Hens-Drexel men kick off CAA play
Rivalry's 129th meeting is a barometer for both teams
NEWARK -- The Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball season, usually reserved to a wintertime run, gets a sneak, late-fall preview tonight at the Carpenter Center.
Few CAA rivalries can heat up a gym quite like Drexel and Delaware, which tip off at 7:30. It's the 129th meeting between the schools in a series that began in 1912 and has gone uninterrupted since the 1960-61 season.
Considering how much the teams relish playing each other, Delaware senior forward Robin Wentt suggested, why wait?
"I was surprised when I saw we were playing them so early, in the middle of our nonconference schedule," he said. "Drexel's always a big game, and I know we're excited to play them, and I'm sure they're excited to play us."
At the league's behest, each CAA men's team is playing one of its 18 conference games in early December. The other 17 are packed into the eight available January and February weeks prior to the March 4-7 CAA Tournament in Richmond.
Ironically, the other Drexel-Delaware game is the regular-season finale for each on Feb. 26 in Philadelphia. The early collision isn't that unusual. During their days in America East (1991-2001), which usually scheduled early league games, they met several times in December.
"It's a great game. Forget the records and stuff like that," Drexel fourth-year coach Bruiser Flint said. "I'm just upset it's so early.
"Usually, there's a big buildup for our campus. Both teams get up to play each other, and you know it'll be a hard-fought game. But it's tough, because you're four games in and everybody's still feeling themselves out, and all of sudden you've got to go play Delaware."
Delaware (2-3) is coming off a California trip in which it lost to St. Mary's 67-58 and San Francisco 84-79 but made significant progress, coach David Henderson said.
Junior forward Harding Nana, who missed nearly four weeks of preseason practice with a groin injury, has quickly moved among the CAA leaders in scoring (16.6 ppg, 4th) and rebounding (7.8 rpg, 3rd). Junior guard Andrew Washington is also averaging in double figures (12.0 ppg) for Delaware. Senior point guard Mike Slattery's 5.6 assists per game top the CAA.
"Those guys are starting to get on the same page, and you can see the offensive and defensive improvement that comes with that," Henderson said. "I'm anxious to see us play [tonight]. We have to sustain the effort we've had in the second halves of games for the entire 40 minutes."
Delaware hopes to benefit from its superior size and ability to drive the basketball inside, which have helped the Hens rank third in the CAA in field-goal percentage (45.8) and be among the league's better rebounding teams.
Farther away from the basket, the Hens haven't been so accurate. Delaware is last in the CAA in 3-point (23.1) and free-throw (58.3) percentages.
The Dragons (2-2) opened with losses at Penn 81-50 and Rider 76-71, but have since beaten Lafayette 78-67 and St. Joseph's 57-49. Drexel had lost 14 straight to St. Joe's, rebuilding off its NCAA regional final appearance last season, and limited the Hawks to 32 percent field-goal shooting.
Drexel has played the last three games without low-post target Sean Brooks, who has a fractured left foot that's expected to sideline him until after January. The 6-foot-6 senior was a second-team All-CAA choice last season, when he averaged 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
"My whole thing is, play defense and rebound, we have a chance, because I know we can score," Flint said. "[Without Brooks], we don't have that safety net where you can throw it inside. But Chaz Crawford [6-10 sophomore] has played great for Sean and Matty Stevenson [6-7 sophomore] has given us good minutes."
Four starters returned from last year's Drexel team, which finished second in the CAA standings and went 18-11 overall and lost at Villanova in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Guard Phil Goss, averaging 16.2 points per game this year, was a first-team All-CAA pick last season, and point guard Bashir Mason, as a freshman, was CAA defensive player of the year.
"They play hard," Henderson said. "The key for us is to be able to control the paint - our size has to be a factor - and take away their 3-point shooting and make them a two-point shooting team. They'll run, too, so we have to get back in transition."
Rivalry's 129th meeting is a barometer for both teams
NEWARK -- The Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball season, usually reserved to a wintertime run, gets a sneak, late-fall preview tonight at the Carpenter Center.
Few CAA rivalries can heat up a gym quite like Drexel and Delaware, which tip off at 7:30. It's the 129th meeting between the schools in a series that began in 1912 and has gone uninterrupted since the 1960-61 season.
Considering how much the teams relish playing each other, Delaware senior forward Robin Wentt suggested, why wait?
"I was surprised when I saw we were playing them so early, in the middle of our nonconference schedule," he said. "Drexel's always a big game, and I know we're excited to play them, and I'm sure they're excited to play us."
At the league's behest, each CAA men's team is playing one of its 18 conference games in early December. The other 17 are packed into the eight available January and February weeks prior to the March 4-7 CAA Tournament in Richmond.
Ironically, the other Drexel-Delaware game is the regular-season finale for each on Feb. 26 in Philadelphia. The early collision isn't that unusual. During their days in America East (1991-2001), which usually scheduled early league games, they met several times in December.
"It's a great game. Forget the records and stuff like that," Drexel fourth-year coach Bruiser Flint said. "I'm just upset it's so early.
"Usually, there's a big buildup for our campus. Both teams get up to play each other, and you know it'll be a hard-fought game. But it's tough, because you're four games in and everybody's still feeling themselves out, and all of sudden you've got to go play Delaware."
Delaware (2-3) is coming off a California trip in which it lost to St. Mary's 67-58 and San Francisco 84-79 but made significant progress, coach David Henderson said.
Junior forward Harding Nana, who missed nearly four weeks of preseason practice with a groin injury, has quickly moved among the CAA leaders in scoring (16.6 ppg, 4th) and rebounding (7.8 rpg, 3rd). Junior guard Andrew Washington is also averaging in double figures (12.0 ppg) for Delaware. Senior point guard Mike Slattery's 5.6 assists per game top the CAA.
"Those guys are starting to get on the same page, and you can see the offensive and defensive improvement that comes with that," Henderson said. "I'm anxious to see us play [tonight]. We have to sustain the effort we've had in the second halves of games for the entire 40 minutes."
Delaware hopes to benefit from its superior size and ability to drive the basketball inside, which have helped the Hens rank third in the CAA in field-goal percentage (45.8) and be among the league's better rebounding teams.
Farther away from the basket, the Hens haven't been so accurate. Delaware is last in the CAA in 3-point (23.1) and free-throw (58.3) percentages.
The Dragons (2-2) opened with losses at Penn 81-50 and Rider 76-71, but have since beaten Lafayette 78-67 and St. Joseph's 57-49. Drexel had lost 14 straight to St. Joe's, rebuilding off its NCAA regional final appearance last season, and limited the Hawks to 32 percent field-goal shooting.
Drexel has played the last three games without low-post target Sean Brooks, who has a fractured left foot that's expected to sideline him until after January. The 6-foot-6 senior was a second-team All-CAA choice last season, when he averaged 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
"My whole thing is, play defense and rebound, we have a chance, because I know we can score," Flint said. "[Without Brooks], we don't have that safety net where you can throw it inside. But Chaz Crawford [6-10 sophomore] has played great for Sean and Matty Stevenson [6-7 sophomore] has given us good minutes."
Four starters returned from last year's Drexel team, which finished second in the CAA standings and went 18-11 overall and lost at Villanova in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Guard Phil Goss, averaging 16.2 points per game this year, was a first-team All-CAA pick last season, and point guard Bashir Mason, as a freshman, was CAA defensive player of the year.
"They play hard," Henderson said. "The key for us is to be able to control the paint - our size has to be a factor - and take away their 3-point shooting and make them a two-point shooting team. They'll run, too, so we have to get back in transition."
