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Clarkson University Athletics

CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Hobart/RIT (1/24-25)

By: January 22, 2020
RMF201920vsSkidmore
Addie Friedlander

Men's Basketball | 1/22/2020 11:30:00 AM

In the middle of a lengthy home stand, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team will look to make positive steps in the Liberty League standings when it takes on Hobart College and RIT this weekend at Alumni Gymnasium.

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The Series vs. Hobart: One of the longer rivalries for Clarkson, the two teams have met more than 130 times in the past 90 years with Hobart holding a 79-53 edge in the series. The Statesmen have won eight straight and Clarkson's last win came in the 2014-15 Liberty League Semifinals.

The Series vs. RIT: Another long rivalry, the Tigers and Knights have met 85 times overall, with RIT coming out on top so far thanks to 50 victories. However, the matchup has tilted in Clarkson's favor in recent years, with the Green and Gold having won 13 of 16 games since RIT joined the Liberty League in 2011-12.

Key Stats for Clarkson (4-10, 2-5 Liberty League): Whether it comes down to pace of play or something else, the Golden Knights prove to be more successful in lower scoring games. When the Knights score 80 or more points they are just 1-3 in 2019-20, including a pair of losses this past weekend in games where the squad averaged 85.5 points per game. Clarkson's top three scorers (Chris Hulbert, Matt Higgins, and Reese Swedberg) have been counted upon regularly this year, but a pair of freshmen have elevated their games recently. Blake Gearhart is averaging 5.7 points per game this year but has produced 9.0 ppg in the last six contests, while Ryan Miles-Ferguson's season scoring average is just 4.8 ppg, but he has produced 10.8 points per contest over the last four outings, including a season-high 17 points against Skidmore last Friday.

Key Stats for Hobart (12-3, 6-2 Liberty League): The Statesmen are one of the better defensive teams in the region, giving up just 59.8 points per game (second in the conference) and ranking first in field goal defense (35.6%) and rebound margin (+12.3 rpg) while taking placing second in 3-point field goal defense (27.0%) in the Liberty League. Hobart enjoyed a stretch of nine consecutive games where it held opponents to less than 60 points per game, but the team has lost two of its last three games. Dan Masino averages 14.3 points per game to lead the team and Tucker Lescoe also averages double figures (12.4 ppg). Jackson Meshanic is averaging 9.9 ppg off the bench in only 15.8 minutes per contest. Edens Fleurizard averages close to a double-double at 9.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, and his 68.8% field goal percentage would rank first in the league by a wide margin if he qualified for the conference leaderboard.

Key Stats for RIT (5-9, 2-5 Liberty League): Much like last year, the Tigers lack a go-to scorer and only one player is averaging double figures. Sophomore Curtis Nesbit leads the team with 11.1 points per contest, with a significant percentage of those points coming from beyond the 3-point line as he ranks sixth in the league in 3-pointers made (31). Matt Anderson (9.4 ppg) and Keegan Ocorr (8.1 ppg) also contribute to the team's offense. Cobey Adekambi is a solid force on the interior, averaging 2.5 blocks per game to help RIT rank first in the Liberty League in that category (5.5 bpg). Kevin Ryan ranks just fifth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game, but he has averaged 12.0 ppg over the last three contests all while playing less than 20 minutes. He recently produced a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in just 18 minutes against Ithaca.  
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Players Mentioned

Matt Higgins

#30 Matt Higgins

G
6' 4"
Senior
Chris Hulbert

#12 Chris Hulbert

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Reese Swedberg

#25 Reese Swedberg

F
6' 7"
Sophomore
Ryan Miles-Ferguson

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson

G
6' 2"
Freshman
Blake Gearhart

#23 Blake Gearhart

G
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matt Higgins

#30 Matt Higgins

6' 4"
Senior
G
Chris Hulbert

#12 Chris Hulbert

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Reese Swedberg

#25 Reese Swedberg

6' 7"
Sophomore
F
Ryan Miles-Ferguson

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson

6' 2"
Freshman
G
Blake Gearhart

#23 Blake Gearhart

6' 1"
Freshman
G