Game Notes (PDF)  

The Highlanders will open their seventh season with a Division I schedule and their fifth under the command of Head Coach Jim Engles when they visit the Providence College Friars on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. This will be the first all-time meeting between Providence and NJIT, which has gone 0-11 all-time against BIG EAST teams.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- NJIT looks for its second Opening Day victory in its D-I era and its first since its inaugural game of the era – a 56-55 win at Manhattan on Nov. 11, 2006.

- NJIT attempts to win its first game against a Big East opponent, having started 0-11.

- NJIT will try for its sixth D-I road win excluding teams that comprise the GWC. The Highlanders have won at Manhattan (11/11/06), Longwood (2/19/07), Wagner (12/28/09), Farleigh Dickinson (2/1/11) and Army (11/30/11).

NJIT (15-17) is coming off a season in which the team was 20 minutes away from a Great West Conference title. Despite an eventual 75-60 loss to North Dakota in the tournament finals, the Highlanders continued their rapid ascension with back-to-back 15-win seasons -- after winning a total of 15 games during their first four seasons with a Division I schedule.
 
The game will also mark the Highlanders first contest following the graduation of 2011-12 GWC Player of the Year, Isaiah Wilkerson. Last season, the three-year captain led NJIT in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and steals (56) and was second in assists (66).
 
The success of this year's squad will depend heavily on the three most experienced players in the program – seniors G Chris Flores, G PJ Miller and F Ryan Woods. Flores, a three-time Second Team All-GWC performer, finished behind only Wilkerson on the Highlanders in both ppg (13.1) and rpg (3.7) while leading the team with 3.3 assists per game. Woods, who will play his second season with NJIT after transferring from Division II Pace University, was the Highlanders' third-leading scorer (9.7 ppg) while ranking third in the GWC in three-point FG percentage (.415). Miller has been a three-year starter and a solid all-around performer – averaging 6.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.1 apg last season – one who Engles feels will blossom offensively in his senior season.
 
The Highlanders will lean heavily on five newcomers to the program, as junior Quentin Bastian (transfer) and freshmen G Ky Howard, G Mitch Farrell, F Terrence Smith and G Nigel Sydnor could all see significant minutes from the start. Last season, NJIT only received 20.9 total minutes per game (10%) from its four freshman – two of whom have transferred -- and just 16.7 (6%) in conference match-ups.
 
A-PPRAISING THE FRIARS
 
Playing the Providence Friars in the opener may be as good as any time to square off against the team predicted to finish last of the 15 BIG EAST teams in the 2012-13 Preseason Coaches' Poll. After a 4-14 conference record and 15^th-place finish last season, Providence appears to be on the fast track to marked improvement under second-year Head Coach Ed Cooley. However, they will be starting without two of their top recruits in high school All-Americans Kris Dunn and Ricky Ledo. Dunn, ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 point guard in the Class of 2012, underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his shooting shoulder and will likely be sidelined until at least December. Ledo, a native of Providence's West End, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the 2012-13 season. In addition, sophomore transfer C Sidiki Johnson (Arizona) won't become eligible to compete until December.
 
In all, the Friars will compete with just seven scholarship players during the first two months of the season.
 
Providence will, however, boast the services of the BIG EAST's top career returning scorer (12.5 pg), assist man (5.9 apt) and theft (1.6 spg) in senior G Vincent Council. In 2011-12, Council averaged 15.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg while leading the conference with 7.5 apg – a total that ranked fourth in the BIG EAST – en route to an All-BIG-EAST third team selection.
 
The Highlanders will also be tested outside the perimeter by junior G Bryce Cotton, who ranked second on the team with 14.3 ppg last season with a team-leading 77 three-point FG (.379). PC also added freshman G Josh Fortune, who is considered an exceptional shooter recruited out of the talent-laden Tidewater (Va.) area.
 
In the frontcourt, the Friars will lean on sophomore F LaDonte Henton. The 6-6 product of Lansing's Eastern H.S. (Magic Johnson's alma mater) was selected to the 2011-12 BIG EAST All-Rookie Team after 14.3 mpg and 8.6 rpg. He set Friar freshman records for points (457) and rebounds (274) in a season.
 
This will be Providence's second all-time meeting with a Great West opponent, having defeated Texas-Pan American on Nov. 21, 2008 (88-78). The Friars are 74-11 (.871) all-time in season openers.
 
Fans can follow all the action live on www.njithighlanders.com, which will carry a live webcast play-by-play and commentary from Matt Provence, as well as an in-game real-time stat feed. Audio coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. with tip off set for 2 p.m.

Write-up courtesy Matt Provence