No. 24 USCA men looking for key road win

No. 24 USC Aiken at Armstrong Atlantic State

When

Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where

Alumni Arena, Savannah, Ga.

What's on the line

USCA (15-4, 9-2) has a lot for which to play every time out. It starts on a national level, where the Pacers are carrying the Peach Belt Conference banner as its only ranked men's team. At No. 24, though, USCA can't afford to fall much further back.

The Southeast Region standings are also an issue. Those rankings haven't been released yet, but USCA figures to be somewhere among the top three or four schools on that list. Lincoln Memorial, ranked No. 5 in the country, will probably be at the top of the list, but USCA still has an outside shot at catching the Railsplitters to host the regional. If not, it will be looking for the best possible seed.

On the conference level, the Pacers are trying to maintain their two-game lead over rival Augusta State (12-8, 8-4) in the PBC East.

AASU is thinking only about the conference standings and scratching and clawing for its postseason life. The Pirates (10-10, 6-6) would be left out of the PBC Tournament if the season ended today. Just one game out of the fourth and final spot out of the East, though, AASU could still catch Francis Marion (13-8, 7-5) or UNC Pembroke (13-9, 7-5) with a strong finish.

Players to watch

USCA -- The Pacers have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by junior point guard Re'mon Nelson, who's averaging nearly 12 points per game and leads the team with 45 steals and 71 assists. The other point guard on the USCA roster, senior Sterling Council, has also done his part, averaging 11.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. Joel Gierbolini (7.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg.), Jeremiah Pojah (7.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg.), Maurice Hubbard (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg.) and Rick Alderman (4.2 ppg., 2.1 rpg.) have all made an impact inside, while guard Ronald Zimmerman is one of the PBC's most accurate 3-point shooters, knocking down 45 percent of his long range attempts. Chase Holmes and Jesse Seilern are two other starters that have made significant contributions.

AASU -- Senior guard Chris Vanlandingham is the guy the Pacers have to watch. He's averaging 17.2 points and four assists per game. He's not the only threat, though, as Aric Miller (14.6 ppg.), Muchal Horn (11.6 ppg.), Keyshore Williams (11.6 ppg.) and DeVon Jones (10 ppg.) are all average double figures. Jones, though, is the only big man among that group on a guard-oriented team that didn't have an answer for the Pacers' inside game the last time the two teams met. Williams, in fact, is the team's top rebounder, averaging 8.4 boards per contest.

Series

AASU leads the all-time series between the two schools 23-18. USCA, though, drew a little closer with a 103-81 thrashing of the Pirates on Dec. 14.

Notes

USCA is just 1-2 in its last three road trips, losing at UNC Pembroke and Clayton State. The only win in that stretch came at Montevallo, and it took the Pacers overtime to lock that one up. Each of USCA's four losses this season have come away from the Convocation Center. ... Nelson is just 41 steals away from breaking the school record. He currently has 122 take-aways for his career. ... AASU has won three of its last five games and its last four home games. Overall, the Pirates are 6-5 at home.