NEWARK, NJ -- NJIT hosts Colgate University in the 2018-19 season-opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the state-of-the-art Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark, N.J.
NJIT is coming off a 14-16 season in which the Highlanders captured fourth place in the ASUN. Head Coach
Brian Kennedy is back for a third season and returns 10 players -- including four starters and five seniors -- from a season ago. In fact, the team returns 76.2% of its scoring and 81.1% of its minutes played from 2017-18.
Watch Live on ESPN+ Platform
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with play-by-play from
Matt Provence, who enters his 12th season with NJIT, and color analysis from
Jheryl Wilson. Wilson, Class of 2011,was the first Division-I 1,000-point scorer in NJIT history and ranks fifth all-time in career points (1,359). He also appears in career Top-5 rankings in rebounds (492), assists (250) and steals (128). Wilson currently works for the NBA as editor of content production for emerging media.
A simple way to find ESPN+ is on NJIT's official athletics website, http://www.njithighlanders.com.
Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN+ portal where you can access the desired program.
All-Time Series
The all-time series is tied, 2-2, after Colgate's 87-76 win last season on Dec. 12, 2017, at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y. NJIT took the last meeting in Newark, 74-68, on Nov. 19, 2016, at Fleisher Athletic Center.
In the game last season, the Highlanders took a 69-67 lead with 4:54 remaining until a banked three-pointer by senior Sean O'Brien started a 10-0 Raiders' run. O'Brien finished with a then-season-high 21 points, tying NJIT's
Anthony Tarke for game-high honors.
O'Brien was complemented by 18 points from then-sophomore Will Rayman and 17 from then-freshman Jordan Burns. The Highlanders received 16 points from
Diandre Wilson and a double-double from
Abdul Lewis, who recorded 11 points and a game-high 10 boards.
NJIT is 12-24 all-time against Patriot League foes, but has won six of its last eight against the conference after a 96-80 home win over Lafayette earlier in the 2017-18 season (Nov. 14).
Bucknell is the only member of the conference that the Highlanders have never played.
Brushing Up on Colgate
Last season, Colgate earned the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament after finishing 19-14 overall and 12-6 in league play. The Raiders advanced to the PL Championship Game with a pair of wins before falling to No. 1 seed Bucknell, 83-54, in Lewisburg, Pa.
Colgate was selected to participate in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) -- but fell in the first round of the postseason tournament, 72-68, at San Francisco.
Overall, the season was perhaps the program's finest in recent memory. The Raiders set a new program record with 19 wins, tied their best mark in school history with 12 PL victories and advanced to the championship for the first time since 2007-08.
Entering this season, the Raiders were selected third in the PL preseason poll.
Colgate returns 11 players, including junior Will Rayman. The New York City native, named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, had a standout sophomore campaign in which he averaged team-bests at 14.6 ppg and 6.7 points per game. His performance both on and off the court earned him Second Team All-League and PL All-Tournament Team honors as well as NABC Second Team All-District recognition.
The Raiders also bring back one other double-digit scorer in sophomore Jordan Burns. As a freshman, the San Antonio native finished third on the team at 11.9 ppg and was named to the 2018 PL All-Rookie Team.
Head coach Matt Langel enters his eighth season at Colgate fresh off 2018 PL Coach of the Year honors. Prior to his time in Hamilton, the Moorestown, N.J., native spent seven seasons as an assistant combined between his alma mater, Penn (2004-06), and Temple (2006-2011) -- and was part of five NCAA Tournament teams.
In his playing days, Langel helped lead the Quakers to two Ivy League titles and ranks in the top 10 in school history in three-pointers made in a single game (2nd), in a season (8th) and in a career (4th).
Full season ticket packages, mini plans and group outings are available for purchase now at
www.NJITTix.com. For more information, please call our ticket office via phone at 973-596-5555 or email at
tickets@njit.edu.
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