Rutgers University
Drexel
Rutgers Hosts Vermont Sunday in Legends Classic
Nov 21 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's basketball team hosts its second of two regional round games in the Legends Classic on Sunday when it welcomes Vermont to the Louis Brown Athletic Center for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off. Sunday will also be Kid's Day, as children 12 and under will receive free admission to the contest with the purchase of at least one adult ticket. The Rutgers Kids' Zone will be open 2 hours prior to the game, with free amusements, games, temporary tattoos and more.
At the second media timeout of the first half of Sunday's game versus the Catamounts, Phil Sellers - two-time RU All-American and all-time leading scorer and rebounder - will be recognized as the Rutgers' "Legend of the Game" in conjunction with the Classic. One of three RU men's basketball players (Bob Lloyd, James Bailey) to have his jersey retired (#12), Sellers scored 2,399 career points and led the Scarlet Knights to the 1976 Final Four.
The game will be streamed live on the web via KnightVision Broadband at www.scarletknights.com with Danny Breslauer and Adam Helfgott calling the action. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers Radio Network, WOR 710 AM in New York City and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU 88.7 FM will also broadcast the game.
Despite the fact that Rutgers has sponsored a men's basketball program since 1906 and Vermont has sponsored a team since 1900, Sunday's game will mark the first meeting between the two on the collegiate hardwood. The Scarlet Knights have played every other current America East Conference member and are 25-6 all-time against the league.
Rutgers (2-0) is coming off a thrilling, 58-56, victory at the buzzer over Drexel at the RAC this past Friday night. Gregory Echenique (Guatire, Venezuela) received the ball at the left elbow with 1.9 seconds remaining on a side-out-of-bounds play, drove the lane and deposited it in the hoop with his left hand as time expired. The finish capped a monster evening for the sophomore center, who scored 16 points on seven-of-11 shooting, grabbed 14 rebounds and issued two blocks in 27 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.) and junior point Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) also registered double digits versus the Dragons. Rosario scored 13 points, while Coburn added 11. Defensively, Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) once again made his presence felt, as the senior center issued six blocked shots in 13 minutes of action. Ndiaye currently ranks fourth all-time among current NCAA players with 225 career rejections.
Vermont (1-1), under the leadership of fifth-year head coach Mike Lonergan, enters Sunday's match-up on a week's rest after last seeing action at Buffalo on Nov. 15. The Catamounts defeated the Bulls 58-57. Senior forward Marqus Blakely, a two-time America East Player of the Year, scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win. Blakely had 26 points in the team's season-opener, a 79-66 loss at Loyola (Md.). GAME NOTES
