ATLANTA — The Northeastern Huskies, who last week clinched at least a share of their first CAA regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, will face Georgia State on Wednesday in Atlanta. The game will be GSU's last as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Tip-off at GSU Sports Arena is set for 7 p.m.
The Huskies (18-10, 13-3 CAA) and Panthers (15-15, 10-7 CAA) will be meeting for the 16th time in series history, and for the final time as CAA foes. NU leads the all-time series, 9-6.
With two games remaining in the regular season, NU is just two wins shy of its second 20-win season under head coach
Bill Coen and 13th in program history.
Fans unable to attend the game can listen live on WRBB (104.9 FM and
WRBBsports.com) with David Kroopnick and Zolan Kanno-Youngs on the call. Fans also can follow
@GoNUmbasketball on Twitter for live in-game updates.
Storylines
>> Northeastern clinched at least a share of its first CAA regular-season title after defeating James Madison, 66-64, on Feb. 20; the Huskies can earn the outright title with a win or losses by Towson and Delaware; the conference title is the 11th in program history
>> By virtue of winning all potential tiebreakers regardless of future results, NU has earned the No. 1 seed for the 2013 CAA Men's Basketball Championship
>> Northeastern will play Georgia State (Feb. 27) and Old Dominion (March 2) in each program's final game as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association
>> Northeastern and Georgia State will meet for the 16th time in series history on Wednesday night in Atlanta, and for the final time as CAA foes as GSU moves to the Sun Belt Conference; NU leads the all-time series, 9-6
>> Northeastern owns the nation's fourth-best road winning percentage among teams with 10 or more road games (9-2, .818); NU is one of just 15 Division I teams (of 347) to have won nine or more road games
Scouting the teams
NORTHEASTERN clinched at least a share of its first CAA regular-season title after defeating James Madison, 66-64, on Feb. 20. NU also earned the No. 1 seed for the 2013 CAA tournament. CAA Player of the Year candidate
Joel Smith, coming off an injury, leads NU with 16.0 ppg.
Jonathan Lee and
Quincy Ford both average 13.3 ppg.
Reggie Spencer (10.4 ppg) also averages double figures and leads the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
David Walker, who hit the game-winning shot to beat JMU on Feb. 20, averages 6.0 ppg. The Huskies rank in the top three in the CAA in 11 statistical categories, and lead the league in free throw percentage, 3FG percentage and steals.
GEORGIA STATE enters Wednesday's game fresh off a 66-62 win at James Madison. The Panthers, playing in their final game as members of the CAA, have won three of their last four games and are 9-6 at home on the season. R.J. Hunter, son of head coach Ron Hunter, leads the team in scoring at 17.1 ppg. Devonta White (14.5 ppg) and Manny Atkins (13.8 ppg) join Hunter in double figures. Atkins also averages a team-best 6.5 rpg. Georgia State ranks in the top three in the CAA in four statistical categories: 3FG percentage (third), steals (third), turnover margin (second), and 3FG made (second).
History in the Hub: NU claims first CAA title, 11th overall conference crown
Northeastern clinched at least a share of its first CAA regular-season title after defeating James Madison, 66-64, on Feb. 20. Freshman
David Walker hit the game-winning basket from the left baseline with 2.4 seconds left. The Huskies can earn the outright title with a win or losses by Towson and Delaware. The league crown is the Huskies' first since 1992-93, when they were co-champions of the North Atlantic Conference. In total, NU men's basketball teams have won 11 regular season conference titles.
Northeastern's conference title history
2012-13 - CAA Champion (or co-champion)
1992-93 - North Atlantic Co-Champion
1990-91 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1989-90 - North Atlantic Co-Champion
1986-87 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1985-86 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1984-85 - North Atlantic Co-Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1983-84 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1981-82 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1980-81 - North Atlantic Champion, North Atlantic Tournament Champion
1979-80 - North Atlantic Co-Champion
(North Atlantic became America East in 1996)
Huskies earn No. 1 seed in Richmond
By virtue of winning all potential tiebreakers regardless of future results, NU has earned the No. 1 seed for the 2013 CAA Men's Basketball Championship, which will be held March 9-11 in Richmond, Va. It is the first time since joining the conference in 2005-06 that NU has earned the top seed. Only seven teams (Delaware, Drexel, George Mason, Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern and William & Mary) are eligible for this year's tournament, but all 11 teams will figure into the seeding/tie-breaking process. At the conclusion of regular-season play, each team's place will be determined, with the spots of the ineligible teams then vacated and the seeds established.
Lee named national finalist for Senior CLASS Award
Northeastern senior
Jonathan Lee has been named a men's basketball finalist for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award. Lee is one of just 10 national finalists for the award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence — community, classroom, character and competition. “We are extremely excited for Jon and proud that he is receiving this recognition,” said head coach
Bill Coen. “Jon possesses a tireless work ethic and provides our team with tremendous leadership, both on and off the court. He is involved in the community, is well liked throughout our campus, and has achieved in the classroom. He is a true ambassador for our program and our university.”
Vote for Jon Lee: www.seniorCLASSaward.com/vote (fans may vote once per day)
Georgia on their minds
Wednesday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for three members of the NU program who hail from Georgia. Assistant coach Antonio Reynolds-Dean starred at Douglas High School in Atlanta, while freshmen
Derrico Peck, of Woodstock, Ga., played at Etowah, and
Kwesi Abakah (injured), of Suwanee, played at North Gwinnett.
Road warriors: One of nation's four best
Northeastern's road winning percentage (.818, 9-2) is the fourth-best in the country among teams that have played 10 or more road games (Gonzaga, 9-1 (.900); Coll. of Charleston, 10-2 (.833); Miami (Fla.), 10-2 (.833)). NU is one of just 15 NCAA Division I teams (out of 347) to have won nine or more road games this season. NU is 7-1 (.875) in CAA road games.
Win total best since 2009-10
Northeastern's 18 overall wins and 13 CAA wins are the most since 2009-10, when the Huskies went 20-13, 14-4 CAA, and earned an NIT appearance.
Winning the close ones
This season, 20 of NU's 28 games, including 13 of 16 CAA games, have been decided by seven points or less. The Huskies are 13-7 in those games, including an impressive 10-3 mark in CAA games. More impressively, NU is 12-4 in games decided by five points or less, including 9-2 in CAA play.
NU in close games
Seven points or less 13-7 (10-3 CAA)
Five points or less 12-4 (9-2 CAA)
Player of the Year candidate Joel Smith is CAA's most proficient scorer
Northeastern senior
Joel Smith, who has played his way into Player of the Year consideration, is the most proficient of the CAA's top scorers. Smith averages 1.72 points per shot attempt, nearly 15 percent better than the next closest player.
Points-per-shot averages for top scorers (CAA games)
1.72 -
Joel Smith (Northeastern) 134 fga/231 pts
1.52 - Keith Rendleman (UNCW) 177/269
1.45 - Jerrelle Benimon (Towson) 189/275
1.41 - Devon Saddler (Delaware) 239/336
1.39 - Marcus Thornton (William & Mary) 224/311
1.34 - Sherrod Wright (George Mason) 192/257
1.34 - R.J. Hunter (Georgia State) 233/313
1.23 - Damion Lee (Drexel) 177/218
1.17 - Frantz Massenat (Drexel) 218/255
Ford is en fuego
Northeastern sophomore standout
Quincy Ford led the Huskies in scoring on Wednesday with 14 points and, before that, registered back-to-back games of 20 or more points, scoring 23 at UNCW and 21 against Delaware. Ford shot a blistering 82 percent (9-11) from the floor at UNCW. Over the last five games, he has connected on 44 percent (12-27) of his attempts from beyond the arc. Ford also has not missed a free throw attempt since Jan. 27, making 31 consecutive attempts.
Smith's rare miss
Joel Smith missed NU's Feb. 13 game against Delaware due to injury, snapping a string of 92 straight appearances and 71 consecutive starts for the senior co-captain. Smith had played in every NU game since Feb. 23, 2010 and had started for the Huskies in each contest since Jan. 15, 2011. The Leander, Texas, native has appeared in 116 games and has played in all but seven games since arriving on Huntington Avenue in 2009, with 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).
Countdown to 20
Northeastern is just two wins shy of its second 20-win season under head coach
Bill Coen and 13th in program history.
Northeastern's 20-win seasons
2009-10 - 20-13 - NIT First Round
2004-05 - 21-10 - NIT First Round
1992-93 - 20-8
1990-91 - 22-11 - NCAA First Round
1986-87 - 27-7 - NCAA First Round
1985-86 - 26-5 - NCAA First Round
1984-85 - 22-9 - NCAA First Round
1983-84 - 27-5 - NCAA Second Round
1981-82 - 23-7 - NCAA Second Round
1980-81 - 24-6 - NCAA Second Round
1966-67 - 22-4 - NCAA College Div. Tourn.
1962-63 - 21-6 - NCAA College Div. Tourn.
SI's Davis rates Coen one of top 20 National Coach of the Year candidates
Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis, on Feb. 14, listed Northeastern head coach
Bill Coen as one of his top 20 candidates for national Coach of the Year honors. Coen was the only CAA coach mentioned in the ranking. Now in his seventh season on Huntington Avenue, Coen has guided the Huskies to at least a share of their first-ever CAA title after being picked fifth in the preseason poll.
Smith named Player of the Week for second time
Joel Smith earned CAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 4-10. It was the second time in three weeks Smith earned the honor, and the third time in four weeks an NU player garnered the distinction. Smith averaged 23.0 points and 5.0 rebounds to lead Northeastern to a pair of road wins. He scored a game-high 19 points as the Huskies rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Hofstra. He followed with a game-high 27 points, five rebounds and three assists as NU downed Old Dominion in overtime. For the week, he shot 56 percent from the floor, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
NU's best CAA start in program history and among best conference starts ever
Northeastern opened CAA play 12-1 for the first time in program history, besting the 10-1 start in 2008-09. The Huskies started the conference schedule 8-0, posting the best CAA start since joining the conference in 2005 and the fourth-best all-time conference start in program history. The hot start also tied for the fifth-best in CAA history. The 2006-07 VCU team and the 1985-86 Richmond team both started 11-0, while James Madison started 9-0 in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Old Dominion in 2004-05 and Richmond in 1988-89 also opened 8-0.
How sweep it is
Northeastern has swept two-game season series from four CAA opponents: George Mason, Drexel, Hofstra and William & Mary. The Huskies also defeated James Madison and Towson in the only meetings between the programs this season.
SI on Northeastern: “One of the biggest surprises in college basketball”
Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel recently called the “unheralded Huskies” of Northeastern “one of the biggest surprises in college basketball.” Thamel's story took a closer look at the team as it shoots for an NCAA tournament bid. In the article, VCU's Shaka Smart praises head coach
Bill Coen: “He's done a terrific job at Northeastern, consistently finding guys who end up being a lot better than people think. He and his staff do a great job seeing things other people don't see.”
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130208/northeastern-basketball/
The nation takes notice
Northeastern's 8-1 run in the month of January garnered national attention. The Huskies moved into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll for the first time in 2012-13, ranking 23rd. NU currently is receiving votes.
Coen's Cardiac Canines
The Huskies have had a flair for the dramatic this season, overcoming double-digit deficits in five victories. Most recently, NU stormed back from 10 down in the last 10 minutes to defeat Hofstra, 62-57, on Feb. 6 in Hempstead.
Northeastern's double-digit comebacks
Nov. 9 Boston University (65-64) -10
Nov. 13 at Princeton (67-66) * -18
Nov. 23 vs. Belmont (74-71) * -16
Jan. 12 at Towson (70-59) -12
Feb. 6 at Hofstra (62-57) * -10
* Trailed by double-digits in the second half
Sharing the rock
Northeastern has tallied double-digit assists in 26 of 28 games this season. The Huskies have registered at least 15 assists in 11 of 16 conference games this season after hitting that mark just three times in 12 non-conference contests. NU is second in the CAA, averaging 14.2 assists per game.
Deep threat
More than 30 percent of Northeastern's scoring is coming from beyond the arc. The Huskies average 7.0 made 3-point field goals per game, which is third in the CAA. In league play, the number jumps to 7.7. NU, which made a season-high 12 3-pointers on Feb. 11 at William & Mary, is shooting 37 percent from long-range on the season, which is first in the league, and an impressive 42 percent in CAA games.
Stay connected
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Northeastern Men's Basketball: @GoNUmbasketball // facebook.com/GoNUmbasketball
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Win rewards with Huskies Ncentives
Northeastern has a new rewards program that lets you earn points and win great prizes just by doing the online social activities you do everyday. Go to GoNU.com/Ncentives for more information.
Up next
Northeastern will return home to historic Matthews Arena for the final time this season to host Old Dominion on Saturday, March 2, at noon, in a game to be televised by Comcast SportsNet. Seniors
Jonathan Lee and
Joel Smith, who will be making their final regular-season appearances at the venerable arena, will be honored before the game. The game also will mark the end of an era, with ODU playing its final game as a member of the CAA.
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