SHU and Fairfield Renew Hoops Rivalry on Saturday
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart (1-2, 0-0 NEC) at Fairfield (0-3, 0-0 MAAC)
Saturday, November 21, 2015 - 7:00 pm - Webster Bank Arena - Bridgeport, Conn.
The Sacred Heart men's basketball team will renew its cross-town rivalry with Fairfield on Saturday night at 7 pm at Webster Bank Arena as part of a doubleheader with the women, who tip at 5 pm. The two teams discontinued playing each other in 2009 after only three meetings, and have only met twice in the Connecticut 6 since.
Scouting Fairfield... After a 7-24 record and 5-15 conference mark in 2014-15, Fairfield was chosen eighth in the preseason MAAC poll. The Stags are off to a 0-3 start this season after a close 79-72 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday. They have also lost to Yale and number one ranked North Carolina. Leading Fairfield ais 2014-15 Third Team All-MAAC and preseason All-MAAC selection Marcus Gilbisert, who leads the team with averages of 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. No other player is in double figures, as Tyler Nelson is the next leading scorer at 9.0 points per game. Jonathan Kasibabu is tied with Gilbert with an average of 5.0 rebounds per game, while Jerome Seguara is second in the MAAC averaging 6.3 assists.
Series History... Despite being located just six miles apart, Sacred Heart and Fairfield have met just five times. The two teams played three years in a row from 2007-09 before games being limited to meeting in the Connecticut 6 in 2010 and 2013. Fairfield has controlled the series winning all five matchups, including all three at home, by at least nine points. The closest SHU has been was an 84-75 loss in the first ever meeting.
Connecticut 6 Preseason Poll... Sacred Heart was tabbed fourth in the Preseason Connecticut 6 Coaches' Poll released ahead of the classic, while Fairfield was the chosen third. The Pioneers already defeated the second ranked team in the poll with their victory over the Bobcats in the season opener before losing to unanimous favorite Yale on Tuesday.
1. Yale
2. Quinnipiac
3. Fairfield
4. Hartford
5. Sacred Heart
6. Central Connecticut
Common Opponent.... Both teams have played Yale this season, losing by double digits. SHU was beaten 99-77 by the Bulldogs, while the Stags fell 70-57.
Rare MAAC Double... Having already played Quinnipiac, this will be just the second time in the Division I era that Sacred Heart plays two schools from the MAAC in the same season. The other occurrence came in 2007-08, when the Pioneers also faced Fairfield, as well as Iona.
-As a Division I program, SHU has played just five of the 11 current MAAC schools, going 2-10 all-time. The Pioneers have also played Monmouth, but not while it was a member of the conference. The other five teams they have not faced are Canisius, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, St. Peter's and Siena:
Fairfield: 0-5 Iona: 1-1
Rider: 0-2 Manhattan: 0-1
Quinnipiac: 1-0
Getting to the Line... Shooting a combined 105 free throws through its first three games, Sacred Heart entered Friday third in the country with 105 attempts. The Pioneers are also 11th with 67 makes.
-The 51 attempts in the season-opener against Quinnipiac were a new Division I record, and just 11 shy of a school record set on December 30, 1989 against St. Rose.
-After ranking last in the NEC in FT percentage in 2014-15 at 64.7 percent, Sacred Heart opened the year 28-51 (54.9%) on Friday.
-SHU has bounced back from that performance by making 20-25 for 80 percent on Monday.
-The Pioneers are currently 4th in the NEC, shooting 63.8 percent as a team.
Top Rated Offense... A year after ranking first in the NEC in scoring offense at 73.8 points per game, the Pioneers are averaging 79.0 through the first three games. They lead the NEC, shooting 49.4 percent from the field, and have outshot all three opponents this season.
