Game notes
The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team has what coach Happy Osborne called "a huge opportunity" ahead of it when the KWC Holiday Tournament tips off on Friday afternoon at the Sportscenter.
The Panthers (3-2) open play against Grand Valley State (2-1) at 3:15 p.m. on Friday and will face North Alabama (3-1) or Truman State (1-2) on Saturday.
"It takes time, and everybody needs to understand that," Osborne said. "I've got high hopes, and maybe I need to temper them a little bit, but I sure hate to.
"People have got to understand, this is the best Division II tournament in America this weekend. Grand Valley State is receiving votes. Alabama State is one of the best teams in the country. Truman State was in the regional last year. Everybody in our tournament is an NCAA Tournament team."
Grand Valley State, based out of Allendale, Michigan, dropped its first game to Missouri-St. Louis before bouncing back for a pair of victories over Quincy and Cedarville. The Lakers are led by 6-foot-6 junior forward Ricardo Carbajal and 6-4 senior guard Ryan Sabin, both of whom average around 14 points and seven rebounds apiece.
As a team, GVSU shoots 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range, while limiting opponents to 31-percent shooting and 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Lakers are a team that likes to hit the glass as well, averaging more than eight rebounds per game than their opponents.
Rebounding has been an issue for the Panthers, and Osborne said it will be key if KWC hopes to be successful this weekend.
Sophomore guard Ken-Jah Bosley leads KWC with 16.2 points per game, and junior forward Devin Langford averages 11.4 points per contest off the bench.
Scoring is no problem for the Panthers, but it's their defense that has struggled early in the season. KWC averages 74.8 points per outing on 45-percent shooting and 31 percent from long range, but opponents have shot 44 percent from the floor and 35 percent from deep.
Though it may be difficult, Osborne said, this weekend's tournament will help determine what type of team the Panthers are heading into the rest of the season.
"When I came here, people told me, 'We want you to play a good schedule,'" Osborne said. "I hope people realize that we haven't opened up with NAIA Division II teams, and we drove 13 hours to Lake Superior State.
"This weekend is the best competition a man can possibly get, and we need our fans if we want to have a shot. We're an underdog to both teams this weekend. We have to play much smarter in order to do what we've got to do."
