Tuesday, March 22, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - ETSU men's basketball team will attempt to extend its season once again, as the Buccaneers take on MAC member Ohio in the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Tuesday evening inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

The Bucs (23-11) earned their spot in the quarters thanks to a 76-63 first round win over Furman last week. ETSU then received a bye into the quarterfinals by virtue of being seeded as one of the top four remaining teams.

This will only be the second time the Bucs and Bobcats have ever met.

* ETSU qualified for postseason play for the third consecutive season - a first for ETSU since making four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1989 through 1992.

* Spanning more than 10 years, dating back to December 5, 2000, ETSU owns a 42-3 record at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center against non-conference opponents - losing only to Fresno State in 2004, Morehead State in 2008 and Murray State in 2009. The Morehead State and Murray State programs each went onto the NCAA Tournament that season.

* In posting a 12-1 record at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center, ETSU outscored its opponents by 16.1 points per game in those 13 home contests. They have not posted as large at scoring margin at home since the 2003-04 squad outscored its opponents by 17.4 points per game.

* ETSU’s home scoring margin of 16.1 points per game ranked second in the Atlantic Sun to Belmont. Belmont’s margin of 24.0 points per game ranked second in the nation.

* ETSU has a chance to become just the second A-Sun school to win multiple postseason games in a year. UALR won three games at the 1987 NIT, advancing to New York and the semifinals

* Isiah Brown enters the Ohio contest second on ETSU’s single-season block list, with 67. He trails Zakee Wadood’s single-season record of 70, set in 2003-04.

* ETSU’s five regular starters, Mike Smith, Micah Williams, Isiah Brown, Adam Sollazzo and Justin Tubbs combine to average better than 61 points per game - best among Atlantic Sun starting lineups. ETSU starters average a combined 156.6 minutes per game, 22nd in the nation.

* Mike Smith, the Atlantic Sun’s Player of the Year has increased his career scoring total to 1,741 points and his rebound total to 767. Only 10 other active players have accumulated at least 1,700 points and 750 rebounds.

* In his last six home games, Smith has averaged 26.5 points per game. In four of those six games, he established a then-career high in scoring. He entered this stretch with a career high of 26 points. He scored 27 vs Kennesaw State on Jan. 29. Two days later he scored 28 against Mercer. On his senior night, Smith went for 29 against UNF. He tied the CIT single-game record with 32 points in the Bucs’ 76-63 win vs Furman in the first round. Over these six games, he has shot 54.6 percent from the floor, 50 percent from the 3-point arc and 89.4 percent from the line.

* Smith ranks 16th in the nation in scoring in home games at 21.7 points per game. Among those in close pursuit of Smith includes the Big 12’s all-time leading scorer, LaceDarius Dunn at 21.5 points game, Player of the Year candidate Nolan Smith from Duke at 21.5 points and Kansas State’s All-American Jacob Pullen, also at 21.5 points per game.

* Smith (584 points) and Micah Williams (470 points) have a chance to become just the second set of ETSU teammates to record 500-point seasons in the last 15 years. ETSU’s 2008-09 NCAA Tournament team featured three 500-point scorers. Kevin Tiggs scored 729 points, Courtney Pigram tallied 598 points and Smith netted 521.

* Smith needs 16 points to become just the 22nd player in Atlantic Sun history to total 600 points in a season. In the six years that ETSU has been in the A-Sun, three different players have reached that milestone. Tiggs scored 729 points in 2008-09, Pigram reached 614 points in 2006-07 and Tim Smith scored 617 points in 2005-06. Tim Smith, Pigram and Mike Smith all won the league’s Player of the Year award that same season.

* ETSU has made 172 3-point field goals during the season. Smith (46), Williams (55) and Justin Tubbs (64) combined to make 165 of those 3-pointers. The rest of the team shot 7-for-45 from the arc and no one else attempted more than 12.