Game Notes

THE MIDWEST – Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball begins a quest for its first berth in the NCAA Tournament with a pair of matchups against Big East foes this week. The Wildcats, coming off a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season co-championship, open the 2018-19 season against DePaul University on Wed., Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The second Big East clash is against Marquette University on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
 
The DePaul game will be televised nationally on FS1, and the tussle with Marquette on FS2.
  
Starting Five
 
1 For the first time in program history, BCU was predicted to finish first in the Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference by major publications and the conference's head coaches and sports information directors
2 BCU finished second nationally in rebounding average behind North Carolina. The 42.1 average and 1346 total marks set single-season
Wildcat records
3 BCU returns three members of its final 2018 starting five in Soufi Diakite, Shawntrez Davis, and Isaiah Bailey. Malik Maitland started the first 21 games of the year before seeing his season cut short due to injury
4 The Wildcats set new program records in four major offensive categories last season- points, rebounds, assists, and free throws
5 The last number you would have if you added the digits of BCU's miles traveled this season. The Wildcats are set to embark on 17,926 miles starting with a road trip to DePaul this week


 
Series History
 
Depaul                                          Marquette
All-Time: 1st meeting     |        All-Time: 0-1
Last Time: NA                 |        Last Time: 89-53, 12/21/91
Current Streak: NA       |        Current Streak: L1
Last BCU Win: NA         |        Last BCU Win: NA
 
Pre-Season Honors
 
#1 Predicted Order of Finish: MEAC, Lindy's, Athlon, Blue Ribbon
Shawntrez Davis: All-Conference (First Team MEAC, Blue Ribbon, Lindy's), Player of the Year (Lindy's), Most Versatile (Lindy's), Best Rebounder (Lindy's)
Isaiah Bailey: All-Conference (Second Team MEAC, Blue Ribbon, Lindy's)
Soufiyane Diakite: All-Conference (First Team MEAC), Best Defender (Lindy's)
 
Experience = Overrated
 
With props to Eric Beovich of Middle Tennessee State, it was determined that BCU's roster of four coaches, Ridder, Clapacs, and the Taylors, make up the youngest coaching staff in Division 1 basketball. The last coach 32 years-old or under to win a conference regular season title in his first year was then 31 year-old Brad Stevens of Butler in 2008. The following is a breakdown of the youngest staffs in Division 1.
 
Bethune Cookman 31 years, 19 days
Nicholls State 32 years, 53 days
South Alabama 33 years, 67 days
Princeton 33 years, 68 days
UNC Asheville 33 years, 274 days
 
 
Record Breakers
 
Last season rewrote numerous team records. Below are notable marks from the 2017-18 squad:

Category	Rank	Value
Scoring	1	2622
Scoring Average	1	81.9
Free Throws	1	575
Free Throw Attempts	1	820
Rebounds	1	1346
Rebounding Average	1	42.1
Assists	1	501
3pt Made	2	241
3pt Attempts	2	749
Win Streak	2	6
Blocks	4	123

 
Alumni Bag Season
 
A pair of recent Bethune-Cookman graduates signed professional contracts overseas this offseason. Reggie Baker ('17) joined Cab Madiera (Portugal), and defending MEAC Player of the Year Brandon Tabb ('18) inked with Horsens IC in Denmark.
Tabb also competed in the inaugural Dos Equis 3-on-3 Tournament in San Antonio following the 2017-18 sea­son where he and the MEAC alumni placed second.

Coach's Couch

The trio of Preseason All-MEAC Wildcats joined Nolan Alexander for preseason interviews on the "Coach's Couch". Click the links below to watch their respective interviews:

Isaiah Bailey
Soufiyane Diakite
Shawntrez Davis
 
Coming Soon
 
Up next, the Wildcats return home to host Trinity Baptist College on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and Johnson University (FL) on Thursday, Nov. 15. Tip-off for both games is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be aired on the CatEye Network.