The Southern Conference basketball tournament starts this weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn. Both Georgia Southern teams head up the interstate without much fanfare or expectation, leaving behind regular seasons that were disappointing.

            We’ll start with the Lady Eagles, a team that looked like it might challenge the big girls for a regular season title through January.

            But then February came along, and either the Ladies peeked to early or ran out of gas, because coach Rusty Cram’s kids have dropped 5 of 8 and fallen all the way back to the sixth seed starting Thursday against Elon.

            Cram always seems to get his kids playing their best ball come tourney time, but GSU’s draw this year isn’t favorable. Southern will likely have to beat the top seeds to punch its ticket to the dance.

            I say they manage one upset, but not two, falling in the semifinals.

            As for the men, I guess I could write essay upon essay on the problems staring the GSU program in the face. But as I’ve learned over the years, that only makes folks angry and the rest of Statesboro lost interest a long time ago.

            Eagles go one-and-done, end their worst season in 12 years and push the NCAA tournament-less streak to 17 years.

            Weekly Whatup’s Wonderful Wecord of Prophecy: 116-91.

Playoffs?!

            And then there was one.

            The Statesboro boys were the only hoops team to survive the weekend, and only they barely managed to make it through.

            The Bulloch Academy Lady Gators, Portal, The Lady Blue Devils of SHS and both Screven County squads saw their season’s end this past weekend. Some days you’re the bug and some days you’re the windshield.

            Now all eyes are on the Blue Devils, as SHS is just four wins away from a state title. None of those wins will be easy, starting with this Wednesday when they welcome Atlanta’s Forest Park.

            It will be the final basketball game ever played in the historic venue, affectionately known as the Devil’s Den, featuring a hometown team which just keeps finding a way to win.

            A win sends Lee Hill’s boys to Ft. Valley State for the Elite Eight and the Gwinnett Arena for the Final Four after that. If you want to see one final basketball game in Statesboro this season, I’ll see yah Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Talkin’ Baseball

            We haven’t had too much time to dive into any local baseball — or track, or soccer, or tennis — as of yet. But we’ll get to that in time, we have all spring.

            This week the World Baseball Classic begins and I’m pumped. I know the tournament has its critics, but baseball needs all the help it can get right now to win over fans.

            When it comes to predicting how this tourney will play out, it helps to throw all logic out the window, go with your loyal and fanatic impulse and root for the home team: U-S-A! U-S-A!

            America wins the classic over Alex Rodriguez and the Dominican. Yeah, how’s that for drama?