GAMEDAY PREVIEW: #13 Indians host Raiders looking for season series sweep

MARIANNA, Fla. – The #13 Chipola Indians (22-6; 7-3) can sweep the season series with Northwest Florida (19-8; 5-5) and deal a serious blow to the Raiders' postseason hopes with a win on Saturday night in the Milton H. Johnson Center. It would be the first sweep over the Raiders since the COVID-altered season of 2021 when Chipola took all four regular season meetings between the teams. Earlier this season, Chipola took down the Raiders at home, 67-57, and on the road, 69-64, to jump out to a 2-0 advantage over their rivals.

GAME INFORMATION

Time: 7:30 PM CST

Location: Milton H. Johnson Center – Marianna, Fla.

Streaming: #13 Chipola vs. Northwest Florida

Tonight's Sophomore Presentation being held between the women's and the men's games, will be shown here for free: Sophomore Presentation

What's on the line in the Panhandle

Chipola can win at least a share of the conference title by winning tonight or Monday night at Tallahassee State in the last regular season game of the season. The only way to guarantee the outright championship for the second consecutive season is to win tonight and on Monday night.

In the other Panhandle Conference game today, #20 Pensacola (19-10; 7-4) travels to #15 Gulf Coast (20-8; 6-4) to wrap up their season. If the Pirates win, Chipola would have to win both games to win the title outright. Gulf Coast will travel to Northwest Florida on Monday in the final regular season game for both teams.

Five Citrus Conference teams but only two Panhandle teams receive automatic bids to the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament in Niceville on March 12-15. The Panhandle's third-place team must play on Thursday, March 6, against the Citrus Conference's sixth-place team at a neutral site to determine the eighth team in the tournament. The fourth-place team from the Panhandle will be left out. Here are the scenarios:

• Chipola and Pensacola win tonight: they represent the Panhandle Conference as the top two teams. Chipola would be able to win the title outright with a win on Monday in Tallahassee. In that scenario, the Raiders and Commodores would meet on Monday to determine who moves on to Thursday's play-in game. The loser of Monday's game would be eliminated.
• Chipola and Gulf Coast win tonight: they represent the Panhandle Conference as the top two teams. Chipola would be able to win the title outright with a win on Monday in Tallahassee or if Gulf Coast lost to the Raiders on Monday. Northwest Florida would be eliminated and Pensacola would participate in the play-in game on Thursday.
• Northwest Florida and Pensacola win tonight: Pirates would claim a share of the conference title and move on to the State Tournament. Chipola would still move on to the State Tournament regardless if they win on Monday since they won two out of three against the Raiders and the Commodores. With a win on Monday, Chipola would share the title with Pensacola. In this scenario, the winner between Gulf Coast and NWF would play on Thursday to be the final team in to the tournament. Monday's loser would be eliminated.
• Northwest Florida and Gulf Coast win tonight: This is the most chaotic scenario giving the Commodores and Indians four losses and the Raiders and Pirates five. Monday's games would determine everything and could result in a four-way tie.