SHU Meets Northwestern for First Time Monday Night on Big Ten Network
12/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart (1-8, 0-0 NEC) at Northwestern (10-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 6:00 pm (CDT) - Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) - Evanston, Conn.
Game Notes | TV:Big Ten Network | Audio | Live Stats
Following a week off, the Sacred Heart men's basketball team will return to action with its first ever game in the state of Illinois at Northwestern at 7 pm on Monday night. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Series History... This will be the first opponent this season that Sacred Heart has not previously played in its program's history.
Common Opponents.... Sacred Heart and Northwestern and have both played UMass Lowell and Fairfield this season.
Sacred Heart Opponent Northwestern
L, 87-84 UMass Lowell W, 79-57
L, 83-79 (OT) Fairfield W, 79-72
Scouting Northwestern... Winners of seven straight, the Wildcats kept its winning streak alive by knocking off DePaul, 78-70, in overtime on Saturday night to improve to 10-1. Their only loss came against North Carolina, 80-69, when the Tar Heels were ranked eighth in the country. Northwestern one of the Big Ten's premier defensive teams, ranking in the top five of both opponent's points per game, 63.8, and opponent's field goal percentage, 36.7. The Wildcats also take care of the ball, averaging 18.6 assists against just 10.5 turnovers, both top four in the conference, for the second-highest assist to turnover ratio in the league of 1.8. Tre Demps and Bryant McIntosh lead the offensive attack, which makes nearly ten three pointers per game, with averages of 15.8 and 15.4 points respectively, both top twelve in the Big Ten. The two also rank in the top 15 in assists and minutes, with McIntosh in third at 6.6 assists per game, and Demps pacing the league averaging 37.0 minutes per game. Alex Olah anchors the post as well as the defensive attack, entering the game in the top ten of the conference with 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
Last Time Out... Trailing 62-42 with 8:47 remaining in the game, the Sacred Heart men's basketball team got as close as two, but could not complete the comeback in a 81-70 loss to Hartford at Chase Family Arena last Monday night. The Pioneers shot 61.8 percent in the second half, but could not overcome scoring just 19 points on 20.0 percent shooting before halftime.
First Timers... In addition to never playing a game in Illinois, this will be SHU's first ever game against a program from the state.
All-Time vs. Big Ten... This will only be SHU's seventh ever matchup with a Big Ten opponent, including third in the past two season, and against just the fifth school. The Pioneers are 0-6 all-time against the conference:
January 4, 2003: Lost at Minnesota, 79-46
November 27, 2004: Lost at Penn State, 69-61
December 23, 2008: Lost at Penn State, 73-65
November 25, 2009: Lost at Penn State, 87-75
November 23, 2014: Lost at Ohio State, 104-48
December 23, 2015: Lost at Rutgers, 79-54
Brotherly Love... Monday's game will feature a family matchup, as senior forward Tevin Falzon will have the opportunity to go head-to-head with younger brother and Northwestern freshman forward Aaron Falzon.
Pioneer Points…
- Freshmen Sean Hoehn and Jermaine Ukaegbu both had career-games last Monday at Hartford. After the two had combined for just ten points in Sacred Heart's previous two games, the two shot a combined 7-9 for 16 points, all of which came in the final 10:18 of the game. They both recorded new career-high in points, with Hoehn finishing with nine and Ukaegbu adding seven in just nine minutes of action.
- Following a season-lows of three points and three rebounds at Holy Cross on November 25, Jordan Allen has averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in his previous four games.
- After season-lows two points and two rebounds at Holy Cross on November 25, Quincy McKnight is averaging 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in his last four games.
