Tallahassee opens PC slate at arch-rival Chipola

The doubleheader tips off at 6:30 p.m. eastern with women's action followed by the men's game at 8:30 p.m. Both games will air live, courtesy of Panhandle Sports Broadcasting, at www.PSBlive.com.

Saturday opens the PC's 12-game league schedule, which ends with a berth in the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Tournament for the men's and women's champion and runners-up, as well as the women's third-place team. Adding a little extra intrigue to this year's conference slate is an expanded NJCAA tournament field – from 16 to 24 teams in both the men's and women's tournament. Thus, Saturday is the first of what should be numerous opportunities for Tallahassee to build a resume worthy of entering the discussion for one of four national at-large berths when March Madness ensues.

Entering conference play, all five Panhandle teams are ranked in the FCSAA men's and women's coaches' polls while Chipola (No. 3) and Northwest Florida State College (No. 10) are ranked nationally on the men's side and all but Pensacola State College can be found in the women's national rankings – No. 3 Northwest Florida State, No. 9 Gulf Coast State College, No. 12 Chipola and No. 22 Tallahassee.

The remaining four additional NJCAA Tournament berths will be determined through a four-year cycle of zone rotations, a process that will not impact Florida's men's and women's teams in 2013.

Men's preview

Tallahassee will put its four-game winning streak on the line against Chipola, who is one win away from likely earning a No. 1 ranking in the national poll. The Indians, who went into the holiday break ranked No. 3 in the NJCAA poll, are poised to take advantage of late December losses by No. 1 South Plains (Texas) College and No. 2 Howard (Texas) College.

Since dropping consecutive games at the Florida College's Men's Basketball Shootout on December 8-9, Tallahassee has won its last four by an average of 20.0 points. At last weekend's Comfort Inn Holiday Classic, the Eagles knocked off previously undefeated East Georgia State College and reigning NJCAA Region 17 Champion Gordon (Ga.) State College to run their win streak to four games.

Tallahassee is averaging 83.2 points per game, led by freshman guard Trevor McDade's 17.6 points per game. He scored a career-high 34 points in the December 28 win against East Georgia State and followed it up with 18 the next night against Gordon State. Those numbers helped him earn NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors on Thursday.

In true Eddie Barnes' fashion, McDade is one of our four players scoring in double-figures for Tallahassee. Sophomore forward C.J. Washington, a UAB signee, is averaging 15.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Curtis Diamond scores 13.4 points per game and freshman guard Jon Hood is chipping in with 10.6 points per game.

Sophomore guard Bernard Kline leads the Eagles' reserves, scoring 9.3 points per game.

Since 2005, the first meeting of the year between Tallahassee and Chipola has been a true indicator of how the season series plays out. One team or the other has enjoyed a season sweep for eight straight seasons – six by Chipola (2005-07, 2009, 2011-12), two by Tallahassee (2008, 2010). Toss in a Chipola victory over Tallahassee in the 2007 NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Tournament and the Lady Indians have won 19 of the last 25 meetings against the Lady Eagles.

Needless to say, Saturday is an opportunity for Tallahassee to break Chipola's recent dominance in the series, while looking for a signature win to usher in the 2013 PC season.

Tallahassee saw its six-game winning streak snapped on December 28 in a 65-50 loss at home to Georgia Perimeter College, but the Lady Eagles got back on track the next evening, yielding a school-record 29 points to the College of Central Florida in a 75-29 win.

Sophomore guard Jeraldine Campbell leads four double-figure scorers for Tallahassee, averaging 14.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Alexis Grant and freshman forward Sophia da Silva average 10.3 points per game. Seven other players score at least four points per game, paced by freshman guard Addesha Collins' 9.1 points per game.