Men's Basketball Set for Back-to-Back Games against Villanova and Fairfield - Hartfordhawks.com

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Hartford men's basketball team continues its unusual 2020-21 non-conference slate with back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Hawks begin the stretch by joining #Bubbleville to take on #3/12 Villanova at 5 p.m. on ESPN2, before they head to in-state foe Fairfield for a 7 p.m. tilt on Wednesday.

BACK-TO-BACK

The unconventional nature of the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the addition of Tuesday's game against Villanova inside #Bubbleville
The contest was announced on Sunday night, less than 46 hours before the scheduled tipoff time of 5 p.m.
Tuesday's Villanova game and Wednesday's game at Fairfield marks the first time Hartford plays on back-to-back dates (with the exception of postseason tournament play and invitational tournaments) since the 2016-17 campaign
That season, Hartford took down Niagara in overtime at 6:30 a.m. on national television (82-78) as part of ESPN's Marathon Day on Nov. 15, before coming up short less than 36 hours later at home to Rider (84-68)

LAST TIME OUT

Hartford cut a 19-point deficit down to three in the second half, but couldn't produce enough offense as it fell at UConn, 69-57, in its season opener last Friday
The Hawks bridged the two halves with a 22-6 run to pull within one possession (40-37) with 13:56 left, but the Huskies fought off the run with a 10-2 spurt of their own
Sophomore Moses Flowers scored a game-high 24 points while junior Hunter Marks added 14 points and nine rebounds for Hartford in the defeat

A SEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 season will look unlike any other
Numerous protocols and precautions have been put into place to protect the health and safety of teams
Hartford will begin the season without fans inside Reich Family Pavilion
The Hawks are currently scheduled to play just six four non-conference games before America East play begins on Dec. 19

SCOUTING VILLANOVA

Senior guard Colin Gillespie scored 25 points, but it wasn't enough as #3 Villanova fell in overtime, 81-73, to Virginia Tech on Saturday
The Wildcats are 2-1 on the young season after starting the year off with back-to-back wins over Boston College and Arizona State to take home the 2k Empire Classic Championship
Gillespie (17.0 ppg, 5.0 apg), a Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List and Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection, leads the group of returners
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year, joins Gillespie on the preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
He leads Villanova in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.0 points and nine rebounds per game

SERIES HISTORY: VILLANOVA

Tuesday marks the second time that the Hawks and Wildcats face off in both teams' Division I histories
Villanova took the inaugural meeting between the two schools back in 2007
Hartford is 1-29 all-time against current BIG EAST members
The Hawks' lone win against a BIG EAST squad came against UConn in 1986, a 49-48 decision in the first meeting between the two schools (Dec. 29)

LAST MEETING WITH VILLANOVA

VILLANOVA 103, HARTFORD 75 (DEC. 14, 2007)

Scottie Reynolds led all scorers with 21 points as Villanova defeated Hartford, 103-75, in Philadelphia
The Hawks kept the game close, trailing by three with 9:57 remaining, but the Wildcats would go on a 14-1 run to seal the win
Joe Zeglinski led the Hawks with 20 points, while Warren McLendon added 19 points and eight rebounds

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD

Fairfield fell to Providence in its season opener last Wednesday, 97-56, before seeing its next two games against Stony Brook and Sacred Heart get postponed and canceled, respectively
Freshman Jalen Leach and senior Taj Benning led the Stags with 10 points each in their lone game
The Stags' 2020-21 roster features eight newcomers and eight returners from a team that registered a 12-20 overall record and an 8-12 conference mark last year
Senior guard Jesus Cruz, a Preseason All-MAAC Third Team selection, leads the crop of returners after averaging 11.0 points a year ago

SERIES HISTORY: FAIRFIELD

Wednesday marks the ninth time that in-state opponents Hartford and Fairfield meet on the hardwood
The meeting will end a seven-year hiatus between the two schools, with the last meeting taking place in 2013
The Hawks rolled to a 63-53 victory in the two teams' last meeting to the all-time series at four games apiece

LAST MEETING WITH FAIRFIELD

HARTFORD 63, FAIRFIELD 53 (NOV. 13, 2013)

Hartford snapped a three-game losing streak against Fairfield with a 63-53 victory in Bridgeport in 2013
The Hawks, who played the previous day at 7 a.m. at Florida Gulf Coast, shot a 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from beyond the arc on the evening to pick up their first win over the Stags since 1989
Yasin Kolo scored 20 points off the bench to lead Hartford, while Mark Nwakamma posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds

SMELL THE FLOWERS

Hartford's first All-Rookie Team selection since 2012, Flowers was one of Hartford's most consistent players last season
Two of Hartford's top five offensive efforts of the 2019-20 season came from Flowers
Netting 28 points — the most by a Hartford freshman since Jan. 20, 2002 — against St. Francis Brooklyn (Dec. 5), he matched his career-best point total the following month against New Hampshire (Jan. 4)
Flowers finished third on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg)
He led the Hawks with 56 threes, which were the fourth-most made by a Hartford rookie in program history

ROOKIE DEBUTS

Three rookies made their collegiate debuts in Friday's season opener on Friday
Thomas Webley earned the start in the front court and played 33 minutes, second-most on the team
He made an immediate impact on the boards, pulling down six, including three off the offensive glass
AJ Gray and Briggs McClain grabbed minutes at the end of the game
Senior Austin Williams and sophomore Jakub Dombek — a pair of transfers — also made their Hartford debuts on Friday night
Williams earned the start and played 20 minutes, while Dombek saw four minutes in his first game as a Hawk

A SOLID CORE RETURNS

Returning eight players, Hartford brings back 75.4% of its scoring, including six of its top seven scorers from last year
In addition, the Hawks return a bulk of their production in rebounds (73.2%), assists (86.2%), steals (88.4%) and minutes (79.8%)
Hartford's top returning scorer, Marks (10.8 ppg), also serves as the team's top returning rebounder (6.1 rpg)
The Hawks also bring back last season's leader in assists (Traci Carter, 4.9 apg) and steals (Carter, 2.5 spg)

NEXT ON TAP

Hartford continues its busy week with a pair of home games
The Hawks make their home debut on Friday evening, when they host neighboring Central Connecticut on ESPN3 at 6 p.m.
The homestand continues on Monday, when Hartford completes the home-and-home series with Fairfield at 4 p.m. on ESPN3

For an inside look at Hartford men's basketball, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media: Twitter | Instagram

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Men's Basketball Set for Back-to-Back Games against Villanova and Fairfield - Hartfordhawks.com

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