CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (ESPN Clarksville) Finally, the Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team has returned to the Dunn Center when the Govs host National Christian College Athletic Association Division II side Calvary, 4 p.m., Saturday.
The Govs secured back-to-back non-conference road wins for the first time since 2010 during last weekend’s Alabama swing against Troy and Alabama A&M. Now they return to the Dunn for the first time in over a month, looking to return to an above-.500 record for the first time since opening night.
They’ll be doing so against an NCCAA Division II side that went 4-20 a year ago and has a total enrollment of fewer than 200 people. Head men’s basketball coach Matt Sanders is an assistant athletics director, while his assistant, Philip Parker, is also the department’s Sports Information Director.
The Govs can’t afford to overlook the Warriors, as a loss to an NCCAA Division II team would be a blow both to team psyche and the overall body of work put together in 2018-19. Having said that, and as unlikely as it is the Warriors will have a plus-4.0 rebounding edge, this will be a good opportunity to get Terry Taylor back on track–he has just 11 rebounds over his last two games, his fewest in a two-game stretch since Feb. 22-24, 2018 (SIUE and Murray State).
After forcing a season-high 26 turnovers against Alabama A&M in the last contest, the Govs look to keep the pressure defense up against Calvary, which averages 18.5 turnovers per game against the likes of Oklahoma Panhandle State and Champion Christian College; the Govs have not force fewer than 20 turnovers against a non-Division I opponent since a Nov. 25, 2015 contest against Oakland City.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides, and the first time the Govs have played host to any member of the NCCAA’s Division II ranks.