KIAC Basketball Game of the Week: #22 WVU Tech at (RV) IU East

12/7/2015 12:00:00 AM

FLORENCE, Ky. -- This week's KIAC Basketball Game of the Week features men's basketball and two teams that are both currently gaining mention in the NAIA Division II Top 25 rankings -- No. 22 WVU Tech (7-3, 1-0 KIAC) at receiving-votes IU East (7-4, 1-0 KIAC) on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. in Rushville, Ind.

Live Video and Live Stats will be provided courtesy of IU East. Follow the game on Twitter @KIACSports with hashtags #KIACgotw.

This installment of the KIAC Game of the Week is a clash of KIAC Colonial Division foes. It is also a matchup of the top two teams in the KIAC overall in terms of NAIA Division II Top 25 votes. WVU Tech is No. 22 in the latest national rankings, and IU East is just outside the Top 25 at No. 32 overall.

The winner between the Golden Bears and Red Wolves will remain unbeaten and a top of the KIAC Colonial Division and will also have the edge in possibly taking top honors out of the KIAC in next week's NAIA Division II Top 25 Poll.

IU East was ranked No. 10 nationally in the preseason. Although the Red Wolves dropped out of the first regular-season rankings last week, they promptly pulled an upset of No. 3 Davenport (Mich.) hours after the rankings were released. IU East won at Carlow on Saturday in its last game.

Newly into the Top 25 at No. 22 last week, WVU Tech is also a new member of the KIAC this year. The Golden Bears built their Top 25 resume with wins over then-No. 16 St. Thomas (Fla.) and No. 23 Southeastern (Fla.). WVU Tech is coming off a win over Washington Adventist.

The following are game notes provided by IU East sports information:

#22 WVU TECH (7-3, 1-0 KIAC) at #32 IU EAST (7-4, 1-0 KIAC)

The Red Wolves take their show down the road to Rushville on Dec. 8.

The Indiana University East men's basketball team will play its Dec. 8 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference home game against the West Virginia Institute of Technology at Rushville Consolidated High School's Memorial Gym.

Tipoff is at 8 p.m. The game has been designated as the KIAC Game of the Week.

The 32nd-ranked Red Wolves are 7-4 overall and 1-0 in the KIAC. The 22nd-ranked Golden Bears are 7-3 overall and 1-0 in the KIAC.

LAST TIME OUT

IU East is coming off of an 107-76 win at Carlow University on Dec. 5 in the KIAC opener for the Red Wolves.

This is the first meeting between IU East and West Virginia Tech.

IU EAST STORYLINES

* IU East has won four in a row. The Red Wolves won all four games on their season-long stretch of four consecutive road games.

* IU East is 7-0 when it shoots 43 percent or better.

* The Red Wolves are 4-0 when they hold the opponent to 70 points or less.

* Sophomore guard Lucas Huffman (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central High School) scored a career-best 36 points for IU East in the Red Wolves' win at Carlow. Huffman leads IU East with 17.8 points per game. Huffman has scored in double digits in nine consecutive games.

* Senior guard Vasha Davis (Hammond, Ind./Morton High School) has averaged 16.8 points per game over the past four games.

* Counting the 2015 KIAC tournament, IU East has won eight consecutive games against KIAC opponents dating back to last season

* IU East is playing a Top 25 opponent for the fifth time this season. The Red Wolves won 78-67 at No. 3 Davenport University on Dec. 1 in its most recent game against a ranked opponent.

* IU East freshman forward Nate Niehoff is a 2015 Rushville graduate.

RED WOLVES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

IU East is fourth in the nation with 4.7 blocks per game.

Vasha Davis is 17th in the nation with an .886 free throw percentage.

WVU TECH STORYLINES

West Virginia Tech is in its first season of KIAC membership. West Virginia Tech, like IU East, is a part of the KIAC Colonial Division.

The Golden Bears have won five in a row, most recently a 76-70 victory against Washington Adventist University on Dec 5.

West Virginia Tech climbed into the Top 25 on the strength of back-to-back wins against then-No. 16 Saint Thomas University and then-No. 23 Southeastern University during the final weekend of November.

Ryan Atkins, a 6-2 sophomore guard, leads the Golden Bears with 19.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

West Virginia Tech is 12th in the nation in defensive field goal percentage allowed (.392) and 13th in the nation with 14.6 offensive rebounds per game.

FOLLOW THE GAMES

Memorial Gym at Rushville Consolidated High School is located at 1201 Lions Path in Rushville.

Admission is $5 and will be split between IU East and Rushville.

Live video and live stats are scheduled to be available.

Monitor iueredwolves.com for the game recap and box score.

About the KIAC Basketball Game of the Week:
The KIAC Basketball Game of the Week will be selected on a weekly basis by the KIAC office. The Game of the Week will alternate between men's and women's basketball week by week for the pre-conference schedule and will expand to both genders if the schedule provides. Consideration for the KIAC Game of the Week choice is given to marquee matchups within or outside of the conference, especially those involving NAIA Top 25 teams.