CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Union/Ithaca (1/12-13/2018)

After a resounding win over St. Lawrence on Tuesday, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team will look to maintain its momentum as it takes on conference foes Union College and Ithaca College this weekend.

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The Series vs. Union: Clarkson and the Dutchmen split last year's games with each team winning on the other's home floor. Union holds a 41-28 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1933-34. The two teams have needed overtime three times since 2012.

The Series vs. Ithaca: Marques Charlton hit a game-winning shot as time expired to give Clarkson a 65-63 win over the Bombers back in 2012, but that is the only time the two teams have met in the past 15 seasons. The rivalry renewed twice per year now that Ithaca is in the Liberty League, the Golden Knights hope to add more wins to their tally in a series in which they trail with 18 wins against 59 losses.

Key Stats for Clarkson (5-7, 1-4 Liberty League): The Golden Knights are heavily reliant on the 3-point shot with 43.7% of their points coming from beyond the arc. Fortunately for Clarkson, it's not just volume doing the damage (123 3-pointers through 12 games), but accuracy, as the Knights lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.4%. Sophomore Matt Higgins leads the league in 3-point field goals made with 35 and ranks third in percentage at 44.3%. His 16.5 points per game rank him fifth in the league and he has averaged 24.3 ppg over the last three league contests.

Key Stats for Union (5-5, 1-3 Liberty League): No team gets to the free throw line more regularly than Union, as the Dutchmen average more than 23 free throw attempts per game (Clarkson has sent its opponents to the free throw line the second most in the Liberty League). Kevin Weckworth is making 86.4% of his free throw attempts (51-for-59), which accounts to close to a third of his point total. The Dutchmen have struggled from the outside this year, shooting a league-low 28.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Key Stats for Ithaca (9-3, 4-1 Liberty League): The Bombers' offense ranks second in the Liberty League at 79.1 points per game and their defense is allowing opponents to shoot just 39.3% from the floor. Senior Marc Chasin leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per contest, while sophomore Riley Thompson is just behind with 14.2 ppg. Thompson is Ithaca's key player on the perimeter as he ranks second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (47.8%) and third in 3-point field goals made with 32. Junior forward Peter Ezema ranks second in the conference in rebounding at 9.1 rpg despite standing just 6-3.

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Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

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

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins

Players Mentioned

#30 Matt Higgins