BLUE DRAGONS (20-2) GET READY FOR SEWARD (19-3)

HCC Sports Information

The top two teams in the Jayhawk West will meet on Wednesday night in Liberal, KS as Top 15 nationally ranked teams when the No. 8 Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team and No. 14 Seward County play for the second time this season.

The game will tip off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Seward County’s Green House. The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon Flagship Station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister station KWBW-AM (1450) beginning at 7:50 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Steve Carpenter (analysis) calling the action. The game will also be videostreamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 7:50 p.m.

Seward County (19-3) is leading the Jayhawk West at the mid-point of the conference season with a 7-1, reeling off seven-straight victories after HCC’s 80-75 victory on Jan. 5 at the Sports Arena. The Blue Dragons (20-2) are one game behind with a 6-2 league mark, winning three straight after two consecutive losses.

While HCC improved its record to 4-1 on the road last Saturday with an 82-65 victory at Cloud County, the Blue Dragons travel to the one of the toughest places to play in the Jayhawk West. Seward County is the long remaining undefeated team at home in 2011, going 12-0 at the Green House and averaging 91.9 points per game.

The Saints are still No. 1 in the Jayhawk West in scoring offense at 90.3 points per game. The Saints also lead western division teams in field goal percentage (48.4 percent) and 3-point percentage (34.5 percent).

Jeremy Jones is ninth in the Jayhawk Conference in scoring at 17.7 points per game while shooting 52.1 percent and has 36 made 3-pointers. Rafriel Guthrie is averaging 12.9 points, Marky Nolen is averaging 12.3 points and Daveon Boardingham is averaging 10.4 points per game.

Defensively, the Saints are allowing 74.3 points, 41.9 percent shooting and 32.4 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Through 22 games, the Blue Dragons are averaging 83.8 points offensively, shooting 48.l percent overall and 30.6 percent from long range. Defensively, the Dragons are allowing 67.5 points, 37.5 percent shooting and 27.8 percent from 3-point range. 

DRAGONS SLIP ONE SPOT IN RANKINGS

Despite two decisive victories over Pratt and Cloud County, the 20-2 Blue Dragons slipped one spot to eighth in this week’s NJCAA Division I Men’s national rankings, which were released on Tuesday.

This is the third-straight week that HCC has dropped in the poll, but have remained a Top 10 team throughout the season.

Missouri State-West Plains is the nation’s new No. 1 team after previous No. 1 Connors State lost to Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 84-81 on Jan. 27. Connors State is the fifth different No. 1 team this season. Midland, North Idaho, Hutchinson and Connors State were the other four.

Coffeyville is No. 9 and Seward County has climbed back to No. 14.