Game Notes
Happy Osborne evoked an old sports cliché by comparing a game to a test when speaking ahead of Saturday's 1 p.m. contest at No. 9 Southern Indiana.
When a student studies, they're prepared and excited for the test, he said. "If they don't study well, they take the test full of anxiety.
he obvious question that followed was if he felt his team had studied enough for what is undoubtedly its biggest test so far this season against a team Osborne said is far better than its ranking. He went as far as saying the Eagles are the best team he's seen this year.
He turned the question over to one of his star pupils, freshman guard Ken-Jah Bosley, who answered it concisely and confidently.
"I feel like we're prepared," he said. "We're as ready as we can be."
That doesn't mean this game won't come without pressure for the Panthers (7-5), who are looking to snap a three-game losing streak to USI (7-0) and expand on a six-game winning streak. Osborne welcomed that pressure.
It's the final game for both teams before they begin their respective conference schedules in earnest. For KWC, it's likely the last chance to earn a win over a ranked team.
After KWC's rocky start to the season, there's a corner of people who subscribe to the notion that KWC's NCAA Tournament hopes hinge on the result of Saturday's game. Osborne wasn't ready to go that far just yet.
"I don't think it means everything for the NCAA Tournament," he said. "That's just my opinion. It's my first year, so maybe I don't get it all. But I think it is an important game. It's an important game because No. 1, it's always been a great rivalry. No. 2 it's a rivalry that I don't ever want to see end. It's something we need to keep doing."
Both Osborne and USI coach Rodney Watson are excited for Saturday's game, which is billed as the "Battle for the Bridge" trophy, but particularly Osborne. It's his first game at the PAC Arena.
Watson noted how different it will be compared to the Nov. 19 game at the Sportscenter that USI won, 70-61. That was the first game of the season for USI. For KWC, it was the fourth game without suspended players Alex Brown, Donovan Johnson and Devin Langford.
Johnson and Langford have since returned for KWC, adding depth in the post to defend USI's skilled front court, and USI guard Orlando Rutledge is now back. He missed the first half of the season due to eligibility issues.
"It was Nov. 19 and it seems like a long time ago, because it was," Watson said. "A month in college basketball is a long time ago. Styles weren't developed. They weren't solidified yet. Roles weren't solidified. They're not all the way solidified now, but they're a month more developed. That's why I think the game will be as different as anything. I think the teams are more settled in. We have game experience. We're in game shape."
Johnson and Langford will provided much-needed relief for center Dominiqe Dawson in guarding USI forwards Aaron Nelson (22.6 points, 13.9 rebounds per game), Taylor Wischmeier (12 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Manny Ogunfolu (9.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg), as well as in the rebounding department. Osborne is extremely high on Nelson and Wischmeier, calling Nelson a future "pro" overseas.
He also thought highly of Rutledge, who he recruited while an assistant at Tennessee Tech. He called the senior guard a Division I talent "without question."
Watson said KWC is simply more balanced this time around and said Osborne can play a number of different lineups. He also lauded KWC's outside shooting, though it will take a hit as Bosley (16.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) was listed as doubtful for Saturday's game as of Friday evening after suffering a hip pointer Wednesday night against St. Joseph's.
Someone will have to step up if Bosley can't play, Osborne said, because Saturday's game is too important of a measuring stick for his team to miss a beat.
"It's going to take everything we've got to be competitive," he said. "We're getting better. I don't think we're the team we would be if everybody had played 12 games. But I think it's a great gauge. We started this year with hopes of having a team with a chance to be in the top 20 in Division II. We're playing No. 9 on Dec. 21. This ought to tell you where you are."
