RICHMOND, Va. — The Northeastern men's basketball team will look to take another step on its historic journey when it faces James Madison in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game on Monday at 7 p.m. in Richmond, Va. The top-seeded Huskies advanced to the title game by rallying from a 24-point deficit to defeat George Mason, 69-67, in Sunday's semifinal. JMU defeated Delaware, 58-57, in the other semifinal.
The game will be televised live to a national audience on the NBC Sports Network. WRBB Radio (104.9 FM and WRBBsports.com) also will carry the game live, with David Kroopnick, Brandon Challener, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs calling the action.
Visit
#CAAHoops Championship Central to purchase tickets, or for links to live stats, a live blog, and other information about the tournament.
Fans in Boston can attend a viewing part at the Curry Student Center on the Northeastern campus beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Storylines
>> Northeastern rallied from a 24-point deficit to defeat No. 4 George Mason, 69-67, in the semifinal round of the CAA tournament on Sunday; the comeback was Northeastern's largest in the 93-year history of the men's basketball program
>> The Huskies have overcome double-digit deficits in seven victories this season, including four when trailing by double-digits in the second half
>> Northeastern clinched a share of its first CAA regular-season title with a 66-64 win over James Madison on Feb. 20 at Matthews Arena in Boston; the Huskies then captured the title outright after defeating Georgia State, 90-84, in overtime on Feb. 27
>> The regular-season title was the 11th in program history, but the first in 20 years
About the Huskies
No. 1 Northeastern enters Monday night's championship game against No. 3 James Madison a winner of three of its last four games, but none more memorable than Sunday's historic 69-67 win over George Mason. The Huskies erased a 24-point deficit to claim the largest comeback win in the program's 93-year history and earn an appearance in its first-ever CAA title game. With a win on Monday, the Huskies would earn their first conference tournament title and NCAA bid since 1991. NU, the CAA regular-season champion, has made a habit of winning close games. Remarkably, 23 of NU's 31 games have been decided by seven points or less. The Huskies are 15-8 in those games, including a 13-4 record in games decided by five points or less. Senior co-captain
Joel Smith, an All-CAA First Team selection, leads the Huskies, averaging 16.4 ppg. The sharp-shooting Texan has scored in double figures in 24 of 31 games. Fellow senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee, who hit the game-winner on Sunday, averages 13.8 ppg. Sophomores
Quincy Ford and
Reggie Spencer average in double figures at 12.8 ppg and 10.0 ppg, respectively. The sophomore standouts lead the team in rebounding, with Spencer averaging 6.2 rpg, and Ford hauling in 5.7 rpg.
David Walker, an All-Rookie selection, has been a steady presence, averaging 6.2 ppg, and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4 in CAA play.
Huskies storm to first CAA title game
Northeastern staged the largest comeback in its 93-year program history on Sunday night in Richmond, storming back from a 24-point deficit to defeat George Mason, 69-67, and advance to its first CAA tournament final. NU ripped off a 26-2 run to tie the game just three minutes into the second half and senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee laid the ball in as time expired to give NU the improbable win.
Northeastern in tournament finals
Northeastern owns a 7-2 all-time mark in conference tournament championship games. The Huskies, who won their first seven tournament title game appearances, are playing in the CAA championship game for the first time.
Northeastern's tournament title game history
Year Conf. Opponent Result Score
1981 ECACN Holy Cross W (OT) 81-79
1982 ECACN Niagara W 82-59
1984 ECACN Canisius W 85-75
1985 ECACN Boston Univ. W 68-67
1986 ECACN Boston Univ. W 63-54
1987 ECACN Boston Univ. W 71-68
1991 NAC Maine W 57-46
1995 NAC Drexel L 52-72
2005 AE Vermont L 57-80
Epic comeback one for the record books
The Huskies' improbable 24-point comeback on Sunday ranks as the largest in the 93-year history of Northeastern basketball.
Cardiac Canines
The Huskies have had a flair for the dramatic this season, overcoming double-digit deficits in seven victories.
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
Feb. 27 at Georgia State (90-84, OT) -13
March 10 vs. George Mason (69-67) * -24
* Trailed by double-digits in the second half
Win total equals best in eight years
Northeastern's 20 overall wins and 14 CAA wins equal the most since a 21-10 mark in 2004-05. The 2009-10 squad posted a 20-13 (14-4 CAA) final record and earned an NIT appearance. Sunday's win gave NU its second 20-win season under head coach
Bill Coen and 13th in program history.
Northeastern's 20-win seasons
2012-13 20-11 Yet to be determined
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.
History in the Hub: NU claims first CAA title, 11th overall conference crown
Northeastern clinched its first CAA regular-season title outright after defeating Georgia State, 90-84, in overtime on Feb. 27.
Joel Smith poured in a game-high 29 points and NU shot a CAA-record 27-for-27 from the free throw line in the victory. 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
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)
Winning the close ones
This season, 23 of NU's 31 games, including 16 of 19 games against CAA teams, have been decided by seven points or less. The Huskies are 15-8 in those games, including an impressive 12-4 mark against CAA opponents. More impressively, NU is 13-4 in games decided by five points or less, including 10-2 in CAA play.
Northeastern in close games
Seven points or less 15-8 (12-4 CAA)
Five points or less 13-4 (10-2 CAA)
NU ranks sixth nationally in free throw percentage, sets CAA record
Northeastern entered the CAA tournament shooting 76.7 percent from the free throw line to rank sixth in NCAA Division I. The average climbed to 79.5 percent in CAA games. The Huskies set a CAA record by making 27-of-27 attempts in an overtime win over Georgia State on Feb. 27. NU shot 80 percent or better from the line in three of the last four regular-season games.
Joel Smith is CAA's most proficient scorer
Northeastern senior
Joel Smith, who is enjoying a standout season, finished the regular season as the most proficient of the CAA's top scorers. Smith averaged 1.71 points per shot attempt, nearly 15 percent better than the next closest player, UNCW's Keith Rendleman.
Road warriors: One of nation's very best
NU's road winning percentage (.833, 10-2) this season was third-best in the country among teams that played 10 or more road games (Gonzaga, 10-1 (.909); Coll. of Charleston, 11-2 (.846)). NU was one of just 15 NCAA Division I teams (out of 347) to have won 10 or more road games. NU was 8-1 (.889) in CAA road games.
Extra special in extra time
The 2012-13 Huskies have tied program records for most overtime games played and won in a single season. With its victory at Georgia State on Feb. 27, NU improved to 4-1 in OT games. That mark equals that of the 1980-81 team, though two of that team's OT games came in the conference tournament.
NU in overtime this season
1/8/13 at Drexel 63-58, W
1/23/13 William & Mary (2OT) 95-91, W
2/9/13 at Old Dominion 79-74, W
2/13/13 Delaware 74-76, L
2/27/13 at Georgia State 90-84, W
How sweep it is
Northeastern swept three games from George Mason, and two-game season series from three other CAA opponents: Drexel, Hofstra and William & Mary. The Huskies also defeated James Madison and Towson in the only meetings between the programs this season.
Do you believe in omens?
The 2012-13 season featured a preseason trip to Canada and an appearance in the Great Alaska Shootout. NU has done both before—traveling to Alaska in 1986-87, and to Canada in 2008-09. The three seasons have interesting parallels.
At least 19 wins
1986-87 - 27-7, 17-1 NAC
2008-09 - 19-13, 12-6 CAA
2012-13 - 20-11, 14-4 CAA
Modest December record
1986-87 - 3-4
2008-09 - 3-2
2012-13 - 1-4
Winning streak through January
1986-87 - 11 games
2008-09 - 5 games
2012-13 - 8 games
Remarkable January record
1986-87 - 11-0
2008-09 - 9-1
2012-13 - 8-1
Postseason appearance
1986-87 - NCAA Tournament
2008-09 - CBI
2012-13 - TBD
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 at www.seniorCLASSaward.com/vote
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