GAME PREVIEW: Runnin' Bulldogs Battle Tigers Wednesday
December 15, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes | Live Stats | Video
The Lead - Top Storylines for Wednesday's Game
1. The Matchup
Gardner-Webb and LSU meet for the second straight season on Wednesday evening as both teams enter the contest with four wins thus far. The Tigers rallied with a big second half in last season's opener, erasing a 43-42 halftime deficit with a 22-9 run over the first six minutes of the final period. 2015 draft picks Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey each poured in 21 points to lead four LSU players in double figures in last season's matchup, as opposed to a combined 41 points for Gardner-Webb's tandem of Jerome Hill and Tyrell Nelson.
2. Senior Leadership
The Runnin' Bulldog starting five has featured at least three seniors in every game 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 10 outings. Adonis Burbage has provided a significant scoring spark off the bench in each of the last seven games, averaging 10.9 points per contest while knocking down 45.9 percent of his attempts from three-point range.
3. Craft Era Hits Year Three
Tim Craft is in 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 - Gardner-Webb 73, Furman 53
Gardner-Webb rebounded with an emphatic 20-point win at Furman on Saturday, punctuated by a highlight-reel alley-oop slam by Tyrell Nelson in the waning moments to cap a 14-point effort. Adonis Burbage led all scorers with 16 points - including 13 overall and eight straight in the second half - to put the game out of reach. The Runnin' Bulldogs connected on 57 percent (28-of-49) from the floor on the night while holding Furman to a 39.2 percent clip from the field.
5. Taking a Look At LSU
LSU - ranked 21st in the Associated Press Preseason Poll - has stumbled a bit in its last five games after starting the season 3-0, falling to Marquette, NC State and College of Charleston before a 119-108 overtime loss dropped the Tigers to 4-4 on Sunday afternoon. SEC Preseason Player of the Year Ben Simmons leads the line for the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding, entering Wednesday's contest averaging a double-double at 19.0 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.
