Trojans find extra incentive for men's conference tournament

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 6, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Nationally-ranked University of Mount Olive carries a target on its back and a chip on its shoulder heading into the Conference Carolinas final four Saturday.

The top-seeded Trojans (27-2 overall) are hunted by three opponents -- King (Tenn.), in-state nemesis Pfeiffer U and North Greenville. Any one of those teams has the chance to claim the tournament crown and automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

UMO has some extra motivation, too.

The Trojans have spent the entire season ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region, but plummeted to No. 3 in the final poll. Head coach Joey Higginbotham attributed the slide to the league's poor strength of schedule compared to the perennially-strong Peach Belt and South Atlantic Conference.

"Frustrating," said Higginbotham, whose team faces Pfeiffer in the first semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday.

"A lot of our teams in the league aren't playing (enough) Division II teams so you don't get credit for it ... doesn't hurt you, but doesn't help you, either. After our regular-season finale at Barton, I said 'we don't need to do anything other than try our best to win this conference tournament.'

"If we win the tournament, we're in."

King (24-5) and North Greenville (20-9) square off in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. The championship is Sunday at 2 p.m.

The first 500 fans to walk into Kornegay Arena will receive a free T-shirt courtesy of final four sponsors Southern Bank and Mount Olive Pickle Company. One lucky fan will be selected to participate in the "Southern Bank Shot" for a chance to win $5,000.

Mount Olive hasn't advanced to the postseason since 2010. Higginbotham isn't convinced his team is a "lock" for the regional this season due to past history when the NCAA snubbed the Trojans -- despite 20-win campaigns against a quality schedule.

"(This final four) is a group of really good teams," Higginbotham said. "Pfeiffer has gotten better throughout the year and other than us, is probably the hottest team in the league (right now). They went 8-2 in February.

"King can beat anybody on any given night. North Greenville's starting five is as good as any starting five in the league."

The Trojans swept Pfeiffer during regular-season play. Higginbotham said his team must be aware of junior guard A.J. Clark, the league's second-leading scorer at 18.5 points per game and a player-of-the-year candidate.

The fourth-seeded Falcons also have 6-foot-3 sophomore Andrew Guerrero, who didn't play in the first meeting against UMO. Guerrero averages 10.3 points is one of eight Pfeiffer players who pull down three-plus rebounds a game.

Higginbotham's luxury has been a balanced offense that has five double-figure scorers -- Dontrell Brite (14.3 points), Jordan McCain (12.7), JaQuan Blount (11.2), Dominique Reed (10.9) and Kendall Hargrove (10.8).

Tayon Gleaves and returning starter John Wieland have shown the ability to knock down the 3-ball, which helps spread opposing defenses and open up the UMO playbook a little more. The Trojans shoot 38.6 percent from 3-point range and nearly 50 percent from the floor overall.

"We'll have to move the ball on offense and get their bigs away from the basket a little bit," Higginbotham said. "It's challenging to score to win because they are by far the biggest team in our league. We'll have to take care of the ball, make a few jump shots and stretch the floor out a little bit."