March is still a long ways off, but the Lipscomb men’s basketball team has consistently appeared in various predictions for the Big Dance.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed the Bisons as a No. 12 seed playing Villanova in Salt Lake City. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm also tabbed Lipscomb as a No. 12 seed, but he had the Bisons playing North Carolina in San Jose.
SB Nation will release its new projections on Tuesday, but the Bisons were listed as a No. 2 seed in the NIT in last week’s edition.
Bisons land at No. 46 in NET rankings; still rank high in mid-major polls
The latest NET rankings have Lipscomb at No. 46 in the country – slightly down from its previous ranking of No. 39 on Jan. 17. But that is still good for second-best in the state behind No. 4 Tennessee.
The Bisons are also No. 10 in SB Nation’s Mid-Major Madness poll and No. 8 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Greg Jones likely to miss rest of season
Coach Casey Alexander confirmed that guard Greg Jones is expected to miss the remainder of the year with a knee injury that will require surgery.
The sophomore last played on Dec. 12 at Louisville and only appeared in nine games this season. The news is especially crushing because Alexander believed Jones was heading for a “breakout” campaign.
“He had a great preseason in the summer and fall, and he played with great confidence,” Alexander said. “He made great contributions as a sub off the bench early in the year. But he’s got some great days ahead.”
Alexander said he is hopeful Jones will receive a medical redshirt from the NCAA to salvage his sophomore year of eligibility.
Mathews receives 2,000th-point ball
In a brief pregame ceremony, senior Garrison Mathews received a commemorative basketball to document his 2,000th career point. He is Lipscomb’s leading scorer in the NCAA Division I era with 2,042 career points.
The guard went 10-for-13 at the charity stripe to finish with 25 points against in an 86-57 victory over Kennesaw State Monday night. He had a career-high 43 points against the Owls last January.
“It always helps when Gary gets going early,” Alexander said. “He played aggressively on offense, and that’s what he has to do.”
Fleming returns to action, Pepper sports knee brace
Junior guard Andrew Fleming returned to the court after missing the team’s last three contests with an ankle sprain he suffered in pregame shootaround on Jan. 9. The Nashville native played seven minutes against the Owls and recorded three rebounds and a steal.
“We tried to be a little conservative with him, but it’s good to have him back and hopefully those seven minutes helped get him back into [the groove],” Alexander said.
Meanwhile, forward Eli Pepper wore a knee brace on his left leg, which he injured against Stetson on Jan. 12. Pepper hasn’t missed a game due to injury, and he had nine points and 11 rebounds on Monday.
“He’s not recovered and where he wants to be [yet],” Alexander said. “To the naked eye, he looks pretty normal.”
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics