Pirates Open Gulf Coast Showcase Against Green Bay
November 23, 2014 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. Green Bay Nov. 24, 2014 | 12 p.m. EST Germain Arena | Estero, Fla. |
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Setting The Scene
? East Carolina opens play at the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase against reigning Horizon League regular season champion Green Bay on Monday, Nov. 24, at 12 p.m. EST.
? Green Bay is the first of three 2014 regular season champions ECU will play this season (Cincinnati - American; Tulsa - Conference USA).
? Monday's game is the fourth all-time meeting between ECU and Green Bay with the Phoenix holding a 2-1 series lead.
? The Pirates will be without senior Paris Roberts-Campbell and redshirt sophomore Marshall Guilmette due to injury. ECU players have missed a combined total of six games this season due to injury (Paris Roberts-Campbell 3, Michael Zangari 2, Marshall Guilmette 1).
? Terry Whisnant (6) and Caleb White (7) have combined to make 81.3 percent of the Pirates' 3s this season (16).
? ECU is 13-9 under coach Jeff Lebo in tournament play, including a 4-3 mark during inseason tournaments. The Pirates went 3-1 during the 2014 NIT Tip-Off.
? East Carolina has topped 90 points in two of its first three games, both against non-Division I opponents. The Pirates have scored 51 points in one half of each game (1st vs. N.C. Wesleyan/UNC Asheville, 2nd vs. Virginia-Lynchburg).
? The Pirates have had five players score in double figures in each of the first three games. B.J. Tyson, Caleb White and Terry Whisnant have scored double digits in each game. Marshall Guilmette, Michel Nzege and Lance Tejada have scored double figures twice apiece.
? Sophomore Caleb White has gotten off to a great start this season. He leads the team with an average of 16.7 ppg, shooting 63.0 percent from the field and 46.7 behind the arc.
? The newcomer foursome of Michel Nzege, Lance Tejada, B.J. Tyson and Terry Whisnant have accounted for 57.4 percent of the Pirates offense this season. They have averaged 38.75 points per game between them.
? Since the 2010-11 season, East Carolina is 9-6 on neutral courts which included a 4-0 mark last season.
Scouting Green Bay
? Green Bay is the reigning Horizon League regular season champion. The Phoenix posted a 24-7 record last season with a 14-2 mark in league play. They received an automatic bid to the NIT after being upset by Milwaukee in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament. Green Bay was bounced from the NIT in the first round by Belmont.
?Green Bay returns nine lettermen, including three starters, from last year's team that posted wins over ACC champion Virginia and Conference USA winner Tulsa.
? Senior Keifer Sykes is listed as a second round 2015 NBA Draft selection by NBADraft.net. He's scored 42 points in the first two games of the season after averaging 20.3 ppg as a junior last season.
? Other returning starters include senior forward Greg Mays and junior forward Jordan Rouse. The duo combined to average 16.7 ppg and 12.7 rpg last season.
Series History
? The Phoenix owns a 2-1 series lead over ECU withe the home team winning each game. Monday's game will be the first between the two on a neutral floor.
? Monday's game marks the first meeting between East Carolina and Green Bay since Nov. 23, 1999. The Pirates posted a 68-54 win over the Phoenix at home.
? East Carolina is 3-5 all-time against current members of the Horizon League. It's most recent game against a conference member was versus Wright State in the first round of the 2014 CIT (L, 73-59).
? This will be the fourth time in as many games that ECU will have a different head coach to challenge the Phoenix (1993: Eddie Payne, 1998: Joe Dooley, 1999: Bill Herrion).
? ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo has never faced Green Bay nor have the Pirates' ever faced Green Bay coach Brian Wardle.
Against The Tournament Field
? East Carolina doesn't have an extensive history against the teams in the tournament field. The only team, other than the aforementioned Evansville and Green Bay, that ECU has previously played is Marist. The Pirates defeated the Red Foxes, 81-73, in their only previous meeting on Nov. 18, 2000 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
? The Pirates have never faced Florida Gulf Coast, Fresno State, Hawaii or San Francisco.
? Evansville is the only team in the tournament that Lebo has previously coached against. He is 1-1 against the Purple Aces.
Up Next
? East Carolina will face either Evansville or Fresno State Tuesday in either the semifinals or the consolation round. An ECU win means that they will play in the semis Tuesday night at 6 p.m., while a loss would have the Pirates back on the court Tuesday at 12 noon.
? East Carolina is 2-1 against the Purple Aces, including a win in the semifinals of the 2013 CIT. ECU has never faced Fresno State.
