ETTRICK, VA – The Virginia State Men's Basketball team will look to stay atop of the CIAA conference standings as they prepare to host Johnson C. Smith. The matchup is set for Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Virginia State (11-4) (4-0 CIAA) vs. Johnson C. Smith (4-9, 0-4 CIAA)
Series History
The Trojans are an even 12-10 against the Golden Bulls in matchups dating back to 2006. VSU is 8-2 in the last 10 games and boast a 7-2 home record. The Trojans won the lost matchup 68-67 as
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield led the team with 16 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc.
Self-Scout
The Virginia State Men's Basketball team is 11-4 (4-0 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 bounced back with a 66-52 win over Winston-Salem State. The Trojans have dropped only one game this season to a team with under .500. Virginia State scores 74.8 points per game while giving up 65.6 (3
rd in CIAA). The squad still leads the CIAA in assists per contest (14.67). The Trojans maintain an assist/turnover ratio a 0.89 (2
nd in CIAA). VSU currently shoots 47.2% (3
rd in CIAA) from the field and leads the conference in three-point percentage shooting 38.1%. They get to the free throw line 14.6 times per game but look to shoot with more consistency maintaining a 64.6% free throw percentage. The squad allows teams to shoot just 39.8% from the field (Leads CIAA) and 29.4% from beyond the arc (2
nd in CIAA). They have forced 245 turnovers on the season and average 17.0 points per game off turnovers. They are currently plus 6.9 (Leads CIAA) in the rebounding category and have accounted for 115 steals this season. They also average 3.53 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 18.5 (2
nd in CIAA) while shooting 70.7% (9
th in CIAA) from the free throw line. He also leads the team (1
st in CIAA, T-5
th in NCAA) with 37 steals averaging 2.5 per contest. Hunter-Whitfield ranks second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game (T-14
th in CIAA). Hunter-Whitfield has been deadly efficient from the field shooting 51.1% (3
rd in CIAA). He knocks down 36.5% of his shots from downtown and is second on the team with 19 three-pointers made (T-10
th in CIAA). He is third on the team with 29 assists this season (16
th in CIAA). Last time out, Hunter-Whitfield continued his season trend of being the top scorer in the game as he finished with 24 points on 4-of-5 (80%) shooting from downtown and 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the field. He grabbed four rebounds and came up with three steals and an assist while shooting 6-of-7 (85.7%) form the free throw line against WSSU. His four made three-pointers tied his season high.
Switchblade
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald continues to consistently stuff the stat sheet as he ranks second on the team in assists with 40 (9
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 34 made three-pointers (2
nd in CIAA) averaging 2.1 per game which leads to 12.7 points per game (14th in CIAA). He also ties for 11
th in the CIAA with seven blocks. Last time out, Fitzgerald joined the three-point party shooting 3-of-6 (50%) from three-point range which allowed him to score 13 points. Fitzgerald shot 4-of-10 (40%) from the field and grabbed six rebounds, dished two assists with a steal against WSSU.
Signal Caller
The signal-caller for the Trojans in
Zach Newkirk currently leads the conference averaging 4.3 assists per game while maintaining a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio (4
th in CIAA). He is consistent from the free throw line knocking down 87.2% of his shots. Newkirk has been a consistent force from behind the arc hitting 18-of-37 (48.6%) three-pointers this season and ties for 11
th with 18 made three-pointers. He averages 10.7 points per contest (16
th in CIAA) on a 45.8% field goal percentage. Last time out, Newkirk made it rain from three-point range as well shooting 3-of-5 (60%) from beyond the arc which led to 15 points. Newkirk shot 5-of-10 (50%) from the field and accounted for a pair of rebounds with five assists in the win against WSSU
.
Paint Beast
Tremere Brown has been a dominating force in the paint for the Trojans this season averaging 10.0 points per game along with 4.1 rebounds a game and leads the team with 26 offensive rebounds. Brown leads the team with a 60.0% field goal percentage along with nine blocks. (9
th in CIAA) Brown scored six points and grabbed four rebounds with two blocks in the win.
Scouting the Golden Bulls
The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls are struggling to find a win losing five of their last six games. They are -1.9 in the scoring margin averaging 71.8 points per game while giving up 73.7. They do however, lead the conference in free throw percentage (74.0%). They shoot 44.2% from the field and 34.6% from the three-point line while hitting 6.1 per game. Their biggest downfall is turnovers as they commit 15.5 per game but also average 8.5 steals per game scoring 17.2 points per game off turnovers. Ezekiel Cannedy leads the conference averaging 15.6 points per game which ranks him fourth in the CIAA conference. He shoots 48.6% from the field which ranks him fifth while shooting 41.4% from beyond the arc. Cannedy leads the conference with 36 three-pointers made this season. He also leads the team with 26 assists and 17 steals.
