ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany men's basketball team hits the road to play three games in five days, all in Kentucky. Games on Saturday (11/20) against Eastern Kentucky and Wednesday (11/24) against Eastern Illinois will be featured as part of the EKUHoops Invitational presented by Geneva Financial. Monday's (11/22) matchup against No. 13 Kentucky, not part of the Invitational, will feature the Great Danes against one of the NCAA's premier opponents in John Calipari's Wildcats. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
Game Info
Game 1
Saturday, Nov. 20 - at Eastern Kentucky
McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky.
7:30 p.m. EST
ESPN+ |
ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team |
Live Stats
Game 2
Monday, Nov. 22 – at No. 13 Kentucky
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Ky.
7:00 p.m. EST
SECN+ |
ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats
Game 3
Wednesday, Nov. 24 - vs. Eastern Illinois University
McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky. (Neutral Site)
12:00 p.m. EST
ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team |
Live Stats
Head Coach Dwayne Killings on Kentucky Trip
"Looking forward to this extended road trip we are about to embark on. Our team has grown so much through our first three games, now we get an opportunity to compete against two great opponents in Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois and also play against one of the best programs in the country and a hall of fame Coach in John Calpari's Kentucky Wildcats. This trip will give us a chance to continue our growth process, compete at a high level and also get to spend some time together outside of the Capital Region. We are looking forward to a fruitful trip in Kentucky."
Leading the Pack
- In three games this season, the Great Danes are averaging 57.7 points per contest with a .391 FG%.
- Turnovers are proving to be an early concern for the team, with 52 on the year so far. Last game against Harvard the team had 12 total turnovers.
- De'Vondre Perry leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game. He sits second on the team with FG% of .545.
- Matt Cerruti leads the team in scoring from behind the arc, shooting a .462 3PT%, followed closely by Trey Hutchenson with a .444 3PT%.
- The team is currently out-shooting its opponents in free throws. In just three games, the team has a .735 FT% over their opponents' .683 FT%.
- Freshman Justin Neely has been successful in crashing the boards early this season, with 5.3 rebounds per game, second to De'Vondre Perry with 6.0/g.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky has started the season 3-1 thus far, starting off with an opening night win against Georgetown College (93-63). The Colonels won their next two games against Ohio Valley (103-74) and Milwaukee (77-71), before falling at home against JMU (78-79) in a close game. In their opening matchup, Eastern Kentucky's Cooper Robb finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, going 5-of-9 from behind the arc, serving as one of the team's main 3pt shooters. Leading the Colonels in scoring is Michael Moreno, averaging 12.5 ppg, followed closely by Devontae Blanton with 11.8 ppg. In the Colonels game against Milwaukee, Blanton led the team in scoring totaling 11 points for the night. Through four games, the team is averaging 87.8 points per game.
Scouting No. 13 Kentucky
The Wildcats opened their season with a handful of exhibition wins against Kentucky Wesleyan College (95-72) and Miles College (80-71), before falling to Duke (71-79) at the Champions Classic. Since, Kentucky has played two games featured in The Kentucky Classic, collecting wins against Robert Morris (100-60) and Mount St. Mary's (80-55). The Wildcats are set to finish The Kentucky Classic with one more game against Ohio University on Nov. 19. In their official season opener, the No. 10 Wildcats, fell short to No. 9 Duke, with Oscar Tshiebwe setting a Champions Classic record totaling 20 rebounds for the night. Tshiebwe leads the Wildcat offense serving as the team's most prominent scorer, averaging 18.3 ppg, followed by at Kellen Grady 12.0 ppg and TyTy Washington Jr. with 11.7 ppg. Tshiebwe also leads the team in defense rebounds totaling 29 for the season, behind him is Keion Brooks Jr. and Daimion Collins with nine and eight, respectively. Through three games, the team has totaled a .815 FT%, making 22 of 27 total FT shots.
Scouting Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois University opened their season on the road against BIG10 Northwestern (56-80) and Saint Louis (44-86) before returning home to play Central Michigan (61-62). The Panthers will look for their first win against Rockford University on Nov. 18. In their most recent game, Eastern Illinois led at the half, outscoring Central Michigan 42-29. The Panther offense is led by CJ Lane with 8.7 ppg and Sammy Friday IV with 8.5 ppg. On defense, Kejuan Clements and Rodolfo Rufino Bolis lead the team in rebounds with 6.0 and 5.7 rebounds per game, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Great Danes hosted Harvard this past Wednesday at home, falling after making a valiant effort in the second half after first half struggles.
- De'Vondre Perry finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 boards.
- Matt Cerruti and Jamel Horton also finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
- Paul Newman and Trey Hutcheson had two blocks each – all of which were greeted with thunderous applause form the SEFCU Arena crowd.
- Perry and Cerruti led the way in time on the court with 37 minutes each, followed by Hutcheson with 34. Also seeing significant time was Horton (23 minutes), Chuck Champion (17 minutes), Newman (16 minutes), and Justin Neely (15 minutes).
- UAlbany finished shooting 36.4% from the field after shooting just 25% in the first half. The team ended the night going just 3-15 from beyond the arc.
- UAlbany out-rebounded Harvard 38-34.
- The Great Danes were just 10-16 from the free throw line.
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
It was recently announced that UAlbany had expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill. Coaches
Dwayne Killings and
Colleen Mullen, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'.
Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Killings, Coach Mullen, student-athletes and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday.
Meet Coach Killings
Dwayne Killings, a native of Amherst, Mass., begins his journey as Head Coach of the Great Danes after previously serving at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons. While at Marquette, Killings served under Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings' three years in Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.
Roster Changes
The coaching staff isn't the only thing that's new for the Great Danes. The roster has had a complete transformation from last year's squad, which made it to the America East Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Nine new student-athletes are suiting up in the purple and gold for 2021-22 -
De'Vondre Perry,
Matt Cerruti, Gerald Drumgole Jr.,
Paul Newman,
Ny'Mire Little,
Justin Neely,
Aaron Reddish,
Luke Fizulich, and
Tairi Ketner. Returning for UAlbany is
Will Amica,
Trey Hutcheson,
Jarvis Doles,
Jamel Horton,
Sam Shafer, and
Chuck Champion.
Along with the coaching staff, these 22 men officially make up the 2021-22 UAlbany Great Danes. In total, 16 of these individuals are new to UAlbany.
Coaches' Poll
A completely new team, the Great Danes were picked to finish seventh in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 34 points. Stony Brook came in atop the list with 77 points and five first-place votes, just ahead of Vermont with 74 points and four first-place votes. New Hampshire rounded out the top three with 64 points and a single first-place vote.
Defending champion Hartford placed fourth with 56 points, UMBC placed fifth with 49 points, and UMass Lowell placed sixth with 43 points. Following the Great Danes' seventh-place spot was NJIT (23 points), Maine (16 points) and Binghamton (14 points).
Non-Conference Opponents
The Great Danes are scheduled to play 13 non-conference games this year, four of them being at SEFCU Arena. After starting the season hosting Towson (L, 56-77), the team went on the road to La Salle (L, 64-67) on Nov. 13. The Great Danes return home on Nov. 17 to host Harvard before playing their next five on the road.
The road trip starts off with a visit to the state of Kentucky. The Great Danes will take part in the Eastern Kentucky Invitational, playing Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 20) and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 24) in Richmond. In between those two games, the team will travel down the road to Lexington to matchup against John Calipari and the powerhouse Kentucky basketball program. That marquee matchup is scheduled for Nov. 22 at Kentucky's Rupp Arena. The road trip concludes with stops at Kansas State (Dec. 1) and Yale (Dec. 7).
UAlbany then hosts Columbia (Dec. 11) before traveling to Boston College (Dec. 13), Niagara (Dec. 18), and Lehigh (Dec. 21). Non-conference action wraps up on Dec. 29 with the Great Danes hosting Bucknell.
America East Lineup
Conference action kicks off after the new year with the great Danes traveling to face Vermont on Jan. 2. The team plays their first America East game at home that same week with a matchup against Binghamton slated for Jan. 6. Other home conference matchups include UMass Lowell (Jan. 12), NJIT (Jan. 15), Stony Brook (Jan. 22), UMBC (Feb. 2), Maine (Feb. 9), Vermont (Feb. 12), New Hampshire (Feb. 19), and Hartford (Mar. 1).
Secure Your Tickets
This year marks a new chapter in history for the Great Danes, don't miss out! Season tickets for UAlbany basketball can be purchased by calling the UAlbany Ticket Office at (518) 442-DANE or by visiting
UAlbanySports.com/Tickets.
FREE with your ID
UAlbany students are welcome to SEFCU Arena and get in FREE with their student ID! Coach
Dwayne Killings and the entire hoops team encourage the UAlbany student body to come out and support the Great Danes all season long.
Social Central
Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on Twitter (
@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (
@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the season.
