MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—It is finally here: Tournament time. The men's and women's basketball teams host the quarterfinal round of the Sunshine State Conference Basketball Tournaments on Wednesday, Feb. 28 on Cesar Odio Court in the Health & Sports Center. The women take on Tampa at 5:30 pm, while the men face Florida Tech at 7:30 pm.

Game Coverage Links

Game	Opponent	Time	Live Stats	Video Stream
Women	Tampa	5:30 pm
Men	Florida Tech	7:30 pm

Women's Basketball - Wednesday, Feb. 28, 5:30 pm, Health & Sports Center

Battles for seeding are over, and now it's time to play for keeps. The Bucs earned the right to host the quarterfinal game by beating the Spartans on Saturday, thanks to a last-second buzzer beater. Barry, which missed out on the tournament a year ago and was picked eighth in the pre-season poll, vastly exceeded expectations, finishing fourth in the league. The Spartans, who were picked third in the league and received two first-place votes, finished fifth.

The Bucs are led by forward Kiara Palmer, The senior is the hub of the team, leading the Bucs in scoring (16.2), rebounding (10.8) and blocked shots (3.0). With 83 blocked shots on the season, Palmer is Barry's all-time leader for a single season. Barbara Cousiño is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game and leads in assists at 2.6 per game. 

The Spartans have been a streaky team in 2018. Since the calendar turned, Tampa has compiled a five-game losing streak, followed by a five-game winning streak and now has lost their last three. 

The Spartans are led by a trio of 5-8 players who all average over 33 minutes per game. Forward Staja Tyghter tops the squad at 12.4 points per game, and adds 7.1 rebounds. Guard Karma Jeremie chips in 10.8 points per game, and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Guard Rachel Warden connects for 9.2 points per game, mostly from three-point range, where she hits at a 40.0 percent clip.

GAME NOTES:

• Tampa holds a 47-23 edge in the series, although the Bucs swept the season series this year, winning 66-56 in Tampa in December and 59-58 in Miami Shores last Saturday.
• In December, the Bucs snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Spartans, 66-56. Palmer led the team with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Ida Andersson added 14 points. Jeremie and Warden paced the Spartans with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
• On Saturday, Cousiño hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Bucs over The Spartans 59-58. Palmer added 16 points and 12 rebounds, for her 16th double-double of the season. Elin Ekdahl had a season-high 10 points.
• The Spartans give away the fewest free throws of any team in the SSC. They are ranked fourth nationally in fewest fouls committed.
• The Spartans and Bucs have a long history in the post-season. They have met five times in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament and once more in the NCAA Regional. The Spartans have enjoyed the bulk of the success, winning four of the five games in the conference tournament and the regional matchup. The Bucs' lone win came in 1997 in the semifinals, where they won 69-63 in Lakeland, Fla. The last meeting was two years ago in another 4 vs. 5 matchup. The Bucs were tabbed to host as the four-seed, but due to a mechanical malfunction in the Health & Sports Center the game was forced to move to St. Thomas University's Fernandez Center. The Spartans prevailed, 64-55.

Men's Basketball - Wednesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 pm, Health & Sports Center

Barry is still playing with a sense of urgency. That's because the Buccaneers believe they need to win to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. And the Bucs remember what Florida Tech did the last time in Miami Shores.
 
Wednesday's SSC quarterfinals is a rematch of last year's SSC Tournament opener – also in Miami Shores. Barry won that game last season in a close call, 87-84. This year, the Panthers came to Cesar Odio Court in the Health & Sports Center on Jan. 6 and handed the Buccaneers a 93-86 loss that started a spiraling effect for Barry. The Bucs did not win consecutive games the rest of the month.
 
"We did have some adversity, and we did have some challenges," Barry coach Butch Estes said. "We had to make some tough decisions based on the injuries in setting people down. And yet guys came in and did a good enough job to keep our ship afloat."
 
The Bucs will have to keep their oars in the water again Wednesday, trying to recover from the regular season finale loss at home. A lack of energy hurt in Saturday's setback. It was the first time this season the Buccaneers had four players score in double figures, only to lose.
 
Barry's Sunday Dech had 13 points and nine rebounds in the loss. He's scored in double figures the last three games. Elvar Fridriksson has reached double figures the last seven games, and he's coming off his fourth double-double of the season. Daniel Mortensen and Sawyer Glick also scored in double figures Saturday, but it was the first time in seven games the leading scorer has been held under 19. And on six other occasions, the Bucs' top scorer has had 20 or more.
 
Meanwhile, Florida Tech's 1-2 punch of Jordan Majors and Sam Daniel are both averaging 22.5 points per game. They lead the conference. The Panthers are coming off a big win over Nova Southeastern on Saturday to get into postseason play. That momentum makes the FIT matchup scary.
 
The Bucs and Panthers rank 1-2 in the league in three-point field goals per game. Barry is hitting 12.5 triples per game, while Florida Tech is making 10.
 
But more than the numbers, this becomes a matter of survival. Which team wants it more? Come see for yourself Wednesday night.

GAME NOTES:

• Barry leads the series 38-27. Under coach Butch Estes, Barry has won 10 of 13. This season, the teams split the series, with each winning on the opponent's court. Florida Tech came into the HSC on Jan. 6 and came away 96-83 winners. The Bucs returned the favor with a 95-90 win in the Clemente Center on Valentine's Day.
• The Bucs and Panthers have met in the SSC Tournament just twice before. In 2000, the Panthers beat the Bucs, 64-60, in the semifinals in Lakeland, Fla. The Bucs knocked off the Panthers, 87-84, last season in Miami Shores in the quarterfinals.
• The Bucs lead the SSC in made three-pointers at 12.5, and are second in percentage at 38.5 percent.
• Despite their outside proclivities, the Bucs average 33.5 points per game in the paint and 12.2 on second-chance opportunities.
• Barry is getting 27.8 points per game off the bench.
• Since Butch Estes has been coaching against Billy Mims in the Sunshine State Conference, the Bucs and Panthers have posted some of the highest scoring games in the league. In 13 games, Barry has averaged 90.2 points per game, while the Panthers have clocked in at 82.7. 
•  Six of the 13 games have been decided by less than 10 points, and two of them by a basket.