Coming off a thrilling win over Wheeling, Tiffin men's basketball looks to ride that momentum into conference play with contests at Trevecca Nazarene and Ketucky Wesleyan this weekend.
Game Information:
Tiffin Dragons (5-3, 0-0 GMAC) at
Trevecca Nazarene Trojans (0-7, 0-0 GMAC)
Thursday, Dec. 5 | 8:45 p.m. ET
Nashville, Tenn. | Trojan Fieldhouse
Video | Live Stats
Tiffin Dragons (5-3, 0-0 GMAC) at
Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (1-5, 0-0 GMAC)
Saturday, Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Owensboro, Ky. | Owensboro Sportscenter
Video | Live Stats
Dragon Details:
Tiffin went 1-1 at the KWC Thansgiving Classic last weekend, falling to Auburn-Montgomery before knocking off previously unbeated Wheeling 77-74 on last-second heroics from freshman Trent Williams. With that victory, the Dragons have now won five of their last six contests.
The Dragons enter the weekend leading the conference with a +4.3 turnover margin, forcing 19.38 turnovers per game (12th nationally, 1st GMAC) and also leading the GMAC with 9.4 steals per game.
Tiffin has four players averaging double figures, led by Jairus Stevens at 16.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. Joshua Williams is next with 13.9 points per game, followed by a pair of freshmen in Wesley Jordan (11.5 points per game) and Trent Williams (11.0 points per game).
Scouting the Trojans:
Trevecca Nazarene has stumbled into the 2019-20 season, falling in each of their seven games. The closest defeat came last week at Concordia University, where they fell 82-76. The Trojans were picked one spot below the Dragons in the GMAC poll, slotting in second from the bottom in 11th.
TNU and TU have face off three times in program histories, with two coming last season and the teams splitting the meetings. Tiffin won 100-91 at home on Dec. 8 before falling 83-74 in Nashville on Feb. 7.
Austin Wills leads the team with 12.9 points per game, and Reed Smith is the only other Trojan averaging double figures in scoring with 10.1 points per game. Smith is also second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game, with Adam Webb leading at 4.8 boards per game.
Scouting the Panthers:
Kentucky Wesleyan has opened with just one win in six games, defeating Oakland City on Nov. 20. Last week, they fell to both Auburn-Montgomery and Wheeling. The Panthers will have a lot to prove in conference play after being picked to finish seventh.
Tiffin and KWC have faced off eight times in program histories, with the Panthers holding a 7-1 record in the series. However, the Dragons got their win in the most recent matchup on Feb. 9 in Owensboro, 85-81. Current sophomore Thomas Hickman had one of his best outings as a freshman with 20 points, three boards, and four assists.
Adam Goetz leads the team with 15.2 points per game, coming in as the only Panther averaging over ten points per contest while also leading the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Jo Griffin is next with 9.7 points per game, followed by Mohamed Abu Arisha at 8.3 points per game.