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Clarkson University Athletics

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Men's Basketball January 18, 2017

CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Hobart/RIT (1/20-21)

After a sweep downstate along the Lower Hudson, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team looks to maintain its momentum when the Golden Knights host Hobart College and RIT this weekend at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights are in the thick of the playoff hunt as the Liberty League teams near the midway point of the conference slate. Clarkson enters the weekend with a record of 8-7 overall and 3-3 in the Liberty League, while Hobart is 8-6 overall and 3-2 in conference games and RIT is 9-6 overall and 3-3 in league contests.

There are several candidates for Liberty League Player of the Year and senior Derek Hart is among that elite group through 15 games. The senior forward leads the conference in scoring (20.5 ppg) and field goal percentage (60.2%) along with ranking second in rebounds (8.6 rpg) and blocked shots (1.4 bpg). In six league games, Hart is averaging 23.2 points per contest and has shot less than 50 percent from the floor just once. Classmates Drew Zlogar and Michael Hayduk have also added considerably to the Clarkson offense, with Zlogar ranking sixth in scoring (16.5 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and Hayduk tossing in a league-best 41 3-pointers to boost his scoring average to 9.5 points per game. Sophomore Liam Ellis doesn't shoot 3-pointers with the same frequency as either Zlogar or Hayduk, but his 46.9% from beyond the arc is impressive nonetheless, and he averages 6.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, with the latter figure ranking third in the conference.

Hobart is one of the younger teams in the league with its top five scorers being sophomores or younger. Colin Dougherty leads the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game, ranking 13th in the Liberty League, and also averages 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Dougherty was particularly impressive in the second game between the two teams last year, scoring 24 points. Classmate Jamal Lucas also produced 24 points in game two against Clarkson last year, and he is averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in his second collegiate season. Freshman Tucker Lescoe is third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game, while sophomores Sam Allen (8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Matt Walsh (6.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) due plenty of damage coming off the bench. Walsh scored 19 in his first career game against Clarkson.

The Tigers of RIT are a more veteran-laden group as the youthful team of years past is starting to get some momentum with experience. Junior AJ Horde, like Hart, is a contender for the conference's top honor, averaging 19.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, all of which rank in the top 10 in the league. He averaged 18.5 points and 5.0 assists per game against Clarkson last year, as the two teams split the season series. Classmate and backcourt mate Troy Pierre-Louis is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game, and he is shooting 49.5%, the same figure at which fellow junior Anthony Lewis is converting for his 9.2 points per contest. Senior forward Mitch Herman is producing 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and newcomer Robert Aguilera, a 6-7 freshman forward, is contributing 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
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Players Mentioned

Liam Ellis

#3 Liam Ellis

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

F
6' 7"
Senior
Michael Hayduk

#32 Michael Hayduk

F
6' 4"
Senior
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

F
6' 6"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Liam Ellis

#3 Liam Ellis

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

6' 7"
Senior
F
Michael Hayduk

#32 Michael Hayduk

6' 4"
Senior
F
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

6' 6"
Senior
F