DELAWARE
Record: 8-3
Last Game: Delaware 88, St. Francis (PA) 83 on 12/9/18
Last Game with SBU: First-ever meeting
Checkmate Unofficial Line: Stony Brook -2
NET Ranking: Stony Brook 160, Delaware 183
KenPom RPI: Stony Brook 166, Delaware 214
KenPom Prediction: Stony Brook 74, Delaware 68
Listen/Watch:TV:
http://bit.ly/MBBGm12VidStony Brook radio:
http://bit.ly/WUSBSportsNotables:6-9/235 rsr F Eric Carter 19.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg, .658 FG%, .720 FT%
6-3/200 fr G Ithiel Horton 14.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 spg, .456 3-pt FG%, .808 FT%
6-5/190 so G Kevin Anderson 12.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.1 spg, .359 3-pt FG%
6-7/210 fr F Matt Veretto 9.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .534 FG%, .450 3-pt FG%
6-4/200 rsr G Darian Bryant 8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .407 3-pt FG%
I love this four-game stretch that we have here before the ball drops – two CAA teams at home, and what should be two tough tests on the road. Guys, for me, if we split these and head into 2019 at 11-4, that's really really good. There are no gimmes here.
It starts with Delaware, who most certainly has the horses to come in here and win. This is a program that is on the rise, and with the shooters they have, we'll need an outstanding effort on both ends of the floor to prevail.
Something to keep an eye on is the return of Ryan Allen, last year's CAA Rookie of the Year (15.3 ppg) who has been out for two months with a foot injury. His initial prognosis called for a mid-December return, and there's some talk of him being back for our game. I can't imagine he's thrust into a starring role off the bat, but he'd go nicely with what's building in Newark right now.
If he is back, look out. This is a good shooting team to begin with (.498 overall, .419 from three) and Allen hit 86 threes as a freshman. As a team they have shot 40 percent or better in each of their first 11 contests, and at least 35 percent from three in all but one game, which was a close loss at Maryland. This includes a marvelous performance against NEC favorite St. Francis in which they shot almost 58 percent from the floor, a season high. Carter, a preseason All-CAA honorable mention nominee, went for a career-best 33. He's on pace to do better than honorable mention. Carter's a physical forward who will look to back down his defender and finish over either shoulder from in close. Otchere and Ochefu are going to have to stand their ground.
He's flanked by Anderson, a do-it-all guard who missed the latter half of last season with a knee injury, and Horton, who's been absolutely deadly from downtown. He's no one-trick pony though. Horton can put it on the floor and finish at the rim with authority. I'm not sure what to make of Bryant – his stats don't jump off the page but he leads the team in minutes at more than THIRTY SIX a game. Maybe just one of those glue guys.
So what can we point to as their Achilles' heel? Luckily, it's two aspects in which I think we excel – toughness and perimeter defense. We are plus-8 on the glass for the season, and have held opponents under 30 percent from three for the season. In Delaware's 19-point loss to UNC Greensboro, UD had one of its worst shooting nights of the year and had some issues with turnovers. Navy bullied the Blue Hens on the boards, corralling 22 offensive rebounds en route to a 15-point win. Delaware is not big on turning the ball over, forcing just five turnovers in each of their last two games and averaging about 10 per night for the year.
The Blue Hens have experienced a rebirth under third-year head coach Martin Inglesby. He served as an assistant under former UD head coach Mike Brey at Notre Dame for 13 seasons, before moving over to take Brey's old job at UD. Delaware won 25 games in 2013-14 under Monte Ross, but then just 17 combined over the next two seasons. He got shown the door and UD brought in Inglesby, who has yet to eclipse the .500 mark but this team will undoubtedly do it. UD has had each of the last two CAA ROYs – Allen last year and Ryan Daly before that. Daly has since transferred to St. Joe's. With both him and Allen out of the lineup, it's pretty remarkable that they've had the early-season success that they have. They were picked to finish seventh in the CAA in the preseason, but look to be better than that to this point.