Northeastern Huskies
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #69
Conference Rank: #1 CAA
Northeastern had a magnificent 2017-2018 season, but it did not go how they had hoped. The Huskies went 14-4 in CAA action, but thanks to a couple losses to Charleston, they did not earn the top seed in the conference tournament after tying with the Cougars for the regular season title. That meant that their third loss to Charleston in the CAA title game left Northeastern out of the postseason all together. But with their top seven scorers back, Coach Bill Coen has a team that will expect to get to the NCAA Tournament and possibly do some damage once they get there.
2017-18 Record: 23-10, 14-4
2017-18 Postseason: None
Coach: Bill Coen
Coach Record: 210-186 at Northeastern, 210-186 overall
Key Departed Players:
Devon Begley, Guard, 6.3 ppg
Derrick Cook, Guard, 1.6 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Vasa Pusica, Senior, Guard, 17.9 ppg
Shawn Occeus, Junior, Guard, 10.8 ppg
Donnell Gresham Jr, Junior, Guard, 9.1 ppg
Anthony Green, Senior, Center, 6.5 ppg
Maxime Boursiquot, Junior, Guard/Forward, 6.3 ppg
Bolden Brace, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg
Thomas Murphy, Sophomore, Forward, 6.6 ppg
Jeremy Miller, Senior, Forward, 2.5 ppg
Myles Franklin, Sophomore, Guard
Jason Strong, Sophomore, Forward
Key New Players:
Jordan Roland, Junior, Guard, Transfer from George Washington
Shaquille Walters, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Santa Clara, not eligible
Greg Eboigbodin, Sophomore, Foward, Transfer from Illinois, not eligible
Projection:
Vasa Pusica transferred in from San Diego and immediately emerged as Northeastern’s top player. The 6-5 senior averaged 17.9 points and 5.1 assists and connected on 42.7 percent of his three-point attempts. Pusica can take over games, but he also does a great job of setting up his teammates. Donnell Gresham, Shawn Occeus and Bolden Brace often benefit from Pusica’s ability to drive and dish. All three of those guards are consistent outside shooters and the addition of George Washington transfer Jordan Roland provides even more shooting threats. Coach Bill Coen will likely have three very good shooters on the floor at all times and when those shots are falling, the Huskies can beat anybody. The frontcourt is not as prolific when it comes to scoring, but Anthony Green is a big 6-10 center who can bang around in the paint. Thomas Murphy is a promising sophomore and Jeremy Miller is an experienced senior. Maxime Boursiquot, a 6-5 wing, is often playing at power forward and he does a decent job on the glass. If somebody can develop into a consistent interior scoring threat, it will open up even more space for the many shooters on the roster and that could turn Northeastern into one of the best mid-major teams in the country.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.9 (146th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.8 (83, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.4 (24, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.8 (229, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.2 (53, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (56, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.3 (104, 3)
Rebound Margin: 1.5 (133, 4)
Assists Per Game: 15.8 (40, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.6 (252, 10)
