Thursday, February 28th, 7:05 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: McAlister Field House (6,000) -- Charleston, South Carolina. Television: None. Home Record: Furman 5-6, The Citadel 6-9. Away Record: Furman 0-12, The Citadel 0-11. Neutral Record: Furman 1-3, The Citadel 0-1. Conference Record: Furman 5-13, The Citadel 1-17. Series Record: Furman leads, 109-78.

GAME NOTES: Long-time rivals will collide on the hardwood tonight in Charleston, as The Citadel Bulldogs host the Furman Paladins in a Southern Conference showdown at McAlister Field House. It's been a tough season for Furman, as the Paladins come in toting a miserable 6-21 overall ledger, and a 5-13 mark in SoCon play. The Paladins have dropped six of their last 10 outings, including a 90-77 final at Appalachian State last Thursday night. Things have been equally rough for The Citadel in 2007-08, as the Bulldogs are one of the youngest teams in the nation. The Citadel has 13 freshmen on its roster, and usually features five rookies in the starting lineup, and come into tonight's tilt sporting an identical 6-21 record. The Bulldogs have suffered defeat in nine of their last 10 contests, including three straight, and most recently fell to Western Carolina in a 61-42 final to drop to 1-17 in league action. Tonight marks the 188th meeting between the Paladins and Bulldogs, with the former laying claim to a 109-78 advantage.

The Paladins are shooting just 40.5 percent from the field as a team this season, and average a mere 61.8 ppg as a result. Opponents are tallying 72.2 ppg against Furman, which pulls down 30.8 rpg and has recorded just 156 steals. Alex Opacic paces the club in both scoring (10.8 ppg) and on the boards (5.0 rpg), while Justin Dehm checks in as the only other double-digt scorer with his 10.3 ppg. Furman shot a respectable 45.9 percent from the field during last Thursday's 13-point loss at ASU, but the Paladins committed 13 turnovers and were beaten on the glass, 41-31. Furman allowed ASU to shoot at a 48.6 percent clip, including 11-of-22 from beyond the arc, while the Paladins converted just 7-of-20 of its own attempts from long range. George Brozos scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to pace Furman, while Noah States and Alex Opacic tallied 16 and 13 points, respectively.

The Citadel shot a miserable 31.9 percent from the floor in Saturday's loss to Western Carolina, including a paltry 8-of-21 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs lost the battle on the boards by a devastating 45-21 margin, and the team made just five trips to the foul line. Zach Urbanas was the lone Bulldog to reach double figures, posting a game-high 23 points in the losing effort. The Bulldogs are shooting a mediocre 40.8 percent from the field this season, and as a result average just 63.5 ppg. Cameron Wells drives The Citadel offense, tallying 14.0 ppg to go with 5.0 rpg. Dahn and Urbanas also boast double-digit scoring averages, chipping in 11.9 and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

Both teams are young and have struggled to reach an even keel this season, so this one is essentially a coin flip. Give a slight advantage to The Citadel at home, as the Paladins have yet to register a road victory this year.

Predicted Outcome

The Citadel 68, Furman 63