RALEIGH, NC – The Virginia State Men's Basketball team will look to bounce back after taking their first conference loss to Virginia Union. The Trojans are set to travel to Shaw for a midweek matchup against the Bears on Wednesday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m.
Virginia State (12-5) (5-1 CIAA) vs. Shaw (10-8, 3-3 CIAA)
Series History
The Trojans are 7-9 against the Bears in matchups dating back 2009. Virginia State is 7-3 in the last 10 matchups and are 3-4 against Shaw in C.C. Spaulding Gym.
Self-Scout
The Virginia State Men's Basketball team is 12-5 (5-1 CIAA) this season which makes them the team to beat in the CIAA as they are the only team with just one conference. Last time out, the Trojans unfortunately fell to Virginia Union 77-69. Virginia State scores 75.1 points per game while giving up 67.2. The squad still leads the CIAA in assists per contest (15.12). The Trojans maintain an assist/turnover ratio a 0.90 (2
nd in CIAA). VSU currently shoots 46.9% (3
rd in CIAA) from the field and leads the conference in three-point percentage shooting 37.0%. They get to the free throw line 14.6 times per game but look to shoot with more consistency maintaining a 63.6% free throw percentage (CIAA-low). The squad allows teams to shoot just 40.4% from the field (Leads CIAA) and 30.3% from beyond the arc (T-1
st in CIAA). They have forced 270 turnovers on the season and average 16.6 points per game off turnovers. They are plus 6.6 (Leads CIAA) in the rebounding category and have accounted for 126 steals this season. They also average 3.44 blocks per game. The Trojans currently have three players who average double figures.
Bucket Getter
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield ranks second in the CIAA in points per game averaging 18.9 (2
nd in CIAA) while shooting 69.0% (11
th in CIAA) from the free throw line. He also leads the team (1
st in CIAA, T-7
th in NCAA) with 39 steals averaging 2.3 per contest. Hunter-Whitfield ranks second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game (20
th in CIAA). Hunter-Whitfield has been deadly efficient from the field shooting 49.3% (4
th in CIAA). He knocks down 37.1% of his shots from downtown and is second on the team with 22 three-pointers made (ninth in CIAA). He is third on the team with 35 assists this season (T-11
th in CIAA). Last time out, Hunter-Whitfield led the team with 22 points which marks his eight 20-point game of the season. Hunter-Whitfield shot 7-of-15 (46.7%) from the field and 4-of-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc along with a pair rebounds, three assists and a steal against VUU.
Switchblade
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald continues to consistently stuff the stat sheet as he ranks second on the team in assists with 48 (T-6
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 7.6 rebounds per game leads the team (3
rd in CIAA). He also leads the team with 42 made three-pointers (1
st in CIAA) averaging 2.4 per game which leads to 13.2 points per game (ninth in CIAA). He also ties for 13
th in the CIAA with eight blocks. Last time out, scored 21 points after shooting 7-of-14 (50%) from the field and 5-of-9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc which included four made three-pointers in the first half. Fitzgerald ended with six rebounds, three assists and a steal also against VUU.
Signal Caller
The signal-caller for the Trojans in
Zach Newkirk currently leads the conference averaging 4.2 assists per game while maintaining a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio (T-3
rd in CIAA). He is consistent from the free throw line knocking down 83.3% of his shots. Newkirk has been a force from behind the arc hitting 20-of-49 (40.8%) three-pointers this season and ties for 10
th with 20 made three-pointers. He averages 9.8 points per contest on a 49.3% field goal percentage. Last time out, Newkirk ended with a team-high six assists.
Paint Beast
Tremere Brown has been a dominating force in the paint for the Trojans this season averaging 10.6 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds a game and leads the team with 33 offensive rebounds. Brown leads the team with a 63.1% field goal percentage along with 10. (T-11
th in CIAA) The Panthers struggled to find an answer for Brown as he ended with 14 points shooting 4-of-5 (80%) from the field and 6-of-10 (60%) from the free throw line along with seven rebounds with five of them being offensive.
Scouting the Bears
The Bears of Shaw sit third in the CIAA North and look to continue to roll after winning five of their six games. They are however returning after a loss to Elizabeth City State 95-90. The Bears and the Trojans share wins over Carolina and Bluefield State. The two share losses to UNCP and Fayetteville State. The Bears boast a 7-2 home record this season. The Bears lead the conference with 7.6 made three-pointers per contest. Shaw ranks second in the CIAA in points per game with 79.8 while giving up 74.6. They sit at spot behind VSU in second place with their 36.6% three-point percentage. They allow team to shoot just 30.9% from beyond the three-point arc which ranks them third in the CIAA. They are near the lower half of the conference in free throw percentage with a 63.9% FT percentage. They are second in combined team rebounds per game with 36.8 with a 2.0 rebounding margin. They are currently plus-182 in the turnover margin which ranks them third in the conference. The Bears also rank third in the conference with 8.76 steals per game. DJ Thomas leads the team with 14.5 points per game (5
th in CIAA). He shoots 49.4% from the field which ranks him third in the conference. Thomas is also the team facilitator as well averaging 3.8 assists per game which ranks him third in the CIAA while a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio ties him for third. He ranks second in the CIAA and ties for 13
th in the nation with 34 steals. Thomas barely leaves the court logging 31.3 minutes per contest.
