Kentucky State University men’s basketball will square off with rival Central State University on Saturday evening at the Exum Center for homecoming.
The Thorobreds (8-13, 6-7) are coming off a three-game stretch of two overtime losses, but most recently notched a win on the road at Spring Hill College. On the west side of the SIAC standings, KSU sits at the No. 2 position with the second most wins against conference opponents, with only Lane College totaling more.
The Marauders (8-16, 5-9) have dropped four of their last five contest, recording their lone win against LeMoyne-Owen College on Feb. 6, 71-63.
The first contest of the season between the two bitter rivals was on Jan. 21 as CSU came away with the 118-80 victory. Dwight Richards Jr. led the way for the hosting Marauders with a 31-point performance. Senior forward Julius Barton and junior guard Dorian Jordan paved the way for the Thorobreds as they tried to keep the game within striking distance, but the offensive onslaught proved to be too much for the visiting . Barton finished the day with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan accounted for 17 points and seven assists.
Jordan currently leads the SIAC in assists per game with seven and leads the conference in total assists at 148, while averaging 17 points per game.
Much like most of the season, KSU remains to be the top team in the SIAC in offense, averaging over 87 points per game, recording nine more points than anyone else in the conference. Senior guard Malcolm Smith continues to lead the conference in scoring with 22 points per game, a ranking he has held since week two of the season.
Saturday’s matchup will tip off at 6:00 p.m. and the game is expected to be sell out. For fans who wish to watch but aren’t able to attend, the game will broadcast live on the Thorobred Sports Network.
by Eric Matthews