LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds: 18-16, 10-8 in the Northeast Conference
Head coach: Derek Kellogg (1st season)
Players to watch: Joel Hernandez (20.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.9 APG); Raiquan Clark (17.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG); Jashaun Agosto (11.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.1 APG)
Season recap: LIU Brooklyn punched its seventh ticket to the NCAA tournament in school history when it secured the Northeast Conference title March 6. The Blackbirds are 0-6 in tournament history, and seem unlikely to win their first ever game in March Madness despite a miraculous run in their conference tournament.
Kellogg’s squad can flat out score. LIU Brooklyn averages the second most points per game in its conference and plays at the fastest pace. Unfortunately, the Blackbirds’ defense is as porous as its offense is potent—they are No. 284 in the country and second-to-last in the Northeast Conference in points allowed per game. This offense-defense inequity has certainly resulted in a tumultuous season.
Clark and Hernandez compose the most dangerous pair of scorers in the conference, and collectively averaged 47.0 points per game in LIU Brooklyn’s run in its conference tournament. The redshirt senior and junior, respectively, overwhelmed their top-seeded rivals in Wagner with 52 points on 64.3 percent shooting in their title-game victory.
How they make a run: Although it is extremely unlikely that the Blackbirds make any sort of noise in the tournament, perhaps the dynamic duo of Clark and Hernandez catch fire offensively, as they did in the Northeast Conference championship game.
How they falter: Considering LIU Brooklyn is quite possibly the worst team in the NCAA Tournament—it is No. 258 in Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings and No. 232 in RPI—it is nearly impossible to imagine the Blackbirds doing anything but failing to make it out alive of their first game.
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