CLEVELAND, Miss - The No. 25 Delta State University men's basketball team is set to host the 2017-18 Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Classic, which tips on Friday, Nov. 10 as West Alabama plays Florida Southern at 5 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Statesmen will host Eckerd College that same day at 7 p.m. close out day one action. DSU is scheduled to face 2014-15 NCAA Division II National Champion Florida Southern to finish the event on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
 

STATESMEN GAME DAY INFO
Date	Nov. 10: No. 25 DSU vs. Eckerd  Nov. 11: No. 25 DSU vs. Fla. Southern
Tip-Off Location/Time	Nov. 10: Walter Sillers Coliseum - 7 P.M.  Nov. 11: Walter Sillers Coliseum - 7 P.M.
Series History/Last Meeting	- Eckerd: DSU leads series 5-0  - 11.12.16 - DSU W, 75-72 at GSC/SSC Classic  - Fla. Southern: FSC leads series 4-3  - 11.11.16 - DSU W, 73-70 at GSC/SSC Classic
Audio/Video	Listen/Watch Here
Live Stats	Nov. 10: Follow Here  Nov. 11: Follow Here
Game Notes	Delta State vs. Eckerd/Fla. Southern
GSC/SSC Classic Homepage	GSC/SSC Classic Information

TIP-OFF NEWS AND NOTES:
 

• The Statesmen open the year receiving recognition in a trio of preseason polls. DSU is ranked No. 25 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason coaches poll, and No. 22 in the Division II Bulletin preseason Top 25 poll. The Statesmen are also receiving votes in the D2SIDA preseason poll.
• Delta State will be taking on Eckerd for the sixth time in school history. The Statesmen have won all five previous matchups against the Tritons, including last season's 75-72 win at the GSC/SSC Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla.
• The Statesmen and Florida Southern will meet for the eighth time, with the Mocs holding the 4-3 series lead. Delta State came away with a win over FSC at last year's GSC/SSC Classic, sneaking past the Mocs in a 73-70 victory in St. Petersburg, Fla.

ABOUT DELTA STATE:

• The Statesmen fell 78-41 against Jacksonville State in exhibition action at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Nov. 2. Senior PJ Davis led the Statesmen with 16 points and eight rebounds. Fellow senior Ravion Henry added 11 points, two rebounds and one block. Delta State out-rebounded Jacksonville State 38-37 for the game, including 16-9 on the offensive glass, and Davis and Henry combined to score 27 of DSU's 41 points.
• Junior Brett Warner is the leading scorer returning on a roster that brings back eight letterwinners and three regular starters from last season's team that went 23-9 overall and made the school's 15th NCAA tournament appearance. Warner averaged 11.8 points and shot 37.5% from three-point territory for the Statesmen offense.
• The Statesmen also bring back Davis (8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds), Henry (9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds), Cedric Harrper (7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds) and Dietrich Taylor (2.3 points, 2.9 rebounds). Senior Cameron Monix joins the Statesmen on the floor after redshirting last season, and junior Bien Harbin Jr. and redshirt freshman Nathan King round out the Statesmen returners on the roster.
• Junior Armon Benford and freshman Matthew Wilson were recognized as top newcomers by the GSC. Benford, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Chicago, Ill., averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists and led the country with 125 steals last year. Wilson, a 6-foot-2 combo guard from Farmington, Ark., averaged 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, and was named All-State in 5A in 2015-16.
• The Statesmen also welcome junior transfers Cornelius McIntosh, who helped lead his team to a sixth place finish at National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Nationals last year as the leading scorer (10.8 points per game), and Mitch Keller, who averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds for Iowa Lakes CC last season.
• Sophomore transfer Cameron Burkett rounds out head coach Jim Boone's roster. Burkett, a 6-foot-8 forward from Houston, Texas, played in 31 games last year and shot 39.4% from 3-point land, 41.9% from the field, and 73.5% from the free throw line.

ABOUT ECKERD:

• The Tritons lost two of their top four scorers from last season, but return junior Drushaun McLaurn (Jacksonville, Fla.), who is the leading returning scorer for the Tritons at 16.8 points per game. Senior forward Trevon Young (Wimauma, Fla.), who scored 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season for Eckerd, will also carry a large load this season.
• A year removed from going 21-9 overall and making an appearance in the NCAA South Region tournament, Eckerd will look to replicate last year's success, as it posted a 13-5 record in SSC play and were 8-2 away from the McArthur Center in St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Eckerd was the SSC's best scoring defense last season, giving up 73.9 points per game, while the offense was ranked fourth in scoring at 81.7 points per game. The Tritons were second in the league in field goal percentage defense (42.9%) and third in steals (7.47 per game), while leading the league in rebounding (40.2 per game) and offensive rebounding (13.5 per game).

ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN:

• The Moccasins return nine players from last year's squad that went 11-18 overall and 8-10 in SSC play under third year head coach Mike Donnelly, while adding six new players in the offseason, including a trio of transfers.
• Florida Southern returns leading scorer Brett Hanson, who averaged 13 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season.
• The Mocs are three years removed from winning the NCAA Division II National Championship, finishing the 2014-15 season with a 36-1 record and a 15-1 mark in the SSC. Their postseason resume included wins over Indiana (Pa.), Bellarmine, Southern New Hampshire, Lynn, West Georgia and Benedict. The Mocs defeated the Statesmen 97-80 in the GSC/SSC Classic that season.
• If history is any indicator, year three under Mike Donnelly should be a big step forward. During the history of the FSC men's basketball program, 10 different coaches have coached at least three years. In the third year of their stint at Florida Southern, those 10 coaches went a combined 184-88 (.676) and averaged 18 wins in their third year.

UP NEXT:

 Delta State will continue non-conference action against Central Baptist College at home on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., before hosting Cumberland University (Tenn.) on Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum.