Men's Hoops Opens Season at CT6 Classic
Blue Devils face Fairfield at 3 p.m.
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team opens the season today at 3 p.m. vs. Fairfield in the Annual CT6 Classic, being played at Quinipiac University.
Today
The Blue Devils open the 2014-15 season at the Connecticut 6 Classic for the sixth straight season. Central is 1-4 in the previous five CT6 Classics, falling to Fairfield, beating Hartford and then losing to Yale, Fairfield and Yale in the last three seasons. Following tonight's game the Blue Devils will be on the road at Maryland on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. Central will play its first eight games away from home before hosting UMBC on Dec. 10 in New Britain. Following the trip to Maryland the Blue Devils will travel to Monmouth for a weekend tournament on Nov. 21-23, also play Towson and Bethune-Cookman.
Season Openers
Central Connecticut is 9-9 in season openers under head coach Howie Dickenman. Last season Central dropped its opener to Yale, 93-77, in the Connecticut 6 Classic at the Webster Bank Arena. All-time in Division I the Blue Devils are 13-15 in season openers. This will mark the third time in the last six season that the Blue Devils open the season vs. Fairfield. They are 0-2 in the previous two meetings.
Series History - Fairfield leads 20-4
The Stags hold a 20-4 all-time lead in the series between the two teams, which dates back to 1949. The Stags won the last meeting between the two teams, 64-63 in overtime, in the Connecticut 6 Classic to open the 2012-13 season. Head Coach Howie Dickenman has faced the Stags only four times in his previous 18 seasons with the Blue Devils. He is 0-4.
McMillan and Drakeford Named Captains
Seniors Malcolm McMillan and Faronte Drakeford have been named captains for the 2014-15 season by head coach Howie Dickenman. Drakeford was an All-Conference selection a year ago, and started all 30 games last season. McMillan started 27 games last year and has made 85 career starts for the Blue Devils in his first three seasons.
McMillan's Assists
Senior captain Malcolm McMillan enters the season with 320 career assists, good for eighth all-time in CCSU history. He is nine assists away from passing Rich Leonard (329) for seventh all-time on the list.
Peel's Blocks
Junior Brandon Peel led the team in blocks with 61 last season, the sixth-highest single season total in school history. In his first two seasons Peel has blocked 79 shots, putting him just out of the top-10 in CCSU history.
Drakeford Third Team
Senior captain Faronte Drakeford was named to the Northeast Conference Third Team a year ago after averaging 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 30 games played. He started and played in every game in his first season with the Blue Devils. Drakeford averaged 14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in league play, averaging 26.9 minutes played per game.
On the Road
The Blue Devils will play their first eight games away from Detrick Gym this season, prior to opening the home portion of their schedule on Dec. 10 vs. UMBC. Following a trip to Rider on Dec. 3, Central will play its next eight games in the state of Connecticut, including five home games and games at Hartford, UConn and Sacred Heart, on Jan. 5.
16 Straight NEC Tourneys
The Blue Devils have qualified for 16 straight Northeast Conference men's basketball tournaments. That is the longest active streak in the conference. Central did not qualify for the tournament in its first year of membership, but has qualified each year since.
Dickenman in Overtime
The Blue Devils played the 30th overtime game under head coach Howie Dickenman at LIU Brooklyn on Feb. 27, 2014, and won for the 21st time (86-82). In his 18 seasons Dickenman is 21-9 in overtime games.
Central Connecticut in the Northeast Conference
Central Connecticut has posted a 141-93 record (.602) in NEC regular season play over the last 12 seasons (19-1 in 2001-02, 12-6 in 02-03, 9-9 in 03-04, 8-10 in 04-05, 13-5 in 05-06, 16-2 in 06-07, 10-8 in 07-08, 8-10 in 08-09, 9-9 in 09-10, 11-7 in 2010-11, 10-8 in 2011-12, 9-9 in 2012-13, and 7-9 in 2013-14). They are 79-38 (.685) at home and 62-55 (.529) on the road.
History - 1,069 Wins
This season marks the 78th season of Blue Devil basketball. Central's first year of competition was the 1934-35 season under coach Harrison J. Kaiser, whom the athletic building is named after. Central carries an overall record of 1,069 wins and 837 losses for a .561 winning percentage.
Central and the Three-Point Shot - 529 Straight
Entering today's game, the Blue Devils have hit a three-point shot in 529 consecutive games (a school record). The last time CCSU did not hit a three-point shot was February 29, 1996 at the University of Missouri-KC in a 76-69 loss.
