SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The defending Northeast Conference champion Fairleigh Dickinson basketball team is set to tip-off the 2016-17 season at Seton Hall on Friday night at a sold out Walsh Gymnasium.
 
Coming off a season, which featured a 10-win turnaround and the team's first NCAA Tournament trip since 2005, the Knights set out begin this year with another tough non-conference foe in the defending Big East Champion Pirates. Last season, the Knights opened up against the eventual National Champion, Villanova University.
 
Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (18-15)* at Seton Hall University (25-9)*
Where: Walsh Gymnasium – South Orange, N.J.
When: Friday, November 11 – 7:01 p.m.
Series History: Seton Hall leads 17-4
First Meeting: 12/3/60 – Seton Hall W, 81-78
Last Meeting:  12/1/13 – FDU W, 58-54
*2015-16 records

 Notes: Game 1 
 FDU Men's Basketball Report 11/9
 
Broadcast Information:
TV: Fox Sports Network (FSN) and YES Network - PxP:  Scott Graham - Analyst: Tom Pecora
Audio: KnightVision – Sam Levitt
Live Stats

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All-Time Series:

• Tonight is the 22nd meeting between the Knights and Pirates on the hardwood.
• The Knights are 4-17 all-time against the Pirates.
• FDU won the last meeting between the two teams by topping the Hall 58-54 back on Dec. 1, 2013 at the Prudential Center.
• In the win, senior Sidney Sanders Jr. led the Knights with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
• With the victory, Greg Herenda became the first coach since Pete Carrill to defeat Rutgers and Seton Hall in the same season. It was Herenda's first season with the Knights and began his first winning streak at the helm.

 
Last Time Out:
The Knights wrapped up the preseason with an exhibition against Merrimack College last Thursday at Stratis Arena. The Knights topped the Division II Warriors 77-62 as Tyrone O'Garro (Newark, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) and Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, N.J./Arthur P. Schalick ) each amassed a double-double.
 
The Knights trailed by four at the break but turned on the jets in the second half and used a 21-6 run to stake a double-digit lead. Over that stretch, the Knights shot 10-of-17 from the floor and forced five Warrior turnovers.
 
Notable Performances:
Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, N.J./Arthur P. Schalick ) – 16 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes
Tyrone O'Garro (Newark, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) – 14 points and 12 rebounds on 6-for-6 shooting
Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) – Eight points, six rebounds and six assists.

Herenda's Take:
"Their zone in the first half gave us fits but we were able to make some adjustments and got our fast break going and the sped the game up which was to our advantage."
 
"The bottom line tonight was Tyrone and Mike. They were immense but the key was our second half defensive pressure. When we guard and rebound, we can be a very dangerous team."
 
Coach Herenda enjoyed the experience of facing off against his alma mater -- "I am very proud to be an alum of Merrimack College and coach of Fairleigh Dickinson University."
 
 
News and Notes:
Fairleigh Dickinson in season openers:

• The Knights are 28-39 in season openers since the team's inaugural contest back in 1949.
• FDU is 2-8 in their last 10 opening games.
• Last season, the Knights tipped off the season against then-ranked No. 9 Villanova. The Wildcats were knocked off by Seton Hall in the Big East Championship Game but eventually went on to capture the National Championship.

Youth Prevails: Featuring the third-youngest team in the nation, the Knights claimed the NEC title last season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
 
Familiar Faces: The young Knights are back for another run this season with 11 players returning from last year's 13-man roster, including four of the team's five starters.
 
Quite a Turnaround: The Knights experienced a 10-win improvement by winning 18 games last season after an 8-21 record in 2014-15. It was the first winning record for the prorgram since the 2005-06 season (20-12).
 
Road Success: Last season, the Knights were 9-8 in road contests, which marked the team's first winning record away from home since 1997-98.
 
Score and Win: As simple as it sounds, when the Knights pile points up they win. Last season they were 14-3 in games where they scored at least 75 points and 9-1 in games where they scored 86 points or more.
 
The Only One: In 2015-16 the Knights were the only team in the country that lead their conference in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage in conference play. On the season overall, FDU lead the NEC in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and was third in free throw percentage.

Season Outlook:

• Most preseason polls, including the conference's preseason poll have selected the Knights to win the Northeast Conference this season.
• Juniors Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ) were both selected to the Preseason All-NEC Team.
• Coach Greg Herenda begins his fourth season as head coach of the Knights after leading the team to a 10-win turnaround last season.

 
Next up:
The Knights host FDU-Florham in their 2016-17 home opener next Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m. Prior to opening tip, the team's 2016 NEC Championship banner will be unveiled.