What to watch for: QU hosts Long Island

What to watch For: QU hosts Long Island

By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director

The Bobcats men’s basketball team (8-6, 1-2 NEC) hosts the Long Island University Blackbirds (9-6, 3-0 NEC) at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2:00 p.m.

Quinnipiac had a rough loss on Thursday night as they gave up a three-point-play with five seconds to go to lose 73-72 at St. Francis (NY). James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) led the Bobcats with 28 points but put up 23 attempts in the game. Three other Bobcats were in double figures, but they just couldn’t finish down the stretch holding a six point lead with under two minutes to go and held scoreless in that stretch. The loss of Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) hasn’t affected QU that much as the emergence of Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) has continued.

Quinnipiac has still won six of eight, but as it gets into the full swing of conference action it faces two of the top teams in the league in back to back games – Long Island and Robert Morris. It will need to get the ball into other players’ hands, especially the big men in order to become effective in the second half. The guard-play as been good in both Johnsons and Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) off the bench.    

Long Island comes in after an 87-81 win at Sacred Heart on Thursday night and is still undefeated in their three NEC contests. They are led up front by Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who both put up double-doubles on Thursday. The Blackbirds have won four in a row, scoring more than 82 points in all four games, as their big men are clicking with their young point guard Jason Brickman. Their length up front has given teams fits all season, and the match-up with QU’s two big guys is the match-up to watch.

Key for the Bobcats:

Quinnipiac needs to control the boards and make sure it capitalizes on those opportunities. The Bobcats are going to need to get out on transition and make some baskets because LIU will push the tempo and try to run them out of the gym. Moving the ball around will be important as James Johnson can’t take 23 shots in this one. If they control the tempo and limit LIU’s fast break points they should steal a victory.  

Key for the Blackbirds:

The Blackbirds need to keep the pace up as Quinnipiac doesn’t like to run and would rather slow things down. The bigs, Boyd and Olasewere, will have to continue to crash the boards and set up look for the guards outside, playing inside out. If this game gets into the 80s then the Blackbirds should stay perfect in the NEC.

Last Meeting: February 5, 2011 in Brooklyn. Quinnipiac lost 84-74, as five LIU players were in double figures. Quinnipiac erased a nine-point deficit to take a lead in the second half, but the depth of LIU was too much down the stretch.  James Johnson led QU with 24 points and Justin Rutty had 20 points off the bench. They will meet again on Feb. 18 in Brooklyn.