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Game Information
Match Up: Lafayette (10-10, 4-3) vs. Bucknell (8-12-4-3)
Tip: 3:15 p.m.
Site: Easton, Pa.
Arena: Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Series: Lafayette leads, 80-47
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Commentators: Dick Hammer, Carl Schumacher
Television: Lafayette Sports Network
Commentators: Gary Laubach, John Leone, Dan Mowdy

THE STORY LINE: Fresh off a 68-63 win over arch-rival Lehigh, Lafayette welcomes Bucknell to Kirby Sports Center in the 128th meeting between the two teams. The Leopards are looking to avenge a one-point loss at Bucknell on Jan. 9 in the Patriot League opener for both teams. Bucknell is coming off a 73-65 home loss to Holy Cross.

NEXT UP: Lafayette looks for a series sweep over Holy Cross when it travels to Worcester, Mass. on Feb. 6. Lafayette then returns home for three games at Kirby Sports Center.

FARRELL ON TARGET: Sophomore forward Mike Farrell is leading the Patriot League in field goal percentage, shooting 55.1 through 20 games. Farrell has scored in double figures in nine games and is currently third on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game.

PATRIOT LEAGUE JUMBLE: Lafayette (4-3) is one of four teams, along with Holy Cross, Navy and Bucknell, tied for second place in the Patriot League standings behind first-place American (5-3).

BURKE FROM THE LINE: With a 6-for-6 effort at Lehigh, Brian Burke extended his consecutive free throw streak to 33. Burke is already the Lafayette and Patriot League recordholder for consecutive free throws with 49 and is Lafayette's career free throw percentage leader at 88.7 percent (252-284). He is currently second in the conference and 15th in the nation at 90.1 percent (91-101).

NATIONAL NUMBERS: Lafayette's season-best 68 percent shooting night at Navy is the 13th best team shooting performance in the nation this season...Lafayette also ranks third in the nation for three-pointers in a single game, hitting a school-record 18 three's vs. Howard on Dec. 30.

A FRUITFUL FEBRUARY?: Fran O'Hanlon's teams always seem to hit their stride in the month of February. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 32-11 in February. Lafayette was 5-3 last season with wins over Bucknell, Navy, Albany, Stony Brook, and Army and losses to Lehigh, Holy Cross and Colgate. Lafayette was 8-1 in 1999-00, and the Leopards' only loss was at Navy. In 1998-99, the Leopards went 7-1 with their lone February loss coming in a one-point decision at Colgate. In 1997-98, the Leopards were 5-0 in February to close out the regular season. This season, Lafayette will face all seven of the Patriot League schools in February.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brian Burke was selected as the Patriot League Player of the Week, his first such award of the season and second of his career. Burke averaged 19.7 points and 6.0 assists while going a perfect 19-for-19 from the line. He began the week with a 13-point, four-assist effort against Penn (Jan. 21). At Navy (Jan. 23), Burke scored 18 points and dished off a career-high 11 assists in a 92-79 win. The Philadelphia native was wholly or partially responsible for 43 points in the game. Against Colgate on Jan. 26, Burke scored a career-high 28 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.

BURKE IN THE RECORDBOOKS: In addition to his record-setting free throw shooting, Brian Burke is leaving an indelible impression elsewhere in the Lafayette recordbooks. He currently has 273 career assists and needs 14 to move into the top 10. His 109 career three-pointers leave him in seventh place all-time, needing just nine to move into the top five all-time.

POSSIBLE STARTERS?: Fran O'Hanlon has used eight different starting lineups this season. The only player who has started every game is power forward Mike Farrell. Nine different players have spent time in opening five.

FARRELL DOING THE GLASSWORK: Forward Mike Farrell is taking the rebounding duties upon himself. He is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game this season, twice setting new career highs, including nine vs. Colgate (Jan. 26).

LEAGUE STATS: Lafayette currently ranks in the top three in 13 Patriot League statistical categories through Feb. 1 games.

STATS RANK OUTPUT STATS RANK OUTPUT Assists (per game) 2nd 14.95 Blocks (per game) 1st 3.50 Assist/Turn. Ratio 2nd 0.95 FG % 1st 47.3 Scoring Offense 3rd 71.7 FG% Defense 3rd 42.2 Scoring Margin 2nd +2.2 3FG Made (per game) 1st 7.50 Free Throw % 1st 73.9 3FG % 1st 37.1 Defensive Rebounds 3rd 23.3 3FG % Defense 2nd 32.3 Steals (per game) 3rd 8.00

THE COACH: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova '70) is in his seventh season at Lafayette. O'Hanlon has garnered two Patriot League Coach of the Year honors, while restoring the Lafayette program to a championship level. He guided the Leopards to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998-99 and 1999-00. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 105-87, including two 20-win seasons.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Fifteen of Lafayette's games have been decided by 10 points or less. Three have ended with a four-point margin, one was decided by three points and one by one point. The Leopards' game at Lehigh was a five-point margin.

GET THAT SHOT OUT OF HERE: Lafayette continues to lead the Patriot League in blocked shots with 3.5 per game. Lafayette swatted away a season-high nine shots vs. Holy Cross (1/12).

FROM THE LINE: Lafayette is shooting 74 percent (303-410) from the stripe to lead the Patriot League. Brian Burke, a career 88 percent free throw shooter, leads the Leopards this season at 90 percent.

BUCKNELL: Bucknell enters the game with an 8-12 record. The Bison finished the first round of Patriot League play at 4-3, beating Lafayette, Army, Colgate and Lehigh while losing to Navy, American and Holy Cross. Bucknell posted a 14-15 mark in 2000-01 and four starters return from that team. One of those starters is inside presence Boakai Lalugba. The junior forward averages 15.5 points and a league-leading 7.5 rebounds per game. Bucknell recently received a boost when senior guard Bryan Bailey returned to lineup from injury. Bailey is averaging 15.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. Center Brian Werner was also injured for seven games, but is healthy and is averaging 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds. Guards Chris Rodgers and Dan Blankenship look to round out the starting lineup. Bucknell is coached by Pat Flannery who is in his ninth season as the Bison head coach. Flannery, a 1980 Bucknell graduate, holds a 116-102 record at Bucknell.

ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 522 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 300-222 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 63-84 in the regular-season and 8-9 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 48-31 in Patriot League regular-season play. Lafayette was 10-2 in 1997-98 and 1998-99, 11-1 in 1999-00, 4-8 in 2000-01 and is 4-3 this season.

American 12-9 Colgate 29-35 Lehigh 129-66 Army 24-17 Holy Cross 11-17 Navy 16-32 Bucknell 80-47

INJURY REPORT: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon expects to have his full complement of 14 players available for tonight's game.

YOUR ATTENDANCE PLEASE: Lafayette is again leading the Patriot League in attendance with an average of 2,334 fans taking in each home game at Kirby Sports Center. It's nothing new for the Leopards who have led the league in attendance the past four seasons. Lafayette averaged 2,508 fans in 2000-01, 2,474 in 1999-00, 2,864 in 1998-99 and 2,045 in 1997-98. LAFAYETTE OUTSHOOTING OPPONENTS: Lafayette has outshot its opponent in 15 of 20 games this season. The Leopards are shooting 47 percent from the floor compared to their opponents' 42 percent. Lafayette has shot above 50 percent in seven games, 60 percent in two games including a season-high 68 percent at Navy.

Opponent FG% LC FG% Opponent FG% LC FG% Albany 48.4 61.2 Howard 38.8 47.2 Penn State 39.7 45.6 Rider 45.5 34.5 Miami 38.3 39.6 Bucknell 49.1 41.7 St. Peter's 45.8 46.3 Holy Cross 39.6 45.2 Marist 45.2 52.9 American 40.4 35.3 Columbia 38.6 39.5 Army 53.8 54.9 Drexel 36.1 56.4 Penn 45.6 51.1 Cornell 32.0 42.1 Navy 39.6 68.0 Scranton 32.7 57.4 Colgate 46.9 45.1 Princeton 54.0 37.3 Lehigh 37.3 43.9

STEPPIN' UP: Senior center Mick Kuberka has seen a significant increase in playing time this season. He went from averaging 10.5 minutes per game last season to 22.0 mpg this season. His numbers have drastically improved and he is posting 8.9 ppg and 4.0 rpg. He has set new career-highs for points (19), rebounds (8), blocks (4) and assists (3).

...AND OUT: Kuberka has the green light to launch an occasional three-pointer. He has taken 51 three's this season, making 22. He is second in the Patriot League in three-point shooting percentage at 43.1.

TWO FOR THREE FOR FOUR: Mick Kuberka and Ben Saxton are the only players on the Lafayette squad to have hit for four or more three-pointers on three different occasions this season.

THREE FOR FIVE: Lafayette has three of the top five three-point shooters in the league. Mick Kuberka is second (43.1), Ben Saxton third (42.9) and Justin DeBerry fourth (42.0) .

SAXTON HELPING WITH THE BOARDS: Sophomore guard Ben Saxton has also been doing his part on the glass. Saxton is the Leopards' top rebounding perimeter player with 3.5 rebounds per game and ranks third on the team behind post players Mike Farrell and Mick Kuberka. Saxton grabbed a career-high nine rebounds at Princeton on Dec. 21.

SOPHOMORE STARTERS: Four of the players who have been in the Lafayette starting lineup are members of the sophomore class. Justin DeBerry is holding down the shooting guard position along with Ben Saxton and Winston Davis who have both started at shooting guard and Mike Farrell who has started every game at power forward. Nine of the 14 players on the Lafayette squad are freshmen or sophomores. Freshman point guard Kenny Grant has started nine games.

BURKE SERVING UP A TASTY DISH: Senior Brian Burke is leading the team with 4.7 assists per game. Burke dished off for a career-high 11 assists at Navy on Jan. 23 and 10 at Drexel on Dec. 5. The co-captain led the team in assists last season, despite missing two months of the season with a punctured lung LETTING IT FLY: Fran O'Hanlon's Lafayette teams have been known to hoist it up from the perimeter. Lafayette has hit 200 or more three-pointers in each of the last four seasons, recording 225 in 2000-01, 249 in 1999-00, 238 in 1998-99 and 207 in 1997-98. This season, Lafayette has made 150 of 404 three-point attempts (37 percent).

IN THE HOUSE THAT THE KIRBY'S BUILT: Lafayette has enjoyed plenty of success in Kirby Sports Center. Since the building's inaugural season in 1973-74, the Leopards have posted a 250-108 record in 29 seasons. Twenty-two of those seasons have been winning campaigns. This season, Lafayette is 5-3 with wins over St. Peter's, Cornell, Scranton, Howard and Holy Cross and losses to Marist, Rider and Colgate.

FOUR-GUARD SET: Many teams employ a three-guard set, but few rarely play four guards on the floor at a time. Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon has been using combinations of Justin DeBerry, Brian Burke, Winston Davis, Kenny Grant, Ben Saxton, Andrew Pleick and Reggie Guy along with forward Mike Farrell or center Mick Kuberka. With Grant or Guy in the lineup, DeBerry moves to shooting guard, his true position. Defensively, the Leopards cope by having their tallest guards, Davis (6-6), Burke (6-5) and Saxton (6-5) guard post players. LINE CHANGE: For those seeing Lafayette basketball for the first time, Fran O'Hanlon's substitution patterns may more closely resemble hockey than basketball. O'Hanlon frequently substitutes three or four players at a time, often looking for an advantage in offensive and defensive matchups. The frequent substitutions also force opposing coaches and players to be constantly aware of personnel changes. ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 92 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1115-962 (.537) that spans back to the first season in 1900-01.

DEEP INTO THE BENCH: Fran O'Hanlon has always gone fairly deep into his bench in his tenure at Lafayette. This season is no exception, as 10 players have participated in every game.

GEOGRAPHY FOR $300 PLEASE, ALEX: The 14 members of the Lafayette basketball team hail from eight states and three countries. In the Leopards' starting lineup, Justin DeBerry is from Arizona, Winston Davis and Mike Farrell from Florida, Mick Kuberka from New York and Brian Burke is from Pennsylvania. On the remainder of the roster, Minnesota (Rob Worthington), California (Andrew Pleick), New Jersey (Eric Mugavero) and Virginia (Jamie Hughes) are represented. Canada, often called the 51st state by chauvinistic Americans, is home to Brad Anderson. Rob Dill resides in Germany.

ON THE RADIO: Today's game can be heard live on WEST-AM 1400, the 66th year of broadcasting Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 35th year of calling the play-by-play for Lafayette men's basketball. Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and by either Scott Morse (Lafayette Director of Athletic Communications) or Phil LaBella (Lafayette Sports Information Coordinator) on the road.

BURKE'S WEEKLY JOURNAL: Brian Burke is chronicling the 2001-02 season through his weekly journal on www.GoLeopards.com. He is in his second season of writing journals and his latest contributions are posted intermittently on the web.

SENIOR C0-CAPTAINS: Seniors Brian Burke and Rob Worthington are serving as the team captains for the 2001-02 season. Burke is the top returning scorer for Lafayette, having averaged 14.0 points per game in 2000-01. Worthington is the team's top returning rebounder and started 32 games in his sophomore and junior seasons. Burke and Worthington were selected co-captains by head coach Fran O'Hanlon. The two have been roommates since their freshman years and are both English majors. LAFAYETTE ON THE WEB: The best source for information on the Lafayette basketball program is on the web. Click on "Sports" at www.lafayette.edu. The site is continuously updated with press releases, game notes, schedules, rosters, statistics, players features, photos and more.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the fourth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 14 games televised, with the possible addition of three more television contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 12 games to more than 5.2 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Lafayette will also be seen on the Patriot League Television Network at Colgate. Locally, that game will be broadcasted on WFMZ-TV 69. The Lafayette at Lehigh game on Feb. 20 can be seen on Service Electric TV-2.