2021-22 Monmouth Basketball Game Twenty-Eight Preview

Monmouth Hawks (18-9, 10-6 MAAC) vs. Saint Peter's Peacocks (12-11, 10-6 MAAC)
Friday, February 25, 2022 - 7:00 p.m.
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ

TV
ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Dave Calloway

MONMOUTH COVID-19 POLICIES

Monmouth University has announced its campus-wide indoor event COVID-19 policies.
 
The following policies are in effect until further notice:

1.    All fans 18 and over are required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test administered by a doctor's office or a clinic within 72 hours of the event time for indoor Athletic events. Home test kit results will not be accepted.
2.    All event audiences must wear a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth of the participant. Face shields are not acceptable. This includes fans from 2-17 years of age.
3.    Athletic events held in the OceanFirst Bank Center will be permitted to have food in the stands as long as masks remain on when the participant is not actively consuming food or beverages. Masks must be worn otherwise.
 
Men's and women's basketball season ticket holders will be mailed (and emailed) instructions on how to obtain a vaccine credential which will require them to show their vaccine cards once and receive a credential to speed up entrance to events. Season ticket holders who are not vaccinated will need to show proof a negative test within 72 hours of the event for every event attended.
 
Additionally, there will be separate entrances for students, season ticket holders and the general public. More information on those locations will be available on MonmouthHawks.com.

QUICK BULLETS

-King Rice set the program's all-time DI wins record with #179 against Siena
-Monmouth is playing its third of three consecutive home contests
-This marks the final contest of the season between MU and Saint Peter's
-Monmouth has won eight of its last 11
-Nikkei Rutty's 19 rebounds last time out set a career-high
-MU and SPU are knotted in the MAAC standings at 10-6
-George Papas moved into sixth in school history in 3's made the last time out
-MU's four fifth-year seniors are all scoring over 9 ppg
-George Papas has earned two MAAC Player of the Week honors this season while Shavar Reynolds has one
-George Papas was named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List this season

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
-mark Monmouth's 19th win of the season
-keep Monmouth alive for the second seed in the MAAC
-be the Hawks ninth win at home this season
-be the Hawks ninth win in the last 12 games
-move the Hawks five games over .500 in MAAC play at 11-6
-make Monmouth the second MAAC team to 19 overall victories (Iona)
-give MU the series split this season with the Peacocks
-make Monmouth 6-2 in February
-be MU's 17th win all time against Saint Peter's
-snap a two-game losing streak to SPU
-lock up a winning record in MAAC play for the fourth straight year and seventh of eight

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT...
-King Rice won his 179th game, the most in program history at the Division I level. It is the second most in the school's all-time history, behind only Bill Boylan's 364.
-Nikkei Rutty's 19 rebounds is the most single-game rebounds in the King Rice era by a player.
-Rutty's 19 boards, four more than his prior career-high, are the most in a game by a Hawk since Alex Blackwell had 19 exactly 30 years ago to the day, February 22, 1992 against Wagner.
-George Papas moved into sixth all-time in school history with his 205th made triple, passing John Giraldo.
-Papas' four threes gave him 83 for the year, third most in a single season in school history.
-Rutty tied his career-high with four blocks, last done on February 6, 2021 at Manhattan.
-MU's 18 wins ties the third most in a season in the Rice era (2014-15, 2019-20).
-Monmouth has secured at least a .500 record in MAAC play for the fourth year in a row and seventh of the last eight.
-Klemen Vuga made his first field goal since January 14 at Saint Peter's.
-Monmouth won on the glass, 47-41.
-MU limited Siena to 32% and 15% from downtown.
-Monmouth allowed 19 first-half points, the third time this season MU has kept an opponent under 20 points.
-MU limited Siena to 21.9% and 0-8 from three in the opening half.

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-SPU leads the all-time series 29-16
-Saint Peter's leads the series as DI opponents, 23-14
-The series is 10-9 Peacocks as MAAC foes
-MU is 10-8 all-time in West Long Branch against the Saints
-Saint Peter's has won the last two in the series
-This is the second of two meetings this the season between the teams
-SPU won the prior meeting in January in Jersey City

THE KING AND BADGER PODCAST
Head Coach King Rice hosts a podcast titled "The King and the Badger Podcast" with Associate AD Gary Kowal. You can listen to the podcast here.