COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team will host the University of North Georgia in a key Peach Belt Conference contest on Saturday. Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m. inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.

LAST TIME OUT
• CSU (17-8, 8-7 PBC) shot 66.7% in the first half to run away with a 97-71 victory at Georgia Southwestern University on Wednesday. The 97 points were a season-high for the Cougars, while Hunter Preston posted a 19-point, 16-rebound double-double

COUGAR NOTES
• Columbus State is still in the hunt for the fourth seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament. CSU is two games back from USC Aiken, who currently holds the spot, with the two teams set to play on Wednesday, Feb. 23. CSU is two games up on North Georgia for the fifth position. The top-eight teams advance to the tournament  
• The Cougars were 10th in the initial NCAA Southeast Region rankings that were released this week
• The Cougars are 16-0 when shooting 39.4% or better from the floor
• Nelson Haskin moved into seventh place on the CSU single-season block list after Wednesday's three-block performance. Haskin has 62 this season and ranks seventh in the nation (DII level)
• Columbus State has held their opponents to under 40 rebounds for three straight games. It's tied for the longest such stretch for CSU this season 
• CSU is 22nd in the nation in turnover margin (3.24) and holds a margin of nearly 0.50 from USC Aiken (2.76), who ranks second in the PBC in the category

NORTH GEORGIA NOTES
• North Georgia (13-11, 6-9) has lost five of its last six games, including back-to-back must-win games against Lander University and Young Harris College
• UNG is still in a great position to qualify for the PBC Tournament, needing only one win to clinch a berth in the tournament. The Nighthawks are fifth in the standings, a game ahead of Lander. 
• Frank Champion is one of the best dual-threat players in the PBC, ranking second in both scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rebs/g). He has seven double-doubles this season while posting a 29-point game against the Cougars in Dahlonega, Ga. on Jan. 22.
• UNG is tied with Flagler for being the best defensive rebounding team in the PBC. The Nighthawks average 37.6 rebounds a game, including 28.3 on the defensive side of the floor 
• North Georgia has lost three straight away from Dahlonega but still hold a winning record on the road (5-4)

SERIES HISTORY
• The Cougars will be eyeing the season sweep on Saturday after defeating UNG 78-71 on the road on Jan. 22. It was CSU's second straight win in the series
• Overall, the Cougars are 27-15 against North Georgia, including a 13-5 mark in Columbus
• Neither side has won three straight in the series since the Cougars ran off six straight wins against UNG from 2015-2017