CSN anchor/reporter Amy Fadool and producer Sean Kane get you set for all of the weekend's local college basketball games with Fastbreak Friday. Look for this column every Friday during the college basketball season.
Florida Gulf Coast (7-4) at La Salle (4-4), Saturday 2 p.m.
SK: La Salle is trying to get back on track following two straight losses to Villanova and Georgetown. There's certainly no shame in losing to both of those teams, but getting back in the win column won't be easy Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles are 7-4 on the season with close losses to No. 4 Baylor and Michigan State on their resume.
Florida Gulf Coast likes to push the tempo, averaging just under 84 points in their last five games. The Eagles are also very deep - they have 10 players in their regular rotation averaging 12 minutes or more. Junior guard Brandon Goodwin leads the way. He's been good for 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting better than 52 percent from the field.
La Salle won't hesitate to run with Florida Gulf Coast, so expect plenty of fastbreaks Saturday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena. The Explorers are averaging 83 points per game, ranking 38th out of 347 Division 1 teams. Junior guard B.J Johnson is currently La Salle's leading scorer at 18.0 points per game. Johnson was solid in last weekend's loss to Georgetown, scoring 19 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Johnson and senior guard Jordan Price give the Explorers a dynamic 1-2 punch on the perimeter. Price scored 23 points against Georgetown to increase his season average to 17.9 points per game.
Johnson and Price will have to deliver if La Salle is going to outscore Florida Gulf Coast. I expect that to be the case, as the Explorers hang on for a win in what promises to be a fast-paced, exciting game on Saturday.
La Salle 87, Florida Gulf Coast 83
Saint Joseph's (5-4) at Illinois State (5-3), Sunday 4 p.m.
AF: The Hawks have won two in a row after their loss to Villanova, but both of those wins haven't been easy. In both victories over Drexel and Princeton, St. Joe's had to fight until the end and provide a solid defensive effort to earn the win. In their most recent win, the Hawks held Princeton to just one field goal in the games final six and a half minutes.
Shavar Newkirk is pacing the Hawks and is Mr. Everything for Phil Martelli. The junior is averaging 21 points and 3.5 assists per game. Add him with sophomore Lamarr Kimble and his 15 points, and St. Joe's has a nice 1-2 punch. The Hawks' overall issue is consistency. Some games, they will shoot 45 percent and others, like against Princeton, they'll shoot 37 percent.
Illinois State have won four of it's last five games with the only loss being a two-point heartbreaker at Tulsa. The Red Birds have four reliable scorers who average double figures. They are a balanced team that shoots about 45 percent from the field. Plus, Illinois State shoots three pointers at a 40 percent clip. While they're not a high scoring team, the Red Birds hold opponents to just over 67 points per game. That is their key to success.
This could spell trouble for the Hawks, as it is a tough road game for them.
Illinois State 76, St. Joe's 70
NJIT (5-7) at Temple (7-4), Saturday 2 p.m.
SK: It will be interesting to see how Temple responds following Tuesday's 21-point loss at No. 1 Villanova. There's nothing wrong with losing on the road to the top-ranked team in the country, but the Owls did not play particularly well on either end of the floor. The schedule breaks right for Temple this weekend, with a very pedestrian NJIT team paying a visit to the Liacouras Center. The Highlanders have lost their last three games and have not beaten a quality opponent all season.
Look for a big bounce-back game for Temple's leading scorer Obi Enechionyia, who scored just 8 points on 3 of 9 shooting against Villanova while committing 6 turnovers. Despite his struggles earlier this week, Enechionyia is still averaging 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds and shooting better than 47 percent from three-point range.
The combination of Temple's lackluster effort at Villanova and NJIT being a subpar opponent makes this an easy game to call. Look for the Owls to set the tone early and coast to a win, getting that winning feeling back as conference play approaches.
Temple 79, NJIT 63
Drexel (4-5) at Rider (6-3), Friday 7 p.m.
AF: The Dragons are coming off a heartbreaker to St. Joe's on Sunday. Drexel was up by as many as 11 points early in the second half against the Hawks, only to lose by 1 point. Zach Spiker's squad was already thin because of injuries, and found themselves in foul trouble most of that game with St. Joe's.
The Dragons are hopefully healthier after the week off as they travel to Rider for a Friday night matchup. The Broncs have won three in a row and four of their last five. They have a double-double threat in Khalil Thomas, who's posted 17 points in his last two games. Rider is also a very good defensive team. The Broncs have gone 5-0 when holding the opposition to fewer than 70 points.
That shouldn't be a problem for Drexel. The Dragons have broken the 70 point plateau in every game this season except for their two opening season losses to Monmouth and Rutgers. Monmouth is also a MAAC school like Rider, but the similarities don't go much further than that. The Broncs aren't as high scoring, they prefer to grind out a defensive game, so Drexel will have to capitalize and make shots when given the opportunity.
This should be a close one, but providing that the Dragons are healthy, they should pull it out on the road.
Drexel 74, Rider 70
Prediction Records
Amy Fadool: 8-2
Sean Kane: 7-3