2021-22 Monmouth Basketball MAAC Quarterfinals Preview

Monmouth Hawks (19-12, 11-9 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (14-15, 9-11 MAAC)
Thursday, March 10, 2022 - 9:30 p.m.
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: TBD
Analyst: TBD

RADIO
Monmouth Digital Network
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Bob Lampinen

QUICK BULLETS

-Monmouth has secured a bye for the sixth time in nine seasons and third in a row
-The Hawks are third nationally in true road wins with 10
-George Papas (1st), Walker Miller (2nd) and Shavar Reynolds (3rd) were All-MAAC
-MU is looking for the seventh 20+ win season in the school's DI history
-George Papas is tied for the program record in single-season 3's made (97)
-MU and Niagara split during the regular season, with the road team winning each
-Monmouth tied for the league lead with three All-MAAC selections (Iona)
-King Rice set the program's all-time DI wins record with #179 against Siena
-George Papas is fifth on the program's all-time list for threes made with 221
-MU's four fifth-year seniors are all scoring over 9 ppg

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...

-mark Monmouth's 20th win of the season
-secure a 20-win season for MU for the first time since 2016-17
-be the third 20-win season for King Rice at Monmouth
-be the seventh 20-win season in MU's Division I history
-mark the 16th 20-win season in the Hawks program history dating to 1956
-send the Hawks to the semifinals for the fifth time in the last seven tries
-make MU 14-7 against Niagara all-time
-make Monmouth the second MAAC team to 20 overall victories (Iona)
-mark MU's first MAAC Tournament win since the 2019 semifinals vs. Canisius
-continue Monmouth's season to Friday to take on the winner of #1 Iona/#9 Rider

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT...

-George Papas' second-half three tied the program record for threes in a season with 97, tying Dave Calloway's mark from 1989-90.
-The game was Monmouth's final regular season game ever as a MAAC member.
-MU concludes the regular season with its sixth winning record in MAAC play in nine seasons.
-The Hawks will enter the MAAC Tournament as the #4 seed this week.
-Walker Miller's nine rebounds are his second most in a game this season
-Marcus McClary posted his first double-digit scoring game since February 6 at Quinnipiac.
-Monmouth won the second half, 35-31.
-Monmouth was better from three, 39.1% to 31.6%.
-The Hawks grabbed 11 offensive rebounds on the night.
-Mervin James led all scorers with 23 points.

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES

-Under King Rice, MU is 13-6 against the Purple Eagles
-The series is 13-6 Monmouth as MAAC foes
-Monmouth leads the all-time series, 13-7
-In matchups as MAAC foes, MU leads 13-6
-Monmouth has won four of the last seven in the series 
-The Hawks topped Niagara in Buffalo earlier this season, 57-49
-The teams met just once ever as non-league opponents, a 2008 Niagara win
-MU won nine in a row in the matchup between 2014 and 2017
-Niagara won in overtime in West Long Branch on a late shot by one, 70-69
-Monmouth finished two games better than Niagara in the regular season standings
-This is the third time the teams are meeting in the MAAC Tournament, with Monmouth winning both previous in 2017 and 2019 (2017 QF, 2019 1st)

JOINING THE CAA
Monmouth University accepted an invitation to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), effective July 1, 2022. Monmouth will compete in the CAA in all sports except women's bowling, which will remain a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Hawks will compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

ALL-MAAC TIDBITS
-3 named All-MAAC- George Papas (1st), Walker Miller (2nd), Shavar Reynolds (3rd)
-Papas is fourth different player and seventh overall 1st team All-MAAC selection in school history (Justin Robinson 3x, Deion Hammond 2x, Micah Seaborn).
-Papas is one of four from last year to be honored again (Ndefo, Banks, Hammond)
-Monmouth was one of two teams with three players named All-MAAC (Iona)
-MU has had three all-league players just four times in 38 seasons in DI, including the last two years (Hammond/Papas/Martin in 20-21, Robinson/Seaborn/Jones in 15-16, Blackwell/Calloway/Lewis in 89-90 in NEC)
-10 seniors under King Rice have been named All-MAAC in nine seasons
-Monmouth has had at least one All-MAAC honoree in eight straight seasons

MAKING THE SEMIS
Monmouth has qualified for the semifinals in four of seven opportunities in the MAAC, not including the 2020 MAAC Tournament, which was canceled. MU has been to two finals in that time (2016, 2019) and made the semis in 2015 & 2017.

ALL-ACADEMIC
Four Hawks earned MAAC All-Academic honors, including seniors George Papas and Sam Chaput and sophomores Myles Foster and Jack Holmstrom. To be eligible, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.

LOOKING FOR 20
Monmouth is looking to win its 20th game this season for the third time under King Rice and seventh time as a Division I member. Rice's two prior 20-win years came in 2015-16 and 2016-17, when the Blue and White won 28 and 27 games.

PAPAS TIES SINGLE-SEASON THREES RECORD
Monmouth graduate guard George Papas has an opportunity to set the program record for single-season threes made. Papas' two threes in the regular season finale at Rider tied him with Dave Calloway, who is the current record holder at 97, while standout Justin Robinson is second with 96. Papas enters today with 97 3FG, needing one to break the record, and has already shattered the program record in triples attempted with 273.

FINAL TOURNAMENT IN THE MAAC
Today marks Monmouth's final ever regular season game as a MAAC member, with Monmouth University Athletics set to move to the CAA following this season. MU is 105-69 in MAAC regular season games across the last nine seasons. The Hawks have won three regular season titles, and hold a 7-7 MAAC Tournament record.

SECURED A BYE
A first-round bye was secured for the Hawks for the sixth time in nine seasons in the league, including the last three. The only times MU did not secure a bye were in its first season in the league, in 2017-18, and in 2018-19, when Monmouth became the only team in the history of the league to finish above .500 in conference play and not get a first-round bye, a mark that still stands.

PAPAS TO FIFTH ON ALL-TIME THREES LIST
With a pair of triples at Siena, George Papas passed Dwayne Byfield for fifth all-time in three-pointers made in a career with 215. Papas now has 221 for his career, nine shy of Dejan Delic in fourth in school history. 

RICE SETS PROGRAM WINS RECORD
With the win on 2/22 against Siena, King Rice set the program's Division I wins record with his 179th victory in his career, all of them coming at Monmouth. That number is second all-time in the history of the program behind only Bill Boylan, the first ever coach that won 364 times. 

ROAD WARRIORS
Monmouth is third the nation in road victories with 10 true road wins, behind only Chattanooga who has 12, as well as Towson, Navy and Murray State with 11. MU has won 10 times outside of West Long Branch, including five in conference play. MU has won 10 of its 17 road contests this season. The 2015-16 Hawks led the nation in road and road/neutral wins. 

PAPAS EARNS SPOT ON PRESTIGIOUS LIST
George Papas was named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List, awarded to the National Mid-Major Player of the Year. Papas is the second Hawk to earn a spot, joining program all-time leading scorer Justin Robinson, who won it in 2017. 

LAST TIME OUT
Monmouth fell at Rider in the regular season finale, 74-65 on Saturday.

WHAT'S TO COME
Monmouth is looking to advance to the semifinals to take on #1 Iona/#9 Rider.

KING AND THE BADGER PODCAST
Head Coach King Rice and Associate AD Gary Kowal host a weekly Monmouth Basketball podcast. The most recent guest was Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams. You can listen here.