WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
HACKENSACK, N.J. - The calendar has flipped to 2016 and with that comes Northeast Conference play, which means a clean slate for teams around the league. The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team opens NEC play at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center against a familiar opponent the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn. The Knights (4-7) and Terriers (4-9) are scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. tip on Saturday, January 2 following a game between the women's teams of both institutions.
GAME DETAILSFDU (4-7) vs.
St. Francis Brooklyn (4-9)
Where: Stratis Arena – Hackensack, N.J.
When: Saturday, January 2, 2016 – 4:30 p.m.
Series History: FDU leads 52-39
First Meeting: 1/10/55 – SFBK W, 61-52
Last Meeting: 2/19/15 – SFBK W, 70-54
Last FDU Win: 1/23/15 – FDU W, 86-85
Series History: This is the 92nd all-time meeting between FDU and St. Francis Brooklyn. The Knights hold a 52-39 advantage in the series, but the Terriers have won the last three meetings dating back to the 2013-14 season. Head Coach
Greg Herenda is 1-3 against the Terriers with his team earning an 86-85 victory in January 2014. Last season the Terriers won 78-69 at Stratis Arena (Jan. 8) and won at home 70-54 (Feb. 19). The teams will meet for the 93rd time on February 6 at the Pope Physical Education Center.
Last Season vs. St. Francis Brooklyn: Current sophomores
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and
Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ) played well in the two meetings with St. Francis last season. Anderson scored 10 points in both contests and averaged 10 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals in the two games. Potts scored 16 of the Knights' 54 points in the second meeting and also grabbed six rebounds and made four steals in that game.
Sophomore Scoring: Four FDU sophomores -
Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ),
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ),
Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) and
Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) - currently rank as the team's top four scorers. Potts leads the group at 15.0 per game, while Anderson (13.8), Jiggetts (10.2) and Townes (9.5) are close behind. The quartet has accounted for 534 points this season, which is 65% of the team's scoring this year.
Strong Non-Conference Schedule: The Knights have played a challenging non-conference schedule so far in 2015. FDU's 10 Division I opponents have a combined record of 68-48, which is a .586 winning percentage. The Knights' seven losses this season have come against teams with a .642 winning percentage and a 52-29 record. As of Dec. 30, FDU's RPI sits at 203, which ranks as the second best mark in the NEC to Wagner (177).
Coming Up: After today's game against St. Francis Brooklyn, the Knights will host Bryant at Stratis Arena on January 4. The team will then travel to Sacred Heart for its first NEC road game on Jan. 7 and then host Central Connecticut on Jan. 9. The following weekend the team travels to Robert Morris and Saint Francis U.
Winning the Turnover Battle: The Knights have committed fewer turnovers than their opponents in eight games this season, including a current five game streak. Over the last five games the Knights have committed 56 turnovers, while forcing their opponents to turn it over 85 times.
The Conference Schedule: For NEC teams the start of conference play brings a reset of sorts, non-conference records mean very little as all 10 teams set their sights on the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Knights open NEC play with three of the first four games at home. In all FDU plays at home six times in the first nine NEC games. The second half of the conference slate features a four-game road swing, followed by three straight at home before closing the regular season with trips to Mount St. Mary's and Central Connecticut.
