PREVIEW: Higginbotham notes parity plays huge factor in league this season

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 1, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Think there is a clear-cut choice to claim the 2016 Conference Carolinas men's basketball tournament championship this season?

Think again.

Parity has been prevalent in the league. Five of the eight qualifying teams have gone 5-5 over their last 10 games. Just two teams -- regular-season champ King (Tenn.) and Pfeiffer U have posted winning records.

A further look reveals that a total of eight losses separated the eight of the 11 teams from the top spot. The Nos. 2 and 7 seeds for this year's tournament, which tips off today at four different sites, were determined by a total of four games.

The uncertainly is enough to put a lump in any coach's throat.

"In my 20 years here at Mount Olive, as a coach and player -- honestly -- I can say that anybody can win this conference tournament," head coach Joey Higginbotham said. "(And) we've got just as good a chance as anybody. We've got to take it one game at a time and not look ahead."

Fourth-seeded University of Mount Olive (16-12 overall) entertains fifth-seeded Pfeiffer (14-14) at Kornegay Arena. The opening tip is 7 p.m.

In other first-round games: reigning tournament champ North Greenville visits top-seeded King; Limestone travels to Lees-McRae and Erskine is the guest of Barton. Semifinal-round play is Saturday.

The two survivors meet Sunday to determine the automatic qualifier to the Southeast Regional. King (22-6) and Barton (18-10) entered the week ranked among the region's top 10 teams.

Stranger things have happened in this tournament.

"We're going to be ready," said Higginbotham, whose team lost both regular-season meetings to Pfeiffer.

"I was proud to win on senior night (last Friday) to give these guys (the five seniors) another game in their building. (But) we've got to get effort from some other guys to make this run."

The Trojans' bench -- Tayon Gleaves, Emmanuel Patton, Mykel Hart and Jamaal Matin -- combined for 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Gleaves knocked down 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor.

Higginbotham said his team will need that kind of efficiency against the Falcons, who are athletic and have some length in the paint. Rebounding is paramount along with limiting turnovers.

UMO committed just six turnovers and logged 18 assists as a team on 30 made field goals in its regular-season finale against Erskine -- a 74-59 win.

"We know we're going to take some jump shots and as long as we take good jump shots, I can live with them," Higginbotham said. "If we're taking bad jump shots, that's when we're putting so much pressure on our defense. We can't go empty on offense because that really kills your defense."

Pfeiffer allows 75.4 points a game -- seventh-best in the league.

The offense is sparked by three players -- Andrew Guerrero (16.4 points), De'Vonte Jenkins (13.2) and Josh Calhoun (12.4). The trio combined to score 47 of the Falcons' 78 points in their previous meeting against the Trojans.

Jenkins leads the conference with seven rebounds a game.

"We've got to keep the ball out of the paint, we've got to rebound and we have to care (of the ball)," Higginbotham said. "We can't get caught up in the chaos when they drive to the basket. They're big, athletic ... have gotten better as the year has gone on."