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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Manhattan (2-6) continues its brutal non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at ACC member Pittsburgh (6-3) with opening tip at the Peterson Events Center slated for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live through ESPN3 while Jasper Vision will also provide a free audio broadcast.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - The Jaspers will be playing away from home for the eighth time in nine games at one of the most difficult road venues in all of college basketball.
#2 - Pitt holds an all-time record of 196-27 at "The Pete," including going 113-3 during non-conference play since the venue opened for the 2001-2002 season.
#3 - Associate Head Coach Rasheen Davis returns to Pittsburgh after spending two seasons with the Panthers from 2008-2010. During his time in Oakland, he helped lead Pitt to a 56-14 mark, highlighted by a trip to the 2009 Elite 8.
QUICK HITS
* The Panthers have won 26-straight non-conference games at home, the seventh-best current mark in the Division I ranks, and last lost by a 59-54 score to Wagner on Dec. 23, 2011.
* Manhattan will be looking for program's third-ever win against an ACC school with the most recent victory coming against Maryland in the NIT by an 87-84 count on March 18, 2006.
* The Jaspers will be playing their second game of the season against the ACC and are 2-8, all-time, against the burgeoning 15-team league.
* Manhattan will be squaring off with Pittsburgh for just the third time in program history with the Panthers holding a 2-0 advantage.
* All told, the Jaspers will be facing their second-straight BCS opponent and the third of the season.
* Manhattan is playing eight of its nine non-conference games either on the road or in neutral venues while six of the aforementioned nine non-league games will be against teams from the Atlantic 10 (3), ACC (2) and Big Ten (1).
* Five of the Jaspers' first six games and six of their nine non-conference games will appear on the ESPN family of networks. All told, Manhattan currently has six games slated for ESPN3 and one each for ESPN2 and ESPNU.
* Head coach Steve Masiello went 4-5 against Pittsburgh as an assistant coach at Louisville over seven seasons from 2005-2011 and is 2-1 at the Peterson Events Center.
* The Panthers hold a 16-6 all-time record against MAAC opposition and most recently defeated Niagara 78-45 on Nov. 14.
* Pitt, which holds a 55-2 record in December when playing at the Peterson Events Center has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
* Pittsburgh enters Wednesday's non-conference tilt with a 6-3 record and sports a balanced roster that has eight student-athletes averaging between four and 12 points each time out.
* Wednesday's match-up will be the first meeting between the teams since a 72-61 Panther win on Nov. 20, 1991 as Chris Williams paced the Jaspers with 15 points.
* This is the eighth venue that Manhattan will be playing at this season as the Jaspers will play at 11 different locations over their first 13 games.
* Senior Emmy Andujar led the way for the Jaspers in their last game against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden, finishing up with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while going 7-for-11 from the floor over 39 minutes.
* The 20-point game is the second of the season from Andujar and the fourth of his career. Additionally, he has 922 points and is just 78 short of becoming the 36th member of Manhattan's 1,000-point club and with six more assists will crack the Jaspers' top-10 list for assists.
* Andujar also led the defense with three steals as Manhattan pressured the Scarlet Knights into a season-high 21 turnovers, marking the fourth time in eight games that the Jaspers have forced at least 20 in a game.
* On the season, Andujar ranks among the league leaders in seven categories: scoring (12.5 ppg-12th), rebounding (8.3 rpg-3rd), assists (3.0-9th), steals (1.8-6th), field goal percentage (.532-4th), offensive rebounds (3.1-1st) and defensive rebounds (5.1-7th).
* Joining Andujar in double-figures against Rutgers was junior Ashton Pankey, who finished up with 10 points and six rebounds. On the year, he ranks among the league leaders in scoring (10.9-18th), rebounding (5.6-15th), field goal percentage (.508-7th) and offensive rebounds (2.0-11th).
* Over the last three games, the duo of Andujar and Pankey have accounted for 51.5 percent (87-for-169) of Manhattan's scoring and 55.1 percent (54-for-98) of its rebounding while combining to shoot 62.5 percent (35-for-56) from the floor. Unfortunately, the rest of the team has shot just 29.5 percent (28-for-95) from the field, including 20.0 percent (8-for-40) from long range.
* Pankey scored a career-best 23 points against Fairfield, representing the second-most scored by a Jasper player this season (Junior Shane Richards (24) - Binghamton).
* Richards was held under double-figures for the third-straight game but continues to rank among the league leaders in scoring (11.5-15th), fueled by 2.3 triples per game (4th MAAC).
* Andujar, Pankey and Richards have each notched double-figures a team-best four times on the season.
* Richards is third in school history with 160 career three pointers, just three behind Luis Flores' second-place total of 163 and five back of Devon Austin's school-record mark of 165.
* Sophomore Tyler Wilson continues to lead the team and ranks fifth in the MAAC with 3.4 assists each time out and is 10th with 1.4 steals each time out.
* Senior RaShawn Stores returned against Marist and handed out a team-best four assists, against no turnovers, in 15 minutes of action. Thanks to Stores, the Jaspers dished out a season-high 19 helpers while Manhattan also pulling down a season-high 45 rebounds and matching its season-best with 10 steals.
* Thanks to the return of Stores, the Jaspers played a season-high 13 players while fielding their deepest bench of the season.
* Stores (2), sophomore Jermaine Lawrence (4), classmate Carlton Allen (1), freshman Samson Usilo (8) and classmate Zane Waterman (5) have combined to miss 20 games this season.
* Lawrence notched eight points against Rutgers while Waterman notched the first five points of his collegiate career while the two showed glimpses of their immense potential.
* Former Manhattan student-athlete, coach and administrator Jack Powers was honored with an ECAC Lifetime Award at halftime of the St. John's-Fordham game on Sunday at MSG.
* The Jaspers will be playing in the state of Pennsylvania for the first time since besting La Salle 99-90 in a double-overtime thriller in last year's opener.
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has led the Manhattan to the program's fourth MAAC Championship as well as a pair of 20-plus win campaigns. In his first tenure, he was a part of two MAAC Championships and three 20-plus win seasons.
* All told, Masiello has been a member of three of the Jaspers' four MAAC Championship teams and five of their 12 20-win seasons while accruing a 145-81 record.
* In his 19th season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 423-191, including 302-163 on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship appearances, two Final Four appearances, six Elite Eight berths, seven conference championships, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
KEY MATCH-UPS
* Ignore The History - Pittsburgh has been one of the most successful programs of the last 14 years but Manhattan has shown that it can compete on the court with high-major programs as is evident by its performances against UMass and Rutgers.
* Rebound The Ball - Andujar and Pankey will have to do a tremendous job on the offensive and defensive glass as the Panthers have rebounded their opponents by an average of 7.3 caroms each time out, including 4.2 on the offensive end.
* Turn Pitt Over - Manhattan forced Rutgers into a season-high 21 turnovers and will have to continue to play at a high defensive level to make things happen against a team that is averaging just 11.4 miscues per game.
* Experience - To pull the upset the Jaspers will have to rely on the experience of last year's NCAA Tournament run against a Pitt team that has seven underclassmen among its top eight scorers.
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP
While Manhattan has struggled at the line this season and converted on at least 70.0 percent in a game once, its opponents are making good at a ridiculous .781 mark that would rank second nationally, while hitting the 70-percent standard seven times. Additionally, three times this year opposing teams have hit on at least 92.0 percent from the line against the Jaspers.
HISTORY LESSON
Last year all seven of Manhattan's non-conference wins came either on the road or neutral courts. This season the Jaspers will play four road and four neutral site games in the non-conference portion of their schedule.
PROJECT MAYHEM
Manhattan has forced at least 19 turnovers in five of its eight games and ranks third among MAAC leaders and 39th nationally with a +3.0 turnover margin.
RETURN TO THE GARDEN
The Jaspers squared off with Rutgers at Madison Square Garden last Sunday while playing at the World's Most Famous Arena for the first time since dropping a 71-51 decision to Iona on Jan. 24, 2009.
MANHATTAN-MARIST NOTES
* After dropping its MAAC opener to Fairfield, Manhattan responded with a vengeance in blowing out Marist 60-38 while improving to 27-15, all-time, against the Red Foxes. The Jaspers have also won 13 of the teams' last 14 meetings at Draddy Gymnasium.
* The 38 points were the fewest allowed by Manhattan since limiting the Stags to 31 in a three-point victory on March 1, 2013.
* Marist also made good on just 19.5 percent (8-for-41) shooting, which is the lowest total since limiting Iona to 18.6 percent (8-for-43) shooting on Feb. 9, 2009.
GOOD START(S)
The Jaspers held both Marist and Fairfield without a field goal for exactly 8:31 to start their respective games. The Red Foxes misfired on their first nine shots while the Stags were errant on their first 10.
DOUBLE DOWN
Andujar led the charge against Marist with 15 points, 15 rebounds and a career-best matching eight assists while narrowly missing the first triple-double in Manhattan College history while the double-double was his second of the season and the sixth of his career.
NOTABLE
Andujar's 15 caroms were the most by a Jasper since Rhamel Brown pulled down 17 against Iona on Feb. 15, 2013 and are tied for the most by a MAAC player this season. Additionally, the eight helpers matched his career-best mark of eight set against Binghamton on Dec. 30, 2011.
THE PULSE
A major reason that Manhattan was able to snap a three-game losing streak in the Jaspers' 22-point win over Marist was the play of Stores, who is arguably the pulse of the Jaspers. Despite not making a shot and playing just 15 minutes, Stores handed out four assists, against no turnovers. Additionally, he was on the floor for all three of Manhattan's big runs (12-0 | 8-0 | 10-0) while helping set the tone of the game for the Jaspers. For the season, he has turned the ball over just twice in 122 minutes of action.
COMING INTO HIS OWN
Wilson notched a career-best matching 15 points and career-highs of 11 free throws and seven assists at George Mason. After hitting for double-figures just once last season, Wilson has done so three times this season and along with Richards is one of just two Manhattan players to start every game.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Manhattan boasts a roster of eight New York City natives and returns two starters and five key reserves that averaged at least 10 minutes a game a year ago.
RICHARDS LIGHTS IT UP FROM DOWNTOWN
Richards, the 2012-2013 MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year matched the single-season Manhattan school record with 77 three pointers a year ago and is currently fourth in the league and 86th nationally with 2.6 threes per game. He is also third in school history with 160 career triples and with three more would match former Jasper standout and Denver Nugget Luis Flores.
WATCH AND LISTEN ON leslieschultz.com
For the 17th year, Manhattan Men's Basketball games will be broadcast live over the internet on leslieschultz.com. Former Jasper greats Brian Mahoney and Chris Williams return as the color analysts, alongside play-by-play broadcaster Christian Heimall. Each broadcast will begin with the “Steve Masiello Pre-Game Report” 15 minutes prior to the opening tip.
109TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 109th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1310-1161 overall record and 259-276 MAAC mark in 35 seasons as a conference member. The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and served a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
WHAT'S A JASPER?
The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport@ of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the “seventh inning stretch” spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.
THIS IS MANHATTAN COLLEGE
• Manhattan College is one of 276 institutions in the United States with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most widely known academic honor society. Phi Beta Kappa celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.
• All three of the College's professional programs — business, education and health, and engineering — are nationally accredited.
• The five undergraduate engineering programs — chemical, civil, computer, electrical and mechanical — are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET, Inc).
• The School of Education is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
• The School of Business is one of 555 institutions in the world to be accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.
• Seventeen alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
• Manhattan is one of few American colleges to have chapters of all five of the distinguished national honor societies: Beta Gamma Sigma, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi.
• Distinguished alumni include Rudy Giuliani '65, former mayor of New York City; James Patterson '69, best-selling author; and Raymond Kelly '63, former commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
• Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
UP NEXT
The Jaspers return home to host Morgan State on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
