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Men's Basketball January 5, 2017

CU Men's Basketball Preview - at Rensselaer/Union (1/6-7)

After a disappointing double-overtime road loss at St. Lawrence, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team will look to get into the win column this weekend when it faces Rensselaer and Union in Liberty League action.

The Golden Knights enter the game with a record of 5-5 overall and 0-1 in conference games, while Rensselaer comes in at 7-4 overall and 1-1 in league games and Union is 5-5 overall and 1-1 in conference tilts. Last season, the Knights split with Rensselaer, winning in Troy by six but falling at home to the Engineers by six. Union swept Clarkson in 2015-16, winning both games by nine points.

Perhaps no team relies on the consistency of two players more than Clarkson, as seniors Derek Hart and Drew Zlogar are scoring 47.2% of the team's points through 10 games this year. Hart has been particularly impressive, averaging 20.4 points per game (second in the Liberty League) with a season-low of 15 points, a figure that only 10 other players in the conference are even averaging. Hart is leading the league in field goal percentage (61.1%) and also is in the top 10 in rebounds (8.0 rpg, third), assists (2.9 apg, ninth), and blocked shots (1.4 bpg, second). Zlogar is averaging 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, which rank seventh and fourth in the league, respectively. Clarkson is far from a two-man show, it's just that different players step at different times. Senior Michael Hayduk averages 9.8 points per game and leads the conference in 3-point field goals made per game (2.7), while sophomore Malaquias Canery is averaging 7.1 points per contest, though more than half of his season output of 71 points came in two games (22 points versus Hamilton, 15 points against St. Lawrence).

Rensselaer has used nine different players to start games this year, but that comes more from some early season injuries than inconsistency on the part of the Engineers. Sophomores Andreas Kontopidis and Tom Horvat each missed time in the first semester, but the two have returned for league play. Kontopidis averages 17.5 points (sixth in the league), 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while Horvat is tossing in 15 points per game and would tie for 10th in the conference in scoring if he qualified for the league leaders. Horvat enjoyed his first games against Clarkson, scoring 21.5 ppg as a freshman against the Knights last season. Jonathan Luster leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 49.1% and ranks third overall at 56.8%, allowing him to score 14.1 points per game. Brian Hatcher is the team's top rebounder at 7.3 per contest, and he also adds 12.9 ppg. Rensselaer leads the conference in scoring defense (68.3 ppg), with a significant contribution coming from the team's lack of sending opponents to the free throw line. The Engineers' opponents have gone to the line an average of 14.18 times per game, nearly three and a half fewer than the second-least in the league (17.6, Vassar).

On the other hand, Union is allowing 78.2 points per game, last in the Liberty League, and its opponents shoot 44.2% from the field (eighth in the conference) and 35.9% from the 3-point arc (eighth in the conference). However, the Dutchmen have several players that can make up for their defensive liabilities. Deshon Burgess ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (19.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.2 rpg). Burgess averages 26.0 points per game in the two meetings against Clarkson last season. Wade McNamara leads the conference in rebounding at 9.4 per game, and also does his part on offense with 15.6 points per game. Kevin Weckworth comes off the bench for 11.5 ppg, and Greg King is averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
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Players Mentioned

Malaquias Canery

#13 Malaquias Canery

G
5' 10"
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

Malaquias Canery

#13 Malaquias Canery

5' 10"
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