St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
NEC (23-11, 15-3)
There were a lot of average teams in the Northeast Conference this season and only one that stood above the pack. St. Francis Brooklyn started off the season a long way away from looking like a team that could dominate the NEC. They lost their first five games of the year and added losses to NJIT and Delaware State before conference play began. But by January, this was a team that was clicking on all cylinders.
Big Wins: 12/23 at Monmouth (71-46), 1/16 at Robert Morris (68-63), 1/18 at St. Francis Brooklyn (60-59)
Bad Losses: 11/19 Army (71-74), 12/9 at NJIT (66-68), 12/17 Delaware State (64-72)
Coach: Glenn Braica
Why They Can Surprise:
The Terriers offense works through Brent Jones and Jalen Cannon. Jones, a senior point guard, averages 13.9 points and 5.3 assists per game. He is also the best shooter on a team that does not look to shoot from long range too often. Cannon is the post scorer and averages 16.4 points and 10.4 rebounds. Despite his 6-6 frame, Cannon is tough for anybody to defend. He can move around very well and is not afraid to throw around his 235 pound frame. Cannon is the main reason why the Terriers are one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, but he will get some help from Amdy Fall. The 6-7 junior does not always start, but he basically plays starter minutes. More important than his ability on the glass is Fall’s shot blocking talent. He swats away about three per game and nobody has an easy time attacking the basket when Fall is roaming the paint.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Even though the frontcourt is impressive, their lack of size could end up being the toughest challenge for St. Francis Brooklyn. The Terriers did outrebound teams like Georgetown and Rutgers, but they can struggle with talented scorers in the paint. They struggle with shooters too. When St. Francis Brooklyn has to collapse into the paint, they allow a lot of open looks from beyond the arc. This team allows the opposition to shoot 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. That is a very high percentage and that number must decrease if the Terriers are going to hang around with more talented teams in the postseason.
Probable Starters:
Brent Jones, Senior, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 5.3 apg, 2.0 spg
Tyreek Jewell, Junior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 1.1 apg
Lowell Ulmer, Senior, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Chris Hooper, Junior, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Jalen Cannon, Senior, Forward, 16.4 ppg, 10.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kevin Douglas, Senior, Guard, 5.3 ppg
Amdy Fall, Junior, Forward, 6.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.8 bpg
Yunus Hopkinson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.7 ppg
Antonio Jenifer, Junior, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.1 (133rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.0 (110, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.8 (267, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (130, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (251, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.4 (330, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.8 (189, 7)
Rebound Margin: 6.4 (22, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.2 (202, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (219, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
No tournament history
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
