Skip To Main Content

Scoreboard

Clarkson University Athletics

CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Skidmore/Ithaca (1/17-18)

By: January 15, 2020
JOEFIELDoswe19

Men's Basketball | 1/15/2020 11:30:00 AM

Three of the top four long-range shooting teams in the Liberty League will be matching up this weekend as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team hosts Skidmore College on Friday and Ithaca College on Saturday to open a lengthy home stand.

Live Stats/Live Video

The Series vs. Skidmore: The Thoroughbreds have won 13 straight against Clarkson and hold a 31-23 edge all-time against the Knights. Clarkson has fared better at home in the last three seasons with the margin between the two teams being eight points less at Alumni Gym than in Saratoga Springs.

The Series vs. Ithaca: While the Bombers have only been in the Liberty League for a few years, Clarkson has a long history against Ithaca. The Knights are just 19-62 all-time, but the last win for the Green and Gold came just two years ago when the Knights won at home 85-72 in the first Liberty League matchup.

Key Stats for Clarkson (4-8, 2-3 Liberty League): The Golden Knights average 29.5 3-point field goal attempts per game, with a good portion of those coming from the team's top two scorers in Chris Hulbert and Matt Higgins. Hulbert ranks second in the league in scoring (17.0 points per game) but leads the league by a wide margin in 3-pointers made with 3.9 per game. Higgins is averaging 19.3 ppg over the last four contests and ranks seventh in the league with 2.3 makes from distance per game, helping him to 14.1 points per contest. The duo has combined for 71 3-pointers made, easily the most of any tandem in the league. Senior Barryn Shark leads the Liberty League in assists per game at 4.9 per contest, putting him on track to become only the sixth Clarkson player in the last 15 years to reach 100 in a single season.

Key Stats for Skidmore (3-9, 2-3 Liberty League): Freshman Tautvydas Kupstas leads the team in scoring with 13.3 ppg thanks to 29 3-point field goals, but his scoring average has been even more impressive when limited to conference play, where he averages 16.6 points to rank fourth in the conference. Ty Lamport ranks second on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per contest, though he has produced 20-point efforts in two of his last three outings. The Thoroughbreds hoist 25 3-pointers per game, but they rank just eighth in the league in percentage, with a 30.2% success rate. Skidmore is second to last in the league in scoring this season at 61.9 points per game, though its scoring defense is in the top half of the league.

Key Stats for Ithaca (8-3, 4-1 Liberty League): No team takes more 3-pointers in the Liberty League than Ithaca, which averages more than 30 per game, though Clarkson's percentage of 3-pointers among shots is slightly higher. The Bombers also make a solid percentage of shots from beyond the arc, shooting 34.1%. Seniors Riley Thompson and Sebastian Alderete rank first and third, respectively, in the Liberty League in scoring average. Thompson tosses in 20.4 points per game while Alderete is averaging 15.6 per contest to go along with 6.1 rebounds. Jack Stern also averages 9.5 ppg in just a little over 15 minutes per contest, the best points per minute average of anyone on the team save for Thompson. Ithaca leads the conference in scoring with 84.6 points per game, nearly 10 points more than any other team in the league.



 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Matt Higgins

#30 Matt Higgins

G
6' 4"
Senior
Chris Hulbert

#12 Chris Hulbert

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Barryn Shark

#10 Barryn Shark

G
5' 9"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Matt Higgins

#30 Matt Higgins

6' 4"
Senior
G
Chris Hulbert

#12 Chris Hulbert

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Barryn Shark

#10 Barryn Shark

5' 9"
Senior
G