COLUMBIA, Ky. – After a two-week road swing through portions of the Mid-South Conference, the Lindsey Wilson men and women’s basketball teams return to Biggers Sports Center for the stretch run of the 2012-13 regular season.
Both Blue Raider teams host St. Catharine (Ky.), Georgetown (Ky.) and Campbellsville (Ky.) over a five-day span beginning on Thursday in front of next week’s MSC Tournament in Frankfort, Ky.
Each Lindsey Wilson team has plenty to play for in the final three games and holds its postseason fate in its hands.
The men sit atop the MSC standings and can secure a second-straight MSC regular-season title with two wins in the three games. No. 4-ranked Lindsey Wilson is 14-3 in conference play — two games in front of Georgetown and Pikeville (Ky.) at 12-5.
Lindsey Wilson owns road wins over all three teams it faces this week, but those came in late November and early December.
The Blue Raiders host St. Catharine at approximately 8 p.m. CT on Thursday. Lindsey Wilson defeated the Patriots (13-10) 77-68 on the road on the first day of December.
St. Catharine is one of the hottest teams in the MSC as of late, winning its past seven contests.
No. 13-ranked Georgetown (20-6) and Campbellsville (17-10) — who is receiving votes in the national poll — are on hot streaks as well. Georgetown is 11-2 in its last 13 games while Campbellsville has won five of its last six.
Georgetown comes to town at 4 p.m. on Saturday while the Blue Raiders and Campbellsville renew the Highway-55 rivalry in the regular-season finale at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25.
Lindsey Wilson’s women are in a fight of their own in the final week of the season. The Blue Raiders (16-11, 7-10 MSC) sit two games in front of Pikeville for the eighth and final spot in the MSC Tournament.
Only the top eight teams qualify for the MSC Tournament in a new format adopted before this season.
The Blue Raiders refuse to be pessimistic, however, instead looking ahead at Bluefield (Va.) which sits just a half game in front of Lindsey Wilson for seventh place in the league standings.
Lindsey Wilson will have its hands full as Georgetown (18-8) and Campbellsville (20-7) both come into Biggers nationally ranked and St. Catharine (18-8) sits just outside the top-25, receiving votes in the poll.
The Blue Raiders are 0-3 this season against the trio, but kept it close at St. Catharine (73-69) and at Georgetown (69-62).
Lindsey Wilson faces St. Catharine at 6 p.m. on Thursday and No. 18 Georgetown at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Blue Raiders face rival and No. 16 Campbellsville at 6 p.m. in the regular-season finale.