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Clarkson University Athletics

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Men's Basketball January 7, 2015

CU Men's Basketball Preview - at Hobart/RIT (1/9-10)

Following nine non-league games in which the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team came away with seven victories, the Golden Knights will begin Liberty League play this weekend when the squad travels to play Hobart College and RIT.

The Golden Knights, 7-2 overall, began the season with six straight victories, their most wins to start a season in over 60 years. However, none of that matters now as the Green and Gold have to find a way to make the top four in the nine-team conference to make the Liberty League Tournament. In two of the last three years, the Golden Knights lost out on a tiebreaker, but last year Clarkson made it into the four-team championship round and the team hopes to build upon that momentum from the 2013-14 season.



Clarkson finds itself among the league leaders in numerous categories thus far, including scoring average (71.4 ppg, third), scoring defense (61.4 ppg, second), scoring margin (+10.0 ppg, first), field goal percentage (45.8%, first), field goal defense (39.3%, third), 3-point field goal percentage (36.4%, second), rebounding margin (4.0 rpg, second), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34 a/to, first), and assists (17.8 apg, first). John Coleman (Potsdam, NY), despite a weekend scoring just half of his season average, leads the league in scoring (17.9 ppg) and also ranks among the conference leaders in steals (2.2 spg, first), field goal percentage (55.1%, second) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). Last year in three games against the Statesmen, Coleman averaged 16.7 points per contest and shot 55.6% from the floor, but the Knights came away with a pair of losses on Hobart's home floor, including an overtime defeat in the conference tournament. Clarkson is 51-70 all-time against the Statesmen, and has been one of the few teams to enjoy any kind of success against Hobart in its solid run of success. The Statesmen aren't quite as dominant as in years past due to the loss of Liberty League Player of the Year and three-time conference all-star Richie Bonney, but Hobart has still started off 2014-15 with five wins in nine games. Andrew Hoy ranks 12th in the conference in scoring at 13.6 points per game, shooting 38.2% from beyond the 3-point arc and 85.3% from the free throw line. Connor Rehbaum is averaging 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest and Trey Blanding leads the league in assists with 5.3 per game.

RIT also has a winning record through its first 10 games, though the team has slumped as of late with just one win in its last five outings. Clarkson is only 28-47 all-time against the Tigers, but the Knights have won all six contests since RIT joined the Liberty League in 2011-12, with an average margin of victory of 12.2 ppg. The Tigers have found success on defense so far in 2014-15, leading the conference in field goal defense (38.4%), rebounding (40.7 rpg), and steals (9.2 spg). AJ Horde is the team's top scorer, averaging 14.2 ppg (ninth in the conference). Horde is shooting 36.4% from the 3-point line with 24 3-pointers, the second-most in the conference, and he is also producing 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. JP Reagain has chipped in 10.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Kamron Davis has played well in the post with 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest. In the previous three seasons, John Coleman has enjoyed great success against the Tigers, averaging 19.7 points per game and shooting 66.7% from the floor. 
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Players Mentioned

John Coleman

#22 John Coleman

F
6' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

John Coleman

#22 John Coleman

6' 4"
Senior
F