With their season series tied up at one apiece, tonight’s ‘Reptile Rumble’ between the Townsville McDonald’s Crocodiles and the Cairns Taipans takes on extra importance as both teams battle for a spot in the playoffs.
The Crocs 10-7 win loss record has them outright third on the NBL ladder but the fifth-placed Taipans are not far behind them with both teams hoping to bounce back from embarassing losses last round.
Before the third ‘Reptile Rumble’ of the year this Friday, we look at some of the key numbers heading into Saturday’s all-important clash at ‘The Snakepit’.
1-1 - After both teams took advantage of home court in round one and two of the NBL, the Crocs and Taipans season series is all tied up heading into their round 18 blockbuster. With one more game to be played at ‘The Swamp’ in round 20, a win tomorrow night would go a long way to securing a very important series win.
28-16 - The Crocs overall win loss record against their most fierce rivals heading into their 45th ‘Reptile Rumble’ this Friday night. While Townsville hold a distinct overall advantage in the head-to-head, Cairns are ahead 12-9 in games played at ‘The Snakepit’.
30.1 - The average points per game produced by the Taipans import duo of Jamar Wilson and Andrew Warren. Wilson has been a revelation at point guard for Cairns and the sharp-shootign Warren will keep Townsville’s defence busy all night.
55 - The Crocs’ points total after their big loss agaisnt the Wildcats in Perth last weekend. The 87-55 loss was easily the team’s worst performance of the year and set a new seaosn-low in total points scored in a game.
49 - Not to be outdone by their North Queensland rivals, the Taipans quickly broke the Crocs record by setting a new season-low total of 49 points during their big away loss to the Gold Coast Blaze. The Taipans looked in danger of breaking the league’s lowest ever scoring total of 40 points, but managed to avoid the unwanted record by nine.
178 -Games Michael Cedar will have played for the Crocs after Friday night’s clash with the Snakes. Mick will move into outright fifth on the club’s all-time games played list, moving ahead of club legends Pat Reidy, Jason Cameron and Brad Davidson.
8624 - The number of North Queenslanders who witnessed the first two Northern derbies of the year in round one and two of the 2011/12 NBL season. With another bumper crowd expected in Cairns tomorrow night, the ‘Reptile Rumble’ continues to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the league.
The Crocs next game is against the Cairns Taipans this Friday 3 February at ‘The Sandpit’ with tip off at 7:30pm.
For live stats of the game visit www.nbl.com.au or follow the Crocs on Facebook at www.facebook/GoCrocNation
The Crocs next home game is against the Adelaide 36ers, tipping off at 6:30pm this Sunday 5 February at ‘The Swamp’.
Tickets are now on sale for the clash at the Entertainment Centre, call 4771 4000 weekdays 9am - 4:30pm or anytime online at
