Sunday, November 18th, 7:30 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Carlson Center (5,703) -- Fairbanks, Alaska. Television: None. Home Record: IUPUI 1-0, Alaska 3-1. Away Record: IUPUI 0-1, Alaska 0-1. Neutral Record: IUPUI 1-1, Alaska 0-0. Conference Record: IUPUI 0-0, Alaska 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: In the final round of action at the BP Top of the World Classic, the Alaska Nanooks will host the IUPUI Jaguars at the Carlson Center. After opening the tournament with a 75-73 loss to Portland State, the Jags captured a convincing, 80-54 victory over USC Upstate. It was the second victory of the season for IUPUI, which also defeated IU-South Bend, 96-61, earlier in the month. As for the Nanooks, they snapped a small two-game losing skid with a thrilling, 62-60 victory over Oregon State. It was a much needed win for the Nanooks, who opened their Classic with a 78-64 loss to Tennessee State. This will be the first time IUPUI and Alaska will square off on the hardwood.

The Jaguars exploded offensively in their recent win over USC Upstate, as the team shot a sizzling 51.8 percent from the field, and also connected on 17- of-20 attempts from the foul line. IUPUI only committed 10 turnovers in the contest, and also dominated the glass, 38-26. Gary Patterson and George Hill both are leading this squad with 16.5 ppg, and in the win over the Spartans, the two both put forth solid efforts. Patterson led the way with 18 points, while Hill added 17, on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Jon Avery, who is third on the team with 16.0 ppg, added 15 points off the bench, while Austin Montgomery chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds. As a group thus far, the Jags have been dangerous offensively, as the team is producing 79.2 ppg, while shooting an impressive 50.9 percent form the field.

Although the Nanooks were victorious last night over Oregon State, the team continues to struggle offensively, as the squad shot a meager 37.5 percent from the field, which also included a terrible 4-of-13 clip from behind the arc. The Nanooks also missed 16 free throws in the contest, connecting on just 22-of-38 attempts. Mladen Begojevic led the team with 17 points, while Keven Campbell added 15 points in just 21 minutes of action. As for the team's leading scorer, Kevin Atkins (15.4), he was just 3-of-6 from the field and finished the game with a mere six points. Atkins did however, grab six rebounds and collect four steals.

It was a solid victory for the Nanooks last night, but the team will face a much more dangerous offensive team in IUPUI, and running with the Jags won't be easy.

Predicted Outcome

IUPUI 76, Alaska 69