Feb. 28, 2002
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GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (14-13) vs. Colgate (17-10)
Tip: 2:30 p.m.
Site: Upper Marlboro, Md.
Arena: Show Place Arena (5,800)
Series: Lafayette trails, 29-36
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.lafayette.edu
Commentators: Dick Hammer, Scott Morse
Television: WFMZ-TV 69, CN8, Empire Sports
Commentators: Jack Corrigan, Jack Armstrong
THE STORY LINE: Lafayette enters the Patriot Tournament after finishing in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings. The Leopards are the No. 5 seed after all of the tiebreakers are deciphered. Lafayette will play No. 4 seed Colgate for the second time in six days, tipping off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.
DEJ? VU?: Lafayette looks to avenge two regular-season losses to Colgate. The Raiders have proved a tough matchup for the Leopards in recent seasons, but this year's tournament scenario has a familiar ring to it. In 1998-99, Lafayette posted a 10-2 record in Patriot League play, with its only losses coming to Colgate. Lafayette later met Colgate in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament and dealt the then Red Raiders a 73-71 loss. The Leopards went on to win the Patriot League Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
IN THE TOURNAMENT: Lafayette has won five out of its last six games in the Patriot League Tournament, holding an 8-9 record overall in the event. Lafayette lost its last Patriot League Tournament game, falling to Lehigh in the opening round of the 2001 tournament. Prior to that Lafayette had won five straight.
THE LEAGUE STANDINGS: Picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League preseason poll, Lafayette eclipsed the coaches and SID's predictions and finished third.
LONG-RANGE BOMBS: Lafayette has made 200 or more three-pointers in each of the last five seasons including this season when Lafayette has hit 213 of 579 three-point attempts (37 percent). The Leopards nailed 225 in 2000-01, 249 in 1999-00, 238 in 1998-99 and 207 in 1997-98.
LEOPARDS FROM THE STRIPE: Lafayette is 27th in the nation and first in the Patriot League in free throw shooting at 74.3 percent. Eight out of the Leopards' top 10 scorers are shooting 70+ percent.
BURKE FROM THE LINE: Brian Burke ranks fifth in the nation in career free throw percentage (87.8) among active Division I players and 25th in the nation in season free throw percentage. This season he is second in the Patriot League in free throw percentage at 87.5 percent (119-136). Burke, who owns the Patriot League record with 49 consecutive free throws, put together a streak of 34 earlier this season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: In addition to his record-setting free throw shooting, Brian Burke is leaving an indelible impression elsewhere in the Lafayette record books. He currently has 301 assists, recently supplanting Jay Mottola '72 for eighth place. He needs five assists to pass Tim Bieg '01 for seventh. His 125 career three-pointers leave him in sixth place all-time, needing three more to move into the top five all-time.
SENIOR SUCCESS: The senior class of Brian Burke, Reggie Guy, Mick Kuberka and Rob Worthington has posted a 72-44 record in four seasons at Lafayette. The mark includes two 20-win seasons, two Patriot League Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
COLGATE: The Raiders come into the game with a 17-10 overall record. Colgate finished tied for third in Patriot League play with an 8-6 record. Colgate has won seven out of its last nine Patriot League games, the only excpetions Bucknell and American.
Colgate posted a 13-15 mark in 2000-01 and all five starters return from that squad. Senior forward Pat Cam-polieta leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Mark Linebaugh is averaging 13.8 ppg and has started every game. Sophomore forward Howard Blue has come off the bench to average 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Dave Hardy (8.4 ppg) has started 25 of 26 games.
Colgate is coached by Emmett Davis who is in his fourth season at Colgate. Davis, a 1981 St. Lawrence graduate, holds a 57-55 record at Colgate.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the 66th meeting between Lafayette and Colgate. Lafayette trails in the all-time series 29-36. The Leopards lost both meetings this season.
The first series meeting was Feb. 25, 1916, as the two teams squared off in a neutral site game. (See complete series breakdown in pdf format.)
THAT 80s and 90s SHOW: Lafayette is definitely comfortable playing in high-scoring games. The Leopards are 4-0 when they reach 90 points and 3-1 when hitting the 80s.
FEBRUARY SUCCESS: Fran O'Hanlon's teams always seem to hit their stride in the month of February. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 35-13 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 faced all seven conference schools in February and finished 4-3.
NATIONAL NUMBERS: In addition to Lafayette's nationally-ranked free throw shooting, the Leopards' season-best 68 percent shooting night at Navy is the 13th best team shooting performance in the nation this season...Lafayette also ranks fourth in the nation for three-pointers in a single game, hitting a school-record 18 three's vs. Howard on Dec. 30. Lafayette is 13th in the country for three-point field goal percentage in a single game, hitting 69 percent in that same game.
FARRELL ON TARGET: Mike Farrell, who led the Patriot League in field goal percentage for several weeks, currently ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 56.6 percent through 27 games. Farrell has scored in double figures in 14 games and is currently third on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per game.
THREE OF SIX: Lafayette has three of the league's top six three-point shooters in terms of shooting percentage. Mick Kuberka (42.9) is second, Ben Saxton is third (40.8) and Justin DeBerry sixth (39.1). Holy Cross' Brian Wilson (48.2) leads the league.
LEAGUE STATS: Lafayette currently ranks in the top two in nine Patriot League statistical categories through March 1 games.
STATS RANK OUTPUT STATS RANK OUTPUT Scoring Offense 1st 73.1, Assist/Turn. Ratio 2nd 0.95, FG % 1st 46.6, 3FG Made (per game) 1st 7.89, 3FG % 1st 36.8, Blocks (per game) 2nd 3.37, Free Throw % 1st 74.3, Steals (per game) 2nd 8.44, Assists (per game) 1st 14.78
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 109-90, including two 20-win seasons.
YOUR ATTENDANCE PLEASE: Lafayette again led the Patriot League in attendance with an average of 2,563 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.
BURKE BOMBS LEHIGH (Feb. 20): Playing in his last game at Kirby Sports Center, senior Brian Burke left a distinct impression on the Lafayette faithful. Burke scored a career-high 43 points on 16-for-22 shooting. He nailed 7-of-11 three-pointers and was 4-for-4 from the foul line. Burke tied a Kirby Sports Center record for points in a game, matching Chris Spatola's (Army) mark from last season. It was also the most points ever by a Lafayette player in Kirby Sports Center, topping Todd Tripucka's 42 points vs. St. Joseph's on Dec. 3, 1975. Tripucka was the last Lafayette player to score 40 or more points.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: Twenty-one of Lafayette's games have been decided by 10 points or less. Three have ended with a four-point margin, two were decided by three points and one by one point. The Leopards' loss to Colgate was a 12-point loss. POSSIBLE STARTERS?: Fran O'Hanlon has nine different starting lineups this season. Mike Farrell has started 26 of 27 games, giving way to Rob Worthington on senior day. Ten different players have spent time in opening five.
ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 529 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 304-224 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 67-87 in the regular-season and 8-9 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 52-34 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 8-6 this season.
American 13-9 Colgate 29-36 Lehigh 130-66 Army 24-18 Holy Cross 11-18 Navy ...........17-32 Bucknell 81-47
LAFAYETTE OUTSHOOTING OPPONENTS: Lafayette has outshot its opponent in 19 of 27 games this season. The Leopards are shooting 47 percent from the floor compared to their opponents' 43 percent. Lafayette has shot above 50 percent in eight games and 60 percent in two games, including a season-high 68 percent at Navy.
FARRELL DOING THE GLASSWORK: Forward Mike Farrell is taking the rebounding duties upon himself. He is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game this season, twice setting new career highs, including nine boards vs. Lehigh (Feb. 20).
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 four different occasions this season. Each has managed it four times.
GUARDS ON THE BOARDS: Guards Andrew Pleick and Ben Saxton have been doing their part on the glass. Both are averaging over 3.1 rebounds per game and are third and fourth on the team in rebounding behind post players Mike Farrell and Mick Kuberka.
INJURY REPORT: Guard Reggie Guy missed Lafayette's last game with a deep thigh bruise. He has been practicing and will be available to play. Winston Davis also missed the Colgate game after suffering a back injury, but will also be available.
SENIOR STEPS UP: Senior Mick Kuberka has stepped into the role of a starter this season. He went from averaging 10.5 minutes per game last season to 22.3 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 (21), rebounds (9), blocks (4) and assists (3).
...AND OUT: Kuberka has the green light to launch an occasional three-pointer. He has taken 70 three's this season, making 30. He is second in the Patriot League in three-point shooting percentage at 42.9.
BURKE SERVING UP A TASTY DISH: Senior Brian Burke is leading the team with 4.5 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.
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 had spot time in the opening five at shooting guard . Mike Farrell has started all but one game at power forward. Nine of the 13 players on the Lafayette squad are freshmen or sophomores. Freshman point guard Kenny Grant has started nine games.
IN THE HOUSE THAT THE KIRBYS 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 254-109 record in 29 seasons. Twenty-three of those seasons have been winning campaigns. This season, Lafayette went 9-4 with wins over St. Peter's, Cornell, Scranton, Howard, Holy Cross, Bucknell, American, Navy and Lehigh and losses to Marist, Rider, Colgate, Army.
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, Guy or Pleick in the lineup, DeBerry occupies the shooting guard 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 1117-965 (.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 11 players have participated in every game including Andrew Pleick who has played in every game since the second semester when he became eligible following a transfer.
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. 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.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the fourth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 15 games televised with the possible addition of two 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 appeared on the Patriot League Television Network at Colgate and can again be seen on PL-TV in the first-round game of the Patriot League Tournament. Locally, that game will be broadcasted on WFMZ-TV 69. The Lafayette at Lehigh game on Feb. 20 was televised by Service Electric TV-2.
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.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League in the preseason coaches and sports information directors' poll. Lafayette was slotted to finish second in 2000-01 and ended tied for fifth.
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.
