GAME PREVIEW: Gardner-Webb Kicks Off Big South Play At Presbyterian Wednesday
December 01, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes | Live Stats | Video
The Lead - Top Storylines for Wednesday's Game
1. The Matchup
Gardner-Webb enters Big South Conference play following a grueling early-season schedule, which sent the Runnin' Bulldogs on the road for all but one game. Wednesday's matchup is the 43rd all-time meeting between the Runnin' Bulldogs and Presbyterian, with Gardner-Webb emerging victorious from each of the previous four and seven of the last 10 match-ups.
2. Senior Leadership
The Runnin' Bulldog starting five has featured at least four seniors in all but two games this season, with Harold McBride, Dylan Poston, Isaiah Ivey and Herve Aholode playing a big role in getting Gardner-Webb going in each of the team's first five outings. Adonis Burbage has provided a significant scoring spark off the bench in each of the last four games, averaging 11.0 points per game in that span.
3. Craft Era Hits Year Three
Tim Craft enters his third season at the helm of the Gardner-Webb men's basketball program, having led the Runnin' Bulldogs to 38 wins over the past two years. A former assistant with the Runnin' Bulldogs in the mid-2000's, Crafted guided Gardner-Webb to a 20-15 mark last season, including a berth in the Big South semifinals as a No. 7 seed and a trip to the Collegiate Basketball Invitational.
4. Last Time Out - Army-West Point 103, Gardner-Webb 98 (OT)
Army-West Point survived a furious second-half comeback by Gardner-Webb in the championship game of the Barclays Center Classic on Saturday evening, outlasting the Runnin' Bulldogs in an overtime thriller after GWU erased a 20-point deficit in the second half to send the game to an extra period on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Dylan Poston. Harold McBride paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with career-highs of 31 points and eight assists, while Tyrell Nelson and Poston added 20 and 18 points, respectively.
5. Taking a Look At Presbyterian
Presbyterian enters Wednesday evening's contest with a 3-3 overall record that includes early-season wins over USC Upstate (74-73), Toccoa Falls (116-75) and The Citadel (95-79). DeSean Murray leads the line for the Blue Hose in both scoring (19.5) and rebounding (6.0) while connecting on 40-of-60 attempts (66.7%) from the floor this season. Ed Drew and Markus Terry are contributing 12.7 and 9.2 points per game, respectively, for the Blue Hose.
