CU Men's Basketball Preview - at RIT/Hobart (2/2-3)

The first time around against both Hobart and RIT, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team was stung by some hot shooters. This weekend, the Golden Knights look to exact some revenge with their long-range threats when the team hits the road for the first time in a month.

Live Stats/Live Video (at RIT)
Live Stats/Live Video (at Hobart)

The Series vs. RIT: Despite an eight-point loss against the Tigers just two weeks ago, Clarkson has won 11 of the 13 meetings since the Tigers joined the Liberty League during the 2011-12 season. RIT still holds the advantage in the all-time series despite the drought, winning 49 of 82 games.

The Series vs. Hobart: The Statesmen are 76-53 all-time against the Golden Knights, including five straight wins against Clarkson since a talented freshman class joined Hobart in 2015-16.

Key Stats for Clarkson (8-10, 4-7 Liberty League): The Golden Knights are suffering through a small shooting slump, going just 31-for-89 from beyond the 3-point arc in their last three games (34.8%). That run is helped considerably by Joe Lucas's 9-for-12 effort against Bard, which would make the percentage fall to 28.6%. Even with the slow streak, Clarkson leads the conference in 3-point field goals made (187) and is narrowly behind Hobart in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0%). Sophomore Matt Higgins ranks third in the conference in 3-pointers made with 50.

Key Stats for RIT (8-10, 6-5 Liberty League): In the first meeting against Clarkson, Troy Pierre-Louis scored 28 points and surprisingly shot 6-for-9 from beyond the arc, having made just 30 3-pointers in the other 17 contests at a rate of 31.9% in 2017-18. Pierre-Louis usually does his best work from the free throw line, as the senior guard is burying shots at a 90.2%, the best clip in the conference. The Tigers' offense ranks last in the league in scoring (67.1 ppg) and 3-pointers (106) while placing next to last in field goal percentage (39.8%). RIT makes up for the deficiency with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game and a league-best 4.8 blocks per contest.

Key Stats for Hobart (16-3, 11-1 Liberty League): The Statesmen and Clarkson traded 3-pointers in the first game two weeks ago, combining for 30 long-range makes. Hobart got the better end of the game with 17 3-pointers, including a 6-for-7 effort from Tucker Lescoe, who ranks second in the league in that category with 54 makes. Colin Dougherty and Jamal Lucas ranks seventh and eighth, respectively, in scoring in the Liberty League, combining for more than 30 points per game. Hobart leads the league in several offensive categories, including scoring average (82.0 ppg), field goal percentage (47.4%) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.0%). The Statesmen's 173 3-pointers trails only Clarkson's 187 makes from beyond the arc.

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Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#33 Joe Lucas: F; 6' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

#33 Joe Lucas
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: F

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins

#33 Joe Lucas

Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins

#33 Joe Lucas