Men's Basketball Hits the Road for Thanksgiving Week

LAKELAND, Fla.- The RV Southeastern University men's basketball team has impressed throughout the early goings of the 2021-22 campaign. The Fire stand at 6-0 on the young season and are set for a trio of road contests this week. The Fire take on NCAA Division II Rollins College tonight before heading to Kingsport, Tennessee this weekend for "The Show" Invitational, where they will take on West Virginia Tech and RV Union College.
 
TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 23 | WARDEN ARENA | WINTER PARK, Fla.
Live Video   Live Stats
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. RV Southeastern (6-0) at Rollins College Tars (3-1)
 
SATURDAY-SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 27-28 | KINGSPORT, Tenn.
Live Stats
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. RV Southeastern University Fire (6-0) vs. West Virginia University Institute of Technology Golden Bears (5-2)
Sunday, 12:45 p.m. Southeastern (6-0) vs. RV Union College Bulldogs (5-2)
 
FIRE FOCUS:
-Offensively, the Fire rank top tier in numerous categories on the national scale, coming in at third in three-pointers made per game (12), sixth in field goals made per game (35.5), seventh in team field goal percentage (52.7), and eighth in points per contest (93.8).
-Individually, junior forward Riley Minix averaged a double-double last week through two Sun Conference wins over Coastal Georgia and Thomas. Minix is also averaging a double-double on the season, with per game averages of 20.7 points and 10.8 rebounds.
-Junior shooting guard Reggie Mesidor is second in line for SEU in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 53.3% from behind the arc this season. He is the only player who has sunk a three in all six contests for the Fire this season.
-Defensively, Southeastern ranks seventh in the nation in defensive rebounds per game at 34. SEU's 16.7 average rebound margin per contest ranks fourth in the NAIA. Additionally, the Fire rank seventh nationally in opponent field goal percentage (36%).
 
FIRE ALL-TIME:
-This will mark the third all-time meeting between Southeastern and West Virginia Tech, with the previous two meetings also taking place in Kingsport. The Fire and the Golden Bears split the previous two meetings, with West Virginia Tech winning 83-65 in 2015 and SEU earning a 76-66 win in 2016.
-This is just the second all-time meeting between Southeastern and Union on the hardwood, with the Bulldogs taking the victory 103-79 in 2016.
 
THE TARS:
-Rollins is off to a 4-1 start after only participating in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament during the 2020-21 season.
-The Tars are led offensively by junior guard Kyle Marion, who is averaging 21 points per game and shooting 46.7% (14-30) from behind the arc this season.
-Defensively, Rollins is limiting opponents to just 24.8% (36-145) from three-point land on the year.
 
THE GOLDEN BEARS:
- West Virginia Tech's only two losses this season have come to RV Grace and then No. 1 Shawnee State.
-Senior veteran guard Tamon Scruggs is the catalyst for the Golden Bears' offense, averaging a team-best 18.7 points per game while also leading the squad in rebounds per game (7.0) and steals per game (2.0).
-Junior guard Andrew Work is also averaging double-digit scoring at 12.1 points per game and shooting 55% from the field.
 
THE BULLDOGS:
- Union has won three-straight since suffering an 88-86 double overtime loss to Campbellsville back on November 11.
-The Bulldogs are one of the stingiest teams at defending the perimeter in the country, allowing opponents to shoot just 23.7% from behind the arc this season, which ranks fifth in the NAIA. Additionally, Union leads the nation in blocks per game at 6.7.
-Sophomore guard and reigning member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference All-Defensive Team Andre Silva has continued to assert himself as one of the top big men in the NAIA. The Ipatinga, Brazil native is averaging 13.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.7 blocked shots per game this season.
-The Bulldogs also feature the reigning AAC Player of the Year in sophomore guard Markelle Turner, who is averaging 22.7 points per contest this year which ranks 19^th nationally.