Friday, March 25, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - As one of only a handful of teams still playing basketball this 2010-11 season, the ETSU men's basketball team will take on Iona in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center.

The CIT Final Four also includes Santa Clara and SMU, who will meet on Friday night to determine the other participant in next week's championship game, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30.

* ETSU made program history with its 82-73 win over Ohio, becoming the first Buccaneer team to win multiple postseason games in the same season.

* 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 43-3 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 13-1 record at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center, ETSU outscored its opponents by 15.6 points per game in those 14 home contests. ETSU’s home scoring margin ranked second in the Atlantic Sun to Belmont. Belmont’s margin of 24.0 points per game ranked second in the nation.

* ETSU became 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

* Tonight’s game is game 36 for the ETSU Buccaneers. They are one shy of tying the A-Sun record. UALR played 37 in 1986-87.

* Isiah Brown enters the Iona contest tied atop ETSU’s single-season block list, with 70. He shares the top spot with Zakee Wadood. He blocked 70 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 155.7 minutes per game, 24th in the nation.

* Mike Smith, the Atlantic Sun’s Player of the Year has increased his career scoring total to 1,765 points and his rebound total to 777. Only nine other active players have accumulated at least 1,700 points and 750 rebounds. Smith and Duke’s Kyle Singler are the two from this group to have also hit at least 100 3-point field goals.

* In his last six home games, Smith has averaged 26.1 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 54.9 percent from the floor, 47.8 percent from the 3-point arc and 88.9 percent from the line.

* Smith ranks 16th in the nation in scoring in home games at 21.9 points per game. Among those in close persuit 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 (608 points) and Micah Williams (472 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 became 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 179 3-point field goals during the season. Justin Tubbs (71), Williams (55) and Smith (46) combined to make 172 of those 3-pointers. The rest of the team shot 7-for-46 from the arc and no one else attempted more than 12.

* Justin Tubbs connected on seven 3-point field goals against Ohio on Tuesday - accounting for all of ETSU’s 3-point field goals. He became the first A-Sun player to connect on all his teams 3-pointers, while making at least seven, in a game since FAU’s Quinton Young made eight against FIU on Nov. 19, 2004.