February 20, 2009

COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University will host Colgate University of the Patriot League in men's basketball Saturday afternoon, February 21, at 2 p.m. in Willett Hall (1,807) on-campus in Farmville.  The Lancers and Raiders are meeting for the first-time ever.  Longwood (14-12) is coached by sixth-year head coach Mike Gillian, and will be led by senior guard Ryan Bogan who is averaging 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds.  Colgate (9-16) is coached by 11th-year head coach Emmett Davis and is led by sophomore guard Mike Venezia (10.6 points).  Tickets remain and will be available at the Willett Hall Ticket Office or by calling 434.395.2138.

Series History
Longwood and Colgate are meeting for the first-time ever in the sport of men's basketball.

A Look At Colgate
Colgate, of the Patriot League, has a record of 9-16 after its 49-40 road loss at Lehigh on Wednesday (2.18).  The Raiders are coached by 11th-year head coach Emmett Davis.  Colgate is led by sophomore Mike Venezia (10.6 points), junior Ben Jonson (9.4 points, 4.7 rebounds), and freshman Yaw Gyawu (9.1 points).  Also expected in the starting lineup are freshmen Anthony Hill (5.4 points) and Nick Pascale (2.8 points).

A Look At Longwood
Longwood has a record of 14-12 after its after its 94-84 road loss at Chicago State on Monday (2.16).  The Lancers have already posted their highest win total as a Division I program, and overall since 2002-03 (15); led by senior Ryan Bogan (14.4 points), redshirt-junior Dana Smith (14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds), and junior Kevin Swecker (11.0 points).  Also expected in the starting lineup are junior Billy Robinson Jr. (7.5 points) and sophomore Durann Neil (7.3 points, 3.6 assists).

Head Coach Mike Gillian
Mike Gillian (North Adams State '86) was named the seventh head coach for men's basketball at Longwood on May 2, 2003.  Prior to his arrival, he had been an assistant coach for Jim Larranaga at George Mason for six years (1997-2003) after a year with Coach Larranaga at Bowling Green State (1996-97).  A native of Ayer, Massachusetts, Coach Gillian is 48-128 at Longwood, including 14-12 this year after back-to-back 9-22 seasons, those efforts following a record of 10-20 three years ago during 2005-06 that tied for Division I's seventh-best turnaround season that year.

RPI Ratings
Longwood is rated 256 in this week's NCAA RPI among the 343 schools playing Division I men's basketball.  The Lancers also have an average rating of 268 among the following six rating services: CBS Sportsline RPI, the CollegeRPI.com, Ken Pomeroy's College Basketball RPI, RealTimeRPI.com, RPIRatings.com, and the Sagarin Ratings.  Longwood has played five opponents ranked among the Top 100 in the NCAA?RPI, including West Virginia (13), Florida (45), Virginia Tech (49), Kentucky (59), and Virginia (90).  The highest rated opponent that the Lancers have defeated this season is James Madison (121).  Colgate is rated 287 by the NCAA, and averages 293 among the other six ratings services.

The Friendly Confines
Longwood is 32-17 (.653) at home in Willett Hall over the past three-plus seasons, including 11-2 this year following a 7-5 record in Farmville during 2007-08.  The Lancers were 8-4 at the facility during 2005-06 before finishing with a record of 6-6 at home during 2006-07.  Overall, Longwood is 236-126 (.652) in the building since it opened for the 1980-81 season.  The Lancers have averaged 1,123 in overall home attendance this season through 13 games, but the average is at 1,216 during the 11 games with students on-campus attending classes.

NCAA Statistical Rankings
Longwood ranked third nationally in Division I turnover margin (6.4) as of Feb. 16, forcing 20.6 opponent turnovers to its 14.2 with fewer turnovers than its opponents in 23 of 25 games with two ties.  Prior to the Chicago State game, the Lancers also ranked seventh nationally in steals (9.8), 29th in assists (15.9), 43rd in three-point field goal defense (.315), 45th in three-point field goals (7.8), 47th in scoring offense (76.7), and 54th in assist turnover ratio (1.12).  Individually, Durann Neil was 28th nationally in Division I assist turnover ratio (2.41), Kevin Swecker was 34th in steals (2.2), Ryan Bogan was 75th in steals (1.9), and Dana Smith was 99th in field goal percentage (49.8).

For more game notes and statistical information, please download the PDF linked above ...