If Georgia Southern is going to get a first round bye in next week’s Southern Conference tournament the Eagles are going to have to do it the hard way.
    Coming off a disappointing 58-53 loss at College of Charleston the Eagles (14-13, 12-5) face South Division champion Davidson (21-7, 15-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hanner Field House needing a win to clinch second. Third-place Wofford, a game behind, hosts Furman and is expected to beat the Paladins.
    Facts and Figures: The Eagles have a 10 game home winning streak as they have not lost at Hanner since dropping the opener to Valparaiso. Davidson has the SoCon’s most impressive non-conference win this season, an 80-74 victory over Kansas in Kansas City.
    Notable: Seniors Willie Powers and Ben Drayton III will be playing their final home game and will be recognized prior to the game. GSU’s 11 game win improvement over last year in SoCon games is the second best in league history. The Citadel had a 14 win improvement in 2009.
    Players to Watch: GSU—6-7 F Eric Ferguson 14.9 ppg., 7.2 rpg; 5-10 G Ben Drayton 12.2 ppg; 6-2 G Willie Powers 11.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg., 5.5 apg., 6-2 G Jelani Hewitt 10.4 ppg. Davidson—6-7 F De’Mon Brooks 15.8 ppg., 6.3 rpg.; 6-10 F Jake Cohen 13.8 ppg., 5.9 rpg.’ 6-4 G J.P. Kuhlman 11.1 ppg., 3.6 rpg.
    The Series:  Davidson leads 17-6, and has won last 10 meetings. Eagles’ last win was Feb. 21, 2006, at Hanner.
    The Coaches:  GSU—Charlton Young 28-62 3rd season; Davidson—Bob McKillop 421-270 23rd season.