South Oldham / Collins predictions

The South Oldham Dragons (10-5) host the defending 8th Region champs, the Collins Titans (11-4) on Tuesday 1/9/18.

Both teams seem to be hitting their stride.

South Oldham is fresh off a 70-60 upset over #10-ranked Oldham County on Friday. 8th Region Player of the Year candidate Devin Young had 29 points and 9 rebounds in the game...and a slew of blocks on defense. Peyton Hicks scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds. Both are 6'5" matchup problems for most teams' guards. Young is hitting 3.5 threes a contest and hitting nearly 44% from beyond the arc. South has won four of their last five, including victories over Marion County, McCracken County and Oldham. Their only loss during that stretch was a narrow 8 point defeat at the hands of previously-undefeated Butler.

Collins now has won 8 of their last 10 games, with quality victories over Scott High, Newport, and Spencer County. Like South, their only recent losses have been to top 10 opponents (Trinity and Ballard). Four different Titans average in double figures, led by Nick Fort, who comes into the game averaging 16.8 ppg. Jacob Feltner is averaging nearly three made threes a game and is hitting 46.7% beyond the arc.

This will be a fantastic game to see and well worth the price of admission. Looking forward to this game. We'll be broadcasting it beginning at 7 pm at The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN.

Thoughts?

CM

South since they are at home.

What has changed at south?

They had some head scratchers early in the year.

South since they are at home.

What has changed at south?

They had some head scratchers early in the year.

I would call it seasoning.

Who wins, I have seen both teams a couple times each and I really don't have a clue. I'll give the home team SO a 3 point win in overtime.

South since they are at home.

What has changed at south?

They had some head scratchers early in the year.

From what I've seen, several things have changed.

1) The point guard spot is beginning to settle down. Sam Beard is looking much more comfortable as the new PG for the Dragons. He's not a prolific scorer, but it's his ballhandling and passing that have matured greatly.

2) Devin Young is back. He only missed a couple of games in early December, but his absence against Shelby and CAL was noticeable, and he wasn't 100% when he first returned against Spencer (though he scored 24 against the Bears, including the game-winner) When he was out vs Shelby and CAL, South really didn't have a seasoned ballhandler out front, and it showed in the upset loss to Shelby and the narrow win over CAL.

3) The Dragons are learning something of a new defensive identity. This year's South team is better at man defense than some of Simpson's past teams, but perhaps not as proficient at some of the zones Simpson has used.

These two coaches have combined to win the last five regional titles....should be a lot of fun Tuesday.

CM

If Collins is as sharp as they were against Spencer= double digit loss for South Oldham.

I'll try to post updates as I can during our broadcast. I think this one could be quite interesting. Collins probably merits being the slight favorite right now; they have won 8 of 10 and are playing very well....but South certainly served notice on Friday.

CM