Central Connecticut will be back at Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday after playing a pair of road games and five of its last six contests away from home. Central hosts Penn State Wilkes-Barre at 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on www.NECFrontRow.com with Bruce Biel (play-by-play) and Marc Robbins (analyst) calling the action.
Tickets for CCSU home games can be purchased at CCSUTickets.com or at the box office upon entry to Kaiser Hall and Detrick Gymnasium. Admission for all CCSU students, faculty and staff is free of charge with a valid Blue Chip card.
All CCSU home games and Northeast Conference games are available to watch online, for free, at NECFrontRow.com.
The Blue Devils lost at North Carolina A&T and #13 Virginia Tech in their most recent games. Junior Joe Hugley led the team in scoring in both contests and is one of three Blue Devils averaging double-figures at 12.0 ppg. Senior Tyler Kohl scores 17.8 points per game, while freshman Ian Krishnan is averaging 14.6 points.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre is 6-2 coming into the game and has won four straight. Khalil White is the leading scorer at 15.3 ppg, while Davaughn Roberts grabs a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION | Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, CT)
CCSU (4-5) vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre (6-2) | Saturday, Dec. 8 | 1 PM
VIDEO (NEC Front Row) | LIVE STATS | @KizerBlueDevil (In-game twitter updates)
GAME NOTES | 2018-19 RECORD BOOK
NCAA WEEKLY WHISTLE
SERIES HISTORY • CCSU and Penn State Wilkes-Barre are meeting for the first time
HUGLEY STAYS HOT • Junior
Joe Hugley led the Blue Devils with 15.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg last week in a pair of games. The 6-foot-7 forward posted his second career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench at North Carolina A&T last Thursday. Hugley led Central with 13 points at 13th-ranked Virginia Tech and has scored at least 10 points in six straight games, all of them in a reserve role. He is averaging 12.0 ppg and shooting .432 from the field and .415 from three-point range.
BLUE DEVILS LEADING THE WAY AT THE LINE • Central Connecticut is currently leading all teams in the Northeast Conference in free throw shooting at 77.5%. Central has made 141-of-182 at the line this season, led by
Joe Hugley at 90.0% (27-of-30). The Blue Devils rank 17th in the NCAA in team free-throw percentage, while Hugley's mark is 38th.
Tyler Kohl (.886) also ranks 57th. CCSU has made 10 free throws in every game this season, except at Virginia Tech when it went 5-of-7. The Blue Devils were a season-best 16-of-18 (.889) against UMass Lowell and made a single-game high 27 foul shots against Florida A&M.
CCSU IN THE NCAA NET RATING • The NCAA's new metric, which replaced the RPI, debuted on Nov. 25. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rating will be the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams this season. The NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. CCSU was the highest rated NEC team in the initial ranking at #150.
DECEMBER IS LOVE WINS MONTH AT CCSU • During the month of December, the CCSU men's and women's basketball teams will wear t-shirts during warmups to recognize the Ana Grace Project. The Ana Grace Project was founded in 2013 in memory of Ana Grace Márquez-Greene as a response to the tragedy that took her life in Sandy Hook, CT, on 12/14/12. The Ana Grace Project is dedicated to promoting love, community and connection for every child and family through three lead initiatives: partner schools, professional development, and music & arts. The Love Wins Community Drive will take place at CCSU on Dec. 14 with a collection being taken for toys, baby items, food, toiletries and winter clothing.
UP NEXT • The Blue Devils are off until Sunday, Dec. 16. Central travels to Providence to face the Friars in a 2:00 p.m. game to be broadcast on FS1. CCSU is on the road for three straight until opening NEC play at home vs. Wagner on Jan. 3.
