Dec. 27, 2007
Game #11 at USF Notables...The Rams and the Bulls will tip-off on Saturday, December 29, 2007 at 7:00 pm Eastern Time from the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida...The two teams have met only one time with USF holding the 1-0 lead in the all-time series...The last (and only) meeting between the two teams came in Winston-Salem, NC on December 7 of last season in a contest that the Bulls won by the score of 63-43 behind a triple-double from McHugh Mattis...The game will mark the 11th contest of the season for the Rams (4-6 overall) and will mark the 13th contest of the season for the Bulls (8-4)...The contest is a non-conference tilt between WSSU, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member and USF, a BIG EAST Conference member...The tilt will mark the first time this season that the Rams have faced a team from the BIG EAST after facing three BIG EAST opponents last season (USF, Georgetown and Notre Dame)...The contest will mark the first, and only, time this season that USF will face a MEAC team.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown Pts. Reb. Ast.
03 Brian Fisher G 6-2 178 So.
32 Roy Peake G 5-11 170 Sr.
23 Darius Floyd G 6-1 185 So.
20 Darrell Wonge F 6-6 210 Sr. Lakeview,
25 Greg Lewis F/C 6-7 255 Sr.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown Pts. Reb. Ast.
21 Adamu Saaka G/F 6-6 195 So.
01 Kentrell Gransbury C 6-9 270 Sr.
00 Dominique Jones G 6-4 205 Fr.
03 Chris Howard G 6-3 200 So.
23 Jesus Verdejo G 6-4 205 Jr.
• The two schools are separated by 659.90 miles as the schools are located in the cities of
• According to Map Quest it would take you 10 hours and 17 minutes to drive from the campus of
• The two teams have met only one other time prior to Saturday as the Bulls and Rams battled last season in a contest that was won by USF 63-43 on December 7, 2006 in
•
Game Details
The Winston-Salem State University Rams (4-6) versus the
Setting the Scene
The two teams have met only once with the Bulls holding a 1-0 series advantage. The Rams are coming off of a 90-48 loss at Kansas State on December 22 while the Bulls got back on track after a loss at Wake Forest with an 86-66 win over Saint Francis on December 22 to pull to 8-4 overall.
The Series In Depth
The Rams will take to the road as they head to sunny
Streaks
The Rams had their three-game win streak snapped last Saturday as they fell in defeat 90-48 at
Television Coverage
There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and Bulls.
WSSU Radio Coverage
There is no WSSU radio broadcast of the contest between USF and WSSU. The Rams' next radio broadcast will be on Jan. 9, 2008 when WSSU faces Columbia Union.
USF Radio Coverage
USF will broadcast on WHNZ 1250 AM with Jim Lighthall (play-by-play) and Anddrikk Frazier (color analyst) providing the coverage.
Live Statistical Broadcast
WSSU partners with CSTV Online and the Rams will air a live statistical broadcast of Saturday's game on the Internet utilizing CSTV's GAMETRACKER software application. WSSU's live statistical broadcast will be available at WSSURams.com. The statistical broadcast is free of charge to any viewer wishing to take advantage of the live statistics feature.
Websites
WSSURAMS.com, the official website for
Whom To Contact
The
National Rankings
Neither the Rams nor the Bulls are ranked in either the AP Top 25 poll or ESPN/USA Today poll. Neither team has been ranked this season and neither have received votes in 2007-08.
Season Two For Collins
The 2007-08 season marks the second season at WSSU for head coach
Season One For Heath
The Bulls are led by Stan Heath who is in his first season at the head of the Bulls' basketball program. Heath, an accomplished Division I head coach comes to USF by way of the
Last Action
The Rams had a three-game win streak snapped last Saturday as they fell victim to Michael Beasley and the Wildcats of Kansas State. Beasley recorded 40 points, 28 of which came in the second half, and 15 rebounds in 23 minutes of work as the Wildcats cruised past WSSU 90-48 in a non-conference men's basketball contest from Bramlage Coliseum in
The Book On WSSU
The Rams enter into Saturday's contest with USF sporting a 4-6 overall record and are one win away from tying last season's total for wins. The Rams had a three-game win streak snapped last Saturday when they fell in defeat at
The Book On USF
The Bulls come into this weekend's game with the Rams sporting an 8-4 overall record and continue to impress under first-year coach Stan Heath. USF is a very well-rounded team as four players are averaging in double-digits in scoring as Dominique Jones leads the Bulls with 16.3 points per game. He is joined by Kentrell Granbsberry (14.3 ppg), Chris Howard (12.3 ppg) and Jesus Verdejo (11.3 ppg). The Bulls are riding a one-game win streak after having fallen in defeat at
More Than 100 Points More
The Rams are giving up 119 more points in the paint than they are scoring. WSSU's opponents have scored 356 points in the paint over the course of 10 games (35.6 points in the paint per game) while the Rams have recorded 237 points in the paint over the course of 10 games (23.7 points in the paint per game).
A Look Back
Next Up
Following Saturday's contest versus the University of South Florida the Rams have an extended hiatus as WSSU will not return to action until January 9, 2008 as they play host to Columbia Union at the Coliseum Annex in Winston-Salem, NC at 7:00 pm. The Rams lead the all-time series with the Pioneers 1-0 as the two teams met for the first time last season. WSSU defeated Columbia Union 77-61 on Feb. 10, 2007.
Rams Versus The BIG EAST
The Rams' contest versus USF on Saturday will mark the fourth time in history that WSSU has squared off against a team from the storied BIG EAST Conference. WSSU is winless versus BIG EAST members as the Rams dropped a 90-45 decision at Notre Dame (11-29-06), dropped a 63-43 decision to South Florida (12-07-06) and fell 76-32 at
Injury Update
The Rams are completely healthy heading into Saturday's contest with the Bulls of the
Collins Versus the Bulls
WSSU head coach
Collins Versus the State of
Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Rams have hosted home games in three different venues this season. WSSU is 3-2 at home this season and has posted an 0-1 record in home games at the Coliseum Annex; posted a 1-1 record in home games at the LJVM Coliseum; and the Rams have hosted a pair of games at the C.E. Gaines Center where they have posted a perfect 2-0 record.
Not Road Warriors
The Rams have yet to post a win on the road in 2007-08. WSSU has dropped all four contests on the road this season and the closest WSSU has come to posting a road win is a neutral site win over Lipscomb (68-58 from the American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic held at Iowa State on Nov. 10).
Coming On Strong
Junior forward Jamal Durham worked hard on improving his rebounding technique in the off-season and it is paying dividends for the 6'6" forward.
Dunkin'
Junior forward Jamal Durham leads the Rams with 11 dunks. The next closest Rams are McIntoche Alcius, Paul Davis, and Darrell Wonge who have each tallied three dunks.
Puckett's Buckets
Junior transfer Michael Puckett is as good, if not better, than advertised. Puckett has led the Rams in scoring in three of the last four games and has recorded six games this season where he has scored in double-figures (also the team leader).
Finally Held A Lead
The Rams' 67-61 win over
Come Back Kids
The Rams' come-from-behind 78-76 victory over the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M marked the largest deficit of the season that the Rams have been able to overcome. AAMU led the Rams by 19 points midway through the first half of play yet WSSU was able to battle back for a two-point victory. Prior to that come-from-behind win the Rams had overcome a previous high deficit of 15-points, a lead held by Lipscomb on November 10, 2007.
Giving Up Double-Doubles
The Rams have surrendered a double-double performance to an opponent eight times in 2007-08 and have posted a 3-5 record when doing so.
One Out Of Every Three
The Rams have taken 574 total shots from the field this season and have taken 197 three-point field goal attempts. The statistics indicate that the Rams shoot a three nearly 35 percent of the time (34.3 percent). This means that WSSU is taking a three-point shot in more than one out of every three attempts from the field.
Rebounding Still A Sore Spot
Despite the added height that was welcomed to the roster this season, the Rams are still having difficulty rebounding the basketball. WSSU is being out-boarded by their opponents by over eight rebounds per game as the Rams are staring at a -8.5 rebounding margin.
No Action In The Early Signing Period
The Rams have no scholarships available as WSSU added six newcomers this past off season. WSSU did not sign any student-athletes in the early signing period due to no scholarships being available.
Morris Not Redshirting
Early this season
In, But Not Completely
Though the Rams are considered a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) they are unable to compete for a championship until the 2009-10 season (per NCAA reclassification mandates). The Rams will play a full slate of MEAC games (18 conference games) but will be ineligible for a conference title, ineligible for postseason awards, and will not be listed in the MEAC statistics at seasons' end.
Movin' On Up
The Rams are currently in the third year of a five-year transition from the NCAA Division II level to the highest level of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level. In a drive to support rapid growth and attain higher visibility, the Board of Trustees at WSSU approved a plan for reclassification of the school's athletic programs to compete at the NCAA Division I level. WSSU, formerly a member of NCAA Division II and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) where they earned 10 conference titles and the 1967 National Championship, began the five-year reclassification process in 2005-06 and will complete the process in 2010-11.
Half-Dozen States
The 2007-08 WSSU men's basketball roster is comprised of team members from six different states. The Rams have nine players from
Increased Size
The Rams will benefit from increased height on the roster this season as all seven newcomers to the WSSU roster are at least 6'1" or taller. The Rams welcome the addition of a trio of players 6'8" (McIntoche Alcius at 6'8", Paul Davis at 6'9", and Corey Morris at 6'10") or taller and a pair of 6'4" guards (Vaudrey Funderburke and Michael Puckett) as well as adding the services of a 6'1" guard (Isiah Tucker).
Do It Again As Sophomores?
The 2006-07 WSSU Rams were led in scoring by freshmen 18 times. Darius Floyd led the Rams in scoring seven times and Brian Fisher led the Rams in scoring eleven times as first-year players combined for nearly 38 percent of the total offense from last season's team.
62nd Year
The Rams have turned in an overall record of 1058-626 over the span of 61 completed seasons of men's basketball competition for a winning percentage of 62.8%. The Rams have turned in 49 winning seasons and have recorded only 10 losing seasons.
National Champions
Under the tutelage of legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines and behind the play of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Earl "The Pearl"
The "House" That Gaines Built
Legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines coached at
Home Sweet Home
The Rams, a team that posted 23 road games last season, will benefit from 15 contests played in
