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Monmouth’s 29 point neutral court loss to Temple Friday night was disappointing, with the Hawks unable to throw a scare into the Owls in the Trenton showcase, after losing at Michigan State to open the season.
But Temple plays in the AAC, a top-10 league, and Jamal Mashburn Jr. has the look of a future NBA player.
Now comes the first of seven games, sprinkled among the guaranteed money games in the non-conference schedule, that Monmouth has a chance to win, and certainly should be competitive in.
It begins Tuesday night at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois against Northern Illinois (7 p.m.; ESPN+/Monmouth Digital Network).
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The Huskies finished the 2023-24 season with an NET of 298, and were picked 11th of 12 teams in the MAC preseason poll. Monmouth overcame a 19-point deficit to beat them in West Long Branch last season on Jakari Spence’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Nov 4, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jase Richardson (11) drives through defenders Monmouth Hawks forward Jordan Meka (6) and guard Andrew Ball (4) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
While Monmouth has five non-conference games remaining against teams whose NET last season was 103 or better, there are six against teams with a NET of 151 or higher. Youngstown State was in the middle at 131.
NIU (1-1), opened the season with an 80-65 loss at Georgia Southern, before beating NAIA Holy Cross College (Ind.), 105-37.
Here are three keys for Monmouth against Northern Illinois:
1. Win on the perimeter
With no returning starters from a year ago, NIU has a solid backcourt of portal pickups, with 6-5 Western Illinois transfer James Dent Jr. scoring 24 points in a season-opening loss to Georgia Southern. Quentin Jones, a 6-5 Cal Poly transfer had eight points and four rebounds, while former FDU guard Joe Munden Jr. plays a key role.
The Monmouth…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/monmouth-basketball-3-keys-vs-101235274.html
Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press
Publish date : 2024-11-12 10:12:00
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