BOSTON—New England foes Northeastern and Fairfield will meet for the first time in more than two decades when the Huskies visit Bridgeport on Sunday. Tip-off at Webster Bank Arena is set for 1 p.m. Fans throughout New England and across the tri-state area can watch the game live on SportsNet New York and Comcast SportsNet New England.


Story lines
• New England foes Northeastern and Fairfield will meet for the first time since 1990. The game will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Huskies and the Stags, with NU leading the series, 8-1.

• NU and Fairfield first played on March 10, 1962. The Huskies defeated the Stags, 80-69, in Rochester, N.Y., to win the Northeast Regional and advance to the NCAA College Division Tournament Elite Eight.

• Northeastern has played one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules. The Huskies' schedule was rated the 15th strongest in Division I through Dec. 12

• Junior Scott Eatherton entered the week tied for the NCAA lead in double-doubles. The 6-8 junior is averaging 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and is one of just four players nationally with seven double-doubles on the season.

• Eatherton currently is ranked nationally in nine different statistical categories, including four top-50 rankings—double-doubles (first), field goal percentage (31st), rebounds per game (10th), and total rebounds (15th).

• David Walker continues to be a marathon man for the Huskies, averaging better than 38 minutes per game. He currently ranks fourth nationally in that category.

About the Huskies
ESPN's Jack McCluskey recently said of Northeastern: "[T]here are signs that the Huskies are better­—maybe much better—than the record reflects." The record is just 2-7 after nine games, but coach Bill Coen's Huskies have played the 15th-toughest schedule in the nation, facing four teams that were ranked or receiving votes. Only one of the young Huskies' six losses has been by double digits, and NU has either led or been tied in the second half of all but one game. This year's squad is led by junior forward Scott Eatherton, who leads the nation in double-doubles and is averaging 16.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Sophomore David Walker, is second in scoring at  12.3 ppg and leads the team in assists (3.3 apg) and minutes (38.1 mpg). Junior Reggie Spencer is third in scoring (10.7) and second in rebounding (6.8 rpg).

Notables from the last time out
Notes of interest from Northeastern's most recent game, a 74-69 loss to UAB:
> Scott Eatherton posted his seventh double-double of the season to remain atop the CAA and among the national leaders
> David Walker scored in double-figures for the fourth straight game and tied a career high with six assists.
> Northeastern committed just seven turnovers, a season low and the fewest since a Jan. 5, 2013, win over UNCW in Boston
> The Huskies were out-rebounded for the third straight game after winning the battle of the boards in their first six contests
> NU fell to 1-2 on the year when leading at halftime

Eatherton leads nation in double-doubles
Junior Scott Eatherton is tied for the national lead in double-doubles. The 6-8 junior, who now has seven  in nine games this season, entered the week as one of just four players nationally with seven double-doubles. He posted three straight double-doubles from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 (Georgetown, Charlotte, Florida State) to become the first NU player to accomplish the feat since Shawn James had four in a row in February 2006. Eatherton's double-double in the season opener against Boston University was the first for an NU player since Dec. 29, 2012 (Quincy Ford at UAB). It also was the first for a player in his NU debut since Nov. 11, 2011 (Reggie Spencer at BU).

Eatherton: Making the case
Scott Eatherton has quickly established himself as an early frontrunner for CAA Player of the Year. The junior forward, who is in his first season on Huntington Avenue after transferring from St. Francis (Pa.), leads the CAA in four statistical categories and is ranked either second or third in three additional categories. He currently leads the nation in double-doubles and also holds the top spot in the CAA in field goal percentage, rebounds per game, and total rebounds. He is ranked second in total field goals made and third in blocks per game and total blocks. Impressively, he also is sixth in the conference in points per game.

Where they rank
Three different Northeastern players rank nationally in 14 total statistical categories, led by Scott Eatherton, whose name appears nine times. Eatherton ranks in the NCAA top-50 in four categories and he leads the CAA in all four of those categories.

Category	Player	NCAA	Conf.
Assist/turnover ratio	Walker	188	3
Blocks/game	Eatherton	110	3
Double-doubles	Eatherton	1	1
Field-goal percent.	Eatherton	31	1
Minutes/game	Walker	4	2
Points/game	Eatherton	168	6
Rebounds/game	Eatherton	10	1
	Spencer	249	9
Steals/game	Walker	66	2
Total assists	Walker	250	5
Total blocks	Eatherton	97	3
Total FG made	Eatherton	70	2
Total points	Eatherton	157	8
Total rebounds	Eatherton	15	1
	Spencer	209	9
Total steals	Walker	60	2

Playing the best...
Northeastern has played one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Huskies' strength-of-schedule was ranked 15th in Division I through games of Dec. 12. Seven of NU's first nine games have been against teams that advanced to postseason play a year ago, and four of the early-season opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the AP or Coaches polls at the time of the game.

...and playing them close
While NU has suffered losses in seven of its first nine games, Bill Coen's young squad has been within striking distance in each game. The Huskies—whose starting lineup includes a true freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors—have led or been tied in the second half of all but one game. In five of the losses, NU has been within five points or less in the game's final five minutes. NU's seven losses were by an average of 6.7 points and only one has been by double digits.

Stay connected
Northeastern Athletics:
@GoNUathletics  //  facebook.com/GoNUathletics
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@GoNUmbasketball  //  facebook.com/GoNUmbasketball

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Up next
Northeastern will travel to New Orleans to participate in the Westin Holiday Classic, hosted by Tulane University, Dec. 21-22. The Huskies will face UW Milwaukee on Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. (ET) before challenging the host, Tulane, on Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. (ET). The meeting with the Panthers will be the first in program history. NU holds a 2-0 series advantage against Tulane.


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