PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Making their sixth NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament appearance during the coaching reign of bench boss Tom Curle, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team will face a tall task in Memorial Hall on Friday night.
A tall task both literally and figuratively.
The Cardinals, who received an at-large bid to the 2014 edition of the tournament, will put their 22-5 record on the line against the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Champions MIT (20-8).
Tip-off between the Cardinals and Engineers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Tickets will go on sale in the Memorial Hall lobby at 4 p.m. and will be sold through halftime of the Plattsburgh State/MIT clash. Prices are $6 for general admission, $3 for students and children and youngsters two years of age and under will be admitted for free.
Additionally, the first 300 Plattsburgh State students will receive free tickets to the game.
Fans unable to make the trip to Plattsburgh can follow all the action via live stats, live video and a live audio feed. The links for all of these services are located below. Whoever come away with the win will take on the winner of the Eastern Connecticut State/Husson tilt which takes place at 5:30 p.m. The two winning teams will play each other on Saturday night at 7 p.m. with a berth to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
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PLATTSBURGH STATE (22-5)
- Another season of 20 or more wins is already secured for the Cardinals, marking the fifth time in program history Plattsburgh State has reached at least 20 victories in a single campaign. Curle has overseen each of those 20-win teams.
- Last Saturday, Plattsburgh State finished as the runner-up of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season after dropping a 57-56 decision at No. 1 overall seed and No. 16-nationally ranked The College at Brockport.
- Friday night will mark just the second time the Cardinals and Engineers have tangled with one another and the first time they have engaged in basketball warfare on United States soil. The only other meeting between the two clubs occurred on Dec. 29, 1964, when MIT edged out Plattsburgh State 68-67 in the Georgian Tournament which took place in Montreal, Quebec.
- The Cardinals will be at a distinct disadvantage in the height department during this clash. MIT boasts six players who stand at 6'8 or taller, including a pair of 6'10 student-athletes.
- A well-balanced scoring attack has been the key to the Cardinals' success this season. Plattsburgh State has three players on its roster who average 12.8 points per game. Junior Shamoy McIntosh (12.8 ppg) and senior John Perez (12.8 ppg) are tied for the team lead in point production while sophomore Edward Correa (11.8 ppg) is also averaging double-digits.
- Running the Cardinals' diverse offensive attack is senior point guard Chris Manning. In his final season as a collegian, the Baldwin, N.Y., product leads the SUNYAC in assists per game (5.1) as well as steals per game (3.0). His steals per game average is the fifth-best in all of Division III basketball.
- John Perez has distinguished himself as one of the best rebounders in the SUNYAC, as his average of .4 per game ranks third in the 10-team league.
- No man in the SUNYAC has netted more three-point field goals per game than Edward Correa, who averages 2.9 per tilt. The Bronx, N.Y., sophomore ranks third in the league in accuracy from that distance as well, with a percentage of 39.1. In Memorial Hall, Correa is a 45.6-percent (41-of-90) shooter from long distance.
- When they have played in Memorial Hall this season, the Cardinals have made it a point to run the competition out of the building. Plattsburgh State averages 86.5 points per game at home on 48.7-percent field goal shooting. Opponents, on the other hand, have been held to 71.3 points per game on 40-percent shooting.
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (20-8)
- No team in Division III men's basketball is better on the defensive end of the floor than the Engineers have been this season. Opponents have averaged just 54.9 points per game against MIT this season and six teams have not reached 50 points against the Engineers in 2013-14. On three occasions this season, MIT has held the opposition to under 40 points.
- Much like the Cardinals, MIT relies on a spread out scoring attack. Matt Redfield, a 6'8 Californian, leads the Engineers' offensive attack with 13.3 points per game. Another 6'8 product, NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Andrew Acker averages 11.8 markers per tilt while Justin Pedley rounds out the main Engineer scoring triumvirate with an 11.6 points per game average.
- Head coach Larry Anderson has guided his Engineers to six straight seasons of 20 or more triumphs. In the past six years, Anderson's teams have come away with four NEWMAC Men's Basketball Tournament titles. 2013-14 also marks the sixth time in as many years the Engineers have advanced to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
- Two of the top four rebounders in the NEWMAC sport MIT uniforms as Acker leads the 11-team conference with an average of 9.5 boards per game. Redfield ranks fourth among conference student-athletes by pulling down 8.8 per tilt.
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