districtballer
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Northeastern University is a private research University in Boston with almost 21,000 students. It was established in 1898 and boasts an endowment of over 700 million dollars. Northeastern is most known for its co-op programs, which are among the first of its kind in the world and ranked #1 in the country in that regard. Notable NU alumni include the late Boston Celtics-captain Reggie Lewis (he still holds the career scoring record at NU), 2008 AL-Gold Glove winner Carlos Pena of the Tampa Devil Rays, Dallas Mavericks point guard Jose Juan Barea, and the late Dan Ross, who played 7 years in the NFL and still shares the records for most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a tight end in Super Bowl history.
The NU Basketball Tradition:
While the Huskies have been in the CAA for the last couple of years, they were a member of the America East conference until 2005. The Huskies play in Matthews Arena, which was opened in 1910 and known as the Boston Arena. The arena is the original home of the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Bruins. It serves as the home to not only the basketball team, but the hockey team as well. Hockey is far and away the marquee sport at Northeastern.
Late NU great Reggie Lewis
However, the Huskies also boast a solid tradition on the basketball court as well. They have gone to the NCAA tournament 7 times, trailing only VCU and ODU (who have 9 appearances each) among CAA teams. The NU glory years, like VCU, were in the 80's led by the great late Reggie Lewis and coached by current UConn coach Jim Calhoun. 6 of their 7 NCAA appearances were during this decade (their last appearance was in 1991). They managed to win 3 NCAA first-round games in 1981, 1982, and 1984.
1984 would be a year that many Ram fans will remember, as the 11th-seeded Huskies played 6th-seeded VCU in East Rutherford, NJ on March 16th. The Rams and Huskies went down to the wire, and Rolando Lamb hit a shot at the buzzer to give VCU the win. It is forever cemented in history as one of VCU's 'Great Moments in Rams' History'. To reminisce or discover this game for the first time, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2XgAtXf6c&feature=channel
Head to head, the Rams lead the overall series 5-3. However the latest game between the 2 teams was a bad memory for most Ram fans as the Huskies were the lone team to beat the Rams at the Siegel Center in a highly physical and emotionally-charged 68-63 contest last January. The Rams will look to avenge that loss tomorrow at the Stu.
The 2009-2010 Huskies:
Preseason prognosticators had high hopes for Northeastern this season after a strong 2008-2009 campaign. The Huskies were at the top of the CAA for a large part of the season before collapsing towards the end. With the Huskies returning everyone in the starting lineup but Eugene Spates, and other teams like VCU losing bigger pieces, Northeastern was predicted to finish 2nd in the CAA this season. However a slow start has tempered those expectations a bit as Northeastern suffered a 5 game losing streak, dropping 4 games in the non-conference portion of the schedule sandwiched around a a 2-point loss to Drexel to open up the CAA conference schedule. The Huskies seemed to have turned the corner, winning the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara and then beating JMU yesterday to open up 2010. The Huskies are currently 6-7 and on a 4-game winning streak.
Huskies star Matt Janning
The Huskies have arguably the best backcourt in the league led once again by 6'4 senior guard Matt Janning. The Minnesota native is leading the Huskies in scoring (16.7 ppg) and minutes (36.9 mpg). He is one the best all-around guards in the CAA, with deceptive quickness and athleticism to go along with a deadly outside shooting stroke. Chiasson Allen (13 ppg) is second in scoring on the team. He has blossomed over the last couple of seasons and as a junior is one of the better point guards in the league. At 6'4, he has great size and gets on the glass averaging 4.9 boards a game (good for second on the team). He has also developed a good 3-point stroke (37.7%), an aspect of the game he has worked very hard on since coming to Northeastern. 5'10 Frenchman Baptiste Bataille rounds out the backcourt and is a glue guy that does the little things and knocks down the open 3 when given the opportunity.
The Huskies also have a good frontcourt tandem in 6'9 Nkem Ojougboh and 6'8 Manny Adako. Both average 9.7 points a game while Ojougboh, who transferred as a freshman from UT-San Antonio, leads the team in rebounding at 8.1 per game and blocked shots at 2 per game. While Ojougboh is offensively proficient, he is more known for hard-nosed defense and shot-blocking. Manny Adako is more of an offensive weapon and has a wide-array of nice post moves and a smooth touch for his size. Both are very good CAA big men and will be another good test for VCU's impressive frontcourt. International freshmen Alwayne Bigby (Canada) and Mathiang Muo (Australia) are generally the first players off the bench and provide decent minutes in relief of the starters. After that, the depth falls off a bit as no player averages more than 7 minutes a game.
Keys to the Game:
1. Impose Tempo:
Northeastern plays essentially a 7-man rotation with Bigby and Muo coming off the bench. The starters play the vast majority of the minutes. This should play into VCU's hands as we can rotate 12-13 players pretty liberally. That said, Northeastern was in a similar situation last year and they still pulled out the win in a hostile Siegel Center. Northeastern will want to play at a slow, deliberate pace and this is reflected by their 64.1 points per game. VCU averages 11 more points per game at 75.5 and will want a much faster, more chaotic tempo. The Huskies take care of the ball and don't really turn it over that much, averaging 13.5 turnovers a game. VCU will need to make Northeastern play faster than it wants to in order to get those numbers up to the 20-turnover target set for each game. The team that imposes its tempo on the other looks to have a good shot at pulling out the win. NU will want the game in the 50's to 60's while VCU will want it in the 70's to 80's.
2. Guard the perimeter:
Going into the UNCW game, VCU ranked 3rd in the nation in 3-point field goal defense. This will have to continue against the Huskies. While Northeastern is not an especially good 3-point shooting team, much of their offense comes off of the 3-point shot. Janning, Allen, and Bataille are all proficient 3-point shooters and must be accounted for. Don't let the 33% 3-point team shooting fool you. The 3-point shot is a large part of the Husky offense.
3. Stop dribble penetration:
Janning and Allen at 6'4 are tall, quick, and athletic guards that can and will take the ball to the rack. VCU has to prevent their guards from breaking down their defenses with dribble penetration and opening up their big men for easy baskets. This has been an issue in the past and VCU has to continue with their strong play from the UNCW game and clamp down. Expect the Rams to throw different looks on defense with a mix of matchup zones, man-to-man, and perhaps even a box-and-one if Janning starts to get hot. Our offense should be predicated off of our defense.
DB's Prediction:
Tomorrow's matchup is a battle between 2 CAA clubs going for their 5th straight win. One team will be disappointed. The Rams avenge last season's home loss and continue their strong play with a stifling defensive performance. The Huskies keep it close, but VCU pulls away at the end as the NU starters tire down the stretch. VCU by 9.
GO RAMS!
The NU Basketball Tradition:
While the Huskies have been in the CAA for the last couple of years, they were a member of the America East conference until 2005. The Huskies play in Matthews Arena, which was opened in 1910 and known as the Boston Arena. The arena is the original home of the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Bruins. It serves as the home to not only the basketball team, but the hockey team as well. Hockey is far and away the marquee sport at Northeastern.
Late NU great Reggie Lewis
However, the Huskies also boast a solid tradition on the basketball court as well. They have gone to the NCAA tournament 7 times, trailing only VCU and ODU (who have 9 appearances each) among CAA teams. The NU glory years, like VCU, were in the 80's led by the great late Reggie Lewis and coached by current UConn coach Jim Calhoun. 6 of their 7 NCAA appearances were during this decade (their last appearance was in 1991). They managed to win 3 NCAA first-round games in 1981, 1982, and 1984.
1984 would be a year that many Ram fans will remember, as the 11th-seeded Huskies played 6th-seeded VCU in East Rutherford, NJ on March 16th. The Rams and Huskies went down to the wire, and Rolando Lamb hit a shot at the buzzer to give VCU the win. It is forever cemented in history as one of VCU's 'Great Moments in Rams' History'. To reminisce or discover this game for the first time, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2XgAtXf6c&feature=channel
Head to head, the Rams lead the overall series 5-3. However the latest game between the 2 teams was a bad memory for most Ram fans as the Huskies were the lone team to beat the Rams at the Siegel Center in a highly physical and emotionally-charged 68-63 contest last January. The Rams will look to avenge that loss tomorrow at the Stu.
The 2009-2010 Huskies:
Preseason prognosticators had high hopes for Northeastern this season after a strong 2008-2009 campaign. The Huskies were at the top of the CAA for a large part of the season before collapsing towards the end. With the Huskies returning everyone in the starting lineup but Eugene Spates, and other teams like VCU losing bigger pieces, Northeastern was predicted to finish 2nd in the CAA this season. However a slow start has tempered those expectations a bit as Northeastern suffered a 5 game losing streak, dropping 4 games in the non-conference portion of the schedule sandwiched around a a 2-point loss to Drexel to open up the CAA conference schedule. The Huskies seemed to have turned the corner, winning the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara and then beating JMU yesterday to open up 2010. The Huskies are currently 6-7 and on a 4-game winning streak.
Huskies star Matt Janning
The Huskies have arguably the best backcourt in the league led once again by 6'4 senior guard Matt Janning. The Minnesota native is leading the Huskies in scoring (16.7 ppg) and minutes (36.9 mpg). He is one the best all-around guards in the CAA, with deceptive quickness and athleticism to go along with a deadly outside shooting stroke. Chiasson Allen (13 ppg) is second in scoring on the team. He has blossomed over the last couple of seasons and as a junior is one of the better point guards in the league. At 6'4, he has great size and gets on the glass averaging 4.9 boards a game (good for second on the team). He has also developed a good 3-point stroke (37.7%), an aspect of the game he has worked very hard on since coming to Northeastern. 5'10 Frenchman Baptiste Bataille rounds out the backcourt and is a glue guy that does the little things and knocks down the open 3 when given the opportunity.
The Huskies also have a good frontcourt tandem in 6'9 Nkem Ojougboh and 6'8 Manny Adako. Both average 9.7 points a game while Ojougboh, who transferred as a freshman from UT-San Antonio, leads the team in rebounding at 8.1 per game and blocked shots at 2 per game. While Ojougboh is offensively proficient, he is more known for hard-nosed defense and shot-blocking. Manny Adako is more of an offensive weapon and has a wide-array of nice post moves and a smooth touch for his size. Both are very good CAA big men and will be another good test for VCU's impressive frontcourt. International freshmen Alwayne Bigby (Canada) and Mathiang Muo (Australia) are generally the first players off the bench and provide decent minutes in relief of the starters. After that, the depth falls off a bit as no player averages more than 7 minutes a game.
Keys to the Game:
1. Impose Tempo:
Northeastern plays essentially a 7-man rotation with Bigby and Muo coming off the bench. The starters play the vast majority of the minutes. This should play into VCU's hands as we can rotate 12-13 players pretty liberally. That said, Northeastern was in a similar situation last year and they still pulled out the win in a hostile Siegel Center. Northeastern will want to play at a slow, deliberate pace and this is reflected by their 64.1 points per game. VCU averages 11 more points per game at 75.5 and will want a much faster, more chaotic tempo. The Huskies take care of the ball and don't really turn it over that much, averaging 13.5 turnovers a game. VCU will need to make Northeastern play faster than it wants to in order to get those numbers up to the 20-turnover target set for each game. The team that imposes its tempo on the other looks to have a good shot at pulling out the win. NU will want the game in the 50's to 60's while VCU will want it in the 70's to 80's.
2. Guard the perimeter:
Going into the UNCW game, VCU ranked 3rd in the nation in 3-point field goal defense. This will have to continue against the Huskies. While Northeastern is not an especially good 3-point shooting team, much of their offense comes off of the 3-point shot. Janning, Allen, and Bataille are all proficient 3-point shooters and must be accounted for. Don't let the 33% 3-point team shooting fool you. The 3-point shot is a large part of the Husky offense.
3. Stop dribble penetration:
Janning and Allen at 6'4 are tall, quick, and athletic guards that can and will take the ball to the rack. VCU has to prevent their guards from breaking down their defenses with dribble penetration and opening up their big men for easy baskets. This has been an issue in the past and VCU has to continue with their strong play from the UNCW game and clamp down. Expect the Rams to throw different looks on defense with a mix of matchup zones, man-to-man, and perhaps even a box-and-one if Janning starts to get hot. Our offense should be predicated off of our defense.
DB's Prediction:
Tomorrow's matchup is a battle between 2 CAA clubs going for their 5th straight win. One team will be disappointed. The Rams avenge last season's home loss and continue their strong play with a stifling defensive performance. The Huskies keep it close, but VCU pulls away at the end as the NU starters tire down the stretch. VCU by 9.
GO RAMS!
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You also had a pretty weak Providence team at home which you failed to win. You lost to Siena, Utah State was a good win, Boston U was a bad loss, Wright St. was a good win, URI you lost to, St. Mary's you lost to, and got blown out by Western Michigan. The Cable Car classic was mediocre talent-wise. Kent State was the best win but they haven't beaten anyone good aside from UAB. JMU was without their best player in Denzel Bowles. So while you played a strong schedule, you didn't really capitalize on it. 
