Richard Bland Plays Fayetteville Tech (N.C.) In Semifinal On Friday
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland, the No. 3 seed for the 2018 NJCAA Region 10 Men's Basketball Tournament, will play No. 7 Fayetteville Tech (N.C.) in a tournament semifinal contest on Friday, March 9, at 2 p.m. at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Statesmen have an overall record of 21-8, while the Trojans have an overall record of 17-12. The winner advances to the region's championship contest on Saturday, March 10, at 1 p.m. in Pinehurst.
The contest can be heard locally on WHAP Radio, Fox Sports 1340 AM.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 3 Richard Bland (21-8)
vs. No. 7 Fayetteville Tech (17-12)
Date: Friday, March 9, 2018
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Pinehurst, North Carolina
Live Video: Sandhills CC
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM
Via Phone: 641-552-5316
Series History: 2-1
Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland is 21-8 overall after an 84-78 home win past No. 6 Wake Tech (N.C.) in a quarterfinal game on March 4. The Statesmen are coached by fifth-year head coach Chuck Moore, who has led the program to an outstanding record of 125-39 (.762) during his tenure. Moore is now 173-55 (.759) in seven seasons of junior college coaching, and is assisted at Richard Bland by third-year assistant coach Preston Beverly.
Through 29 games, Richard Bland has been led in scoring by sophomore guard Robert Smith/Hampton, who is averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. He is followed by sophomore guard Tim Bing Jr./Suitland, Maryland, who is averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, while local sophomore forward Stanley Taylor/Petersburg is averaging 10.3 points and 7.2 rebounds. Richard Bland is averaging 87.9 points per game, while allowing 77.2 points to opponents for a scoring margin of +10.7.
Scouting the Trojans
Fayetteville Tech is 17-12 overall after a 107-100 win past No. 2 Bryant & Stratton in a quarterfinal on March 4, and is coached by Brian Hurd. The Trojans have been led in scoring by freshmen Jabari Bowman (15.7) and Nicolas Kuhns (13.8), along with sophomore Jonathan Adams (11.2). FTCC averages 93.1 points, while yielding 86.3 points for a scoring margin of +6.8.
Series History
Richard Bland and Fayetteville Tech are playing for just the fourth time, and the Statesmen lead the young series, 2-1, including a split of two games this season. Richard Bland dropped a 98-86 decision at Fayetteville Tech on December 13. Robert Smith led the Statesmen with 22 points, while Tristen Rodriguez scored 32 points for the Trojans. Richard Bland took a 114-95 victory at home against FTCC on February 23. Sophomore guard Tre' Patterson/Richmond led the Statesmen with 21 points, while Nicolas Kuhns led the Trojans with 25 points.
125 Wins | Five Years
The quarterfinal victory against Wake Tech was the 125th overall win for Richard Bland in men's basketball (125-39) since the program was reinstated at the College in 2013, following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports. The Statesmen won the 2015 NJCAA Division II National Championship, finishing their most memorable storybook 2014-15 season with a school-record of 32-4, while winning the national title in only their second year back in action following the 20-year break. Richard Bland advanced to the NJCAA Division II Final Four a year ago, as well, its second such effort in three years, completing the 2016-17 season with a record of 30-6.
Among the National Leaders
Richard Bland is ranked sixth in NJCAA Division II rebounding (47.9), 11th in assists (20.1), 23rd in steals (10.0) and 24th in scoring (87.9). Sophomore guard Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York is ranked 31st nationally in assists (5.3) and 50th in assist/turnover ratio (2.5).
All-Region 10 Honors
Robert Smith was selected to the 2017-18 All-Region 10 Men's Basketball First Team, Tim Bing Jr. was named to the All-Region Second Team, and Stanley Taylor was named to the All-Region Third Team.
2018 Region 10 Tournament Semifinals, Friday, March 9 at Sandhills (N.C.) Community College
12 p.m. / No. 1 Louisburg vs. No. 4 Pitt
2 p.m. / No. 3 Richard Bland vs. No. 7 Fayetteville Tech
2018 Region 10 Tournament Championship, Saturday, March 10, 1 p.m. at Sandhills (N.C.) Community College
Up Next
Region 10 will advance two schools to the 33rd Annual NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament March 20-24 at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Illinois. Louisburg has already qualified as the regular season champion, and if Richard Bland advances to the final against the Hurricanes, the Statesmen will advance to the national tournament regardless of the outcome. If Louisburg is upset in the semifinal, Richard Bland would need to win the region tournament this weekend in North Carolina to qualify for the national tournament.