wisconsin-Stevens Point [3] Centre College def. [2] Chestnut Hill EAST [8] Westminster (MO) def. [5] Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison [3] Howard Payne def. [2] Greensboro College SOUTH [4] Union College def. [1] North Carolina Wesleyan [6] Christopher Newport def. [2] Wisconsin Lutheran WEST [4] Yeshiva def. [1] Chowan College [2] Menlo College def. [6] La Grange College ELITE EIGHT MIDWEST [1] Ferrum College def. [3] Centre College EAST [8] Westminster (MO) def. [3] Howard Payne SOUTH [4] Union College def. [6] Christopher Newport WEST [2] Menlo College def. [4] Yeshiva FINAL FOUR [8] Westminster (MO) def. [1] Ferrum College [2] Menlo College def. [4] Union College CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [2] Menlo College def. [8] Westminster (MO) NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND MIDWEST [1] Angelo State def. [16] Minnesota-Duluth [8] Oakland City def. [9] San Francisco State [12] Ashland def. [5] Northwest Nazarene [4] Washington Adventist def. [13] Mansfield [6] Metro State def. [11] St. Michael's [3] Limestone College def. [14] Grand Valley State [7] New Jersey Tech def. [10] Rollins College [2] Cal State-Chico def. [15] Wisconsin-Parkside EAST [16] Virginia Union def. [1] Philadelphia [9] USC-Upstate def. [8] Gannon [5] Merrimack College def. [12] Northeastern State [4] Cal State-Santa Barbara def. [13] Charleston [6] Green Mountain def. [11] Delta State [3] Grand Canyon def. [14] Saginaw Valley State [10] Eastern New Mexico def. [7] Molloy College [15] West Virginia Wesleyan def. [2] Mount Olive SOUTH [1] Sonoma State def. [16] UNC-Pembroke [8] Fairmont State def. [9] Indiana (PA) [12] Abilene Christian def. [5] Florida Southern [4] North Dakota State def. [13] Bloomfield College [6] Northern Michigan def. [11] Longwood [14] Arkansas-Monticello def. [3] Quincy [10] Cal State-Los Angeles def. [7] West Florida [2] University of D.C. def. [15] Fort Valley State WEST [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [16] Kentucky State [8] Armstrong Atlantic def. [9] Indianapolis [5] Findlay def. [12] Ouachita Baptist [4] Tarleton State def. [13] West Texas A&M [11] Seattle def. [6] LIU-CW Post [14] Post def. [3] Tusculum [7] Western State def. [10] California-San Diego [15] Wayne State (MI) def. [2] Bowie State SECOND ROUND MIDWEST [1] Angelo State def. [8] Oakland City [4] Washington Adventist def. [12] Ashland [6] Metro State def. [3] Limestone College [7] New Jersey Tech def. [2] Cal State-Chico EAST [9] USC-Upstate def. [16] Virginia Union [4] Cal State-Santa Barbara def. [5] Merrimack College [3] Grand Canyon def. [6] Green Mountain [15] West Virginia Wesleyan def. [10] Eastern New Mexico SOUTH [1] Sonoma State def. [8] Fairmont State [12] Abilene Christian def. [4] North Dakota State [14] Arkansas-Monticello def. [6] Northern Michigan [2] University of D.C. def. [10] Cal State-Los Angeles WEST [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [8] Armstrong Atlantic [4] Tarleton State def. [5] Findlay [11] Seattle def. [14] Post [7] Western State def. [15] Wayne State (MI) SWEET SIXTEEN MIDWEST [1] Angelo State def. [4] Washington Adventist [7] New Jersey Tech def. [6] Metro State EAST [9] USC-Upstate def. [4] Cal State-Santa Barbara [3] Grand Canyon def. [15] West Virginia Wesleyan SOUTH [12] Abilene Christian def. [1] Sonoma State [14] Arkansas-Monticello def. [2] University of D.C. WEST [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [4] Tarleton State [11] Seattle def. [7] Western State ELITE EIGHT MIDWEST [1] Angelo State def. [7] New Jersey Tech EAST [3] Grand Canyon def. [9] USC-Upstate SOUTH [14] Arkansas-Monticello def. [12] Abilene Christian WEST [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [11] Seattle FINAL FOUR [1] Angelo State def. [3] Grand Canyon [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [14] Arkansas-Monticello CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [1] Angelo State def. [1] Cal State-Dominguez Hills NIT FIRST ROUND [1] Michigan 62, [8] Sam Houston State 45 [5] Prairie View A&M 68, [4] Villanova 64 [3] Dartmouth 83, [6] Richmond 70 [2] Texas-San Antonio 73, [6] Albany 61 [1] San Diego State 71, [8] New Mexico State 52 [4] Eastern Kentucky 84, [5] Texas 76 [3] South Carolina 66, [6] Hampton 48 [7] South Florida 81, [2] Central Connecticut State 73 [8] North Carolina State 54, [1] Purdue 44 [5] Brown 64, [4] Idaho State 57 [3] BYU 88, [6] Drake 86 [2] Tennessee 100, [7] Missouri 68 [1] Cincinnati 63, [8] Georgia 51 [5] North Carolina 54, [4] Kansas State 48 [3] Notre Dame 66, [6] Holy Cross 54 [2] Santa Clara 91, [7] Stanford SECOND ROUND [1] Michigan 62, [5] Prairie View A&M 49 [2] Texas-San Antonio 78, [3] Dartmouth 58 [1] San Diego State 56, [4] Eastern Kentucky 52 [3] South Carolina 73, [7] South Florida 54 [8] North Carolina State 77, [5] Brown 74 [2] Tennessee 87, [3] BYU 66 [5] North Carolina 71, 1] Cincinnati 58 [3] Notre Dame 69, [2] Santa Clara 58 THIRD ROUND [1] Michigan 58, [2] Texas-San Antonio 36 [1] San Diego State 69, [3] South Carolina 58 [8] North Carolina State 75, [2] Tennessee 65 [5] North Carolina 52, [3] Notre Dame 50 SEMIFINALS (at New York, N.Y.) [1] San Diego State 61, [1] Michigan 44 [8] North Carolina State 57, [5] North Carolina 42 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (at New York, N.Y.) [8] North Carolina State 63, [1] San Diego State 52 NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND MIDWEST [1] Ohio State 101, [16] Austin Peay 58 [9] Arizona 77, [8] UAB 67 [5] Oklahoma 79, [12] Harvard 67 [4] Alabama 74, [13] Birmingham-Southern 50 [6] Providence 77, [11] Bradley 71 [3] Duke 70, [14] Howard 53 [7] Illinois 73, [10] Fresno State 58 [2] Utah 71, [15] Miami (OH) 67 EAST [1] Seton Hall 72, [16] Fairfield 52 [8] Wake Forest 90, [9] New Hampshire 87 [12] Northwestern 70, [5] LSU 66 [4] Colorado 65, [13] San Jose State 53 [6] Kentucky 72, [11] Nebraska 61 [3] UCLA 121, [14] Stephen F. Austin 64 [7] Virginia Tech 68, [10] North Texas 57 [2] Michigan State 85, [15] Chicago State 55 SOUTH [1] Virginia 116, [16] Cal State-Fullerton 67 [8] Rutgers 64, [9] Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 54 [5] Columbia 70, [12] Oklahoma State 57 [4] Ole Miss 76, [13] Northern Arizona 52 [11] Texas Southern 61, [6] Washington 60 [3] Connecticut 93, [14] DePaul 83 [7] Wisconsin 76, [10] Monmouth 62 [2] Texas A&M 80, [15] Furman 59 WEST [1] Iowa 74, [16] William & Mary 72 [8] Baylor 73, [9] Xavier 66 [5] Miami (FL) 68, [12] Oregon State 49 [4] Syracuse 79, [13] Air Force 66 [6] California 67, [11] Boston College 54 [3] Florida 90, [14] Louisiana-Lafayette 66 [7] Georgetown 78, [10] Minnesota 75 (OT) [2] Kansas 68, [15] Alabama A&M 49 SECOND ROUND MIDWEST [1] Ohio State 67, [9] Arizona 43 [4] Alabama 74, [5] Oklahoma 69 [6] Providence 60, [3] Duke 54 [7] Illinois 57, [2] Utah (OT) EAST [1] Seton Hal 69, [8] Wake Forest 55 [12] Northwestern 59, [4] Colorado 57 [3] UCLA 71, [6] Kentucky 61 [2] Michigan State 67, [7] Virginia Tech 65 (OT) SOUTH [1] Virginia 69, [8] Rutgers 60 [4] Ole Miss 80, [5] Columbia 62 [3] Connecticut 62, [11] Texas Southern 52 [2] Texas A&M 57, [7] Wisconsin 50 WEST [1] Iowa 74, [8] Baylor 64 [4] Syracuse 56, [5] Miami (FL) 55 [3] Florida 75, [6] California 56 [2] Kansas 79, [7] Georgetown 72 SWEET SIXTEEN MIDWEST (at Detroit, Mich.) [4] Alabama 56, [1] Ohio State 44 [6] Providence 61, [7] Illinois 46 EAST (at Boston, Mass.) [1] Seton Hall 62, [12] Northwestern 57 [3] UCLA 79, [2] Michigan State 74 SOUTH (at Atlanta, Ga.) [1] Virginia 78, [4] Ole Miss 62 [2] Texas A&M 75, [3] Connecticut 66 WEST (at Salt Lake City, Utah) [1] Iowa 58, [4] Syracuse 56 [3] Florida 91, [2] Kansas 80 (OT) ELITE EIGHT MIDWEST (at Detroit, Mich.) [6] Providence 65, [4] Alabama 61 EAST (at Boston, Mass.) [1] Seton Hall 74, [3] UCLA 66 SOUTH (at Atlanta, Ga.) [1] Virginia 89, [2] Texas A&M 79 WEST (at Salt Lake City, Utah) [3] Florida 102, [1] Iowa 91 FINAL FOUR (at Minneapolis, Minn.) [6] Providence 65, [1] Seton Hall 62 [1] Virginia 106, [3] Florida 96 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (at Minneapolis, Minn.) [6] Providence 74, [1] Virginia 72 82 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Division III: Menlo College (35-0) *3rd National Championship in school history (74, 77, 82)* Division II: Angelo State (35-1) *3rd National Championship in school history (46, 50, 82)* NIT: North Carolina State (19-14) *2nd NIT Championship in school history (71, 82)* Division I: Providence (27-6) *2nd National Championship in school history (23, 82)*

The Birmingham News Tide crush Panthers in NCAA opener ORLANDO, FLA. | Birmingham-Southern's 74-50 loss against 4-seed Alabama in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was definitely a tale of two halves for the Panthers. After 20 minutes the Panthers were hanging around, trailing 35-31. Then in the second half the Crimson Tide's bench came alive and ran away with the game. "You definitely have to give (Alabama) a lot of credit," BSC coach Jeremy Knight said. "I thought we had a terrific game plan for them and we did an excellent job executing that gameplay in the first half. We went cold in the second half and we couldn't keep up with their bench players and they really put it on us a result." In the first half the Panthers shot 50 percent from the floor and held the Crimson Tide's bench to just eight points. During the second half BSC shot 28.5 percent from the floor, including 14 percent from 3-point range, and were outscored 20-2 by the Alabama bench. "They did a fantastic job of making adjustments at the half," Knight said. "They did a much better job of getting out and guarding us and contesting our shots. Robert (Loar) got into some foul trouble in the second half and that really hurt us offensively as well." Loar, the Big South Player of the Year, played only 24 minutes and scored eight points with five rebounds. William Big stepped up in Loar's absence and led BSC with 17 points and eight rebounds. Rudy Veasley added 10 points for the Panthers. The Birmingham-Southern bench totaled 56 minutes of floor time, but only shot 27.3 percent from the floor and produced eight points, one assists, and seven rebounds. Alabama was led by Paul Smith, the SEC Player of the Year and potential number one pick in June's NBA Draft, with 18 points while facing a double-team all night long. "You always want to win and keep playing this time of year," Knight said about the experience of this season, "but at the same time I think it's quite a testament to these guys and an accomplishment that they were able to get an at-large bid coming out of the Big South. The seniors on this team won 94 games during their time at Birmingham-Southern. They have a combined 3.4 GPA. They were part of the school's first conference tournament championship in over 20 years. They had the opportunity to play in two NCAA Tournaments, which is something only two other senior classes in the history of Birmingham-Southern can say. "I'm disappointed our season is over, but I'm not gonna let that overshadow all of the wonderful things these guys have accomplished at our university." Alabama (24-5) will play 5-seed Oklahoma (21-7) Saturday in the second round with the winner advancing to the Midwest Regional in Detroit. Birmingham-Southern is now 0-10 in NCAA Tournament games and ends the season with a 25-5 record.

[4] Alabama vs. [13] Birmingham-Southern TALE OF THE TAPE OVERALL RECORD Alabama 23-5; Birmingham-Southern 25-4 POINTS Alabama 77.6 ppg; Birmingham-Southern 74.7 ppg FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Alabama 51.7%; Birmingham-Southern 51.2% 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Alabama 43.8%; Birmingham-Southern 44.4% FREE THROW PERCENTAGE Alabama 73.5%; Birmingham-Southern 70.3% REBOUNDS Alabama 34.9 rpg; Birmingham-Southern 33.9 rpg ASSISTS Alabama 17.5 apg; Birmingham-Southern 18.8 apg TURNOVERS Alabama 12.4 top; Birmingham-Southern 12 topg STATISTICAL LEADERS: PPG ALA: Paul Smith (17.7 ppg) BSC: Robert Loar (15.6 ppg) RPG ALA: Jacob Lowery (7.8 rpg) BSC: Robert Loar (7.8 rpg) APG ALA: Michael Vreeland (4.7 apg) BSC: Cody Rogers (5.1 apg)

The Birmingham News Panthers Earn Rare At-Large Bid BIRMINGHAM | The Birmingham-Southern Panthers are going to the Big Dance. Coach Jeremy Knight and the team found out Sunday night while watching the NCAA Selection Show at Knight's house. "I was honestly very shocked when I saw our name appear on the screen" Knight said. "I figured the loss to Alabama A&M (in the Big South Tournament) and us being from the Big South that A&M stole our bid. I thought we were a 50/50 choice for the NIT." It turns out that the Panthers 42nd RPI ranking was enough in the committee's eyes to push them off the bubble and into the field as a 13-seed. In fact, it was revealed that BSC earned the committee's last at-large bid as the final member of the "Last Four In." "You never want to be on the bubble this time of the year, but at the same time I would much rather be the last team in the NCAA Tournament than the first team in the NIT or even a team sitting at home watching everyone else play. We're just excited we get to keep playing." Birmingham-Southern's selection to the NCAA Tournament is a rare feat because it gives the Big South Conference two teams in the NCAA field of 64. Traditionally the Big South only receives one bid to the tournament which usually goes to the conference tournament champion. Alabama A&M defeated BSC 61-58 earlier in the week to claim the Big South Tournament Championship. The Panthers will face fellow in-state school Alabama in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Orlando, Florida. "We're extremely excited to be able to play in the (NCAA) Tournament once again," Knight said, "but we need to refocus and get back to work. We have to play an extremely talented and tough team in Alabama in the first game. They've been one of the top teams all season and I honestly feel like they're deserving of a 1- or 2-seed. "They're just so darn talented and they have so much depth. They have legit NBA players on their team and several elite defenders. They have three or four elite post players and a couple of elite shooters. But the good news is that they can only play five of their guys at a time and I feel like our starting five can play with any starting five in the country. The key is going to be keeping our best players on the floor." This will be Birmingham-Southern's second NCAA Tournament appearance under Knight, with the first coming in 79, and the Panthers 10th overall appearance. Birmingham-Southern has an overall record of 0-9 in the NCAA Tournament. NCAA TOURNAMENT POD BREAKDOWN MIDWEST SUB-REGIONAL (at Orlando, Fla.) [5] Oklahoma [12] Harvard [4] Alabama [13] Birmingham-Southern [5] OKLAHOMA SOONERS 20-7 overall record 12-4 in Big 12 (4th place) Ranked #21 in previous AP Poll The Sooners are looking to get back to the Final Four after falling to Florida in last year's championship game. Leading the charge will be senior guard Phillip Sykes who averages 13.6 ppg and was selected to the Honorable Mention All-Big 12 team. Sophomore power forward David Feldmann should also make an impact for the Sooners. Feldmann averages 11.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg and was selected to Third Team All-Big 12 honors. Feldmann is also viewed as a likely early entry into the NBA Draft after next season. Oklahoma was upset by Nebraska in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament and should be refocused for the NCAA Tournament. If not, the Sooners will find themselves back in Norman a couple of weeks sooner, no pun intended, than expected. [12] HARVARD CRIMSON 21-6 overall record 12-4 in Ivy League (3rd place) Unranked in previous AP Poll The Crimson are making their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and Billy Thomas and Zlatko Golembiewski are two big reasons why. Thomas, a junior center, earned First Team All-Ivy League recognition after averaging 11 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Thomas should make things interesting in the post against Oklahoma. Shooting guard Golembiewski is just a sophomore but the leads the team in scoring with 11.1 ppg and in assists with 3.2 apg. The Ukrainian also earned Third Team All-Ivy League honors. Harvard is a talented team but also a very young team. Harvard's youth could ultimately end up being it's Achilles heel. [4] ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE 23-5 overall record 14-2 in SEC (SEC Champions) Ranked #19 in previous AP Poll The Tide has been rolling all season long down in Tuscaloosa. Alabama looked like heavy favorites to win the SEC Tournament before falling to Kentucky in the semifinals. Paul Smith is the main reason Alabama has been so dominant this season. The SEC Player of the Year averages an incredible 17.7 ppg and is currently ranked third on the latest NBA Draft Big Board. Smith is elite at every skill set a guard needs - athleticism, speed, defense, shooting, ball handling and passing. He's also a better low post player than the majority of post players in the country. In short, Smith has it all. He is as complete of a player as there is in all of college basketball right now. For any team to have a chance of beating Alabama they'll need to stop Smith. Should a team stop Smith, or even slow him down, watch out because 6-7 center Jacob Lowery will wreak havoc in Smith's place. The junior First Team All-SEC performer averaged 14.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg this season. With the most talented roster in the sub-regional, the Tide should continue to roll on into a deep tournament run. [13] BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN PANTHERS 25-4 overall record 14-2 in Big South (2nd place) Unranked in previous AP Poll The Panthers just barely got into the tournament and as a reward for making the final field they get to play one of the most talented teams in the country. However, don't sleep on Birmingham-Southern. While they are certainly less talented than several teams in the tournament they are definitely not short on talent. Big man Robert Loar earned Big South Player of the Year honors after averaging 14.7 ppg and 8 rpg. The key for the Panthers to make an upset or two in the tournament will be slowing the game down and keeping their best players on the floor as long as they possibly can. Birmingham-Southern has a couple of players that can hold their own with some of the nation's best, and while their bench is certainly one of the better low- to mid-major reserve groups in the game, it's just not capable of hanging around with the reserves from the high-major teams. PREDICTIONS Oklahoma comes into Florida on a mission after being embarrassed by Nebraska. That, fueled with Harvard's youth, sends the Crimson home with a fourth straight first round loss. Birmingham-Southern does it's best to slow down the game against Alabama, but the Crimson Tide's superior talent, especially at the guard positions, easily advance them into the second round. Oklahoma meets Alabama in an intriguing and exciting second round matchup with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Once again, Alabama's ridiculous talent level proves to be too much and the Tide rolls onto Detroit.

82 BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT (@ Lexington, Va.) FIRST ROUND [4] UNC-Asheville 80, [5] Radford 59 [3] Coastal Carolina 63, [6] Mississippi Valley State 61 [5] Alabama State 82, [4] Charleston Southern 80 (OT) [3] High Point 87, [2] Liberty 72 SECOND ROUND [4] UNC-Asheville 59, [1] VMI 54 *****HUGE upset by UNC-Asheville!!!! At this point I feel like the conference tournament is BSC's to win!!! [2] Alabama A&M 69, [3] Coastal Carolina 67 [1] Birmingham-Southern 70, [4] Alabama State 55 [3] High Point 82, [2] Liberty 69 ***All four teams in the semifinals are in the same division in the Big South. The conference schedule has been pretty brutal the last few seasons just cause of the overall strength of that division and playing each team twice instead of once. SEMIFINALS [2] Alabama A&M 74, [4] UNC-Asheville 66 [1] Birmingham-Southern 80, [3] High Point 62 At this point I feel very confident about winning the Big South Tournament. I feel like I have the best team in the Big South and I have a good game plan for Alabama A&M this time around... CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [2] Alabama A&M 61, [1] Birmingham-Southern 58 This was a pretty crushing loss. BSC held Alabama A&M to just 16 first half point and couldn't stop them to save their lives in the second half. BSC trailed 54-53 with 1:18 left in the game and Elbert Estrella missed a layup and then missed the ensuing putback. A&M went down and hit a three to go up 57-53 with 1:01 left and it turn into a free throw game. The box score for each team is basically identical. Both teams made 21 field goals. A&M made six 3's to BSC's seven 3's. But the difference was A&M's 13 made free throws to BSC's nine made free throws. With the loss it's pretty much a certainty that BSC will not make the NCAA Tournament due to the Big South being a one-bid league. I feel like we will get into the NIT but I also wouldn't be shocked if BSC gets snubbed. It really sucks that this is probably the best team I've ever had in Hoops Dynasty and their seasons is over like that. BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE AWARDS Player of the Year Robert Loar................C.....Sr.....Birmingham-Southern (14.7 ppg, 8 rpg) Defensive Player of the Year Tom Darden...............PF....Jr.....High Point (7.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.3 bpg) Freshman of the Year Robert Purcell...........SG...Fr.....Radford (6.8 ppg, 1.3 spg) Coach of the Year Jeremy Knight...........Birmingham-Southern FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH PG.....Curtis Robbins (Sr., VMI) SG.....Don Deason (Sr., Alabama A&M) SF......Rudy Veasley (Sr., Birmingham-Southern) PF......Wayne Kelly (Sr., VMI) C.......Robert Loar (Sr., Birmingham-Southern) SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH PG.....Melvin Woodard (Sr., VMI) SG.....Paul Cheatham (Jr., Birmingham-Southern) SF......Elbert Estrella (Jr., Birmingham-Southern) PF......William Big (Jr., Birmingham-Southern) C.......William Lyberger (Jr., Alabama A&M) THIRD TEAM ALL-BIG SOUTH PG.....Brian Kulas (Sr., VMI) SG.....James Alvarez (Sr., High Point) SF......Mathew Chaffee (Sr., Charleston Southern) PF......Jesse Stern (Sr., Alabama A&M) C.......Peter Rex (Sr., UNC-Asheville) HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG SOUTH Michael Reese (PG, Alabama A&M) Cody Rogers (PG, Birmingham-Southern) Ian Glick (PG, UNC-Asheville) Clarence Anderson (SG, Coastal Carolina) Chris Matthews (SG, Birmingham-Southern) Howard Tomasini (SG, UNC-Asheville) Damion Palmer (SF, Coastal Carolina) Philip Wayne (SF, High Point) Michael Brown (SF, Mississippi Valley State) Lester Hitchcock (PF, Alabama A&M) Marco Russo (PF, UNC-Asheville) Edgar Stewart (PF, Liberty) John Portwood (C, VMI) Boris Graleski (C, Charleston Southern) Stephen Davis (C, VMI) Pretty pumped that Loar won POTY and I got COTY. I was also surprised that Veasley and Cheatham (both backups at their position) made the all-conference team ahead of the starters at their position. I was a little disappointed that VMI had all three point guards. I was really disappointed that Cody Rogers didn't made 2nd or 3rd team all-conference. He averaged 5.1 apg which is currently 7th in all of NCAA Division I. He only averaged right above 5 ppg but I feel like such a large apg total should count for something. I suppose I need a scoring point guard if I want him to be all-conference.

Here's a quick recap of BSC's 82 regular season! E1 Stony Brook W 69-66 0-0 0-0 E2 George Mason W 88-74 0-0 0-0 1 Troy W 80-54 1-0 0-0 2 at Dayton W 62-58 2-0 0-0 3 Murray State W 61-60 3-0 0-0 4 at Butler W 85-57 4-0 0-0 5 at Prairie View A&M W 74-64 5-0 0-0 6 Fairleigh Dickinson W 90-72 6-0 0-0 7 at Denver W 70-58 7-0 0-0 8 at UAB L 49-68 7-1 0-0 9 at UNC-Greensboro W 80-70 8-1 0-0 10 at Samford W 89-53 9-1 0-0 11 at Liberty* W 87-61 10-1 1-0 12 at High Point* W 81-68 11-1 2-0 13 Alabama A&M* W 69-59 12-1 3-0 14 at UNC-Asheville* W 69-56 13-1 4-0 15 Coastal Carolina* W 89-54 14-1 5-0 16 Radford* W 92-51 15-1 6-0 17 at Alabama State* W 83-65 16-1 7-0 18 at Alabama A&M* L 53-69 16-2 7-1 19 Mississippi Valley State* W 71-54 17-2 8-1 20 Charleston Southern* W 71-53 18-2 9-1 21 at Mississippi Valley State* W 79-58 19-2 10-1 22 Alabama State* W 87-48 20-2 11-1 23 UNC-Asheville* W 70-58 21-2 12-1 24 at Winthrop* W 90-50 22-2 13-1 25 at VMI* L 56-59 22-3 13-2 26 High Point* W 70-60 23-3 14-2 Birmingham-Southern finished the 82 regular season 23-3 overall and 14-2 in Big South play. Not too bad. I was a little shocked at just how badly Alabama A&M beat me at their place. I knew it would be a tough game but BSC was never really into it. We were down 9 at the half and fell further behind throughout the second half. The conference regular season championship game came down to the VMI game. Once again, I knew it would be another tough challenge but it's really disappointing to miss out on a conference championship by 4 points. Ugh. Overall though I really like my team and we should be meeting VMI again in the Big South Championship Game.

Here is Birmingham-Southern's schedule for the 82 season. I'm really looking forward to it. Due to playing in a one bid conference I usually schedule a very soft non conference schedule since the only way to make the NCAA is to win the conference tournament. This season I scheduled a tougher non conference schedule and I'm eager to see how BSC does. 1 Troy (18-11, Sun Belt Champs) 2 @ Dayton (12-16) 3 Murray State (22-9, OVC Tournament Champs, NCAA 1st Round) 4 @ Butler (10-18) 5 @ Prairie View A&M (21-8) 6 Fairleigh Dickinson (21-10, NEC Champions, NIT 2nd Round) 7 @ Denver (13-14) 8 @ UAB (27-3, C-USA Champs, C-USA Tournament Champs, NCAA 1st Round) 9 @ UNC-Greensboro (19-11, Southern Champs, Southern Tournament Champs, NCAA 1st Round) 10 @ Samford (13-15) 11 @ Liberty* (2-25) 12 @ High Point* (10-18) 13 Alabama A&M* (19-11) 14 @ UNC-Asheville* (5-22) 15 Coastal Carolina* (12-16) 16 Radford* (12-15) 17 @ Alabama State* (18-10) 18 @ Alabama A&M* (19-11) 19 Mississippi Valley State* (22-6) 20 Charleston Southern* (8-19) 21 @ Mississippi Valley State* (22-6) 22 Alabama State* (19-11) 23 UNC-Asheville* (5-22) 24 @ Winthrop* (3-24) 25 @ VMI* (23-7, Big South Champs, Big South Tournament Champs, NCAA 1st Round) 26 High Point* (10-18) 27 Big South Tournament (Hosted by regular season champion) * - denotes Big South Conference game

RIVALS RECRUITING ROUNDUP The 82 recruiting period is over and its time to see which teams helped themselves the most with the incoming freshman class. Connecticut claims the recruiting championship this year. Connecticut had its work cut out for it -- six Huskies were drafted after falling to eventual champion Florida in the double-overtime classic in last year’s Final Four. The Huskies did a fantastic job replacing the departing players with a six man signing class that included three of the top four overall prospects. The gem of Connecticut’s class is the overall number one recruit Ernest Murphy (7-0, 264, C) from Lancaster Country Day High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Connecticut also added power forward Mark Newell (6-9, 227) of Hudson Falls High School in New York and Connecticut’s Mr. Basketball Jeffrey Skulski (6-3, 197) a shooting guard from Daniel Hand High School. Newell and Skulski are the third and fourth overall rated recruits, respectively. With an excellent young core the Huskies should continue to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. TEAM RANKINGS 1 Connecticut (Big East) 2 Illinois (Big Ten) 3 Oklahoma (Big 12) 4 Florida (SEC) 5 Wake Forest (ACC) 6 North Carolina (ACC) 7 Tennessee (SEC) 8 Minnesota (Big Ten) 9 Michigan State (Big Ten) 10 UCLA (Pac-12) 11 Iowa (Big Ten) 12 Ole Miss (SEC) 13 Arizona (Pac-12) 14 Colorado (Pac-12) 15 Miami (FL) (ACC) 16 Purdue (Big Ten) 17 Syracuse (Big East) 18 USC (Pac-12) 19 Northwestern (Big Ten) 20 Duke (ACC) 21 Fresno State (Pac-12) 22 George Mason (CAA) 23 St. John’s (Big East) 24 Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC) 25 Colorado State (MWC) CONFERENCE RANKINGS 1 Pac-12 2 Big 12 3 Big Ten 4 SEC 5 Big East 6 ACC 7 Patriot League 8 Conference-USA 9 Atlantic 10 10 Mountain West 11 Southern 12 Northeast 13 Missouri Valley 14 MEAC 15 Ivy League 16 Ohio Valley 17 Sun Belt 18 Summit League 19 Big South 20 Big West 21 CAA 22 MAC 23 MAAC 24 Big Sky 25 West Coast 26 Southland 27 Horizon League

Birmingham-Southern Athletics Press Release Stutes signs Letter of Intent with Panthers Birmingham-Southern coach Jeremy Knight announced the signing of Michael Stutes for the Panthers 82 recruiting class. Stutes is a 6-foot-7 power forward from Rockledge, Florida. He only played in 17 games last season for Rockledge High School, but averaged 20.3 ppg and 7 rpg for the season. He also shot 60.2% from the field during his senior season. “We’re very excited about the addition of Michael Stutes to our program.” Knight said, “We only had one spot available and we felt like he fit what we [as a staff] were looking for. He’s going to need some time to adjust to the college level and develop his game some. He’s a decent defender right now. He can also rebound and block shots a little bit. He’s pretty athletic but his offensive skill set in the low post needs to be developed. “His best strength as of right now is his passing ability. He’s an exceptional passer for a big man. He’s already the best passing big man we’ve had here during my tenure and he’s not too far behind a few of our guards in his passing ability. With 11 of our guys coming back we didn’t need a player that could come in and play right away. Michael will benefit from learning from our older players without having the pressure of coming in and performing immediately. We’re confident that he will have a very successful career at BSC and will become a force to be reckoned with.” Stutes is ranked by Rivals as the No. 119 power forward in the 82 class. Stutes is the 24th player ranked at his position Knight has recruited to BSC.

81 NBA DRAFT RECAP ROUND 1 PK.....TEAM...................................PLAYER........................POS.....YR......HT.....WT.....COLLEGE 1........Philadelphia 76ers...............Rodney Tunstall.............PF.........Jr........6-9....208....Kentucky 2........Portland Trail Blazers...........Max Michaud.................SF.........Sr.......6-8....229....Northwestern 3........San Antonio Spurs...............Robert Nies....................SF.........Jr.......6-6.....222....Colorado 4........New Orleans Pelicans.........Leroy Dietrick.................PG........Sr.......5-10...163....Virginia Tech 5........Denver Nuggets..................Joshua Smith..................PF........So.......6-6.....226...Colorado 6........Dallas Mavericks.................Norris Shake..................SF.........So......6-6......226...Virginia Tech 7........Cleveland Cavaliers............John Cortes....................PF........Jr........6-8......209....Arizona 8........Toronto Raptors...................Paul Suggs.....................PF........Jr........6-6.....210.....Washington 9........Atlanta Hawks......................Conrad Brown................PG.......Jr........6-2.....181....Minnesota 10......Memphis Grizzlies...............Raymond Staudt.............PG.......Jr........6-0.....187....Illinois 11......Phoenix Suns......................Charles Parkerson..........SG.......Sr........5-11...183....Connecticut 12......Milwaukee Bucks................Bruce Brown...................PF........Jr.........6-10...244....Oklahoma 13......Oklahoma City Thunder......Michael Low....................PF........Sr........6-7.....207....Connecticut 14......Orlando Magic.....................Fritz Anderson................PF........So.......6-8.....215....Illinois 15......Los Angeles Lakers.............Herbert Courson............C..........So.......6-10...230....Oklahoma 16......Utah Jazz.............................Victor Smith...................PG.......Jr.........6-2.....194....UCLA 17......Minnesota Timberwolves.....Dennis Davis.................PF.........Jr........6-10...231....Seton Hall 18......Houston Rockets.................Marlon Peterson............PF.........Sr.......6-7.....215....Texas A&M 19......Miami Heat..........................Stephen Smith...............C..........Sr.......7-1......247....Colorado 20......New York Knicks.................Neil Dunn.......................PF.........Jr.......6-10....247....Connecticut 21......Golden State Warriors........Kevin Prince...................PG.......Jr........5-11....163....Florida 22......Brooklyn Nets.....................Robert Wilson.................C..........Jr.......6-9......245....Kentucky 23......Sacramento Kings..............Terry Williams.................SG.......Sr.......6-3......206....Air Force 24......Boston Celtics....................Dustin Brookins...............SF........Sr......6-3......192....Providence 25......Indiana Pacers...................James Cosner.................PF........Jr.......6-9......233....Virginia Tech 26......Los Angeles Clippers.........Christopher Ward............SG.......Sr.......6-2.....187....Illinois 27......Charlotte Hornets...............Sean Killinger..................PG.......Sr......6-2......186....Kentucky 28......Washington Wizards..........Angel Ricci......................PG.......Jr.......6-2......182....Air Force 29......Detroit Pistons...................Derek Lowe.....................SG.......Jr.......6-1.......184....Connecticut 30......Chicago Bulls.....................William Cabana...............PF.......Jr........6-4......207....Duke ROUND 2 PK.....TEAM...................................PLAYER........................POS.....YR......HT.....WT.....COLLEGE 31......Philadelphia 76ers................Donald Eichenberger....SG........Sr.......6-2....189.....Kansas 32......Portland Trail Blazers...........Mark Bonham................SF.........Sr......6-0.....193.....Duke 33......San Antonio Spurs................Lowell Wade.................PG........Sr.......6-3.....206....Northwestern 34......New Orleans Pelicans...........John Rawls..................C...........Sr.......6-8.....240....Ole Miss 35......Denver Nuggets....................Clifford Young...............PG........Sr.......5-11...181....Syracuse 36......Dallas Mavericks...................Michael Spears.............SG.......Sr.......6-1.....194....Cincinnati 37......Cleveland Cavaliers..............David Anderson.............SG.......Sr.......6-4.....216....Michigan State 38......Toronto Raptors....................Joseph Harpole..............SG.......Sr.......6-2.....194....North Carolina 39......Atlanta Hawks.......................Jose Salazar..................PF........Sr.......6-5.....211....American 40......Memphis Grizzlies................Marty Solem...................C.........Sr........6-9.....243....Arizona 41......Phoenix Suns.......................James Hulett...................C........Sr........6-9.....240....Syracuse 42......Milwaukee Bucks..................Joseph Manchester........PG......Jr........6-2.....187....UCLA 43......Oklahoma City Thunder........Steven Walker................PG.......Sr.......5-11...177....Syracuse 44......Orlando Magic......................Larry Gillette...................PG.......Sr.......6-0.....165....Texas 45......Los Angeles Lakers..............James Moncayo.............PF........Sr........6-6.....204....Florida 46......Utah Jazz.............................Leon Pettus.....................C.........Sr.......7-0......243....UCLA 47......Minnesota Timberwolves......John Trollinger................PF........Sr.......6-7......222....Boston College 48......Houston Rockets..................John Jensen...................PF........Sr.......6-9......225....Air Force 49......Miami Heat............................Michael Padro................SG......Sr........6-0......171....Connecticut 50......New York Knicks...................Johnny Judge.................SG......Sr........6-4......189....Iowa 51......Golden State Warriors..........Thomas Washington.......PF.......Sr........6-10....215....Xavier 52......Brooklyn Nets........................Ray Hicks.......................C........Sr........6-11.....230....Kansas 53......Sacramento Kings.................John Hutton....................PG.....Sr........5-8......161.....Ole Miss 54......Boston Celtics.......................Robert Allen....................PG.....Jr.........6-1......188....Connecticut 55......Indiana Pacers......................Chad Reid.......................C.......Sr.........6-10....234....North Carolina 56......Los Angeles Clippers............Henry Whittaker...............PG....Sr.........5-10....161....Cincinnati 57......Charlotte Hornets..................Jack Peart.......................C.......Jr..........6-8.....234....Ohio State 58......Washington Wizards.............Antonio Whipple..............PF.....Sr..........6-10...227....Louisville 59......Detroit Pistons......................Anthony Pennington........SF......So........6-3.....190....Providence 60......Chicago Bulls.......................Drew Clayton...................SF......Sr.........6-10....237....Syracuse

NCAA DIVISION III TOURNAMENT MIDWEST REGION FIRST ROUND [1] Christopher Newport def. [16] Potsdam [8] Wisconsin-Stevens Point def. [9] Bethany College [5] Howard Payne def. [12] Brooklyn College [4] Wisconsin Lutheran def. [13] Calvin College [6] Chestnut Hill def. [11] Wartburg College [3] Montclair State def. [14] Westminster (MO) [10] Palm Beach Atlantic def. [7] New York [2] Yeshiva def. [15] Wittenberg SECOND ROUND [1] Christopher Newport def. [8] Wisconsin-Stevens Point [5] Howard Payne def. [4] Wisconsin Lutheran [3] Montclair State def. [6] Chestnut Hill [2] Yeshiva def. [10] Palm Beach Atlantic SWEET SIXTEEN [1] Christopher Newport def. [5] Howard Payne [3] Montclair State def. [2] Yeshiva ELITE EIGHT [1] Christopher Newport def. [3] Montclair State EAST REGION FIRST ROUND [1] Greensboro College def. [16] Hampden-Syndney [9] Anderson def. [8] Wisconsin-Stout [5] Chicago def. [12] Keene State [13] Washington College def. [4] Augustana College [11] Colorado College def. [6] La Grange College [3] Menlo College def. [14] South Vermont [7] Catholic def. [10] Stevens Tech [2] Dallas def. [15] Lycoming College SECOND ROUND [1] Greensboro College def. [9] Anderson [5] Chicago def. [13] Washington College [3] Menlo College def. [11] Colorado College [2] Dallas def. [7] Catholic SWEET SIXTEEN [1] Greensboro College def. [5] Chicago [3] Menlo College def. [2] Dallas ELITE EIGHT [3] Menlo College def. [1] Greensboro College SOUTH REGION FIRST ROUND [1] Oglethorpe def. [16] Cal State-Eastbay [9] Endicott College def. [8] William Patterson [5] Lewis and Clark def. [12] Carleton College [4] Union College def. [13] Grinnell College [6] North Carolina Wesleyan def. [11] Juniata College [3] Centre College def. [14] Martin Luther [7] Dominican def. [10] Johnson and Wales [2] Upper Iowa def. [15] Alvernia College SECOND ROUND [1] Oglethorpe def. [9] Endicott College [4] Union College def. [5] Lewis and Clark [3] Centre College def. [6] North Carolina Wesleyan [2] Upper Iowa def. [7] Dominican SWEET SIXTEEN [4] Union College def. [1] Oglethorpe [3] Centre College def. [2] Upper Iowa ELITE EIGHT [4] Union College def. [3] Centre College WEST REGION FIRST ROUND [1] Shenandoah def. [16] Maine-Presque Isle [8] Williamette def. [9] Fitchburg State [12] Delaware Valley def. [5] St. Norbert [13] Utica College def. [4] Clarkson [6] City College of New York def. [11] Worcester State [3] California Tech def. [14] Mississippi College [7] Capital def. [10] Southwestern [2] Averett def. [15] St. Olaf College SECOND ROUND [1] Shenandoah def. [8] Williamette [13] Utica College def. [12] Delaware Valley [3] California Tech def. [6] City College of New York [2] Averett def. [7] Capital SWEET SIXTEEN [13] Utica College def. [1] Shenandoah [3] California Tech def. [2] Averett ELITE EIGHT [3] California Tech def. [13] Utica College FINAL FOUR [1] Christopher Newport def. [3] Menlo College [3] California Tech def. [4] Union College CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [1] Christopher Newport def. [3] California Tech NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND MIDWEST REGION [1] Tarleton State def. [16] Southwest Minnesota State [9] Kutztown def. [8] Southern Indiana [5] West Florida def. [12] Clark Atlanta [4] Philadelphia def. [13] Florida Southern [11] Findlay def. [6] LIU-CW Post [3] Catawba College def. [14] Washburn [7] Seattle def. [10] Adams State [2] San Francisco State def. [15] Delta State EAST REGION [1] Green Mountain def. [16] St. Michael’s [8] Grand Canyon def. [9] Northern Kentucky [5] Northeastern State def. [12] St. Paul’s College [4] Northwest Nazarene def. [13] Limestone College [11] Arkansas-Monticello def. [6] West Texas A&M [3] UNC-Pembroke def. [14] University of D.C. [10] New Jersey Tech def. [7] Colorado School of Mines [2] Cal State-Chico def. [15] Mercy College SOUTH REGION [1] Abilene Christian def. [16] Central Arkansas [8] Alaska-Fairbanks def. [9] North Dakota State [5] Cal State-Los Angeles def. [12] Presbyterian [4] Western State def. [13] West Alabama [11] Rollins College def. [6] Cal State-San Bernardino [14] Northwood def. [3] Indianapolis [10] Angelo State def. [7] Fairmont State [2] Merrimack College def. [15] Kennesaw State WEST REGION [1] Metro State def. [16] Texas A&M-Commerce [9] Eastern New Mexico def. [8] Montana State-Billings [12] California-San Diego def. [5] Mercyhurst College [4] Tusculum College def. [13] Western Oregon [6] Bowie State def. [11] Wisconsin-Parkside [3] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [14] Washington Adventist [7] Mount Olive def. [10] Ouachita Baptist [2] Midwestern State def. [15] Molloy College SECOND ROUND MIDWEST REGION [1] Tarleton State def. [9] Kutztown [4] Philadelphia def. [5] West Florida [11] Findlay def. [3] Catawba College [7] Seattle def. [2] San Francisco State EAST REGION [8] Grand Canyon def. [1] Green Mountain [4] Northwest Nazarene def. [5] Northeastern State [11] Arkansas-Monticello def. [3] UNC-Pembroke [10] New Jersey Tech def. [2] Cal State-Chico SOUTH REGION [8] Alaska-Fairbanks def. [1] Abilene Christian [5] Cal State-Los Angeles def. [4] Western State [11] Rollins College def. [14] Northwood [10] Angelo State def. [2] Merrimack College WEST REGION [1] Metro State def. [9] Eastern New Mexico [4] Tusculum College def. [12] California-San Diego [3] Cal State-Dominguez Hills def. [6] Bowie State [7] Mount Olive def. [2] Midwestern State SWEET SIXTEEN MIDWEST REGION [1] Tarleton State def. [4] Philadelphia [7] Seattle def. [11] Findlay EAST REGION [4] Northwest Nazarene def. [8] Grand Canyon [10] New Jersey Tech def. [11] Arkansas-Monticello SOUTH REGION [5] Cal State-Los Angeles def. [8] Alaska-Fairbanks [10] Angelo State def. [11] Rollins College WEST REGION [1] Metro State def. [4] Tusculum College [7] Mount Olive def. [3] Cal State-Dominguez Hills ELITE EIGHT MIDWEST REGION [1] Tarleton State def. [7] Seattle EAST REGION [10] New Jersey Tech def. [4] Northwest Nazarene SOUTH REGION [10] Angelo State def. [5] Cal State-Los Angeles WEST REGION [7] Mount Olive def. [1] Metro State FINAL FOUR [1] Tarleton State def. [10] New Jersey Tech [7] Mount Olive def. [10] Angelo State CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [1] Tarleton State def. [7] Mount Olive NIT FIRST ROUND [8] Arkansas 87, [1] Loyola College 77 [4] South Carolina 79, [5] IPFW 68 [3] Notre Dame 89, [6] Nebraska 70 [2] Washington State 70, [7] Morehead State 68 [1] Brown 73, [8] Southern Methodist 59 [5] USC 67, [4] Richmond 63 [3] BYU 74, [6] Monmouth 62 [2] Cincinnati 79, [7] Eastern Kentucky 52 [1] Arizona 74, [8] Hampton 58 [5] Wake Forest 63, [4] Fairfield 59 [3] Rutgers 53, [6] Texas Tech 47 [2] Penn State 82, [7] Holy Cross 71 [8] Fairleigh Dickinson 83, [1] Bradley 79 [5] Michigan 67, [4] Pennsylvania 56 [3] Fresno State 66, [6] Oklahoma State 60 [2] St. John’s 84, [7] Boston College 67 SECOND ROUND [4] South Carolina 94, [8] Arkansas 75 [2] Washington State 60, [3] Notre Dame 59 [1] Brown 93, [5] USC 83 [2] Cincinnati 61, [3] BYU 46 [1] Arizona 57, [5] Wake Forest 55 [3] Rutgers 73, [2] Penn State 54 [5] Michigan 81, [8] Fairleigh Dickinson 71 [3] Fresno State 74, [2] St. John’s 72 THIRD ROUND [2] Washington State 70, [4] South Carolina 65 [1] Brown 57, [2] Cincinnati 50 [1] Arizona 52, [3] Rutgers 46 [3] Fresno State 83, [5] Michigan 81 (OT) SEMIFINALS (@ New York, N.Y.) [1] Brown 68, [2] Washington State 56 [1] Arizona 63, [3] Fresno State 58 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (@ New York, N.Y.) [1] Arizona 74, [1] Brown 60 NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND MIDWEST REGION [1] Connecticut 117, [16] New Mexico State 66 [8] Wisconsin 66, [9] UAB 53 [12] Colorado State 77, [5] Duke 70 (OT) [4] Alabama 69, [13] Northern Arizona 64 [11] Columbia 48, [6] Minnesota 46 [3] Colorado 78, [14] Old Dominion 59 [7] Virginia 75, [10] Georgetown 61 [2] UCLA 93, [15] Murray State 68 EAST REGION [1] Florida 88, [16] DePaul 59 [9] American 77, [8] Air Force 75 (OT) [5] Michigan State 63, [12] Central Connecticut State 45 [4] North Carolina 59, [13] San Jose State 42 [11] George Mason 80, [6] Kentucky 76 [3] Northwestern 70, [14] Miami (OH) 48 [7] Providence 60, [10] Howard 43 [2] Kansas 90, [15] UNC-Greensboro 48 SOUTH REGION [1] Seton Hall 73, [16] Nicholls State 50 [9] Indiana 73, [8] Houston 66 [12] Florida State 62, [5] LSU 61 [4] Texas 84, [13] Albany 74 [6] Virginia Tech 65, [11] Massachusetts 53 [3] Utah 74, [14] Mississippi State 57 [7] Texas A&M 83, [10] Louisville 60 [2] Ohio State 73, [15] Louisiana-Lafayette 51 WEST REGION [1] Oklahoma 88, [16] Indiana State 58 [9] Xavier 72, [8] Harvard 67 [5] Washington 84, [12] New Hampshire 65 [4] Illinois 60, [13] Georgia 51 [6] Miami (FL) 79, [11] Missouri 72 [3] Syracuse 80, [14] VMI 62 [7] Iowa 63, [10] San Diego State 59 [2] Ole Miss 87, [15] Stetson 48 SECOND ROUND MIDWEST REGION [1] Connecticut 71, [8] Wisconsin 66 [12] Colorado State 87, [4] Alabama 72 [3] Colorado 61, [11] Columbia 59 [2] UCLA 105, [7] Virginia 81 EAST REGION [1] Florida 76, [9] American 64 [4] North Carolina 65, [5] Michigan State 57 [3] Northwestern 66, [11] George Mason 39 [7] Providence 47, [2] Kansas 42 SOUTH REGION [1] Seton Hall 75, [9] Indiana 56 [4] Texas 60, [12] Florida State 59 [6] Virginia Tech 65, [3] Utah 39 [2] Ohio State 81, [7] Texas A&M (OT) WEST REGION [1] Oklahoma 63, [9] Xavier 61 [4] Illinois 73, [5] Washington 66 [3] Syracuse 84, [6] Miami (FL) 73 [7] Iowa 71, [2] Ole Miss 61 SWEET SIXTEEN MIDWEST REGION (@ Cleveland, Ohio) [1] Connecticut 61, [12] Colorado State 51 [2] UCLA 71, [3] Colorado 51 EAST REGION (@ Brooklyn, N.Y.) [1] Florida 76, [4] North Carolina 59 [7] Providence 59, [3] Northwestern 58 SOUTH REGION (@ Orlando, Fla.) [4] Texas 94, [1] Seton Hall 93 [6] Virginia Tech 59, [2] Ohio State 44 WEST REGION (@ Phoenix, Ariz.) [1] Oklahoma 75, [4] Illinois 65 [3] Syracuse 64, [7] Iowa 49 ELITE EIGHT MIDWEST REGION (@ Cleveland, Ohio) [1] Connecticut 93, [2] UCLA 76 EAST REGION (@ Brooklyn, N.Y.) [1] Florida 80, [7] Providence 63 SOUTH REGION (@ Orlando, Fla.) [4] Texas 69, [6] Virginia Tech 61 WEST REGION (@ Phoenix, Ariz.) [1] Oklahoma 91, [3] Syracuse 76 FINAL FOUR (@ New Orleans, La.) [1] Florida 90, [1] Connecticut 88 (2OT) [1] Oklahoma 79, [4] Texas 75 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (@ New Orleans, La.) [1] Florida 86, [1] Oklahoma 61 AP AWARDS Player of the Year Charles Parkerson Sr. SG Connecticut (22.8 ppg/3.5 apg) Defensive Player of the Year David Stovall Sr. PF Radford (10 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg) Freshman of the Year James Blackwelder Fr. SF Arizona (15.6 ppg) 1st Team All-America PG: Walter Lowery (Sr., Loyola (MD)) SG: Charles Parkerson (Sr., Connecticut) SF: Max Michaud (Sr., Northwestern) PF: Jose Salazar (Sr., American) C: Toby Broussard (Sr., SMU) 2nd Team All-America PG: Barry Allen (Sr., Massachusetts) SG: Michael Spears (Sr., Cincinnati) SF: Mark Stewart (Sr., Stony Brook) PF: Edwin Meade (Sr., Arizona State) C: Leon Pettus (Sr., UCLA) 3rd Team All-America PG: Angel Ricci (Jr., Air Force) SG: Richard Luczak (Sr., Gonzaga) SF: Bryan Glass (Sr., Murray State) PF: Fritz Anderson (So., Illinois) C: Benjamin Sims (Jr., UAB)

BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT (@ Lexington, Va.) FIRST ROUND [4] Mississippi Valley State 70, [5] Winthrop 59 [3] Coastal Carolina 87, [6] UNC-Asheville 79 (OT) [5] High Point 77, [4] Charleston Southern 64 [3] Alabama A&M 88, [6] Liberty 65 SECOND ROUND [1] VMI 78, [4] Mississippi Valley State 67 [2] Birmingham-Southern 59, [3] Coastal Carolina 56 [1] Alabama State 81, [5] High Point 69 [3] Alabama A&M 84, [2] Radford 54 SEMIFINALS [1] VMI 63, [2] Birmingham-Southern 60 [3] Alabama A&M 77, [1] Alabama State 66 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [1] VMI 64, [3] Alabama A&M 63 BIG SOUTH AWARDS Player of the Year Robert Loar C Jr Birmingham-Southern (13.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg) Defensive Player of the Year David Stovall PF Sr Radford (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.1 spg) Freshman of the Year Joshua Mallery PG Fr Winthrop (6.1 ppg, 1.3 spg) FIRST TEAM PG: Melvin Woodard (Jr., VMI) SG: Don Deason (Jr., Alabama A&M) SF: Richard Krauss (Jr., Alabama State) PF: Timothy Greer (Sr., Birmingham-Southern) C: Robert Loar (Jr., Birmingham-Southern) SECOND TEAM PG: Charles Carstarphen (Sr., Alabama State) SG: Dale Labelle (Sr., Mississippi Valley State) SF: Robert Mikel (Jr., Alabama State) PF: Jeffrey Charland (Sr., Alabama State) C: Dwayne Webb (Sr., Mississippi Valley State) THIRD TEAM PG: William Morse (Sr., Mississippi Valley State) SG: James Jordan (Sr., VMI) SF: Michael Brown (So., Mississippi Valley State) PF: David Stovall (Sr., Radford) C: John Portwood (Jr., VMI) HONORABLE MENTION Clyde Fox (PG, Alabama State) Curtis Robbins (PG, VMI) Cody Rogers (PG, Birmingham-Southern) Danny Golub (SG, Alabama A&M) Cecil McDermott (SG, Radford) James Alvarez (SG, High Point) Leo Swope (SF, Alabama A&M) Elbert Estrella (SF, Birmingham-Southern) Matthew Chaffee (SF, Charleston Southern) Wayne Kelly (PF, VMI) Lester Hitchcock (PF, Alabama A&M) Jesse Stern (PF, Alabama A&M) Paul Davis (C, Radford) Robert Fisher (C, Alabama State) William Lyberger (C, Alabama A&M) Ughhhhhhh. That loss sucked. Birmingham-Southern finished the 81 season with a 23-5 overall record and third place in the Big South. It was a nice rebound from last season, but I was aiming for another NCAA Tournament berth. The good news is that I'm only losing one player and the majority of my roster will be juniors next season so the next two seasons should be just as good if not better. Four All-Conference players was nice. Really excited to have Loar back for another season. Hopefully he can repeat as POTY and lead us to another championship. Timothy Greer finishes his career as the all-time leader in field goal percentage at Birmingham-Southern with a career mark of 55.8% from the field. Here are my player stats for the season: Cody Rogers (Jr., PG)28 GP/28 GS 24.2 mpg 50%/36.1%/73.8% 5.3 ppg 4.1 apg Robert Loar (Jr., C) 28 GP/28 GS 23.8 mpg 55.1%/---/75.7% 13.3 ppg 6.2 rpg Timothy Greer (Sr., PF) 28 GP/28 GS 22.6 mpg 58%/---/70.8% 11 ppg 4.9 rpg Paul Cheatham (So., SG) 28 GP/16 GS 21.5 mpg 44.9%/42.7%/80.5% 8 ppg 1.8 apg Rudy Veasley (Jr., SF) 28 GP/17 GS 20.1 mpg 51.8%/37.1%/73.7% 4.5 ppg 2.1 apg 3.1 rpg Elbert Estrella (So., SF) 28 GP/11 GS 18.3 mpg 54.5%/40.6%/59.4% 6.6 ppg 1.3 apg 2.7 rpg Chris Matthews (So., SG) 28 GP/12 GS 17.4 mpg 46.9%/43.1%/84.6% 7.3 ppg 2 apg William Big (So., PF) 28 GP/0 GS 17.3 mpg 51.5%/---/65% 3.4 ppg 3.8 rpg William Wright (So., C) 28 GP/0 GS 16.6 mpg 53.4%/0.0%/76.5% 6.4 ppg 5.4 rpg Jared Lobdell (Fr., PG) 28 GP/0 GS 15.1 mpg 45.3%/---/75.6% 2.9 ppg 2.7 apg Richard Kanagy (Fr., PG) 21 GP/0 GS 5.4 mpg 55%/---/76.9% 1.5 ppg

Some things came up and between that, work, and the fast pace of my hoops world (2 games a day) it was hard to try to keep up with the season in the way that I wanted to. Instead I’m posting the regular season results of BSC’s schedule and going for there. Not sure if I’ll be able to cover this as in depth as I would like to going forward, but I will cover it nonetheless. Here’s how season 81 went for Birmingham-Southern @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff W 77-50 1-0, 0-0 New Orleans W 69-55 2-0, 0-0 @ Wisconsin-Green Bay W 75-55 3-0, 0-0 Ball State W 66-64 (OT) 4-0, 0-0 @ Georgia State W 82-45 5-0, 0-0 Santa Clara W 78-68 6-0, 0-0 @ Northern Illinois W 66-50 7-0, 0-0 Auburn W 67-53 8-0, 0-0 @ The Citadel W 93-48 9-0, 0-0 Samford W 72-43 10-0, 0-0 Liberty* W 70-33 11-0, 1-0 High Point* W 72-64 12-0, 2-0 @ Alabama A&M* L 73-80 12-1, 2-1 UNC-Asheville* W 69-53 13-1, 3-1 @ Coastal Carolina* W 63-50 14-1, 4-1 @ Radford* W 68-46 15-1, 5-1 Alabama State* L 68-70 15-2, 5-2 Alabama A&M* W 67-57 16-2, 6-2 @ Mississippi Valley State* W 71-64 17-2, 7-2 @ Charleston Southern* W 63-56 18-2, 8-2 Mississippi Valley State* W 73-58 19-2, 9-2 @ Alabama State* L 56-57 19-3, 9-3 @ UNC-Asheville* W 77-50 20-3, 10-3 Winthrop* W 77-56 21-3, 11-3 VMI* W 56-53 22-3, 12-3 @ High Point* L 68-70 22-4, 12-4 Overall a good season. BSC finished about how I thought they would. The win over Auburn was nice even though they’re not very good, it was just cool to beat a high major team. The win over VMI was huge - they finished the season with the best overall conference record. I was really disappointed in the High Point loss. They were an awful team and I just did a poor job game planning for that game. Anyways, 22-4 (12-4) is a pretty good record to carry into the Big South Tournament. Speaking of the Big South Tournament, here are the following seeds for it: EAST 1 VMI (host team) 2 Radford 3 Coastal Carolina 4 Charleston Southern 5 Winthrop 6 Liberty WEST 1 Alabama State 2 Birmingham-Southern 3 Alabama A&M 4 Mississippi Valley State 5 High Point 6 UNC-Asheville The tournament will follow this format: Game 1: W4 vs. E5 Game 2: E3 vs. W6 Game 3: E4 vs. W5 Game 4: W3 vs. E6 Game 5: E1 vs. G1 winner Game 6: W2 vs. G2 winner Game 7: W1 vs. G3 winner Game 8: E2 vs. G4 winner Game 9: G5 winner vs. G6 winner Game 10: G7 winner vs. G8 winner Game 11: G9 winner vs. G10 winner BSC has a first round bye which is nice. Plus the toughest teams (Alabama State and Alabama A&M) are on the other side of the bracket. VMI will be a challenge but is definitely a winnable game. Overall I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot to win the conference tournament and make the NCAA Tournament for a second time in three seasons.

Wright fuels Birmingham-Southern win GREEN BAY, WIS. | William Wright had the best statistical night of his young career last night to help lead the Birmingham-Southern Panthers to a 75-55 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay. The sophomore reserve, who played more minutes than three of the starters, totaled 13 points and seven rebounds. “William really played well tonight.” BSC coach Jeremy Knight said after the game. “He was given more minutes than he normally would get and made the most of it. Last year we wanted to redshirt him and he wouldn’t have it -- he’s a great competitor.” Wisconsin-Green Bay hung around with the Panthers for most of the first half. Birmingham-Southern was never able to lead by more than four and actually trailed 24-22 with 5:50 remaining in the opening half. The Panthers then went on a 14-3 run to take a 36-27 lead into the half. Birmingham-Southern never trailed the remainder of the game. “We got tested a little bit more tonight than we did in our first two games.” Knight said. “I thought our guys did a good job of handling a little bit of adversity late in the first half and answering like we did.” Rudy Veasley, Chris Matthews, and Paul Cheatham all added 10 points for BSC. The Panthers once again won the rebounding battle, 32-28, but did not dominate the boards like they have in their first two games. “We didn’t do a great job of boxing out and limiting them to one shot each possession. They had way too many offensive rebounds. However, we were able to counteract that by getting to the free throw line and forced them into a lot of turnovers. I’ll never complain about winning a game but we still need to work on some things.” Birmingham-Southern shot 71.4% from the free throw line (20-of-28) and forced Wisconsin-Green Bay into 17 turnovers. The Panthers have breezed through their competition so thus far this season. As a result, the starters and reserves are sharing the minutes in an almost 55/45 split. The nonconference schedule will pick up for the Panthers, but one has to wonder what impact this might have once Big South play begins. Will BSC’s starters be able to play 30-plus minutes against the likes of top Big South teams? Only time will tell. Saturday’s game against Ball State (2-1) will be a good measuring stick for how BSC fares against better competition. Not only does Ball State have a winning record, they will be the first opponent the Panthers have played this season with a win. Tip off is scheduled for 7 pm. BOX SCORE http://whatifsports.com/hd/GameResults/BoxScore.aspx?gid=11773348

Greer leads Panthers to win in home opener BIRMINGHAM | Timothy Greer scored 16 points last night to lead the Birmingham-Southern Panthers to a 69-55 win over New Orleans. Greer, the lone senior, scored nine of his 16 points in the second half during the Panthers home opener for the 81 season. “Timmy really played well tonight.” BSC coach Jeremy Knight said. “Coming into the season we knew this was his chance to really kind of take over and show everyone else what we already knew. This kid can play.” Greer shot 70 percent from the field and added four rebounds to his performance. For the second consecutive game the Panthers roared out to an early, dominate lead and then cruised throughout the second half. A Robert Burris three at the 16:45 mark in the first half gave New Orleans a 3-2 lead -- the only lead they would have during the contest. Robert Loar was the catalyst in the first half. Loar scored all 13 of his points and had four rebounds by the intermission. The Privateers focused on shutting Loar down as he only tallied three rebounds in the second half. But all of the attention freed up Greer to go to work and take over in the second half. “I feel like we have one of the best, if not the best, post combos in the Big South in Timmy and Robert.” Knight said of his front court duo. “They’re just both so well developed to play down low. As you saw tonight Robert can be a handful when you try to play him one-on-one. But if you focus on him and double him then Timmy will step up and make you pay. Both guys are just tremendous players.” Paul Cheatham hit three of BSC’s four 3-point shots in addition to making several free throws down the stretch to help fend off any comeback New Orleans attempted. Cheatham finished with 14 points. The Panthers once again dominated their opponent on the glass, a 35-27 rebounding advantage for BSC, but Knight says his team is still struggling in certain areas. “I’m very proud of how we attacked the glass tonight.” the coach said. “Anytime you outrebound an opponent by almost 10 you have a good shot at winning. However, we turned the ball over way too many times. We’re definitely going to work on taking care of the ball more this week. We’re also not shooting the 3 as well as I would like for us too. We have some time before conference play starts but I would like to get these issues resolved sooner rather than later.” The Panthers turned the ball over 16 times, but they also had 18 assists to help minimize the damage done from turnovers. Knight’s concerns over 3-point shooting are valid. Birmingham-Southern shot 50% from behind the arc, but only took eight 3-point attempts. Additionally, only two players accounted for BSC’s four made 3-pointers. Cheatham connected on 3-of-6 3-point attempts while Chris Matthews was 1-of-2. Matthews finished the game with six points, three rebounds, and five assists. While the Panthers struggle to have multiple players shoot the 3 consistently, they are certainly shutting down opposing team’s 3-point attacks. New Orleans was held to just 22.2% shooting from behind the arc after going 6-of-27. Birmingham-Southern (2-0) will take a day off before resuming practice this week. Their next game will be Wednesday event at Wisconsin-Green Bay (0-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm. BOX SCORE http://whatifsports.com/hd/GameResults/BoxScore.aspx?gid=11770875

Panthers blast Golden Lions in season opener PINE BLUFF, ARK. | The Birmingham-Southern Panthers opened the 81 season in dominating fashion with a 77-50 road win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Robert Loar led BSC with 13 points and seven rebounds. Loar played only 23 minutes -- the rest of the starters for BSC played 20 minutes or less. Timothy Greer added 12 points and six rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. “Our starters did a really good job of putting the game away early.” BSC coach Jeremy Knight said. His team led 35-20 at the half. “We’re still a pretty young team so having such a big lead in the second half really gave us an opportunity to give our younger guys some valuable real game minutes. It’s a great experience for them and it also allows us as a staff to further evaluate our guys.” Sophomore Elbert Estrella was the only other Panther to score in double-digits. Estrella had 12 points in just 17 minutes of action off the bench. After having stellar back-to-back exhibition performances, Chris Matthews only scored four points in the Panthers season opening win. The first 10 minutes of the game was a tight contest as the largest lead by either team was four points. With 9:49 remaining in the opening half the Panthers held a 16-14 lead. Birmingham-Southern closed the half on a 19-6 run and never looked back the rest of the game. “We did some good things tonight,” Knight said, “but we still have a lot of work to do. We missed 10 free throws (19-of-29) and didn’t shoot from the perimeter as well as I would have liked.” The Panthers shot 28.6% (2-of-7) from the 3-point line. As bad as the Panthers were from the 3-point line, The Golden Lions were worse. Arkansas-Pine Bluff was held to just 19% (4-of-21) from behind the arc. “We knew coming in that they like to shoot the three. We knew we had the advantage in the post (BSC had a 37-22 rebounding edge) so our plan was to really get out and contest their shooters on the perimeter. We really felt like we could get the ball inside to score and they wouldn’t be able to keep up their perimeter attack.” Elbert Estrella was the only other Panther to score in double-digits. Estrella had 12 points in just 17 minutes of action. After having stellar back-to-back exhibition performances, Chris Matthews only scored four points in the Panthers season opening win. Birmingham-Southern (1-0) will host New Orleans (0-1) in the Panthers home opener Saturday night at 7 pm. BOX SCORE http://whatifsports.com/hd/GameResults/BoxScore.aspx?gid=11769825

SMALL COLLEGE ROUNDUP Birmingham-Southern 73, VCU 60 BIRMINGHAM | Robert Loar scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 19 minutes to help lead BSC past the VCU Rams in an exhibition game. Sophomore guard Chris Matthews led the Panthers with 16 points and William Wright added 11 points. Wright also had six rebounds. Starting point guard Cody Rogers didn’t score but he dished out 12 assists with only one turnover. As a team BSC shot 54% from the floor and 50% from 3-point range. Timothy Greer was the leading rebounder with nine board. Greer also scored eight points. Birmingham-Southern will now turn all its attention to it’s season opener next week at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions lost both of their exhibition games. Post, a Division II school in Connecticut, defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 94-68. Upper Iowa, the no. 4-ranked team in Division III, blasted the Golden Lions 93-45 last week. Tip off is scheduled for 6 pm.