BOSTON– The No. 13 seed Northeastern men's basketball team is set and ready for its NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup with fourth-seeded and 17
thranked Kansas on Thursday, March 21 at 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MDT on TNT.
The Huskies return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last five seasons and the ninth time in program history after capturing the 2019 CAA Tournament title.
Northeastern heads into the game with a 23-10 record, winning 16 of its last 18 games, including the last seven-straight. Kansas (25-9) is 10-7 in its last 17 contests.
The two teams will meet for the first time ever, while the game will also mark the Huskies' first true game against a Big 12 Conference foe in program history.
Here is what you need to know about Thursday's tournament game:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- Getting to Know the Jayhawks
- Kansas enters Thursday night's NCAA Second Round game coming off of a 78-66 loss in the Big 12 Title game to Iowa State
- The Jayhawks have posted a 25-9 record this season and are 5-1 at neutral sites, falling only to the Cyclones
- Kansas finished finished third in the Big 12 Conference standings during the regular season, snapping their streak of 14-straight regular season titles
- The Jayhawks finished 10-7 in their final 17 games of the year, Northeastern is 15-2 during that span
LEADING THE WAY
- Kansas is led by All-Big 12 First Team selection Dedric Lawson, who is averaging 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game
- The trio of Lagerald Vick (14.1 ppg), Udoka Azubuike (13.4), and Devon Dotson (12.1) rounds out the double-digit scorers
- Dotson adds 122 assists on the season while making 45 steals
ALL-TIME SERIES
- This will be the first meeting between the two teams in program history and the Huskies' first true game against a Big 12 foe in program history
HUSKIES VS. THE BIG 12
- Northeastern has faced three teams that are currently in the Big 12 in program history, however none of them were a part of the Big 12 at the time of the meeting
- Meetings with Oklahoma and Baylor were prior to the formation of the current day Big 12; Oklahoma was a member of the Big Eight, Baylor was a member of the Southwest Conference
- While the Huskies' victory at West Virginia was when the Mountaineers were a part of the BIG EAST
- Thursday's game will mark Northeastern's TRUE first meeting with a Big 12 team in program history
- The Huskies and Oklahoma last met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
- Reggie Lewis scored 35 points and pulled down 15 boards (both Husky records in the NCAA tournament), but foul-plagued NU fell to Oklahoma, 80-74
- Anthony Bowie led the Sooners with 24 points.
| Team |
Record |
Last Meeting, Location |
| Baylor |
0-1 |
11/30/91, Fresno, Calif. |
| Iowa State |
N/A |
|
| Kansas |
First Meeting |
|
| Kansas State |
N/A |
|
| Oklahoma |
0-2 |
3/13/86, Greensboro, N.C. |
| Oklahoma State |
N/A |
|
| TCU |
N/A |
|
| Texas |
N/A |
|
| Texas Tech |
N/A |
|
| West Virginia |
1-0 |
11/29/03, Morgantown |
| TOTAL |
1-3 |
|
- Trips to the Tourney
- The Huskies will be making their ninth ever appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2019
- Northeastern has appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times before, including six appearances in the 1980s, before qualifying a seventh time in 1991 and returning to the tournament for the first time in 24 seasons back in 2015
- NU is 3-8 all-time in the competition with its last win coming in the 1984 Preliminary Round against No. 11 seed Long Island (90-87)
- Head Coach Bill Coen will be making his ninth appearance in the Big Dance and second as a head coach
- Coen previously helped Rhode Island make two tournament appearances as an assistant coach (1993, 1997), while helping Boston College to five tournaments as an assistant/associate head coach (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006)
- Streaking our way into the tournament
- Northeastern has been on a tear as of late winning 16 of their last 18 games including the last seven-straight
- During the 7-game win-streak, the Huskies are averaging 78.0 ppg, while holding their opponents to just 64.0 ppg
- Vasa Pusica has tallied 18.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.7 apg while he is one of FIVE players averaging double-digits during that span
- Northeastern is shooting 50.5 pct. from the field, and .400 from deep, connecting on 10.2 3FGpg
- After starting the conference season 1-2 with a victory over Drexel to begin the CAA year, followed by a couple tough losses to Delaware and Hofstra, the Huskies went on to win their next four games before faltering to a bruising Towson squad
- Northeastern bounced back later that weekend with a decisive victory over James Madison, and then captured a revenge win over Hofstra on Saturday followed by Thursday night's season sweep of William & Mary
- 12 of the Huskies' 14 conference victories came by double-digits and Northeastern averaged a 15.4 margin of victory in conference play
- Overall, in 2018-19, when holding their opponent to under 70 points the Huskies are 14-0
For more information and factual tidbits about the Huskies, enjoy the game notes while you wait for Thursday at 4 p.m.
