BOSTON—The Northeastern men's basketball team returns home on Saturday to host league-leading Delaware at Matthews Arena. Tip-off on Comcast SportsNet is set for noon. The Blue Hens hold a slight 23-19 series lead, but the Huskies are 12-4 against UD in CAA regular-season play. For ticket information, visit GoNU.com/tickets.


Story lines
> Northeastern and Delaware will meet for the 43rd time in series history on Saturday at historic Matthews Arena in Boston. Delaware holds a slight 23-19 edge in the all-time series, but the Huskies are 12-4 against the Blue Hens in CAA regular-season play.

> Northeastern's Scott Eatherton secured his NCAA-leading 14th double-double—and fourth straight—with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's win at James Madison.

> Northeastern has won 12 of its last 16 January games. NU is 38-16 (.704)  in the month of January since 2009.

> Northeastern has played one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Huskies' non-conference slate peaked at No. 15 and was rated the 42nd strongest in Division I by CBS's Jerry Palm.

> Eatherton ranks nationally in eight different statistical categories, including four top-50 rankings—double-doubles (first), total rebounds (13th), rebounds per game (14th), and field goal percentage (41st).

> David Walker and Reggie Spencer also appear in the NCAA rankings. Walker is fifth nationally in minutes per game, 65th in total steals, and 68th in steals per game, while Spencer ranks in rebounds per game and total rebounds.

About the Huskies
A year ago, Northeastern turned a challenging non-conference schedule and a disappointing December into a championship run. The Huskies, who were picked to finish fifth in the CAA last year, raced to a 14-4 record and the CAA regular-season title. This year's squad—picked sixth in the CAA—has played one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules. Scott Eatherton, who leads the nation in double-doubles, is making a strong case for CAA Player of the Year. He ranks in the top two in the CAA in six categories and leads NU with 16.8 ppg and 10.4 rpg. David Walker is second in scoring (11.4), while Reggie Spencer is third in scoring (9.6) and second in rebounding (7.4).

Last time out
The Northeastern men's basketball team raced to a 15-point first-half lead and never trailed in a 56-52 win over James Madison on Wednesday night in Harrisonburg, Va. Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa.) posted his NCAA-leading 14th double-double — and fourth straight — with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Northeastern (5-13, 2-2 CAA). NU scored the game's first 10 points and led by as many as 15 before taking a 10-point advantage into the half. JMU (6-12, 1-3 CAA) methodically cut into the lead and closed to within one point before David Walker hit a baseline jumper from the left side, reminiscent of his game-winner over the Dukes a season ago, and the Huskies closed out the game at the free throw line.

Notables from the last time out
Notes of interest from Northeastern's most recent game, a 56-52 victory at James Madison:
> Northeastern improved to 12-4 all-time against James Madison, including 5-2 in games played in Harrisonburg
> Scott Eatherton posted his NCAA-leading 14th double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds); it was Eatherton's fourth straight double-double
> David Walker (12 points) scored in double figures for the 11th time this season
> Demetrius Pollard (12 points) hit double figures for the eighth time this season
> Reggie Spencer (eight rebounds) notched his 11th straight game with five or more rebounds
> The win gave NU its first true road victory of the season
> NU improved to 3-3 when leading at the half
> The Huskies, who last season went 13-4 in games decided by five points or less, improved to 2-7 this season in such games
> NU improved to 3-1 when holding an opponent under 60 points

Eatherton leads nation in double-doubles
Scott Eatherton collected his NCAA-leading 14th double-double—and fourth straight—on Wednesday at James Madison. That followed an impressive performance against College of Charleston, in which he reached double-figure points and rebounds before halftime—the first NU player to do so in more than a decade. He posted four straight double-doubles from Dec. 4 to Dec. 21 to become the first NU player to accomplish the feat since Shawn James 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) and 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.), ranks in the top two in the CAA in six categories. He leads the nation in double-doubles and leads the CAA in blocked shots. He also holds the number two spot in the CAA in field goal percentage, rebounds per game, total blocks, and total rebounds.

Delaware: A look at the series
Northeastern and Delaware will meet for the 43rd time in series history on Saturday at historic Matthews Arena in Boston. Delaware holds a slight 23-19 edge in the all-time series, but the Huskies are 12-4 against the Blue Hens in CAA regular-season play, including 6-2 in CAA home games. A year ago in Newark, the Huskies shot a blistering 67 percent from 3-point range to defeat UD, 74-70. In February, with leading-scorer Joel Smith sidelined by injury, NU dropped a disappointing overtime decision to visiting Delaware, 76-74. (A game-by-game series history can be found on page four of the game notes.)

Marathon man
David Walker ranks fifth nationally in minutes per game (37.3).

Coming off a CAA win
Under Bill Coen, Northeastern is 46-23 in CAA regular-season games following a regular-season conference victory.

Bouncing back
With its win over UNCW on Jan. 8, Northeastern improved to 7-1 in games following a loss of 20 or more points since 2008-09.

Schedule unkind
Northeastern is in the midst of a brutal CAA stretch of five games in 11 days. Saturday's game against Delaware will be NU's fourth game in the last eight days. The travel-happy Huskies will play back-to-back home games only once all season.

Flip the calendar, flip the script
Bill Coen's Northeastern teams have traditionally used challenging December schedules to launch successful January campaigns. The Huskies have won 12 of their last 16 games—and 20 of their last 27—played in the month of January. NU is 38-16 (.704) in the month since 2009. The Huskies won just one December game a year ago before racing to an 8-1 January and the CAA regular-season title.

Banner night for Banegas-Flores
On Jan. 11 at Drexel, Marco Banegas-Flores set career marks for points (17), steals (three), FG made (five), FT made (six), and FT attempts (eight).

Double-figure Davey
David Walker has scored in double figures in 11 of 18 games this season, including a career-high 19 points at VCU. Walker, who reached double figures six times as a freshman, has become a more aggressive offensive force for the Huskies as a sophomore.

Reggie rebound
Reggie Spencer has collected at least five rebounds in 11 straight games, and 16 of the last 17. Spencer grabbed a career-high 15 boards in NU's win over UNCW on Jan. 8. That came just three games after a 13-rebound effort at Tulane. The UNCW game was Spencer's third double-figure rebounding game of the season and the eighth of his NU career.

Playing the best...
Northeastern has played one of the nation's toughest schedules. NU's non-conference schedule was ranked 15th in Division I through Dec. 12 and 42nd overall by CBS Sports' Jerry Palm. Seven of NU's first eight games were against teams that advanced to postseason play last year, and four of the early opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the AP or Coaches polls at the time of the game.

...and playing them close
Coen's young squad has been within striking distance in nearly every game this season. The Huskies have led or been tied in the second half of all but two games. In nine of its losses, NU has been within five points or less in the game's final five minutes, and only two losses have been by double digits.

Cleaning the glass
NU has out-rebounded its opponents in 11 of 18 games this season. The Huskies accomplished the feat only nine times in 30 games a year ago. For the first time since Nov. 30, 2011, Northeastern collected 40 or more rebounds in consecutive games, grabbing 41 caroms in the opener against Boston University and 40 on Nov. 13 at Stony Brook. Most recently, NU hit the 40-rebound mark against Fairfield (Dec. 15), out-rebounding the Stags by 13.

Double down
Northeastern has had at least one double-figure rebounder in all but three games this season. NU has had two double-figure rebounders three times.

Youth movement
The graduation of two highly-decorated seniors a year ago in Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith has ushered in a youth movement on Huntington Avenue. NU's roster includes just one senior and underclassmen account for nearly 50 percent of minutes played.

Stay connected
Northeastern Athletics: @GoNUathletics  //  facebook.com/GoNUathletics
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Up next
Northeastern will continue its challenging CAA stretch with back-to-back road games, traveling to Towson and Hofstra. The Huskies will face the Tigers at the brand new SECU Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. NU then will travel to Hempstead to face the Pride on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m.


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