HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Winter's reign over east Tennessee has made an already difficult closing stretch even more taxing for the fifth-ranked Railsplitters (23-1, 17-1 SAC). Lincoln Memorial begins a span with four games in seven days on Saturday afternoon by welcoming the second-place Wingate Bulldogs (15-10, 12-7 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for the regular season home finale.
 
Snow and freezing rain wreaked havoc on the Harrogate area on Monday and Wednesday, forcing the postponement of the Railsplitters' trip to Brevard. With Wednesday's game pushed back to Monday, the schedule is now set up for Lincoln Memorial to host Wingate and hit the road for match-ups against Brevard, Carson-Newman and Catawba over the next week.
 
The Railsplitters have already secured the South Atlantic Conference regular season title, but that closing stretch will go a long ways toward determining the road Lincoln Memorial will have to travel in postseason play. The Railsplitters were ranked second in the initial NCAA Southeast Region poll, trailing Mount Olive by an infinitesimal margin. The No. 1 team in the final region poll earns the opportunity to host the Southeast Regional, and an unblemished run through the end of the regular season could boost the Railsplitters' tournament resume enough to alter the order.  
 
"I've got to make sure that I do a good job of keeping these guys rested and not pound them too much as we get through this," said Lincoln Memorial head coach Josh Schertz. "Physically and mentally, we've got to be ready for the challenge Saturday and then be ready for the quick turnaround against Brevard. It's going to really test our guys and we're fortunate to have a few guys that have been around the block. The fact that we play 10 or 11 guys will hopefully help from a freshness standpoint. We've got to find a way to navigate this and leave next Sunday with something left in the tank." 
 
The Railsplitters' upcoming endeavor will be made that much tougher by Saturday's opponent, the Wingate Bulldogs. The Bulldogs struggled early in the season, falling to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in SAC play after dropping an 81-62 decision to the Railsplitters back on January 10. Since that time, Wingate has won eight of its 11 games, taking over sole possession of second-place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a convincing 68-52 win over the Coker Cobras on Wednesday night. The 'Dogs have won five of six since January 31.
 
"Brian [Good's] teams are always playing their best basketball when it matters the most in February and into March," Schertz said. "His ability to get those guys to improve and develop year after year is just really, really impressive. They've improved dramatically since we played them in January. They're just a very well-coached, talented team, and we expect it to be a tremendous challenge on Saturday."
 
The Railsplitters dominated the first meeting this season, shooting 52.8 percent (28-for-53) from the field and going 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from three-point range. Wingate finished with a 38.2 percent (21-for-55) mark from the field and a 1-for-7 effort (14.3 percent) from three. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) led the way with a season-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) added 14 and 12 points apiece, respectively.
 
That result was wildly uncharacteristic of the LMU-Wingate series as a whole as the 19-point margin was the widest final deficit established by either team since February 2, 2008, when Wingate handed the Railsplitters a 99-70 loss in Tex Turner Arena. High stakes have always been tied to this series as Lincoln Memorial and Wingate have met in the South Atlantic Conference Championship in each of the past four seasons, with the Railsplitters winning twice and the Bulldogs taking the other two meetings. The Railsplitters have won 12 of the last 14 head-to-head encounters dating back to February 1, 2010.
 
Of all the teams in the SAC, Wingate's style and approach is the most comparable to that of Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs feature a balanced offensive attack and a stingy, physical defensive unit that looks to take away easy scoring opportunities. Wingate ranks second in the SAC in points per game allowed (66.5) and fourth in opponents' field-goal percentage (42.5). Rebounding is also a focus for the Bulldogs, who grab 35.4 rebounds per contest with 12.1 offensive boards per appearance.
 
"They're very sound on both sides of the ball," continued Schertz. "They've always been balanced offensively with a nice blend of inside and out. Their consistency has been due to how sound they are defensively. They do a great job of guarding and they're big, physical and athletic. When you play Wingate you never expect it to be a game that you're going to score a lot of points. With all of our similarities, this game almost always comes down to which team rebounds the ball better."
 
Five different players are averaging at least seven points per game for the Bulldogs. Ryan Daye leads that group with 13.5 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting. Daye is helped out on the perimeter by Xavier Griffin, who is scoring 10.4 points per game on 48 percent shooting. Isiah Cureton holds it down inside with 9.7 points and a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game. Zeriq Lolar (7.6) and Keith Griffin (7.3) are also factoring in at least seven points per game.
 
In coordination with the final regular season home game, Lincoln Memorial will celebrate Senior Day by honoring the careers of Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.), Ross and C.J. Wakeley (Alachua, Fla.), who have been a part of three SAC regular season titles, two league tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. That trio has amassed 102 wins in its tenure in the Blue and Gray, which are the second-most wins over a four-year span in SAC and school history. Peterson, Ross and Wakeley only trail last year's seniors, Vincent Bailey and Chance Jones, for the all-time lead (106) in league and program history.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Tex Turner Arena. Senior Day festivities will be held immediately prior to the start of that contest. Live stats and an HD video broadcast, compliments of the LMU Sports Network, will be accessible through www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can listen along with Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap.

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