Northeastern Huskies
Colonial Athletic Association (18-12, 12-6)
RPI: 89
Big Wins: 11/15 at Providence (70-66), 1/21 George Mason (58-57), 1/27 at VCU (68-63)
Bad Losses: 2/4 at William & Mary (63-68), 2/18 Georgia State (68-70), 3/7 vs Towson (54-58)
Coach: Bill Coen
Probable Starters:
Chaisson Allen, Sophomore, Guard, 9.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 5.1 rpg
Matt Janning, Junior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.7 rpg
Eugene Spates, Senior, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Manny Adako, Junior, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Nkem Ojougboh, Junior, Center, 7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Chris Alvarez, Senior, Forward, 2.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Baptiste Bataille, Junior, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.5 apg
Vinny Lima, Sophomore, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Matt Smith, Senior, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Why They Can Surprise:
Under Coach Bill Coen, Northeastern will always play solid defense. The Huskies want to slow the tempo down, take care of the ball and take good shots. Chaisson Allen does all of those things. The sophomore point guard leads the team in assists, steals and rebounds. At 6-4 he has more size than many point guards and he can use that advantage to find passing lanes that others could not. Allen will not turn the ball over very often either. On the year he averages just 1.9 per game, but down the stretch of the season that number has gotten even better.
The other defensive stalwart in the backcourt is Matt Janning. But Janning will get more publicity for his scoring. He is a decent, albeit inconsistent, outside shooter and will do plenty of scoring around the basket. At 6-4, Janning is a decent rebounder and the Huskies have a lot of size on the perimeter with Allen and Janning.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Northeastern starting five is solid, but they do not get much of a scoring punch from the bench, especially in the backcourt. Baptiste Bataille has had a couple decent scoring games late in the year, but it is just as likely that he will get shut down and score only a couple of points. The other option is Matt Smith. The 6-6 senior will take most of his shots from beyond the arc and if his shot is not falling, he will not score.
Who To Watch:
The frontcourt has a few scorers that can help out the group on the perimeter. Eugene Spates is practically a perimeter player, but at 6-8 and 220 pounds, he has many qualities of a forward as well. Spates is a relatively decent three-point shooter and he will back down smaller defenders. The main scoring threat in the paint though is Manny Adako. The 6-8 junior is the team’s second leading scorer behind Janning and is a very efficient scorer in the paint. He is also a decent shot blocker and can be a force on the defensive end. The same can be said for Nkem Ojougboh. Ojougboh is not much of a scorer, but he will get on the glass and, along with Adako, provides a tough interior group on the defensive end.
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 62.4 (279th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.8 (21, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.3 (196, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (124, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (231, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.5 (180, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.1 (26, 2)
Rebound Margin: 0.6 (169, 5)
Assists Per Game: 11.4 (272, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (60, 3)
Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Wyoming
