GAME NOTES: The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Cleveland State Vikings will take part in the Global Sports Showcase on Wednesday, as the two teams collide at the Wolstein Center.

Jacksonville State has really challenged itself in the early going, with road tests against Marshall and Louisville already under its belt. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks fell short in each instance, taking a 74-55 beating from Marshall and an 88-39 thrashing from the Cardinals. They will play their home opener on Saturday against Division II Miles College.

Cleveland State has not dealt with such a degree of difficulty in its first two games, but the results have been uneven. The Vikings fell 78-73 at Iona to get things started but followed that with an 85-56 rout of Division II Tiffin. They play their next three games on the road against Savannah State, Louisville and Marshall.

This bout marks the first-ever meeting between these two programs.

The difference in talent between Louisville and Jacksonville State was clearly evident on Monday. The Gamecocks only connected on 28 percent of their shots from the floor, while turning the ball over 20 times. They also suffered a whopping 60-20 deficit on the boards. Darion Rackley was the only double-digit scorer for Jacksonville State with 11 points.

Facing such tough competition in the first two games has led to some weak production from the Gamecocks, who have made just 32.7 percent of their field goal attempts, including a dismal 15-of-55 showing from 3-point range. Avery Moore is the only player averaging in double figures, but he sits at just 10.5 ppg after posting only three points against Louisville. D.J. Felder has taken the most shots on the team, but he has only connected on five of his 18 tries, while going 3-of-10 from the charity stripe, amounting to 13 points in the two games combined. To his credit, Felder does lead the team on the glass (14 rebounds).

As expected, Cleveland State had an easy time of it with Tiffin. The Vikings knocked down 51.7 percent of their total shots, claimed a 32-27 edge on the glass, and forced 25 turnovers, which they traded in for 25 points. Anton Grady paced the team with 26 points, while Trey Lewis sank a pair of 3- pointers and handed out four assists.

The sample size may be small, but the Vikings have been a relatively solid shooting team early on. They have connected on 46.7 percent of their field goal attempts, including 41 percent from beyond the arc. In additional, they are shooting an even 70 percent from the charity stripe as a team. Lewis, Grady and Marlin Mason are the go-to scoring options. Lewis has averaged 15.5 points in the first two games, while Grady (15 ppg) and Mason (14 ppg) have been strong contributors as well. Grady (8.0 rpg) and Mason (6.5 rpg) also are at the top of the squad in rebounds.

While Cleveland State is not nearly as imposing as Louisville, it still has what it takes to defeat Jacksonville State, especially on its home floor.