LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine men's basketball team will not be afforded much of a Thanksgiving break this year as the Knights swing into action on Friday and Saturday at Southern Indiana's 6th Annual Bill Joergens Memorial Classic.
Bellarmine will play in the first game both days of the event with tipoff scheduled for 5:15 p.m. CST (6:15 EST). On Friday, the Knights face Philander Smith, an NAIA team out of the Gulf Coast Conference, and the following night Bellarmine takes on the Cavaliers of Virginia-Wise—also an NAIA team. The host Screaming Eagles will play the same opponents on the opposite nights in the second game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (CST) starts.
The Knights come into the Joergens Classic 2-0 on the season and ranked No. 5 nationally in the first NABC regular season poll of 2012-13 (complete poll below). A frequent guest at the USI annual event, Bellarmine has enjoyed success in previous Joergens classics. The Knights have played in all five previous events with an 8-2 overall record.
Bellarmine newcomer Vance Hall, a junior transfer from Wright State, comes into this weekend's play after having made an immediate impact by averaging 24.5 points a game in the Knights' first two games and winning Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week honors in the process.
Basketball Times preseason All-America Chris Dowe also has been a leader for the Knights. In the opener against Wayne State, the senior guard pumped in 18 points and led the way on the backboards in the Grand Valley contest with a game-high 10 rebounds.
In Philander Smith, Bellarmine will face a 4-2 team that is coming in on a three-game winning streak. The Panthers feature two players averaging more than 20 points a game with 6-5 forward leading the way with a 24.5 points per game average. Clayton Busby, a 6-7 guard, adds 20.8 points a game while junior forward Jaron Egbe is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per contest.
On Saturday, the Knights will battle Virginia-Wise out of the Louisville-headquartered Mid-South Conference. The Cavaliers are 3-4 going into their game against USI and have three players averaging in double digits, led by 6-3 sophomore guard Javon Moore, who also leads the team in rebounding with a 7.6 rpg average.
Both games will be carried on the radio. Friday's action will air on WFIA 94.7-FM (DELAYED BROADCAST TO BEGIN AT 7 PM), and Saturday's game will see the Knights' broadcast return to WGTK 970-AM and be broadcast live at 6:15 p.m. (EST). The Louisville Catholic Sports Network productions will feature Nick Curran and Mark Bugg calling the action.
GAME NOTES
NABC/Division II Top 25 Poll (Nov. 20, 2012)
1. West Liberty
2. Washburn
3. Metropolitan State
4. Alabama-Huntsville
5. Bellarmine
6. Western Washington
7. Seattle Pacific
8. Franklin Pierce
9. Southern Indiana
10. Saint Leo
11. Winona State
12. Christian Brothers
13. Findlay
14. Lincoln Memorial
15. Barton
16. Chico State
17. Stonehill
18. Cal Poly Pomona
19. Indiana (Pa.)
20. West Texas A&M
21. Montevallo
22. Florida Southern
23. Winston-Salem State
24. Northwest Missouri St.
25. Kentucky Wesleyan
