Tim Carter is hoping and praying...and for good reason.
The South Carolina State Bulldogs will host the Virginia Military Institute tonight at 7:30 p.m., and when the Keydets take the floor they will be bringing the highest scoring offense in the nation with them.
Before losing to Army on Saturday, the Keydets set a school record by beating Columbia Union by 65 points (156-91). Going against a team with that capability while holding its opponents to a 51 percent field goal rate, Carter knows that VMI will keep his team busy on both sides of the court.
"You've got to put together two halves because a team like VMI that shoots the basketball as well as they shoot and from as deep as they shoot it--you could have a 20-point lead and lose the ball game without blinking," Carter said.
VMI, who averages just over 106 points per game, will be led by senior forward Reggie Williams. At 6-6, Williams owns the VMI and Big South record for most points in a season. In fact, Williams led the nation last season (28.1) and is currently one of the nation's top 10 scorers.
"He's an exceptional shooter," Carter said. "(He's) an exceptional one-on-one player, and we're going to have our hands full."
Although their last two contests went to overtime, Carter feels that fatigue won't be a factor. However, matching the Keydets' energy will be.
"They're going to play hard for 40 minutes," Carter said. "They're going to play 10 or 11 guys strong and that's going to be the main issue."
The VMI defense is nothing to overlook either. The Keydets average nearly 16 steals per game. With that in mind, SCSU is looking to avoid the turnover bug.
"We've got to keep the turnovers pretty low," Carter said, "because they've done a great job of forcing turnovers with teams that they've played against."
Before Carter and the men go for their third win of the season, the Lady Bulldogs will be in action at home this afternoon against Presbyterian College in a game that is set to begin at 5:30. The matchup will be the first of nine straight home games for head coach Tonya Mackey and her team.
The Lady Bulldogs (2-4) are coming off a 74-52 win over Winston-Salem State this past weekend. Senior center Jenell Moore had a team-high 18 points in their second win of the season.
SCSU will be facing a Presbyterian squad that is coming off a 74-51 loss to the College of Charleston. Led by Sharie Hopkins, a junior point guard who averages just under 13 points per game, the Lady Blue Hose look to bounce back and end a seven-game losing streak.
-- T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com. --