CU Men's Basketball Preview - at North Country Invitational (11/17-18)

With just two seniors on the roster, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team will certainly have a different look for 2017-18. A well-established group of juniors and a heavy reliance on the outside shot will certainly make the Golden Knights a fun team to watch, and Clarkson opens its season in the annual North Country Invitational on Friday at SUNY Potsdam's Maxcy Hall.

The Golden Knights will take on Bridgewater State at 6:00 pm on Friday and will then face either Green Mountain or host SUNY Potsdam on Saturday afternoon.

The Series: The Golden Knights have played Bridgewater State just once in program history, suffering a defeat more than two decades ago. Clarkson's lone game against Green Mountain, a full 12 seasons ago, went better, with the Knights claiming a 26-point victory. The other potential opponent for Saturday is better known, as Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam have met up 75 times, with Clarkson winning 10 of the last 11 games.

Key Stats for Clarkson: The Golden Knights' departed senior class accounted for 64.7% of the team's points, but the biggest loss is certainly forward Derek Hart, a unanimous Liberty League First-Team All-Star. Junior guard Liam Ellis is Clarkson's top returning scorer, having averaged 9.2 points per game last year. However, that number increased considerably as the season wore on last year, with Ellis averaging 16.6 points per contest in the final five games of the regular season.

Key Stats for Bridgewater State: After a 15-12 season, the Bears lost a considerable portion of their scoring punch as well, including four of the top six scorers. Senior Rocky DeAndrade is still around to put the ball in the net, however, as he ranked second on the squad with 13.8 ppg a year ago and poured in 19 during the team's season opener. Senior Joseph Carty can't come back soon enough for the Bears, though, as the forward contributed 11.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17, but missed the opener.

Key Stats for Green Mountain: The losses of Clarkson and Bridgewater State pale in comparison to Green Mountain. The Eagles posted a 10-14 record in 2016-17, but have only three returners on a roster of 17 players. Green Mountain brought in nine freshman and five junior college transfers to bolster the lineup. The top returning scorer for the Eagles, senior guard Diante Warner, averaged fewer than five points per game.

Key Stats for SUNY Potsdam: The host Bears return their top four scorers from a year ago, with each averaging better than nine points per contest. However, the key for Potsdam will be keeping its opponents to a lower rate. The Bears allowed 86.4 points per game last year, with the opposition shooting 45.9% from the field and 37.6% from the 3-point arc. The 86.4 points per contest ranked among the 20 worst scoring defenses in Division III in 2016-17.

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Players Mentioned

#42 Derek Hart: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#42 Derek Hart
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#42 Derek Hart

Players Mentioned

#42 Derek Hart