Long Island U-Brooklyn at St. Francis College (Brooklyn), 7:00 PM Eastern (no TV)
THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN, ROUND 1
There is nowhere else for the SCGD to be tonight than Brooklyn, New York for round one of this year’s battle of Brooklyn between LIU and St. Francis College. By far the most intense rivalry in the Northeast Conference, these two schools, mere blocks away from each other, will be meeting for the 99th time tonight, with Long Island holding a 62-36 all-time series lead.
This year’s two contests (the second game will be played February 16 at the Barclay’s Center) present an even more compelling edge as the Blackbirds enter as three time defending NEC champions, yet the Terriers have played as the team more likely than Long Island to win the conference championship this year. Despite having played eight of their first nine games on the road, St. Francis, at 9-6, has the most overall wins of any NEC team as the schools begin conference play tonight. Their resume includes a hard fought 6 point loss at Syracuse, in a game they really had shots to win late.
The Long Island Blackbirds sit at 5-8 on the season, including a one point loss at Indiana in their second game of the season. Their ratings are all significantly worse than the Terriers, including an RPI almost 150 spots lower than their rivals. However, as with all great rivalries, records, ratings, stats and everything else you may put on paper do not really matter. This game should be a fun one as always, with the bragging rights — at least until the two schools meet again in February — being possibly even more important than the W or L in the standings.