December has barely begun, but Florida Southern is alreadyplaying its first Sunshine State Conference game of the season. The Moccasins will travel to Miami Shores this weekend for a date with Barry University and a matchup between two teams with 5-0 records. A win by the Mocs will likely keep them in the top five of the national rankings for a third straight week, while a win by the Buccaneers could put them in the poll for the first time since the end of 2007.
Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #15, John Thompson (17.2 ppg., 8.0 rebs., 1.2 asts., .706 fg%)
F, #32, A.J. Hawkins (5.0 ppg. 3.8 rebs., .667 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (14.0 pts., 5.0 rebs., 5.8 asts., .600 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (15.0 pts., 2.4 rebs., 2.6 asts., .655 3-pt.%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (13.2 pts., 3.2 rebs., 7.2 asts., 2.2 steals)
Barry Probable Starters:
F, #32, Willie Whitfield (12.0 ppg., 8.3 rebs., 2.8 blocks., .583 fg%)
F, #24, Julien Bendeke (3.8 ppg., 3.4 rebs.)
G, #21, Erick Nsangou (21.5 ppg., 6.5 rebs., 3.0 asts., .586 fg%)
G, #22, Tony Dennison (20.4 ppg., 5.0 rebs., 2.8 asts., .522 fg%)
G, #23, Zack Trapp (8.0 ppg., 2.4 rebs., 3.0 asts., .417 3-pt.%)
SERIES HISTORY VS. BARRY... Florida Southern is 37-11 all-time against Barry and swept the Buccaneers last year. That included a 79-66 victory in Miami Shores that represented the most points Barry allowed all season. Overall, Florida Southern has won the last four meetings, with both of last year's games decided by 13 points.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... In winning their first five games of the season, the Moccasins are averaging 97.2 points per game, shooting 54 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range. While starting 5-0 for the first time under Linc Darner, the two-time defending SSC champions are actually looking to win their conference opener for the first time in four years. To accomplish that, they have a variety of weapons at their disposal. John Thompson dominated the first two games with 47 points and 22 rebounds; Terry Jenkins scored 47 in the next two games, while going 11-for-15 from behind the 3-point arc; and Brandon Jenkins led the Mocs with 26 points in the most recent win at Armstrong Atlantic State. Thompson is the only player to have scored in double figures in every game, but eight players have done so at least once, including David Wood with two such games off the bench. Defensively, Florida Southern is forcing nearly 20 turnovers per game, and averaging nearly 29 points off those turnovers. The Mocs also have one player approaching a career milestone, as Rion Rayfield needs just 25 points to reach 1,000 in his career. He recently set the school's career 3-point record, and followed that with 31 points and 17 assists in the Mocs' two road games against USC-Aiken and Armstrong Atlantic State.
ABOUT BARRY... The Bucs were 13-15 a year ago, but won five of their last six games to finish 8-8 in the SSC. With four returning starters and eight returning lettermen, the Bucs have carried that late-season momentum into this year and are off to their best start in seven years. They'll be playing their second nationally ranked team of the season, after beating then-21st ranked West Virginia State, 90-70, last Saturday. Prior to that, Barry also defeated Catawba in overtime, a team that won 22 games in 2009, and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Region semifinals. Willie Whitfield starred in both of those wins, averaging 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while going 15-for-23 from the floor. That earned him SSC Player-of-the-Week honors. He sat out Tuesday's game against Palm Beach Atlantic with the flu, but replacement Marvin Davis scored 15 points with four rebounds and two blocks. As a team, Barry is shooting just under 50 percent, while holding their opponents to 39 percent shooting; that includes just 17 percent by opposing shooters from behind the 3-point arc. Offensively, Barry has two players averaging better than 20 points per game, and though the Bucs rank eighth in the SSC in 3-point field goals per game, they do have the league's top 3-point shooter in Evan White, who is 10-for-15 while averaging 8.0 points per game off the bench.
