Game 1: Manhattan (0-0) vs. #2 Louisville (0-0)
Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 4 p.m.
KFC Yum! Center (22,000) - Louisville, Ky.
Televised Live on WHAS (Louisville), ESPN3, ESPN Full Court, SNY, MASN
Scouting Report
Manhattan (0-0)
Manhattan returns its entire starting line up from the program's 21-win campaign last year under Steve Masiello, who was in his first season at the helm. The Jaspers are led by two-time All-MAAC guard George Beamon, who garnered First Team honors in 2011-2012. Beamon is the MAAC's reigning scoring champion averaging 19.0 points per game last season.
The Jaspers' offense will be run by junior point guard Michael Alvarado, who has been a mainstay in the starting line up since his arrival in Riverdale. Alvarado is regarded as one of the premier point guards in the conference. He was a Third Team All-MAAC selection last year who averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists.
Graduate student Roberto Colonette and Rhamel Brown are expected to anchor the Jaspers' post production. Colonette is a 6'7", 210-pound forward who averaged 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and nearly one block in 18.1 minutes per game last year.
Brown is a co-captain with Beamon and Alvarado. He was named the 2011-12 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6'7", 230-pound forward from Brooklyn is one of the top shot blockers in the country. ESPN.com ranked Brown 7th overall in the category last year after he averaged 2.47 rejections per contest, which led the MAAC.
Sophomore forward Emmy Andujar is also expected to make a big impact in 2012-2013 coming off a MAAC All-Rookie campaign. Andujar led Manhattan in assists (105) and rebounding (189) last year, while averaging 8.5 points.
The Jaspers welcome seven newcomers to the program. Manhattan's 2012-13 roster has been described by Masiello as one of the deepest he has been around as a coach and player.
#2 Louisville (0-0)
The Cardinals return 61% of their scoring from the 2011-2012 team that advanced to the Final Four. Louisville has garnered a preseason No. 2 ranking and was picked to win the Big East according to the league's annual Coaches' Poll.
Big East Preseason Player of the Year Peyton Siva was joined on the First Team by Cards' junior center Gorgui Dieng. Siva, a senior point guard from Seattle, averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 assists in 38 starts last season. Siva also was tabbed Preseason All America First Team by the 2012-13 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
Dieng, a 6'11" 245-pound native of Senegal, also averaged 9.1 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds last year. He swatted 128 shots starting in all 40 games last year.
Junior guard Russ Smith is the Cards' top returning scorer with the graduation of Kyle Kuric (12.6 ppg). Smith came off the bench in 32 of 39 appearances and averaged 11.5 points per game. He led Louisville with 87 steals and knocked down a team-high 110 free-throws (attempted 144, 76.4%).
Chane Behanan is expected to be a force on the interior again after averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as a freshman.
Louisville was 32nd in the nation last year allowing only 61.0 points per game. The Cardinals were also 7th nationally in steals (8.8).
