HACKENSACK, N.J. - The FDU Knights (4-10, 0-0) open NEC play on the road Sunday at Wagner (8-6, 0-1). The Burgundy and Blue will aim to begin 2025 with a win over the defending conference champions. Tipoff comes at 1 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
FDU is 60-61 all-time against their longtime NEC rival. Last year, the Knights split their two games with Wagner. Both these games were decided by four or less points. Last season, FDU fell in Hackensack 66-62 (2/8/24), before picking up a 57-54 victory on Staten Island to finish off the regular season (3/2/24). The Knights have won their last two games on the road at Wagner.
Wagner enters Sunday with an 8-6 record, having dropped their NEC opener to Chicago State at home on Friday night. The Seahawks picked up notable non-conference wins over Boston U and NJIT. On top of these victories, Wagner is 5-2 at home this season.
The Seahawks possess a balanced offensive attack. Four players average between 8.4ppg and 11.4ppg. Two of these players were members of the 2023-24 team that went to the NCAA tournament. The two key newcomers to this year's squad are Ja'Kair Sanchez and R.J Greene. Sanchez, formerly at Roberts Wesleyan, is a graduate student averaging 9.8ppg. Greene, who transferred from LIU after last season, is scoring over nine points a contest and hauls in six rebounds per game. Despite having multiple players in the same scoring cluster, the Seahawks average just 64.3ppg.
Donald Copeland is in his third season in charge of the Seahawks. Last season, Copeland guided Wagner to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 21 years and led them to a win in the First Four over Howard.
FDU brings in a 4-10 record after a grueling non-conference schedule. The Knights played six Power Five opponents and two teams from the A10 over the last two months. All of these games came on the road. Despite the challenges that have come along with the schedule, the numbers point to FDU getting better as the calendar flips to 2025. In three of their last four games, the Knights have turned it over ten or less times. FDU led at halftime at Minnesota and outscored Boston College in the second half of their most recent contest. In five of their last six games, they have totaled 15 or more assists. They also lead the NEC in points per game (78.2) and made threes (143).
At 21.1ppg, Terrence Brown is the Knights leading scorer. As of January 4, he sits in the top ten in the country in scoring. His output has been complemented well recently by Tyree Barba-Bey. Barba-Bey just recorded a career-high 31 points at Boston College and is averaging 23.0ppg over his last two contests. His performance at Boston College marked a new record for points scored by an FDU player against an ACC opponent.
The Knights remain on the road after this one. Next, they travel to Le Moyne on Friday, January 10, for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Fans can watch the game on NEC Front Row.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor of the 2024-2025 FDU men's basketball season
