BOSTON — The Northeastern Huskies will look to equal their best Colonial Athletic Association start in program history when they travel to Newark to face Delaware on Saturday. Tip-off at the Bob Carpenter Center is set for 2 p.m.
The first-place Huskies (10-7, 5-0 CAA) have surged to 5-0 in CAA play for just the second time and have won six of their last seven games. In 2008-09, NU raced out to a 6-0 conference start en route to a 19-win season and a postseason appearance in the CBI tournament. Last time out, NU defeated Hofstra, 65-60, behind a game-high 24 points from sophomore standout
Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.). The Huskies, who are 5-1 in true road games, will be playing away from historic Matthews Arena for the sixth time in their last eight outings.
Delaware (8-9, 3-1 CAA), which trails NU by just one game in the conference standings, had its five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night in a tight 69-66 loss to Towson in Newark.
The programs will be meeting for the 41st time in series history. The Blue Hens hold a slight 22-18 advantage in the series, but Northeastern has won 12 of the last 16 head-to-head meetings. The squads split the season series a year ago, which Northeastern claiming a thrilling 62-61 win in Boston and Delaware taking an 82-72 decision in Newark in the regular season finale for both teams.
Fans can listen to the live game broadcast on WRBB (104.9 FM or WRBBsports.com), with Brandon Challener and Zolan Kanno-Youngs on the call. Live stats and a live video feed will be available on BlueHens.com.
Storylines
> Northeastern is 5-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the second time since joining the conference in 2005
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Quincy Ford hit a career-high 11 field goals and scored a game-high 24 points in the win over Hofstra; he has registered double figures in 13 games this season and 32 games in his career
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Demetrius Pollard is shooting 55 percent (10-18) from 3-point range in CAA play after hitting just 28 percent (8-29) in non-conference action
> NU, which is second in the CAA in assists, has tallied at least 15 assists in four of five conference games this season
> Northeastern and Delaware, separated by just a game in the CAA standings, will meet for the 41st time with the Blue Hens leading the all-time series, 22-18; NU has won 12 of the last 16 meetings
Scouting the teams
NORTHEASTERN has won five straight games and six of its last seven. The Huskies defeated two of the top three CAA preseason picks on the road in George Mason and Drexel. NU also collected a road win over Towson and home victories over UNCW and Hofstra. Senior guard
Joel Smith leads NU with 15.9 ppg. Joining Smith in double figures are
Quincy Ford (13.2),
Jonathan Lee (13.0), and
Reggie Spencer (10.9). Sophomores Ford and Spencer lead the team in rebounds (6.2). As a team, the Huskies rank in the top three in the CAA in 11 statistical categories, including a first-place rank in steals, turnover margin, assist/turnover ratio, and 3FG made.
DELAWARE enters Saturday's game fresh off a home loss to Towson, but the Blue Hens have won five of their last six games. UD defeated Old Dominion in Norfolk to open CAA play, then claimed a home win over Hofstra and a road win over Georgia State, to sit in third place in the CAA with a 3-1 mark. Junior guard Devon Saddler paces the Hens with a CAA-best 20.3 ppg. Jamelle Hagins (12.4) and Jarvis Threatt (12.1) also average in double figures for a UD squad that leads the conference in scoring at 69.2 ppg. Hagins leads the team and is second in the CAA in rebounding with 11.7 rpg.
NU opens CAA play at 5-0 for second time
Northeastern is 5-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the second time since joining the conference in 2005. The Huskies posted wins at George Mason (84-74), vs. UNCW (68-64), at Drexel (63-58 OT), at Towson (70-59), and vs. Hofstra (65-60) to open conference play. In 2008-09, NU raced out to a 6-0 league start en route to a 19-win season and postseason appearance in the CBI tournament.
Helping hand
Northeastern has tallied at least 15 assists in four of five conference games this season after hitting that mark just three times in 12 non-conference contests. The Huskies are second in the CAA, averaging 13.5 assists per game. The per game average jumps to 14.4 in conference games.
I'll take that
NU, which leads the CAA in steals, has collected at least nine steals in each of its last four games. The Huskies average a CAA-best 8.5 steals per game, including an impressive 9.6 steals in conference games. Five NU players are averaging at least one steal per contest (
Jonathan Lee,
David Walker,
Joel Smith,
Quincy Ford, and
Demetrius Pollard).
Give me three
More than a quarter of the Northeastern offense is coming from outside the arc. The Huskies average a CAA-leading 6.4 made 3-point field goals per game. In league play, the number jumps to 7.4. NU is shooting 34.6 percent from long-range on the season, which is second in the league, and an impressive 41.1 percent in conference games.
First win in the First State
Northeastern was the first visiting team to win at Delaware's current home, the Bob Carpenter Center. In fact, the Huskies' 82-68 win was UD's only loss at the Carpenter Center in its inaugural year of 1992-93. In head-to-head meetings at “The Bob,” UD leads 11-6, though Northeastern has won five of the last seven of those meetings.
Coen collects career win 100
Bill Coen, who arrived on Huntington Avenue in 2006, continues to lead a basketball renaissance in Boston. Last Saturday, with a 70-59 win at Towson, Coen became just the fourth coach in 93 years of Northeastern basketball to win 100 career games at NU, joining Dick Dukeshire, Jim Calhoun and Karl Fogel.
NU's 100-game winners
Dick Dukeshire - 204-100 (.671) - 1958-71, 13 years
Jim Calhoun - 250-137 (.646) - 1972-86, 14 years
Karl Fogel - 131-103 (.560) - 1986-94, 8 years
Bill Coen - 101-106 (.485) - 2006-present, 7 years
Demetrius dialing in
Sophomore guard
Demetrius Pollard is finding his range in conference play. The Virginia Beach, Va., native is shooting 55 percent (10-18) from 3-point range in CAA play after hitting just 28 percent (8-29) in non-conference action. One of his non-conference makes, though, will be long-remembered by Huskies fans. Pollard nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with one second remaining to lift NU to a thrilling 65-64 win over city rival Boston University in the season opener.
Ford's heroic shot earns top play on ESPN's Top 10
Quincy Ford's double-clutch, buzzer-beating 3-point shot to force overtime in NU's win at Drexel earned the number one play on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on Jan. 8. The play also won an ESPN SportsNation “Best of the Best” poll, beating out the hit by South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney on Michigan's Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl by a whopping 28-percent margin (64-38). To see Ford's heroic shot, view the video “CAA Minute — Jan. 9, 2013” on CAASports.com/Digital.
Huskies in conference play
Northeastern joined the Colonial Athletic Association before the 2005-06 season. In their eighth season as a CAA member, the Huskies have won 58 percent (76-55) of their regular season games and have finished at or above .500 in conference play in seven of eight seasons. Prior to the CAA, Northeastern was a founding member of the America East Conference and played in the league from 1979 to 2005. (The conference was known as the North Atlantic Conference until 1996.) The Huskies captured the conference championship on seven occasions (1981, '82, '84, '85, '86, '87, '91).
1,000-point watch
Senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee is on pace to join fellow senior co-captain
Joel Smith in the 1,000-point club. Smith accomplished the feat on Dec. 21 in NU's 82-63 win at Central Connecticut. Lee would become the 32nd player in program history to record 1,000 points.
Lee point watch
Jonathan Lee 82 games 931 points
Limited pine time
NU's Jan. 16 game at Towson was the 106th game of
Joel Smith's career. The Leander, Texas, native has appeared in 84 straight games, dating back to Feb. 23, 2010, and has made 63 consecutive starts, dating to Jan. 15, 2011. He has played in all but six games since arriving on Huntington Avenue in 2009, with all six missed games coming in his freshman season. The program record for career games is 128, achieved by Andre LaFleur (1983-87), Wes Fuller (1983-87) and Matt Janning (2006-10).
Coen ranks among best in career CAA wins
Bill Coen earned his 68th career CAA win in the Huskies' 65-60 win against Hofstra on Jan. 16. Coen is currently ninth on the CAA's list of all-time winningest coaches. He is one of just four current CAA coaches to have cracked the top 10.
Winningest coaches in CAA play (CAA regular season and tournament games only)
1. Jim Larranaga (George Mason, 1998-2011) 183
2. Blaine Taylor (ODU, 2002-present) 148
3. Bruiser Flint (Drexel, 2002-present) 129
4. Dick Tarrant (Richmond, 1982-93) 106
5. Tom Pecora (Hofstra, 2002-10) 98
5. Charles “Lefty” Driesell (JMU, 1988-97) 98
7. Jerry Wainwright (UNCW, 1995-2002) 97
8. Jeff Capel, Jr. (ODU, 1995-2001) 77
9.
Bill Coen (Northeastern, 2006-present) 68
10. Brad Brownell (UNCW, 2003-06) 61
10. Tony Shaver (William & Mary, 2003-present) 61
Shooting stars
Senior co-captain
Joel Smith and sophomore standout
Reggie Spencer are posting impressive shooting numbers. Smith currently leads the CAA in free throw percentage at 85.5 percent. Spencer is second in the CAA in field goal percentage, making an impressive 55.4 percent of his attempts.
Dialing in from deep:
Smith and Lee among NU's all-time best
Joel Smith now ranks as one of the greatest 3-point shooters in Northeastern history, and he and fellow senior
Jonathan Lee are two of NU's most proficient ever. Smith finished the 2011-12 season ranked nationally in 3-point field goals per game and currently ranks third all-time at NU in 3-pointers made. The sharpshooter has made at least one 3-pointer in 58 of NU's last 63 games. Lee is currently second on the program's list of career 3-point percentage, while Smith is ranked third.
Career 3-point FG percentage (min. 100 att.)
1. John Williams (1984-88) .453
2.
Jonathan Lee (2009-present) .421
3.
Joel Smith (2009-present) .385
Career 3-point FG made
1. J.J. Barea (2002-06) 255
2. Matt Janning (2006-10) 223
3.
Joel Smith (2009-present) 202
4. Chaisson Allen (2007-11) 180
Career 3-point FG attempts
1. J.J. Barea (2002-06) 795
2. Matt Janning (2006-10) 645
3.
Joel Smith (2009-present) 525
4. Chaisson Allen (2007-11) 505
Cardiac Canines
The Huskies have had a flair for the dramatic this season, overcoming double-digit deficits in four victories. NU erased a 10-point deficit against Boston University, winning on a last-second 3-pointer by
Demetrius Pollard. The Huskies stormed back from 18 points down in the second half to shock Princeton.
Reggie Spencer delivered the game-winner at Jadwin Gym—a layup off a perfect feed from
Zach Stahl with just two seconds remaining. In the Great Alaska Shootout semifinal, NU twice overcame double-digit margins—including a 16-point second-half gap—to claim victory over previously-unbeaten Belmont. The Red and Black rallied from 12 points down at Towson to claim a 70-59 win on Jan. 12.
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Up next
After playing six of eight games on the road, Northeastern will return home to Matthews Arena for a four-game home stand. The Huskies will welcome William & Mary to the historic arena on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. .
