Men's weekend hoops to feature some good, some bad, some ugly

Kevin Schlagel

The conference season is almost over and at last they can finally relax. Peace and serenity are upon them.

Or maybe not in the case of the SCSU men's basketball team. The Huskies are still jockeying for position in the NCC standings as the final weekend of the regular season approaches.

Currently, SCSU is in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference, and this weekend's pivotal games against Morningside and South Dakota will solidify where the Huskies will end up in the Wells Fargo NCC Tournament. They could end up anywhere from the third seed to the fifth, depending upon what the other two teams they're tied with (North Dakota and South Dakota) do.

Fortunately for the Huskies they control USD's destiny in the tournament. The two teams will meet up on Saturday on the Coyote's home court in a battle for that coveted third slot. In the NCC opener, the two teams faced off at Halenbeck with SCSU coming out on top, 97-81. That contest was ages ago though, and both teams have changed dramatically.

The Coyotes have relied on four players for most of the season. Freshmen point guard Josh Mueller is on the Spud Webb size, but the guy knows how to create. He's averaged 17.5 points per game and leads USD, and the NCC, in assists. Senior Paul Marshall has added another lethal scoring threat by averaging 17.0 ppg.

South Dakota also has another senior who can hurt teams. Jimmie Foster totes a 13.8 scoring average, and has the speed to blow by anyone on the court.

The most pleasant surprise has been the play of sophomore forward Steve Anderson. Anderson has scored 10.0 ppg, and pulled down an impressive 8.2 boards a game.

All of these players have SCSU head coach Kevin Schlagel concerned, but he knows what to expect from the Coyotes.

"Every one of their players brings a different ingredient to the game," Schlagel said. "All of those guys are great players and are capable of having a big night. Mueller pushes and creates, Marshall is deadly from outside, and Foster has both of those qualities. We just have to match up by position and use our athleticism against them."

On Friday, the Huskies will have one of those games that teams in the conference race crave at the end of the season: one against an absolute patsie. This patsie comes in the form of the Morningside Mustangs. The Mustangs are dead last in the NCC with an 0-16 conference record and have only won three games all season.

SCSU downed the 'Stangs earlier in the year at Halenbeck, 87-51. Last weekend, Morningside lost to South Dakota, 106-39. Friday will definitely be that cakewalk SCSU has been looking for. However, Schlagel admitted he would play his key players to get ready for South Dakota the following night.

This season the Huskies lead the NCC in free throw percentage, turnover margin, and assist to turnover ratio (the ratio that has made Terrell Brandon stick around in the NBA so long). What do these stats all mean? Schlagel summed it up best.

"It means we've been able to take care of the basketball," he said. "We've made good decisions all year with the ball, and that's made us successful. Hopefully we won't revert on those stats coming down the stretch."

To sum it up, Friday should be a joyride for SCSU. Saturday is the game that will define their postseason seeding. Hopefully SCSU won't get too bored on Friday and forget about Saturday's huge contest.

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Andy Rennecke can be reached at: [email protected]

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