FRANKFORT, Ky. – And then there were two as third-seeded University of Pikeville and No. 1-seed Life (Ga.) are set to meet for the 2017 Mid-South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship today at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Frankfort Convention Center.
The game can be watched live online, on iOS or on Roku at Backlight TV, with a radio call also available on Z1075 FM in Pikeville or streaming online.
For UPIKE (26-6) to capture its fourth MSC Tournament title in program history, it will have to beat a Life (21-10) team that it lost to twice during the regular season. The Running Eagles topped the Bears 70-59 on the first day of December in Marietta, Ga., before adding a 77-64 road win in Pikeville on Feb. 4 on their way to the MSC Regular-Season Championship.
But Pikeville wouldn't be in the title game if it hadn't done the same thing on Saturday, beating a Georgetown team that it not only lost to twice this season, but had lost to in its previous five meetings. Life, on the other hand, overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5-seed Lindsey Wilson 98-97 in overtime.
The Bears are 3-2 all time in the championship game of the tournament with wins in 2014, 2003 and 2001. Life is playing in just its third MSC Tournament after joining the league for the 2014-15 season and had lost in the first round the prior two years. UPIKE is 19-13 all time in the MSC Tournament, including the 74-67 win over Georgetown in Saturday's semifinals.
A win in the championship game on Sunday will give the winner the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship in Kansas City, Mo. However, both teams are expected to earn a bid regardless of the outcome as UPIKE is currently ranked eighth in the NAIA Top 25 and Life is ranked 20th.
Since the Running Eagles joined the MSC, the Bears are 3-3 against them, while in the last 10 meetings, UPIKE is 6-4, including winning both matchups last season. Life comes into the finals on an 11-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 28. That includes eight wins against conference teams, including ranked opponents Cumberlands, UPIKE and Georgetown.
Life, which ranks 14 nationally in 3s made, is led by MSC Player of the Year Dalarian Williams and his 21.5 points per game which are the sixth most in the NAIA. Zach Landis is the defensive stopper, leading the nation in steals per game at 2.7 and pulling down an NAIA 10th best 6.7 defensive rebounds per contest.
The Running Eagles are scoring about 79 points per game while allowing 72 and are outshooting opponents from the 3-point line 37 to 31 percent. Eyes will be on Williams throughout the game as he has followed up his player of the year award with 21 points in the quarterfinals against Shawnee State (Ohio) and 43 in the overtime win over Lindsey Wilson.
UPIKE, which ranks fifth in scoring defense (64.1) hasn't been bad lately either, winning eight of its last nine, including a current six-game winning streak. Darrion Leslie (14.1) and Jordan Perry (10.2) have been the offensive leaders and Rze Culbreath has picked up the pace defensively, coming into Sunday with a team-leading 47 steals on the season.
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