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Florida Southern first of key games for UT

TAMPA -- Late January usually brings two things to Sunshine State Conference men's basketball: a tightening of the standings and a showdown or two between the University of Tampa and Florida Southern.

Everything is on track as the Spartans and Moccasins prepare for their matchup Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

As usual, UT and Florida Southern are playing solid basketball, but as has become tradition the past few seasons, Eckerd has crashed the party, making it a threesome atop the SSC standings.

"Well, it goes back a ways with us and Florida Southern," Spartans coach Richard Schmidt said. "And it's always a tough game between us."

UT, Florida Southern and Eckerd topped 20 wins overall last year, including 10 league victories. The trio advanced to the NCAA Division II South Region tournament and began the 2001-02 season with high expectations. So far, it has lived up to them. UT, riding a seven-game winning streak, is undefeated in SSC play and 15-1 overall. The Spartans are ranked sixth nationally in the NABC Division II poll and are third in the South Region poll. Florida Southern and Eckerd, meanwhile, are a game back in the conference standings at 4-1. Eckerd is fifth in the region poll and Florida Southern is ninth.

"Eckerd is really a good basketball team," said Schmidt, whose Spartans beat Eckerd once in three tries a season ago. "I'm a little surprised Southern beat them as well as they did the other night (86-78)."

So with the rivals nipping at each other's heels, UT's normally intense meeting with the Moccasins takes on added importance -- especially with the Spartans heading to St. Petersburg next Wednesday to face the Tritons. A miscue during this stretch of games could suddenly leave UT looking up at its league rivals.

Both squads come into Saturday's game on streaks.

Florida Southern has tallied four wins in a row after dropping its SSC opener by 11 points to Barry on Jan. 9. Since then, FSC has been untouched, winning four conference games by an average of 19 points.

Along the way, Moccasins junior forward Christophe Humbert has lived up to his preseason All-America hype, averaging 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks per game. Florida Southern is also getting production from senior forward Derek Heard and senior guard Cedric Powell, who have combined for 25 points per outing. But the Spartans aren't without their own weapons.

Seniors Jon Brown and Gecarri Freeman are leading UT with 14 and 12 points per game, and center Sylvere Bryan is averaging eight points and eight rebounds. Bryan had a 20-point effort in UT's 82-58 trouncing of Florida Tech on Wednesday.

But the Spartans are limited by injuries. Forward James Mereus is out with a broken foot, forward Will Gregory is out at least a week with a sore knee and guard Peter Howard is still nursing a leg stress fracture. However, Earnest Williams and Elijah Piazza have helped fill the void, each averaging nine points a contest.

"We're not at full strength and haven't been for a while," said Schmidt, whose team has won its past two games against Florida Southern. "But the good thing is there is a long way to go still.

"Nothing is set yet. There is a lot of basketball still to be played this year."

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