Flyers Head into Postseason Wearing Bullseye

"When we walk into a gym, or teams come here, they're not ignorant about what we've accomplished," Flyers Coach Mike Apple said on Wednesday.  "Being the No. 1 team in the country certainly puts a big ole bullseye on your back.

"I think the mentality should be, 'great, bring it on'.  You obviously want to beat teams playing at their best because that makes you play at your best. I think that's the fun part of it, the challenging part for sure. The hope is that it really motivates your team."

Because of an NJCAA eligibility issue, Mountain Gateway CC, one of the four teams in the conference, will not be participating. That means the Cougars (3-3 conference, 8-19 overall) will host Oxford Emory (1-5, 15-13) at 1 p.m.

As the No. 1 seed, the Flyers (6-0) conference) play Saturday's winner for the tournament title at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Sanford.  The Region 10 tournament champion advances to meet the Region 20 champion in the Mid-Atlantic District Championship game on Saturday, March 4.  

If the Flyers win on Sunday, they would host the district game with an automatic berth in the NJCAA Division III Championship scheduled for March 15-18 in Herkimer, NY on the line.

Central Carolina defeated Oxford Emory twice during the regular season, but the Flyers' closest game with the two teams came in Oxford, GA on February 4 when they led by only two points with 12 minutes remaining in a game they went on to win 87-70.

"We absolutely have to be ready to play," Apple said. "Oxford Emory has a big, strong kid inside (Isaac Snyder) who gave us a lot of trouble in both games. And Central playing at Central, if they win on Saturday, is going to be a tough out."

Jaquan Thurman, who missed the Flyers' last game with a leg injury, is expected to return to action on Sunday.  Sam Stoltz, who missed the last 12 games with a foot injury, is in the questionable category.

C. Bergmann