Papa John's Bulldog Bash Information
Tournament Website (All Links) | Day 1 Tickets | Day 2 Tickets
PARKING ADVISORY: Due to the candlelight services on campus this weekend (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun.), parking on the Avenue of Remembrance, Jenkins Ave. and Lee Avenue will be unavailable for the Papa John's Bulldog Bash. Fans are encouraged to park in marked spaces along Wilson Ave. on the north end of campus, behind Daes Hall, next to W.L. I. Field, and in lots along Richardson Ave. on the south end of campus. Plan to arrive early and don't miss a minute of the action!
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel basketball team returns home this weekend and opens a stretch of three home games over a five-day span, beginning with the Papa John's Bulldog Bash this Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2.
Included in the field will be Marist, Army West Point and UMBC. The Bulldogs will open the tournament with a 3 p.m. tilt against the Red Foxes of Marist on Friday before the Black Knights and Retrievers tangle at 5 p.m. The losers of those two games will then play at 3 p.m. on Saturday with the winners facing off at 5 p.m. Saturday to close out the tournament.
The two games featuring The Citadel will air on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. Live stats will be available for all four contests via CitadelSports.com.
Friday's game against the Red Foxes of Marist will mark the first time the Bulldogs and Marist have tangled on the hardwood.
A member of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Marist enters Friday's game 0-6 on the year, including games against Army West Point, West Virginia, Nebraska and Oregon State. The Red Foxes have averaged 67.5 points per game while giving up 81.2 per contest (-13.7 margin). Despite the low scoring, Marist has hit on 43.3% (140-of-323) of their shots from the field, but they have only converted 45 of their 142 attempts (.317) from three-point range, an average of 7.5 three-pointers per game. The Red Foxes have been losing the rebounding battle to opponents by nearly 8.0 per game (-7.8) and have lost the turnover margin, committing 4.9 more per game than their opposition (100-71).
The Red Foxes have been led in scoring by Brian Parker's 16.3 points per game and David Knudsen's 12.2 points per contest. Knudsen leads the team with 13 three-pointers on the year and has connected on 57.4% (27-of-47) of his attempts from the field. Under the hoop, Aleksandar Dozic and Parker lead the team with 5.0 and 4.3 rebounds per game respectively. The Red Foxes' starting five in each of the first six games have included Parker, Knudsen and Dozic as well as Ryan Funk and Tobias Sjoberg.
Should The Citadel and Army West Point play on Saturday, it would mark the 10th meeting between the two programs dating back to the 1986-87 season. It would be the first meeting since the 2013-14 campaign. The Citadel holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series with the two splitting the last four games. Army won the last meeting 84-69 in the All-Military Classic in Lexington, Virginia, on Nov. 9, 2013. The series is tied 2-2 in Charleston with Army claiming the last meeting inside McAlister field House 63-55 on Dec. 2, 2006.
Army West Point enters the Bulldog Bash 3-2 on the year. Most recently, the Black Knights out of the Patriot League dropped a 77-71 decision at Niagara on Monday, Nov. 27. The loss to the Purple Eagles snapped a three-game winning streak that saw the Knights average 91.3 points per game against John Jay College, Marist and Columbia. The Black Nights are currently averaging 83.8 points per game while allowing just 69.6 (+14.2 turnover margin). They have shot 48.2% (164-of-340) to this point of the season while holding opponents to 37.4% (119-of-318) shooting. 55 of Army's field goals have been three-pointers and the Black Knights enter the weekend shooting 43.7% (55-of-126) from long range. So far this season, the Knights have lost the turnover battle 71-67 (-0.8), but are 2-1 in games where they have lost the turnover battle.
20 different players have suited up for Army West Point so far this season with Jordan Fox and Matt Wilson leading the way. The duo has averaged 20.6 and 14.0 points per game respectively and are averaging 28.2 and 26.8 minutes per game. Wilson also leads the team in rebounding, corralling in 8.2 boards per contest and has recorded a double-double in the Knights' last two outings. The Black Knights' starting five in the first five games have included Wilson and Fox as well as Jacob Kessler, Luke Morrison and Tommy Funk.
Should The Citadel and UMBC play on Saturday, it would mark just the third meeting between the two programs dating back to the 1986 season. The series is currently split, 1-1 with the Retrievers claiming the last meeting 120-111 last season (Dec. 19, 2016). The Bulldogs took the first meeting 64-61 on Dec. 8, 1986. Each team won on its own home court.
The Retrievers of UMBC enter the Bulldog Bash 4-3 on the year with wins over Central Penn, Chicago State, Nicholls State and Shenandoah, all at home. The Retrievers, who are on a three-game winning streak, have also played the likes of SMU, Arizona and Colgate, all on the road. They most recently defeated Shenandoah 88-59 at home on Monday, Nov. 27. Through the first seven games, UMBC has averaged 83.9 points per game while allowing 79.4 to their opposition (+4.4). While the Retrievers have shot 47.5% (197-of-415) from the field, they have allowed foes to hit on 49.5% (200-404) of their field goal attempts. UMBC is fifth in the nation in three-point field goals made with 88, an average of 12.6 per contest. The Retrievers have connected on 44.2% (84-of-190) of their attempts from long range.
Five players are currently averaging double-digit points, but only three have played in all seven games. Jairus Lyles leads the team with 19.7 points per game, but did not play on Monday after starting the first six contests. Behind Lyles, Arkel Lamar averages 16.3 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game in seven starts. Jourdan Grant, Joe Sherburne and K.J. Maura all average around 10.0 points per game with Maura earning his first start of the season on Monday in Lyles' absence. Lamar, Grant, Max Curran and Nolan Gerrity have started all seven games for the Retrievers.
Following the Bulldog Bash, The Citadel will close out the stretch of three home games in five days by hosting James Madison on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Tipoff against the Dukes will be at 6 p.m. inside McAlister Field House and will air on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. The game against JMU is being billed as Holy City Night.
For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.
