Region Gameday 02.20.16 | Charlotte Observer

Smith Center, Chapel Hill, 1 p.m. (WBTV)

The Tar Heels have no time to sulk after Wednesday’s 74-73 loss against No. 20 Duke. The winner of the UNC-Miami game will be in first place in the ACC with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Miami won four straight in this series. UNC will have its hands full against Miami’s starting backcourt of Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan, and Miami sixth man Ja’Quan Newton has been cleared to play after recovering from an illness.

Andrew Carter

KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky., noon (ESPN)

The teams met at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 8, with Duke winning 72-65. … Anas Mahmoud, a 7-foot freshman who played 17 minutes and registered two points, three blocks and four rebounds at Duke, sprained his ankle in practice Wednesday and was ruled out for the rest of the season by Rick Pitino. He was Louisville’s primary backup center.

Laura Keeley

Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, noon (SEC)

South Carolina and Florida are tied with Texas A&M for third in the SEC standings, just a game behind Louisiana State and two back of No. 14 Kentucky. … The Gamecocks have lost two straight, to the Wildcats and at Missouri. The Gators have won two of their past three.

Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, noon

First place in the Big South standings is up for grabs with three games remaining. The Bulldogs won the first meeting 85-84 at home on Jan. 6. Since then, Winthrop has won 10 of its past 11 games. UNC Asheville has gone 7-4.

Belk Arena, Davidson, 2 p.m. (NBCSN)

Davidson, which has won three of its past four games, is 12-1 at Belk Arena this season, and is 32-2 at home since the 2013-14 season. However, Saint Joseph’s – tied atop the Atlantic 10 standings with Dayton and Virginia Commonwealth – is 9-0 on the road this season. … Wildcats guard Jack Gibbs, the nation’s No. 3 scorer at 24.9 points per game, is expected to be back in the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a stomach bug.

E.A. Diddle Arena, Bowling Green, Ky., 3 p.m. (Fox College Sports)

The 49ers are coming off an 87-72 loss Thurdsday at Marshall, snapping a two-game winning streak that had put them at .500 in Conference USA play for the first time this season. … Western Kentucky has dropped three straight and lost at Charlotte 88-71 on Jan. 23.

PNC Arena, Raleigh, 3 p.m. (WBTV)

The Tigers, trying to remain in the upper half of the ACC standings, have won two straight and sit seventh in the standings, just a half-game back of No. 20 Duke, No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 18 Louisville. … N.C. State has lost three of its past four games, and is 13th in the ACC.

Holmes Center, Boone, 3:45 p.m.

Both teams are tied for last place in the Sun Belt standings, with Texas State a half-game ahead. … Appalachian State has lost its past six games since beating Troy 75-71 on Jan. 28. … The Trojans have had a bit of a turnaround, winning two straight and three of its past four.

Brayboy Gymnasium, 4 p.m.

Johnson C. Smith is tied for the lead in the CIAA Southern Division with Saint Augustine’s, with Shaw a game back. … The Golden Bulls lost at Shaw 108-93 on Jan. 30. Since then, Johnson C. Smith has won three of four and Shaw has gone 3-3.

Levine Center, 4 p.m.

Two of the nation’s top Division II teams meet, and a win by sixth-ranked Queens would keep alive its chances of taking the South Atlantic Conference regular-season title. The Royals are two games behind Lincoln Memorial with three games remaining. … The fourth-ranked Railsplitters beat Queens 86-76 on Jan. 9. … Both enter the game on long winning streaks – the Royals have won nine straight and Lincoln Memorial 13 straight.

Paul Porter Arena, Boiling Springs, 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs squeaked past Longwood 67-66 in the first meeting Jan. 2. … The Bulldogs are in the middle of the Big South standings, a half-game back of fifth-place Liberty and a half-game ahead of No. 7 Radford. … Gardner-Webb has won four of its past six games, and the Lancers enter on a three-game losing streak.

Bill Kiser