No. 8 Richard Bland Welcomes Pitt (N.C.) CC On Thursday Night
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College will host Region X Conference member Pitt (N.C.) Community College in men's basketball on Thursday night, January 19 at 7 p.m. in Statesman Hall. The nationally-ranked Statesmen, No. 8 in this week's NJCAA Division II Top 20 Poll, feature an overall record of 14-3, including 7-1 in Region X, with 10 wins in their last 11 games played. The visiting Bulldogs are 8-6 overall, 5-5 in Region X, with three consecutive wins and four wins in their last five games played.
It's Back to School Night for all Richard Bland College students, sponsored by Bojangles'. The first 100 students in attendance will receive a Bojangles' gift card ranging from $1-$100, while the contest will feature special giveaways before and during the game, as well as at halftime. Admission is free to all Richard Bland home games, and the contest can be heard locally on WHAP Radio, Fox Sports 1340 AM.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 8 Richard Bland (14-3, 7-1) vs. Pitt (N.C.) CC (8-6, 5-5)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017
Time: 7 p.m.
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM | Via Phone: 641-552-5316
Live Stats: rbcathetics.com
Location: Statesman Hall
Series History: 5-2
Scouting the Statesmen
No. 8 Richard Bland is 14-3 overall after a 92-66 home win past Fayetteville Technical (N.C.) Community College on Jan. 16. The Statesmen, who are an outstanding 88-28 (.759) over the past four seasons, are coached by head coach Chuck Moore, who is in his fourth season, and assisted by fourth-year assistant coach Brian Henderson, second-year assistant coach Preston Beverly and first-year graduate assistant coach Mike Wynn.
Through 17 games, Richard Bland has been led in scoring by local 6-3 sophomore guard Gevon Arrington/Petersburg, who is averaging 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is followed by 6-4 sophomore guard Deandre Clark/Orange, who is averaging 12.1 points (43 3FGs), 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while 6-9 sophomore center Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina is averaging 11.6 points (66 FG%), 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks with eight double-doubles. Richard Bland is averaging 82.6 points per game, while allowing just 67.6 points to opponents for a scoring margin of +15.0.
Scouting Pitt
Pitt is 8-6 overall after a 91-73 home win past Catawba Valley (N.C.) Community College on Jan. 15, and is coached by fifth-year head coach Darrick Mullins. The Bulldogs have three players averaging double-figure points, including local freshman Deonte Jones/Hopewell (18.8), sophomore Jaiquan Manning (13.9) and sophomore Chris Smith (11.0). Pitt also averages 82.6 points, while allowing 79.4 points to opponents for a scoring margin of +3.2.
Series History
Richard Bland and Pitt have played seven times previously in the sport of men's basketball, and the Statesmen lead the series, 5-2. Richard Bland won the first meeting between the two schools this season by a score of 80-57 back on November 30, 2016 in Winterville, North Carolina. Gevon Arrington led the way in that contest with a game-high 20 points, while local 6-0 sophomore guard Myles Markland/Petersburg added 11 points. The Statesmen and Bulldogs split a pair of close games last season, each winning on their respective home court … Richard Bland by a score of 83-80 on January 20, 2016 in Statesman Hall after Pitt had won 94-93 on December 2, 2015 in North Carolina.
Total Team Effort
Richard Bland has three players who are scoring at least 11.6 points per game, and five others who are scoring at least 5.4 points, while five more average between 2.6 and 4.8 points, respectively. The extremely balanced Statesmen feature all 13 team members who are averaging at least 10.2 minutes, including four who are playing at least 21.9 minutes, while the other nine are averaging between 10.2 and 14.2 minutes, respectively.
Among the National Leaders
Richard Bland is ranked seventh in NJCAA Division II rebounding (46.1), 13th in blocks (5.1), 23rd in steals (10.6), 28th in assists (18.1) and 39th in scoring (82.6). Jaquan Wooten is ranked seventh nationally in blocks (3.0), 10th in field goal percentage (78-119, 65.5%) and 25th in rebounding (9.3). Freshman Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York is ranked 39th nationally in assists (4.9) and 44th in steals (2.3).
2015 NJCAA Division II National Champions
Richard Bland won the 2015 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship, defeating John Wood (Ill.) Community College 64-53 on March 21, 2015 at the Mary Miller Gymnasium on the campus of Danville Community College in Danville, Illinois. The Statesmen finished their most memorable storybook 2014-15 campaign with a school-record of 32-4, winning the national title in only their second year back in action following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports at Richard Bland College.
Up Next
Richard Bland will play three-straight Region X road games to complete the month of January, beginning at Bryant & Stratton College this Sunday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. in Norfolk, followed by a game at Patrick Henry Community College next Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Martinsville, before playing at Guilford Technical (N.C.) Community College on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. in Jamestown, North Carolina.