Dec. 14, 2011
2011-12 Stony Brook Men's Basketball
Game #9: Stony Brook Seawolves (3-5) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5)
MSG Holiday Festival • Sat., Dec. 17 • Madison Square Garden • New York, N.Y. • 12 p.m.
On Television
MSG-Plus with Mike Crispino, Brendan Brown, Don La Greca & Jon Rothstein
On the Radio
WUSB 90.1 FM & GoSeawolves.org with Mike Solano & Curt Hylton
LIVE: AUDIO | TWITTER | CHAT
INFO: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Stony Brook Seawolves (3-5, 0-0 America East)
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell, seventh season
Overall Record: 81-131
Record at SBU: 76-113
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Head Coach: Mike Rice, second season
Overall Record: 93-53
Record at Rutgers: 20-22
About the Game: Stony Brook returns to the world’s most famous arena for the first time since 1995 as it takes on Rutgers in the Aeropostale MSG Holiday Festival. This is Stony Brook’s first appearance at the Garden since Jan. 22, 1995, when the then Patriots defeated Western Connecticut 81-63. This is also the third all-time meeting between Stony Brook and Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights won both previous matchups occurring in Piscataway, N.J.
Scouting Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are off to a 5-5 start this season under second-year head coach Mike Rice. Rutgers has wins over Dartmouth, Sacred Heart, UMBC and Monmouth, but has lost to Illinois State, Richmond, LSU and Princeton. The team returned seven letterwinners and two starters from last season’s team that went 15- 17 overall and 5-13 in the BIG EAST. Defense has been a strength for the team, allowing only 62.5 points per game, ranking 81st in the nation. The team averages 9.6 steals per game, 19th in the country. Lithuanian import Gilvydas Biruta leads the way with 11.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG, and his sidekick on the perimeter is freshman Eli Carter, who averages 11.4 PPG and shoots 41% from three-point range.
Last Time Out: Despite 21 points from Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook lost to Boston College, 66-51, after not being able to overcome a scoreless stretch of 11 minutes and 50 seconds at the end of the first half. The Seawolves were leading 11-6 when the offense went cold, and BC took advantage to go up 28-11 at halftime. The Seawolves put up 40 points in the second half, but the defense allowed BC to score 38. Dougher’s 21 matched his career high for points in a half. Anthony Jackson added 14 points after making 4 of 5 shots from three-point range.
A Stony Brook win...
- Extends the program’s winning streak at MSG to two games.
- Marks Stony Brook’s first-ever win against the BIG EAST.
- Will give the America East Conference its 10th win over a BCS team since 2008.
History at MSG: Stony Brook played three games at Madison Square Garden in the mid-1990s when the program was a Div. III institution. Back then, the team was known as the Patriots, and they lost to Old Westbury, 57-53, on March 1, 1993 in their first-ever game at MSG. The next season, SBU lost to Manhattanville, 54-50, on Feb. 27, 1994. The Seawolves rebounded the next year at MSG with an 81-63 win over Western Connecticut on Jan. 22, 1995.
Rebounding Machines: Stony Brook has done a nice job on the glass so far this season, outrebounding opponents by a 5.0 margin (38.2 to 33.2). What’s more impressive is the work on the offensive end, grabbing an average of 16.1 offensive rebounds per game. That is leading to an average of 16.1 second chance points per game.
The Line's the Key: Stony Brook’s win-loss record could be tied to its ability to get to the free throw line more than its opponent. The Seawolves are 3-0 in games in which they have more free throw attempts than their opponents (averaging 20.7 attempts in wins) and 0-5 in games in which they have fewer attempts than their opponents (averaging 8.4 attempts in losses). Last season, Stony Brook was 12-3 when shooting more free throws than its opponent, 3-14 when shooting fewer.
Dish and Protect: Stony Brook has done an excellent job distributing and protecting the basketball this season. In four of the team’s right games, SBU has had more assists than turnovers. The Seawolves have a 1.0 assist/ turnover ratio and a +3.1 turnover margin, both second best in America East.
It's Raining Threes: Stony Brook has always loved shooting three- pointers, but this season, the Seawolves have been shooting them more than ever. After averaging 20 attempts per game in 2010-11, this season, the Seawolves are averaging 23 attempts per game. Bryan Dougher leads the team in makes and attempts (22-for-57), but Anthony Jackson leads in accuracy (10-for-18, 56%).
Rapier's Midwest Madness: Senior Al Rapier is from Chicago, and the Seawolves' three games in the Midwest region afforded him the opportunity to play in front of family and friends. He responded by averaging 12.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in those three games while shooting 63% from the field.
Iron Man: Saturday's game at Eastern Illinois marked the 100th career game for senior Bryan Dougher. He has started in every game on Stony Brook's schedule since joining the team in 2008. He is on pace to become the program's all-time leader in games and minutes played.
Camera Ready: Stony Brook appeared on television a school-record 11 times in 2010-11, including four broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks. This season, the Seawolves will appear on television at least 18 times, which will shatter the school record. The full schedule, released Nov. 30, includes three national television broadcasts. Stony Brook will host Boston University on Jan. 27 on ESPNU, and will host Maine on Feb. 26 on CBS Sports Network. The Seawolves will also be on CBS Sports Network Feb. 12 at Vermont.
Up Next: Stony Brook will break for the holidays and return to action Wednesday, Dec. 28 against Cornell at Pritchard Gym at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on Optimum Local Channel 118.
