Men's Basketball Travels to Merrimack on Thursday Night
The game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed on NECFrontRow.
February 25, 2020
The Central Connecticut men's basketball travels to Merrimack for its final Northeast Conference road game of the season on Thursday. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed on NECFrontRow.
CCSU had its two-game win streak snapped at Wagner on Friday and will be looking for its first road win of the season. Merrimack will be looking to rebound from a loss at Mount St. Mary's on Sunday as it chases the NEC regular season crown.
Central closes the 2019-20 season at home vs. St. Francis Brooklyn for Senior Day on Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY • The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 13-5, but Merrimack won the season's first meeting.
Opening Notes
• Central Connecticut travels to Merrimack for its final road game of the season on Feb. 27.
• The Blue Devils and Warriors are meeting for the second time this season, with MC winning the first meeting on Jan. 11. Merrimack is in its first season playing a Division I schedule and has put itself in position atop the NEC standings.
• Central closes out the 2019-20 season on Feb. 29 against St. Francis Brooklyn.
WITH A CCSU WIN TODAY...
• CCSU would split the season series with Merrimack.
• The Blue Devils post their third win in the past four games and keep the Warriors from winning their 20th game in the regular season.
• Central would earn its first road win of the 2019-20 season.
Quick Hitting Notes
• CCSU had a 23-8 advantage in bench scoring at Wagner. In the last 8 games, CCSU has outscored its opponents 290-144. Central gets 26.8 ppg from its bench this season.
• Central went 6-of-12 (.500) from three-point range in the first half at Wagner. Across the past 4 games the Blue Devils have gone a combined 25-of-45 (.556) from the three-point arc in the first half.
• CCSU had a six-point halftime lead at Wagner that slipped away in the loss. All three of the Blue Devils' losses when leading in halftime have come in NEC play.
Have a Heart!
• February may be heart health month, but we're going blue to "Have a Heart" at CCSU! For every $50 donated to CCSU during this month, we will cover the cost of the application fee for a student applying to Central. This campaign is just one of the ways in which we are working to remove barriers and increase access to higher education. visit the giving page at www.ccsu.edu to donate. Thank you for having a heart!
Central Newcomers Lead the Way
• With a roster featuring 10 players in their first year with the program, the Blue Devils have relied on one of the country's youngest rosters this season.
• Five of 7 players playing 20+ minutes are in their first year at CCSU. Three of Central's top four scorers are freshmen, with each averaging at least 8.4 ppg.
• In CCSU's first 12 games, the 10 newcomers contributed 80.9% (550-of-680) of the offense. On the year, the newcomers have accounted for 70.9% of points.
CCSU Roster Has a Fresh Look
• CCSU is one of only 14 schools nationally with 7 or more freshmen and is the 6th-youngest in terms of D1 experience (0.71 years). The D1 average is 1.68 years.
• The Blue Devils also feature two junior college transfers (Ayangma, Newkirk) and a senior transfer (Rowe) who are in their first season of eligibility with the program.
• Central Connecticut has 11 underclassmen, including 10 players in their first year with the program. CCSU started at least 3 first-year players in the first 14 games of the year, including three freshmen in the opener against Hartford.
Baker's Career-High Burns Bryant
• Myles Baker turned in a career-best performance against Bryant on Saturday, pouring in 24 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
• Baker went 9-of-13 overall and 5-of-7 on three-pointers. His personal 8-0 run midway through the second half erased a Bryant lead and gave CCSU the lead for good.
Reed on a Roll
• Over the past 8 games Jamir Reed is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 50.0% from the field (42% from three).
• Reed has four double-digit scoring games in that span, including a career-high 21 vs. LIU when he made 7-of-8 three-pointers.
Krishnan Hits the Court Scoring in Return
• Ian Krishnan scored 20+ points in his first two games back for CCSU with 23 vs. Conn College and 20 vs. Robert Morris.
• Krishnan leads CCSU in scoring and has scored double-figures in 11 games. He is 3rd in NEC play in 3-point shooting accuracy and has made 5+ three-pointers in a game twice this season.
• He is shooging 11-of-18 (.611) overall in the last 3 games.
"X" Is On Target
• Xavier Wilson scored a career-high 13 points vs. Sacred Heart on Jan. 23 and has started the past 9 games.
• Wilson went 7-of-11 at the foul line agains the Pioneers in 30 minutes, while also blocking four shots.
• He swatted a career-high 5 shots in just 13 minutes at Bryant and leads the team with 29 blocked shots on the year.
• Jamir Reed and Myles Baker both play 20+ mpg and contribute 8.4 and 8.8 points per game, respectively off the bench.
• Reed has posted 11 double-figure games, including 4 of last 8.
• Baker has 9 double-figure games, including 6 in NEC play.
Treys for Tennyson
• Trey Tennyson scored a career-high 15 points in 12 minutes at Saint Francis U on Jan. 30.
• Tennyson was 3-for-3 from the arc against Fairleigh Dickinson and has gone 9-of-16 (.563) over the past 7 games.
• Tennyson is 2nd on the team, shooting .431 from the arc.
Where's Wallace?
• Karrington Wallace's presence in the interior is a boost for CCSU. He left a hole while missing 10 games to injury.
• He had a career-high 13 vs. Wagner with 7 rebounds, 4 blocks.
• Wallace leads CCSU in field goal percentage (.494) and his per-40 averages are 12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 blocks.
Outlaw Named NEC Rookie of the Week
• Greg Outlaw was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2 following his play at UMass Lowell.
• He had a career-high 16 points on 7-12 shooting. He scored 5 straight to spark a 9-3 run and give CCSU a late 71-70 lead.
Reed Named All-Tournament
• Jamir Reed was named to the Hall of Fame Tip-Off All-Tournament Team for the Springfield Bracket.
• In two games at Mohegan Sun, he averaged 12.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg. He had a career-high 14 points vs. Columbia.
Central and the Three-Point Shot
• CCSU has made a three-pointer in 158 straight games dating back to Feb. 5, 2015 at St. Francis Brooklyn.
• The Blue Devils rank 3rd in the NEC (.360) in all games and have averaged 8.6 per game over the last 8 contests.
• Central has shot 25-of-45 (.556) from three-point range in the first half over the past 4 games.
• CCSU had a season-high 13 three-pointers against LIU on Feb. 13 and went 13-of-25 (.520) in the game.
Blue Devils vs. Postseason Participants
• In 2019-20, CCSU will face seven teams that played in the postseason last year. Fairleigh Dickinson, St. John's, Arizona St., Vermont (NCAA); Saint Francis U (NIT); Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn (CIT) all made postseason trips last year.
• CCSU is 1-7 against postseason participants from last year. In 2018-19, the Blue Devils went 1-10 against 8 teams that played in the postseason the previous year.
Working Overtime
• The Blue Devils are 5-4 under Donyell Marshall in overtime games. CCSU was 2-0 in OT during the 2018-19 season.
• CCSU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in 2OT (1/10/19) - the 7th multi-OT game in the program's D-1 history (1986-87).
Senator Olamuyiwa
• Freshman Ola Olamuyiwa was sworn in as a student body senator on the CCSU SGA Student Senate on Oct. 9.
• Olamuyiwa was also student government president at The Patrick School prior to coming to Central.
• Olamuyiwa and his teammates had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) when he visited the CCSU campus earlier in the fall.
• The SGA Student Senate meets weekly on Wednesdays and is seen as a voice for the undergraduate student body.
Marshall Among Former NBA Players Coaching
• CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall enjoyed a 15-year career in the NBA playing with eight teams.
• Marshall, who was the 4th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, is one of six former Top-10 picks currently coaching.
• Marshall was UConn's first consensus First-Team All-American as a junior in 1994. He is one of eight former consesus First-Team All-Americans now coaching Division I.
An International Roster
• The Blue Devils' roster has student-athletes from 4 countries (including the United States) in 2019-20.
• CCSU has 12 players from 9 states and England (Thai Segwai), Cameroon (Stephane Ayungma) and Nigeria (Ola Olamuyiwa).
• Central is among a group of 46 schools with student-athletes representing 3 or more foreign countries.
Blue Devils Welcome Alex Inyatkin
• CCSU teamed with Team IMPACT to welcome 12-year-old Alex Inyatkin into the men's basketball program.
• The Blue Devils held a signing ceremony on April 24 in the Athletic Department that included Alex and his family.
• Inyatkin will be with the team for the season and attend games, practices and other team functions.
• Team IMPACT connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds with life-changing outcomes.
"All In, Ball Out" Year 2
• The NEC's "All In, Ball Out" branding campaign was launched in 2018-19 and captures the essence and attitude of the NEC's basketball-centric nature, and conveys a host of traits common to student-athletes, teams and the NEC.
• A series of hoops theme nights were announced to take place during league play and enhance the fan experience through coordinated marketing efforts within the conference.
84 Years of CCSU Basketball
• This is the 84th season of men's basketball at Central Connecticut. CCSU is 1,116-978 all-time (.533).
• Bill Detrick is the school's all-time winningest coach, having won 468 games in 29 seasons as head coach.
• CCSU's first year of competition was in 1934-35 under coach Harrison J. Kaiser, the athletic building's namesake.
• CCSU has competed as an NCAA Division I program from 1986 to present.
Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
• Central was picked 10th in the preseason coaches poll at NEC Social Media Day in Brooklyn, NY, at Barclay's Center on Oct. 23. Complete poll (first place votes):
• The Preseason All-NEC Team included Saint Francis U senior Keith Braxton, the 2018-19 NEC Player of the Year, was a unanimous selection, along with Raiquan Clark (Sr., LIU) and Jahlil Jenkins (Jr., Fairleigh Dickinson). E.J. Anosike (Jr., Sacred Heart) and Adam Grant (Sr., Bryant) rounded out the preseason selections.