One team looks like it's back on the upswing. The other is still trying to find the right lineup among the hundreds that are mathematically possible.
When the University of Charleston men's basketball team, winners of three straight, visits West Virginia State, losers of six of its last seven, at 7:30 tonight, the Yellow Jackets (5-10, 3-7 Mountain East) will try to reverse their recent fortunes against the Golden Eagles (9-7, 6-4 MEC). UC has taken six of the last seven games from State.
To do that, State coach Bryan Poore has continued searching for the right mix of players to put on the floor. According to the Yellow Jackets' stats, State has put 110 different player combinations on the floor this season.
"I had my son work on it, and if you have 12 players on a team, which we've had at one point in time or another, I think there are 792 possible combinations," Poore said.
Which players will be at Poore's disposal tonight remains up in the air. Guard Brent Bauer missed the last two games with strep throat and Poore hopes he'll be ready. Forward Ron Whaley is trying to recover from a back injury that has left him day to day.
One player definitely unavailable is Robert Fomby, a forward Poore dismissed from the team Monday. He had sat out a five-game stretch for team rule violations, returned to register 36 points with 16 rebounds against Glenville State in a slump-snapping win, but didn't make it to the next game.
Losing Fomby eliminates 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. It also eliminates some of the grit that Poore has wanted his team to exhibit this season. He wants the remaining members of the roster to reclaim some of that.
"We've got to come to grips with our identity, and I don't think we've completely accepted that," Poore said. "We need to be a more attacking, get-to-the-rim team, and we've got a mentality sometimes that we're a 3-point shooting team. We've just got to get the toughness to defend and rebound better."
UC knows exactly the type of team it is. The Golden Eagles lead the MEC in fewest points allowed (67.9 per game) and field goal percentage defense (41.2 percent allowed). In its last three wins, Charleston limited Shepherd, West Virginia Wesleyan and Glenville State to 51, 45 and 66 points, respectively.
"I think UC is the best defensive team in the league," Poore said. "UC has better athletes playing defense. They just guard you. I'm really impressed with their ability to guard and rebound."
The Golden Eagles found their shooting form as well in their win Monday over Glenville State. UC made a season-high 14 3-pointers in 26 attempts, a 53.8-percent clip. UC coach Dwaine Osborne hopes it might be the turning point for his team, that it can combine suffocating defense with accurate shooting to keep its winning streak alive.
"I hope that it's coming together at the right time," Osborne said. "You're trying to get to where you're playing well at the end of January, start of February. I feel like that's where you really want to hit your stride."
Osborne doesn't think the Golden Eagles have hit their stride just yet, but they're getting there. He has three players averaging double figures, led by Aleksander Kesic's 12.6 points per game. Yet Osborne isn't walking into the Walker Convocation Center expecting an easy win. The Yellow Jackets still have Markee Mazyck, scoring 21.8 points per game, and freshman Frank Webb is becoming a valued asset, averaging 11.3.
Webb bounced back from a knee sprain suffered against Fairmont State that led him to miss one game. Plus Keith Harris - whose 7.7 points per game is fourth-best on State's roster and whose 5.2 rebounds per game is the best among remaining players - is back in the lineup
"[Tonight's game] is going to be difficult, if for no other reason that it's a rivalry game," Osborne said. "I have a lot of respect for Bryan. He's done a great job over a lot of years there. I think, with those guys back, it'll be all we want. They'll give us all we can handle."