After the Bisons lost a close game, 83-80, Saturday against Southeastern Oklahoma State University, they are the No. 5 seed heading into the Great American Conference Tournament. Harding is set to play East Central University at 8 p.m. on Thursday in Bartlesville, Okla.
The team finished off the regular season with two losses. This left them with a 12-14 overall record and 9-11 in the GAC.
Sophomore guard John Hudson said the team hopes they can leave the regular season in the past before the tournament starts.
“The tournament starts a new season,” Hudson said. “What happened in the regular season is behind us, and we just have to come ready for this new season.”
Sophomore guard Blake McNair agreed with Hudson, saying the team needs to take care of business when the time for tip off comes around on Thursday night. He also said that the losses prior to the tournament do not mean anything once the game starts at the tournament.
“The most important thing for us going into the tournament is to believe without a doubt that we can win it,” McNair said.
According to head coach Jeff Morgan, the team had practice Monday and several players did not participate due to injuries from Saturday’s game. Those players practiced on Tuesday and will be ready to play in the tournament.
Morgan said during practice, they constantly talk about and work on rebounding.
“We have been a pretty good defensive rebounding team all year, but in recent games that has hurt us,” Morgan said. “We know in the tournament that (rebounding) will be a point of emphasis.”
Hudson said the team needs to work on playing the toughest defense they can.
“We just need to work on putting stops together in a row and playing the best defense possible,” Hudson said.
Morgan also said the team needs to improve on turnovers. He said they have been efficient all year on both sides of the ball, but they hope to take advantage of situations at the games during the tournament.
“If we can limit turnovers, it usually means we are working together to get a good shot,” Morgan said. “We need to be better at the free throw line when we have the opportunity.”
Since early January, the team has dealt with a smaller roster size. The Bisons will face the challenge of only having three off-the-bench players during the GAC Tournament, while other teams will have five to seven bench players.
If the Bisons win on Thursday, they will have Friday off before playing again on Saturday. With a win on Saturday, they would advance to Sunday’s championship game.
“By the time Sunday rolls around, you are playing for a championship and the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Morgan said. “You are playing on adrenaline.”
When asked what he would like to say to the Rhodes Rowdies and Harding fans, McNair said he appreciates all the support the team has received this season.
“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to be there for us no matter the outcome of games,” McNair said. “The Rowdies and all the fans make playing this game so special and I couldn’t begin to describe what they mean to our program.”
