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2009-2010 Men's Basketball Media Guide
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan men's basketball team returns to Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday to square off with Colonial Athletic Association member Towson as part of the 2010 ESPNU BracketBuster event. Fans can watch all the action live at GoJaspers.com.
Manhattan (9-17, 4-12 MAAC) meets Towson (7-19, 4-12 CAA) for the first time in program history. The Jaspers were paired with the Tigers on Feb. 1 for this annual event which matches 98 mid major teams from 14 conferences. Last year, Manhattan cruised to a 54-39 victory at William & Mary in their ESPNU BracketBuster match up. Jaspers' guard Darryl Crawford scored a game-high 17 points and Chris Smith added a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) in Manhattan's 47th win all-time against the CAA.
Scouting Report
MANHATTAN
Manhattan has split its four games in February and is coming off a 74-56 loss to Fairfield on Monday at Draddy Gymnasium. Rico Pickett, the MAAC's leading scorer (17.8 ppg), posted a game-high 18 points. Jasper seniors Darryl Crawford and Brandon Adams each posted eight points and freshman George Beamon delivered nine points along with a career-high seven rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Crawford led Manhattan's rebounding effort with nine boards. Crawford, a guard from Harlem, is averaging a team-high 6.0 rebounds this season, which also ranks 12th in the conference. The Jaspers have recorded seven of their nine wins this season in the New York City metropolitan area. Manhattan's last victory was on Feb. 12 in New Rochelle versus Iona as the Jaspers held on to a 66-60 win snapping the Gaels' seven game home win streak. Pickett contributed a game-high 24 points and Crawford added 14 points. Crawford is the only other Jasper averaging double-figures in scoring (14.5 ppg) and he leads the team averaging 2.1 assists.
TOWSON
The Tigers play their second contest of a three game road series. Towson is coming off a 78-67 loss after suiting just seven players at Old Dominion on Tuesday. The Tigers picked up a pair of conference victories earlier this month over James Madison (Feb. 8, 81-78) and Georgia State (Feb. 13, 74-69 OT). Towson upperclassmen Calvin Lee (11.0 ppg), Josh Thornton (10.9 ppg), Robert Nwankwo (10.2 ppg) and Jarrel Smith (10.0 ppg) are each averaging double-figures this season. Nwankwo, a 6'8" 220 lb junior from Upper Marlboro, Md., leads the CAA in rebounding (9.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (57.8%). Towson is led by sixth year head coach Pat Kennedy who is in his 30th season coaching at the Division I level. Kennedy began his collegiate coaching career at Iona in 1980-81 and took the Gaels' to two NCAA Tournaments and two NITs during the early years of the MAAC.
