THE MATCHUPS
The Leopards will head to Baltimore to take on UMBC on its home court and CCSU in a neutral site contest. The UMBC Retrievers are led by senior guard Colton Lawrence, who averages 14.7 ppg and 2.7 apg. The Blue Devils are led by junior Kellen Amos, who is averaging 17.0 pts. and 5.0 reb. per game.

LAST MEETING
The last time the Leopards took on UMBC, Lafayette came through with an 87- 84 win on College Hill. The Leopards earned a victory over CCSU, 71-54, the last time these two teams met in 2007.
 
THAT MIKE JORDAN
For the first time in 27 seasons, the Leopards have a new leader roaming the sidelines in 2000 Penn graduate Mike Jordan, the 19th head coach in Lafayette history. Jordan won three conference championships in the last four seasons as an assistant coach and was named head coach of the
Leopards on March 29, 2022. Jordan played 11 seasons professionally across Europe and was a three-time All-Ivy League selection, two-time Ivy League champion and Ivy League Player of the Year as a senior.

BATTLING BUDDIES
Mike Jordan and the Leopards will take on some old pals along the way, highlighted by the final non-conference test at La Salle against his college head coach, Fran Dunphy, who is also in his first season as the head coach of the Explorers. Lafayette hosts Jordan's alma mater, Penn, for the home opener and will play his former boss and college teammate, Matt Langel of Colgate, twice in the conference schedule.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Lafayette has traveled to the first three opponents this season, Miami, St. John's and St. Joseph's. The Leopards return to College Hill following this weekend for their home opener against the University of Pennsylvania on Nov. 22. Tuesday night's tip-off will be at 8:30 p.m. in Kirby Sports Center. There won't be any easing in to the 2022-23 season as the Leopards play 11 of their 13 non-conference games on the road, including trips to Miami, St. John's, St. Joseph's, Penn State, Princeton and La Salle.

LEADING THE NATION
Lafayette returns Patriot League All-Rookie performer CJ Fulton who led all of Division I in 2021-22 in assist/turnover ratio, carrying a 3.67 average as a freshman. Fulton averaged 7.3 points per game with 3.9 boards and 3.3 assists and continues to shine on the court this season.

NO EASY BUCKETS
Lafayette currently ranks fourth in the Patriot League for opponent field goal percentage, holding opposing teams to 43.2% so far this season. Defensive improvement has been a strong point of emphasis for the first-year coaching staff.

DEFENSIVE EMPHASIS
Lafayette held Miami to only 36.2% shooting from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. The Leopards' defensive rotations were on point, limiting Miami just under its scoring average from the 2021-22 season, in which the Hurricanes advanced to the Elite Eight.

MAJOR MINUTES
Kyle Jenkins played all but one minute in the season opener. He finished the evening with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist. Jenkins shot 50 percent from the field and registered one steal in the contest. Against St. John's, Jenkins registered 34 minutes on the court. The Higganum, Conn. native clocked 40 minutes versus St. Joseph's, where he totaled a season-high 18 points. He currently ranks 17th in the country in minutes played.

FIRST HALF SUCCESS
During the season opener, the Leopards led the Hurricanes at halftime by a score of 30-28. Leo O'Boyle knocked down a three-point jump shot with the clock winding down to give the Leopards the advantage. Lafayette shot an impressive 44.0% from the field in the first half, and 37.5% from three-point range. The Maroon and White are developing a habit of coming out strong, only trailing St. John's by two at the half last Saturday.

THE RETURNING STARTERS
Three of the Leopards' starters from last season are back, led by Patriot League All-Rookie performer CJ Fulton. Senior Leo O'Boyle will provide senior leadership for the Leopards, along with his 112 career 3-point field goals entering the season. Junior Kyle Jenkins has valuable experience having started in 35 of the 44 games he has appeared in during his career.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Leopards ranked 19th in the NCAA during the 2021-22 season in assist/turnover ratio at 1.46. Lafayette recorded 485 assists compared to only 333 turnovers over the course of 30 games. The Leopards also ranked second in the Patriot League.

KNOCKING DOWN THE THREE BALL
Lafayette ranked second in the Patriot League last season with 263 three-point shots made. The Leopards will bring back some firepower from beyond the arc with senior Leo O'Boyle who knocked down 56 shots from three, sophomore Jon Brantley (44), and sophomore Kyle Jenkins (41).
The Leopards are averaging 12.4 3-pointers made per game this season. During their game against NJIT last year, Lafayette knocked down a record 16 shots from beyond the arc during a 90-86 loss in double overtime.