Long, USC Upstate rolling

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WHO'S HOT

Charleston Long. During USC Upstate's eight-game winning streak, Long has been a reliable presence inside the paint. The Spartans forward has averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 boards per game in that stretch. He scored 26 against USC Aiken and added 23 points against Augusta State.

WHO'S NOT

Augusta State women. The Lady Jaguars are 1-6 on the road, and their offense is out of whack. Guards Andrea McCurry, Brandi Hollingsworth and Kasie Muchler are shooting a combined 32 percent, and senior forward Latoya Renwrick checks in at 36 percent. And the team's best shooter, Eva Vodrazkova (47 percent), has taken the fewest shots of any of the starters. Vodrazkova needs to get more involved in the offense and make things happen with her potent inside-out game.

THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES

Augusta State women at Columbus State,

noon. Lady Jaguars try to snap a three-game losing spell.

Augusta State men at Columbus State, 2. Jaguars face the league's top scoring offense (80.6 ppg).

Miles women at Paine, 5:30. Miles has won three of their past four games, all on the road.

Miles men at Paine, 7:30. Lions face one of the league's top scorers in Joseph King (18.3 ppg).

USC Aiken women at Clayton State, 2 p.m, Sunday. Lady Pacers, No. 9 in the South Atlantic Region, need a road win to prove their ranking.

USC Aiken men at Clayton State, 4, Sunday. Pacers seek their first two-game win streak since November.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

USC Upstate is having a remarkable season. In fact, the Spartanburg, S.C., school is having so fine a season the team is ranked No. 1 in the South Atlantic Region and will have first dibs on playing host to one of eight regionals in the NCAA Division Tournament if it remains in the top spot. But why did the Spartans get the No. 1 ranking over the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Virginia Union, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation?

RANKING THE MEN'S TEAMS

1. Augusta State (10-8, 3-4 PBC). Jaguars lead the Peach Belt in field-goal percentage defense

(41 percent).

2. Paine (7-8, 6-5 SIAC). Lack of production in the frontcourt has become cliche.

3. USC Aiken (6-10, 2-4 PBC). Josh Geyer making his mark the past two games, scoring 32 points.

RANKING THE WOMEN'S TEAMS

1. Paine (9-6, 9-1 SIAC). Lady Lions beginning to deserve some recognition in the South Region rankings.

2. USC Aiken (14-6, 4-2 PBC). Lana Mandic almost better from 3-point range (53 percent) than the foul line (57 percent).

3. Augusta State (9-9, 3-4 PBC). Vodrazkova leads NCAA Division II in free-throw percentage at 96 percent.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Miles women at Paine, 5:30 p.m., today. This will not be an easy game for the Lady Lions, because nothing comes easy in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Paine will have to avoid two pitfalls: taking its opponent too lightly and looking ahead to Tuesday's road contest against conference leader Benedict.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.