CU Men's Basketball Preview - at Union/Ithaca (2/9-10)

Ivan Henwood

Men's Basketball | 2/7/2024 12:15:00 PM

Tied for sixth in the Liberty League standings with four games to play, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team will take on two other teams fighting for a playoff spot this weekend when it faces Union College and Ithaca College on the road.

Live Stats vs. Union
Live Video vs. Union
Live Stats vs. Ithaca
Live Video vs. Ithaca

The Series: The three highest scoring teams in the Liberty League lived up to their strategies back in mid-January. Clarkson downed Union 81-77 in regulation, but was upended against Ithaca in overtime 109-102. Finn Cork stood out against the Garnet Chargers, producing 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Braeden Burns had 31 points and 10 boards against Ithaca. Clarkson is first in the Liberty League in scoring (79.0 ppg), Ithaca is second (77.6), and Union is third (74.6). Conversely, Union is eighth in scoring defense (73.0 ppg), Ithaca is ninth (75.6), and Clarkson is 10th (77.9).

Key Stats for Clarkson (12-9, 6-8 Liberty League): Graduate student Ryan Miles-Ferguson leads the conference in scoring with better than 20 points per game, seeking to become just the second player from Clarkson to top the Liberty League in that category since the league rebranded in 2004-05. Miles-Ferguson has been even better in league games, averaging 21.4 points per contest, which is nearly five more than any other player. Braeden Burns won his fourth Liberty League Rookie of the Week honor on Monday and will be among the favorites for the conference's end-of-year awards. Burns is averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while hitting 46.6% of his shots. Clarkson leads the conference in scoring (79.0 points per game).

Key Stats for Union (11-9, 6-8 Liberty League): The Garnet Chargers started the conference season at 2-6, but have won four of their past six in league and five straight home contests. While Union may rank third in the Liberty League in scoring, it is a much more evenly distributed offense. Only Tanner Tedesco is averaging double figures, scoring 11.6 points per game to go along with a league-best 4.3 assists per contest. Matthew Garside (9.7 ppg) and Jack Plesser (9.1 ppg) are both above nine per game, with Plesser having produced 21 points off the bench against the Knights in the first meeting between the two teams.

Key Stats for Ithaca (11-10, 6-8 Liberty League): Since defeating Clarkson in overtime, the Bombers are just 2-7 over their last nine contests. Two of those losses came without Triston Wennersten, who ranks fourth in the league in scoring (15.4 ppg), first in rebounding (8.0 rpg), and first in field goal percentage (52.4%). Logan Wendell is second in the league in scoring average (18.1 ppg) and third in assists (3.7 apg), but his conference average drops to 16.5 points per game, which is still second in the league. Andrew Geschickter also averages double figures with 10.0 points per contest.

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Players Mentioned

#40 Finn Cork: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson: G; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

#15 Braeden Burns: F; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#40 Finn Cork
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: G

#15 Braeden Burns
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: F

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#40 Finn Cork

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson

#15 Braeden Burns

Players Mentioned

#40 Finn Cork

#3 Ryan Miles-Ferguson

#15 Braeden Burns