NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT
-Monmouth started 4-1 for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
-MU wins four in a row for the first time in the non-conference since 2019
-The Hawks have now won eight in a row at home
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King Rice now has eight wins over Ivy League competition, including three against Princeton
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Myles Foster made his first career start and scored a season best nine points
-Sam Chaput made his first start since January 4, 2021 at Siena
-Chaput scored in double figures for the first time since January 29, 2020 at Saint Peter's
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Tahron Allen scored his first career basket, finishing with four points and five boards
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Sam Fagan made his Monmouth debut, collecting a steal
-Monmouth allowed just 18 second-half points, the best defensive half by MU since March 3, 2020 against Fairfield
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Nikkei Rutty and
Myles Ruth missed their first game of the season
-Monmouth secured a winning record in the month of November
NOTES ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-Monmouth and Cincinnati are meeting for the first time ever
-Monmouth is 2-7 all-time against current AAC members
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King Rice is 1-1 against current AAC members
-Monmouth collected a signature win over a Tubby Smith-coached Memphis team in 2016, 82-79 behind 21 apiece from Justin Robinson and Je'lon Hornbeak
-Rice's Hawks fell in a tight contest at Larry Brown-led SMU in 2014
-MU has not played a game in the state of Ohio since the 2006 NCAA Tournament play-in game in Dayton, a win over Hampton
-This marks MU's first true road game in the state of Ohio
-Both coaches are graduates of the University of North Carolina, with
King Rice a 1992 grad and Wes Miller a 2007 grad
-Monmouth center
Walker Miller is the younger brother of UC head coach Wes Miller, with both graduating from UNC
LEADING THE NATION
Monmouth is currently the national leader in free throw percentage, shooting 86.5% from the foul line through five games. MU has shot over 90% from the stripe in three of five games, with two Hawks over 90% for the year with just one miss apiece in Miller and Reynolds.
BROTHERLY MATCHUP
Monmouth graduate center
Walker Miller will compete against his older brother, University of Cincinnati Head Coach Wes Miller. There are currently 10 matchups in college basketball scheduled this season that put brothers against each other, with this the only student-athlete vs. coach meeting. Wes is in his first season at UC, while Walker is playing his lone season at Monmouth.
CAROLINA CONNECTIONIn addition to the Miller brothers matchup, today's game also has a University of North Carolina connection. Both
King Rice (1992) and Wes Miller (2007) are UNC graduates, while MU center
Walker Miller is a 2021 grad of the Chapel Hill school. This marks the fourth game in Rice's coaching career that he will compete against a fellow UNC alum, going head-to-head with Roy Williams twice at UNC as well as a 2014 matchup against SMU and Carolina grad Larry Brown.
OHIO IS FOR FIRST TIMERSMonmouth will play its first ever regular season game in the state of Ohio today in program history. The Hawks beat Hampton in the 2006 NCAA Tournament play-in game in Dayton, the only game MU has played in the state to this point. The Hawks have played Akron (neutral site - Hawaii), Dayton (neutral site - Orlando) and Central State (neutral site - Kansas City).
BEST START SINCE 1990
Monmouth has opened up the season 4-1 for the first time since the 1990-91 season when Wayne Szoke's squad was 7-1 to open the year.
STREAK WATCH
The Hawks four-game winning streak is their best since five in a row during the 2020-21 season, winning five straight between January 9 and January 29. Monmouth has matched its longest non-conference win streak since 2019, beating Radford, Norfolk State, Princeton and Albany from November 26 to December 21. Finally, MU is looking for its fifth straight out of league for the first time since 2016 when they won six non-league games in a row.
STARTING LINEUP SWITCH
After starting the same five the first four games,
King Rice was forced to switch the starters against Princeton after some players were unavailable or limited.
Samuel Chaput made his first start at point guard since January 4, 2021 at Siena, while sophomore big man
Myles Foster got his first career start.
BIG NIGHT FOR CHAPUT
A four-year contributor, Sam Chaput took advantage of his first start of the season to post his first double-figure game in nearly two years against Princeton (first since January 29, 2020 at Saint Peter's). He also led MU with four steals, the most by a Hawk in a game this season.
BACK-TO-BACK KEY WINS
MU's win at St. Joe's marked the first ever true road win over an Atlantic 10 opponent in school history. The Hawks topped SJU by 12 for
King Rice's third win over an A10 school and the first on the road. Monmouth then beat Princeton at home to knock off a Tigers team that had already stunned high-major schools on the road in Oregon State and South Carolina.
STIFLING DEFENSEThe second-half lockdown against Princeton was one one of MU's best defensive halves of the
King Rice era. The Hawks allowed just 18 points on 24.1% shooting, including just 2-12 (16.7%) from three and surrendered just three foul shots in the period. The Tigers made just one layup in the final 8:48, a basket with 59 seconds left in a game that was already decided.
PLAYER OF THE WEEKGeorge Papas had a huge week in two Monmouth wins, going for 31 in a win over Lehigh before adding in another 18 in topping Saint Joseph's. He earned his first MAAC Player of the Week honors, and the first for a Hawk this season.
WELCOME WALKER
Graduate center
Walker Miller has burst onto the scene after playing four seasons as a walk on at North Carolina. Miller has scored in double figures in every game, the only Hawk to do so, and is MU's leading rebounder at over eight per game. He posted his best rebounding performance at MU, grabbing 12 at Saint Joseph's.
PRESEASON ALL-MAACTwo Hawks were named to Preseason All-MAAC teams, with top returning scorer
George Papas earning First Team and transfer
Shavar Reynolds Jr. earning Third Team. Papas, a second-teamer a season ago, becomes the fourth Hawk to ever earn Preseason All-MAAC First Team, joining Justin Robinson, Micah Seaborn and
Deion Hammond. Reynolds was named to a preseason team despite not suiting up for the Hawks yet after an impressive season a year ago with Seton Hall.
LAST TIME OUTMonmouth beat Princeton, holding the Tigers to 18 second-half points, by a 76-64 count for the fourth win in a row by the Hawks.
WHAT'S TO COME
The Hawks head to Buffalo next weekend for the MAAC's singular early weekend of conference play. MU takes on Niagara Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
