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All-Time Series: MU leads 33-22

Last Meeting: SFC, 81-64 (1/12/12)

Monmouth head coach King Rice made his collegiate debut as a head coach when the Hawks faced Villanova on November 11, and returns to the sidelines on Thursday night when the Hawks host St. Francis, which has also clinched an NEC Tournament berth. Rice, the fifth head coach in Monmouth history, spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach to Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt.

Monmouth's victory at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday night clinched an NEC Tournament berth for the Hawks in Coach Rice's first season at the helm of the program. Monmouth, which enters tonight's game in a tie for fifth place in the league standings, is 5-5 at home. 

With its victory over Bryant, Monmouth University earned its 250th all-time Northeast Conference win, joining three other current league institutions to do so (FDU, RMU and LIU).

Of its first 29 games, Monmouth has played 10 in the friendly confines of the MAC, going 5-5, following its victory over FDU last Saturday night.

Monmouth recently played No. 25 Harvard within nine points, giving the Hawks three nationally-ranked opponents this year (Vanderbilt, UNC).

Rice picked up his first career victory as a head coach, as the Hawks defeated Navy 69-67, in Annapolis, Md., and the Hawks won their second straight, leading wire-to-wire versus Fordham on December 10 in the home opener. With the Hawks' NEC home victory over Mount on Thursday, Monmouth has now won three straight NEC home openers.

Three members of Monmouth's current squad have been named to the Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team, upping Monmouth's program total to 16 players who have earned that distinction from the league. The three members include senior Will Campbell, junior Ed Waite and sophomore Marcus Ware.

Monmouth dressed five players at Villanova in the season opener that had collegiate playing experience in seniors Will Campbell, Mike Myers Keitt and Phill Wait, and juniors Jesse Steele and Ed Waite. With the knee injury to Marcus Ware, the Blue and White will dress seven players this year that had never played in a college game to open the season.

Monmouth, now 16-11 all-time in league openers since 1985-86, dropped its sixth straight NEC opener at Saint Francis on December 1. The Hawks are now 6-6 when they open on the road in league play.

Monmouth went 2-11 in straight road games in 2010-11, and after going 2-0 on a neutral court, ended the year 4-11 overall away from home. Monmouth opened this year with eight straight road losses, and is now 4-14 away from home, after three straight NEC road wins for the first time in six years.

MU led the nation last season in games decided by five points or less with 18 such contests, posting a 5-13 mark in those games. The Hawks are 3-0 in that situation so far this year after winning at the Mount by a pair on Saturday, defeating CCSU by two in overtime, and Navy by a pair earlier in the year.