THE GAME
NCCU begins a season-long five game homestand looking to build some momentum with a nonconference matchup against NJIT as these two programs meet on the front-end of a home-and-home series in their first matchups ever on the hardwood. The Eagles enter this affair fresh off a 64-49 win against Bethune-Cookman on Monday.
THE SERIES
These two programs have never met on the hardwood, but these two teams will meet on Feb. 25 in Newark, N.J. for the return match.
NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
The NCCU Sports Network will hit the air beginning at 6:45 p.m. as the Denny's of Durham Pregame Show will count listeners down to tipoff from McDougald-McLendon Gym. Play-by-play voice Chris Hooks and NCCU Hall-of-Famer Joe Simmons will call the action on both NCCUEaglePride.com with a live video ($8.95) and live audio. Fans can also interact with the broadcast by following @NCCUAthletics on twitter, using the hashtag #NCCUMBB or by sending an e-mail to whooks@nccu.edu or nccusn@nccu.edu.
SCOUTING REPORT: NJIT
-New Jersey Institute of Technology enters Thursday's first-ever matchup against NCCU with an 8-10 mark on the year, with a 4-6 record away from Newark, N.J. Due to the disbandment of The Greast West Conference, the Highlanders are the only eligible NCAA school that is playing as an independent this year. Chicago State, Texas-Pan American, and Utah Valley all went to the WAC (Western Athletic Conference), while NJIT is still searching for a conference home. The Highlanders will host 13 games at home this season while playing 16 contests away from their campus in Newark, N.J.
-The Highlanders have big wins over Army (89-85), New Hampshire (71-63), Maine two times (88-82, 81-72), Lafayette (91-88 OT), and UMass-Lowell (55-44), and St. Francis Univ. (64-56).
-In six seasons, Jim Engles has made quite the turnaround at NJIT from going 1-30 in his first campaign to winning 16 games last season, taking take the Great West Conference regular season crown and earning Great West Conference Coach of the Year honors. In the 2010-11 campaign was one of 11 coaches to receive a vote for Associated Press National Coach of the Year. Engles has also been named twice as a nation finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award presented by CollegeInsider.com (2011, 2013).
-NJIT and NCCU have met on the diamond over the past two seasons with the Eagles holding a 3-2 edge after taking the opening season twinbill on Feb. 17, 2013 (11-4, 5-1).
-As a team, the Highlanders are shooting 38.1 percent (129-for-339) from three-point land which is 49th in the nation and tied for 47th with Bakersfield, Milwaukee, and Hartford with 129 made threes. At the foul line, NJIT is tied with Michigan at 53rd shooting 73.2 percent.
-NJIT boasts one of the nation's top three-point shooters in 5-11 freshman Damon Lynn, who is third in the country in three-pointers made with 62 behind Oakland's Travis Bader and East Carolina's Akeem Richmond respectively. Lynn is shooting 62-for-162 (37.8 percent-63rd in the nation) from deep, which he is also third in attempts from behind-the-arc. Lynn also leads the team in scoring averaging 16.2 points per game. Right behind him in that category is 6-6 sophomore forward Terrance Smith who is averaging 12.7 points per contest also leads the team in rebounding pulling down 6.1 boards a game, while third leading scorer Winfield Willis (6-0, Sophomore, Guard) came off the bench to score an NJIT NCAA Division I record 30 points in 28 min in a 96-93 loss to LIU-Brooklyn a perennial power in the NEC (Northeast Conference). Willis averages 9.9 points a game and is shooting 24-for-61 (39.3 percent) from deep. Point guard Ky Howard is fourth on the team averaging 9.3 points a contest and leads the Highlanders with 65 assists on the year.
YOU MUST PROTECT THE NEST
In Moton's five season's the Eagles have done just that - Protected the Nest, compiling a 41-13 home record during his coaching career. Here's how NCCU has fared at home since 2009.
2009-10: 7-4 (.636)
2010-11: 9-4 (.692)
2011-12: 8-3 (.727)
2012-13: 12-2 (.857)
2013-14: 5-0 (1.00)
Total: 41-13 (.740)
CHAPMAN IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF
Back on Nov. 11 in a 98-47 win over Johnson & Wales, Emanuel Chapman broke the school's assist record breaking the previous mark by Michael Wright (80-81, 82-85) who collected 409 assists in his maroon and gray career. The Raleigh, N.C. native has destroyed the all-time mark in his senior season now with 501 career assists at NCCU. On Monday, Jan. 13 on the road at Bethune-Cookman, Chapman became the 1st Eagle in school history to rack up 500 or more career assists.
