Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
Northeast Conference (18-14, 11-7)
Most expected a young Fairleigh Dickinson to struggle this season. And they did struggle for a while, but ended up finishing tied for second in the Northeast Conference with an 11-7 record. That was far from the bottom of the league where most expected to find the Knights come March. Even in late February when FDU lost three straight at home, it looked like Fairleigh Dickinson was going to drop back to the middle of the pack and disappear. But the Knights won their last two road games and were able to host a couple conference tournament games. They did need to go on the road in the final to play Wagner, the NEC’s best team, but Fairleigh Dickinson won an overtime thriller at Wagner earlier in the year and they went back to Staten Island and came away with another win, this time earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/18 Towson (69-68), 2/4 at Wagner (82-79), 3/8 at Wagner (87-79)
Bad Losses: 1/4 Bryant (80-85), 2/13 Robert Morris (70-72), 2/20 Sacred Heart (86-91)
Coach: Greg Herenda
Why They Can Surprise:
The Knights boast the most potent offense in the NEC. They share the ball well and will usually take smart shots. Darian Anderson, Marques Townes and Stephan Jiggetts are all good passers in the backcourt and each averages at least 2.7 assists per game. All three of them can score too. Anderson leads the team with 15.4 points per game. While his outside shot has been inconsistent, he is very effective attacking the basket and a great free-throw shooter. Townes and Jiggetts can knock down outside shots too. However, the best shooter on the team is wing Earl Potts, Jr. Potts shoots 39.7 percent from beyond the arc and 51.0 percent from the floor. The 6-6 sophomore has had a great year and averages 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Even though this team has quite a few shooters, they do not settle for three-pointers. If it is open, they will take it. If not, they will look elsewhere.
Why They Can Disappoint:
As good as the offense is, the defense is worse. Fairleigh Dickinson scores 77.9 points per game, but allows 78.3. That is a lot of points. Freshman Mike Holloway has done his best to turn into an enforcer in the paint, but he is often outmatched on the defensive end of the floor. Potts and Holloway do not get much help on the glass either and this is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. Running up and down the floor also leads to a lot of foul trouble and this team does not have too much depth. Forward Tyrone O’Garro will need to be tough on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor. O’Garro is also the only upperclassmen on the team who averages over ten minutes per game. That lack of experience has been an issue at times, especially defensively. In the NCAA Tournament, this young group will need to continue to take care of the basketball and remember to play their game and utilize any mismatches they can get with Potts. This team will give up a slew of points, but they can score some against tougher competition. It will not likely be enough to stick around for too long, but Fairleigh Dickinson does have the offensive weapons to make things interesting for a while as long as their shots are falling.
Probable Starters:
Darian Anderson, Sophomore, Guard, 15.4 ppg, 3.7 apg, 1.8 spg
Stephan Jiggetts, Sophomore, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 3.1 apg
Marques Townes, Sophomore, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 4.0 rpg
Earl Potts Jr., Sophomore, Forward, 14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Mike Holloway, Freshman, Forward, 9.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Darnell Edge, Freshman, Guard, 4.3 ppg
Ghassan Nehme, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg
Tyrone O’Garro, Junior, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.6 (68th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 78.2 (311, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (70, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.2 (271, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (157, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (115, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (161, 3)
Rebound Margin: -4.7 (313, 7)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (121, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (202, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
No Recent Tournament History
*all team stats through 3/6
