ETTRICK, VA – The Virginia State Men's Basketball team will look to stay atop of the CIAA conference standings as they prepare to host Virginia Union in the Freedom Classic on Saturday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Virginia State (12-4) (5-0 CIAA) vs. Virginia Union (13-4, 3-2 CIAA)
Series History
The Trojans are 10-16 against the Lady Panthers in matchups dating back to 2009. Virginia State looks to right the ship after losing the last five matchups against Virginia Union. They are currently 3-3 against the Panthers in the VSU Multipurpose center.
Self-Scout
The Virginia State Men's Basketball team is 12-4 (5-0 CIAA) this season which makes them the team to beat in the CIAA as they are the only team without a conference loss to this point. Last time out, the Trojans earned their fifth straight conference win in a thrilling double overtime victory against Johnson C. Smith 86-81. Virginia State scores 75.5 points per game while giving up 66.6 (3
rd in CIAA). The squad still leads the CIAA in assists per contest (15.00). The Trojans maintain an assist/turnover ratio a 0.89 (2
nd in CIAA). VSU currently shoots 47.1% (3
rd in CIAA) from the field and leads the conference in three-point percentage shooting 36.9%. They get to the free throw line 14.5 times per game but look to shoot with more consistency maintaining a 63.7% free throw percentage. The squad allows teams to shoot just 40.0% from the field (Leads CIAA) and 29.9% from beyond the arc (2
nd in CIAA). They have forced 258 turnovers on the season and average 17.0 points per game off turnovers. They are plus 7.1 (Leads CIAA) in the rebounding category and have accounted for 121 steals this season. They also average 3.38 blocks per game (2
nd in CIAA). The Trojans currently have four players who average double figures.
Bucket Getter
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield ranks second in the CIAA in points per game averaging 18.8 (2
nd in CIAA) while shooting 70.4% (11
th in CIAA) from the free throw line. He also leads the team (1
st in CIAA, T-8
th in NCAA) with 38 steals averaging 2.4 per contest. Hunter-Whitfield ranks second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game (T-15
th in CIAA). Hunter-Whitfield has been deadly efficient from the field shooting 49.5% (3
rd in CIAA). He knocks down 34.9% of his shots from downtown and is second on the team with 22 three-pointers made (seventh in CIAA). He is third on the team with 29 assists this season (T-13
th in CIAA). Last time out, Hunter-Whitfield scored 23 points along with two rebounds and three assists and a steal against JCSU.
Switchblade
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald continues to consistently stuff the stat sheet as he ranks second on the team in assists with 45 (T-7
th in CIAA). Fitzgerald has been committed to crashing the boards this season despite spending most of his time beyond the three-point arc as 7.9 rebounds per game leads the team (3
rd in CIAA). He also leads the team with 37 made three-pointers (1
st in CIAA) averaging 2.2 per game which leads to 13.2 points per game (11th in CIAA). He also ties for 12
th in the CIAA with seven blocks. Last time out, Fitzgerald neared a double-double after scoring 21 points along with nine rebounds and five assists in the double overtime victory against the Golden Bulls.
Signal Caller
The signal-caller for the Trojans in
Zach Newkirk currently leads the conference averaging 4.1 assists per game while maintaining a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio (T-4
th in CIAA). He is consistent from the free throw line knocking down 85.7% of his shots. Newkirk has been a force from behind the arc hitting 20-of-43 (48.6%) three-pointers this season and ties for eighth with 20 made three-pointers. He averages 10.4 points per contest on a 44.8% field goal percentage. Last time out, Newkirk had a slow day scoring six points along with two rebounds and two assists with a steal before fouling out of the ball game against JCSU.
Paint Beast
Tremere Brown has been a dominating force in the paint for the Trojans this season averaging 10.4 points per game along with 4.1 rebounds a game and leads the team with 28 offensive rebounds. Brown leads the team with a 62.4% field goal percentage along with nine blocks. (T-9
th in CIAA) Brown JCSU struggled to find an answer for
Tremere Brown as he scored 17 shooting a perfect 7-of-7 (100%) from the field. Brown grabbed five boards dished an assist along with a block and two steals in the double overtime win over JCSU.
Scouting the Panthers
The Panthers of Virginia Union look incredibly strong heading into the home stretch of the season as they rank second in the northern division of the CIAA with their 3-2 record. They recently fell out of the national top-25 in the nation as they boast a 13-4 overall record. The Trojans and the Panthers both share wins over Shippensburg and Millersville as the rivals teamed up to go 4-0 against the PSAC conference in the Trojan Tip-Off Classic. The Panthers started the season 5-0 before losing to LeMoyne-Owen College 66-62. They have had active hands on defense all season as they lead the conference with 157 steals. They also lead the conference in assist/turnover ratio maintaining a 0.90. The squad gives up 66.9 points per contest while scoring 73.2. They are plus 6.6 in the rebounding margin averaging 36.2 per contest. The Panthers shoot 45.7% from the field and 31.7% from the three-point. They put up 14.9 free throws per contest while hitting 70.7% of them. Robert Osborne is currently the conference leader in points per contest averaging 19.3 shooting 55.1% (2
nd in CIAA) from the field. He is second on the team in rebounding averaging 8.6 (2
nd in CIAA) rebounds per game. The forward also leads the team in assists with 59 (2
nd in CIAA). 22 steals in the season ranks him second on the team and fifth in the conference. Osborne has accounted for seven double-double's so far this season. Osborne dropped 31 points with 11 rebounds against Livingstone. Raemaad Wright leads the conference in rebounds per game averaging 9.6 per contest (15
th in nation). Wright also ranks third in the conference in blocks with 21. He shoots an efficient 80.6% from the foul line while knocking down 42.9% of his shots from downtown. Against Fairmont State, Wright accounted for 21 points and 20 rebounds.
