BOSTON – The Northeastern men's basketball team is back in the Cabot Center for three straight games, beginning on Thursday night against William & Mary. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on NESN and FloCollege.
 
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
 
1. SERIES HISTORY VS. WILLIAM & MARY
Northeastern and William & Mary will be meeting for the 38th time, with the Huskies holding a 20-17 advantage in the series. NU won the lone contest between the teams last season in Williamsburg and has won two of the last three meetings in Boston.
 
2. MURPHY ON THE BALLOT
After a career that spanned seven decades and resulted in more than 1000 victories at the high school, Division III and Division I levels, Tom Murphy has been named a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
 
Murphy, who coached Bill Coen at Hamilton College before hiring him as an assistant coach at his alma mater in 1987, was on Coen's staff at Northeastern for 19 years as an associate head coach and coordinator of basketball advancement before his retirement in 2025.
 
The finalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be announced on Wednesday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
 
3. GETTING COMFORTABLE
Freshman guard Xavier Abreu is second on the team in scoring averaging 13.1ppg and shooting 47% from the field in league action. Most of his damage has been done in the second half, where he's scored 63% of his points (162-of-258) including 18 points in the final 20 minutes against both North Carolina A&T (Dec. 31) and Elon (Jan. 15).