January 2, 2019
Men's Basketball Hosts Wagner Thursday for #NECNEWYEAR
The Blue Devils tip off Northeast Conference play at home.
Central Connecticut returns to Detrick Gymnasium on Thursday night against Wagner to begin Northeast Conference play on #NECNEWYEAR. CCSU went 6-7 in the buildup to conference play and is back at home after closing the non-conference slate with three road games. Wagner has gone 5-6 in non-conference play. The game will be streamed live and will be archived on www.NECFrontRow.com. Bruce Biel (play-by-play) and Marc Robbins (analyst) call the action all season long.
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.
Central Connecticut was tabbed sixth in the league's preseason poll and won six games out-of-conference, but may have showed their true ceiling in close setbacks at Georgetown (10-3 record) and Loyola Marymount (12-2). The Blue Devils are 6-7 overall and have been led by senior Tyler Kohl, who is leading the squad and ranks among the NEC Top-10 in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
Wagner (5-6) was picked fourth in the preseason and should be in the hunt after ranking among the best defensive efficiency ratings in the conference over the first two months according to KenPom. The Seahawks allow just 71.2 points per game, while limiting opponents to 43.2 percent shooting from the field. Romone Saunders leads the team with 17.4 ppg and 7.1 rebounds.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION | Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, CT)
CCSU (6-7) vs. WAGNER (5-6) | THURSDAY, JAN. 3 | 7 PM
VIDEO (NEC Front Row) | LIVE STATS | @KizerBlueDevil (In-game twitter updates)
COMPLETE GAME NOTES | 2018-19 RECORD BOOK
SERIES HISTORY • Wagner leads the all-time series, 27-19, and has won the last eight meetings. The Seahawks defeated the Blue Devils, 73-61, in last season's NEC Quarterfinals. CCSU does hold a 13-7 advantage vs. Wagner at Detrick Gymnasium.
CCSU AND THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE - 22ND SEASON • 2018-19 marks the 22nd season that Central has competed in the Northeast Conference. CCSU has an all-time record of 198-182 (.521) in NEC regular season play, going 114-77 (.597) at home and 84-105 (.444) on the road. The Blue Devils are 15-14 (.517) in NEC postseason games and have won three league titles (2000, 2002, 2007).
NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON REVIEW • Central was picked 6th in the preseason coaches poll, while Saint Francis U was tabbed as the preseason favorite for the second straight year. Defending champion, LIU Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson each got a first-place vote in the poll. The Preseason All-NEC Team included Tyler Kohl, along with SFU's Keith Braxton and Jamaal King, and Raiquan Clark (LIU Brooklyn) and Mike Holloway (Fairleigh Dickinson).
Complete poll (first place votes): 1. Saint Francis U (8), 2. Fairleigh Dickinson (1), 3. LIU Brooklyn (1), 4. Wagner, 5. Robert Morris, 6. Central Connecticut, 7. St. Francis Brooklyn, 8. Bryant, 9. Sacred Heart, 10. Mount St. Mary's.
Complete poll (first place votes): 1. Saint Francis U (8), 2. Fairleigh Dickinson (1), 3. LIU Brooklyn (1), 4. Wagner, 5. Robert Morris, 6. Central Connecticut, 7. St. Francis Brooklyn, 8. Bryant, 9. Sacred Heart, 10. Mount St. Mary's.
KOHL LOOKING TO REPEAT RARE FEAT • Tyler Kohl became just the 7th player over the last 20 years in the Northeast Conference to lead his team scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last season. He is currently on pace to repeat and ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, free throw percentage and three-point percentage. He also ranks just outside the top-10 in field goal percentage as well. If he finishes the year in the top-10 in each category, he will become the first NEC player to do so since at least 1997-98. In fact, on only four occasions have NEC players ranked in the top-10 in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Kohl had a career-high 33 points (8-12 fg, 5-9 3fg, 12-13 ft) with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a win at Maine. Kohl became just the third player in the nation this season to finish with at least 33/7/4/3 against a DI team and the second to score at least 33 points on 12 or fewer shot attempts.
UP NEXT • The Blue Devils begin a three-game road stretch with a contest at Sacred Heart on Saturday, Jan. 5.
