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The Match-up: The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team (5-3, 2-0 NEC) returns home to the Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ after three-straight road games, as they host the Drexel University Dragons (5-5, 2-0 CAA) on Saturday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The Knights hold a slim advantage in the all-time series against the Dragons, leading 5-4. The two teams last met in November 17, 2000, when the Knights won 97-87 in overtime. The last Drexel win came on Dec. 4, 1999, also in overtime (63-62). Four games in the nine game series have been decided by two points or less and the last two have reached extra frames.

Scouting the Opponent: The Dragons have won two-straight games and are tied with Northeastern and UNC Wilmington for the top spot in the CAA with a 2-0 record. The Dragons are 5-5 overall.

Drexel University guard Dominick Mejia was named this week's Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week after leading the Dragons to a pair of conference wins this week.

Mejia led the Dragons to a 61-42 upset victory against Old Dominion, the preseason favorite in the CAA. Mejia scored a career-high 27 points and made seven three-pointers in the victory. Earlier in the week, Mejia had 21 points in the team's victory against James Madison. He made 10 of his 12 shots from the free-throw line.

Mejia leads the team and is fourth in the CAA with a 15.6 scoring average. He also leads the team in three-pointers with 26 and is tied for third in the CAA in free-throw percentage (.833).

The Dragons have three additional players averaging double-digits, with Kenell Sanchez putting up 11.8 ppg, Bashir Mason recording 11.6 ppg and Frank Elegar posting 10.9 ppg.

Chaz Crawford is leading the team on the glass, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. Crawford also has 25 blocks on the season.

Against the Conference: The Knights are are 29-33 all-time against the Colonial Athletic Association, facing 11 of the 12 member teams, never having played only William and Mary.

The Knights hold winning record against the University of Delaware (1-0), Drexel (5-4), George Mason (2-1), Northeastern (10-9) and Towson (2-1).

Fairleigh Dickinson is 1-1 against Georgia State, James Madison, UNC- Wilmington and Virginia Commonwealth.

FDU is behind in the all-time series against Hofstra (5-13) and Old Dominion (0-1).

Last Time Out: Junior forward Andre Harris had a career-high 22 points en route to recording a double-double to lead the Knights past Mount St. Mary's (1-6,0-1 NEC), 71-68, at the Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, MD on Saturday afternoon.

Harris finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds, going 10-for-16 from the floor. Junior forward Michael Peeples recorded 11 points.

Both teams got off to a slow start in a first half that saw six ties. Sophomore guard Bernell Murray netted a shot from beyond the arc to tie up the game early on at 5-5, and hit another to give the Knights the lead (9-8).

The Mount scored eight straight points to take a 22-16 lead with 7:34 remaining in the half and took their biggest lead of the half, 25-18 with seven minutes remaining. But the Knights battled back as Peeples sank a three-pointer with just under six minutes remaining in the half to chip the Mount's lead to four,27-23.

Junior guard John Blackgrove hit a pair of shots from the line to chip the Mountaineers' lead down to only four again at 29-25, with under five minutes left until the break. Harris had a put-back to knot the score at 34-34 with under a minute and junior guard Wesly Wicks came off the bench to grab a big steal and net both of his free throws. Junior forward Charles Cook hit one of his trio of first-half treys to give Mount St. Mary's a slight 37-36 advantage but as the buzzer sounded, freshman guard Cameron Tyler went for a layup that put the Knights ahead entering the break, 38-37.

Harris powered the Knights in the second half, scoring six of the Knights' first seven points after the break, scoring 15 of his 22 after the intermission. Peeples sank a three to give the Knights a 53-48 edge with 11:25 remaining. The Knights built up a 63-55 lead with five minutes left to play after staging a 6-2 run, capped by a tip-in from junior forward Jordan Ingram.

But the Mountaineers climbed back into the game to make it a dramatic finish, as sophomore forward Gus Durr and sophomore guard Mychal Kearse each netted a pair of free throws to make it 68-66 with under a minute on the clock.

Tyler hit a free throw to give the Knights a three-point advantage, 69-66 but freshman guard Joey Butler hit a jumper in the lane to put the Mount within one.

Tyler grabbed a big defensive rebound off of Kearse's missed jumper and hit the front end of his free throws to put the Knights up 70-68. He grabbed the offensive rebound off his second attempt, which Harris picked up and was fouled with time winding down. Harris hit a shot from the line to make the final 71-68 with only two seconds remaining.

The Knights held the Mount scoreless from the field for six minutes in the second half, as the Mount scored five straight from the line. The Mount again dominated from the charity stripe, scoring eight of its' final 10 points of the game on free throws.

The Knights out-scored the Mount in the paint, 30-16, and gave themselves an advantage with 12 second chance points against the Mountaineers' four.

Harris Takes Control: Junior forward Andre Harris had a career-night on Dec. 10, leading the Knights' to their second conference win against Mount St. Mary's. He notched a double-double with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first 20-point game of his career.

Timberlake Joins the Ranks of the Elite: Senior guard Chad Timberlake notched 11 points in the loss at Seton Hall on Dec. 5 and in doing so recorded his 1,000th point as a Knight. He now has 1,007 points in his career at Fairleigh Dickinson and will be honored in a ceremony prior to tip-off at the Rothman Center against Drexel.

The NEC tipped off the 2005-06 season with two returning players already ensconced in the 1,000-point club (Landy Thompson, Mt. St. Mary's; Gordon Klaiber, FDU). A total of four NEC players reached the 1,000-point plateau last year to raise membership to 122 since the league began sponsoring basketball in 1981.

D-Fense!: The Knights had more steals than Seton Hall (8-6), fewer turnovers (11-18) and more assists (12-10). Although they were out-rebounded

Coach Green's Take on the Game vs. Seton Hall: "I wish the game could have ended after the first 32 minutes," said Head Coach Tom Green. "We didn't come ready to play for 40 minutes."

"In the first half we controlled the game trying keep our play up-tempo and working off the transition or finding good shots. We made a lot of silly mistakes and put a good free throw shooting team on the line and really didn't execute the way we should have in the second half. "

"We had seven less turnovers but if you look at the rebounding, they had six more offensive boards and that negates anything we do," said Green. "Offensive boards have been our nemesis and we need to do a better job on the glass."

Deadly Duo: There are seven duos in the NEC who combine to average at least 25 points per game (see chart below), including seniors Chad Timberlake and Gordon Klaiber.

School 	Players (PPG) 	TotalPPG
SHU 	Trim (18.7)/ Frye (16.6)	35.3
SFPA	Benton (17.0)/ Enright (12.6)	29.6
CCSU	Chiera (15.7)/ Nwadike (13.0)	28.7
RMU	Jackson (15.5)/ Chappell (11.3)	26.8
LIU	Williams (14.4)/ Jones (11.6)	26.0
FDU	Klaiber (13.2)/ Timberlake (12.2)	25.4
WAG	Porter (12.7)/ Vinson (12.7)	25.4

Welcome Back: Of the top-10 scorers in the NEC thus far in 2005-06, only two - Long Island senior James Williams and FDU senior forward Gordon Klaiber - finished in the top-10 a year ago.

Klaiber On the Move: A two-time first team all-NEC selection, Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon Klaiber will look to put a stamp on his career in 2005-06 as he attempts to lead the Knights to back-to-back conference championships. He entered the season as the NEC's leading active rebounder and second-leading scorer and currently has recorded 1,221 points and 551 boards in his career.

He is just the ninth player in FDU history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and is on pace to become just the 23rd player in NEC annals to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds and ninth player to hit 1,500 points and 750 rebounds.

Murray Steps Up: Sophomore guard Bernell Murray scored eight of his ten points in the second overtime period to lead the Knights to victory against Canisius. He scored eight of the Knights' 11 points in the last five minutes, netting two free throws before sinking back-to-back three-pointers.

Career Production: Sophomore guard Bernell Murray grabbed a career-high four steals. Junior forward Michael Peeples had an outstanding night, notching a career-high 18 points on a career-high seven made field goals. He tied his career-highs of two blocks, four assists and two three-point field goals.

In the Extra Period: The Knights' double-overtime victory against Canisius was their first game with extra periods this season. They are now 1-0 in games that go into extra time and averaged 7.5 points per extra frame.

Double Down: In four of the last six games, four or more Knights have finished in double-digits and in four of the last seven at least one Knight has grabbed double-digit rebounds.

Running Away With It: The 46-point win against Dowling was the Knights' largest margin of victory since defeating Hunter, 109-49, on February 22, 1964.

Clearing the Glass: Junior forward Andre Harris entered the half against Dowling with 10 rebounds, breaking his previous career-high of nine and finishing the game with a team-high 11 total boards.

Team Effort: All 11 players that dressed for the game against Dowling put points on the board. Nine Knights had scored going into the half and five players notched double-digit points.

Get By with a Little Help: The bench provided 42 points against Dowling and was the team's second-straight game with 40 or more points coming off the bench.

He's Honored: Freshman Cameron Tyler was named the Northeast Conference Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21.

The six-foot freshman guard came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the floor, to go along with three rebounds and a game-high six assists in 36 minutes of work.

Taking Charity: In his first seven games, freshman guard Cameron Tyler was sent to the charity stripe 44 times, hitting 36 of those for an 81.8 percentage.

Michael Peeples, John Blackgrove and Eric Hazard have made fewer trips to the line, but all three are averaging 80 percent or better as Peeples has made 8-of-10 (80%), Blackgrove netted 7-of-8 (87.5%) and Hazard has made 4-of-5 (80%).

Starting Off Right: After recording 20 points or more in eight games last season, as well as three games with 30 or more points, Gordon Klaiber was able to score a team-high 20 points against Maryland, a top-25 team known for its pressure defense.

Big Man on Campus: In the Knights74-58 victory over Lousiana-Monroe, junior Andrea Crosariol logged his first double-double of the season. Crosariol's 18-point, 11-rebound performance in 34 minutes of action proved to be the difference in the game as the 7-foot, 260 lbs. center out of Albano T., Italy shot 8-14 from the floor, was a perfect 2-2 from the line and grabbed seven of his 11 boards on the offensive end. Last season, Crosariol had two double-doubles all year.

FDU Chosen to Participate in ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday: Fairleigh Dickinson has been chosen to represent the Northeast Conference in the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday on February 18, 2006. It marks the first time an NEC institution has been tabbed to participate in the event, which pits potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other three weeks prior to Selection Sunday and will feature 11 nationally televised games selected from an expanded pool of 100 teams representing 18 conferences.

"We're proud to have Fairleigh Dickinson represent the NEC in this year's Bracket Buster field," said John Iamarino, NEC Commissioner. "FDU's strong effort vs. Illinois in the NCAA Tournament is a good example of how the Knights have historically played well against good non-conference competition."

Fairleigh Dickinson, the defending NEC champion, will play on the road, but will not learn of its opponent until late January, approximately three weeks prior to the event. As part of the agreement, all 11 of the Bracket Buster Saturday home teams, as well as the remaining 39 home squads competing in non-televised contests, will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

The Bracket Buster has expanded each of the last three years, with 18 teams participating in the inaugural 2003 event, 46 in 2004 and 64 in 2005. The selection of the 11 games to be televised will be made by ESPN, in consultation with commissioners of the participating conferences.

Fairleigh Dickinson captured its fourth NEC title in 2005, all of which have come under 23rd year head coach Tom Green, the winningest coach in NEC regular season and postseason history.

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Knights played top-seed and eventual national runner-up Illinois to a first-half standstill, gaining instant recognition before a nationwide audience in a 12-point defeat.

Collegehoops.net Predicts: The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team has been projected to win the 2005-06 Northeast Conference (NEC) championship by Collegehoops.net and is listed at No. 142 in their top 144 teams in 144 days college basketball preview. Collegehoops.net is a leading independent college basketball website.

Next Time Up: Fairleigh Dickinson will play at St. Peter's in Jersey City, NJ on Thursday, December 22 at 7:00 p.m.

NEC Preseason Poll: With three returning starters, including two preseason all-NEC picks, defending tournament champion Fairleigh Dickinson has been chosen as the 2005-06 NEC men's basketball preseason favorite, according to a vote of the league's head coaches. The preseason rankings, along with the league's preseason all-conference team, were announced during a media teleconference with coaches on Wednesday as a prelude to the NEC's 25th anniversary season.

Looking to become the first league team since Rider in 1993 and 1994 to repeat as NEC champion, Fairleigh Dickinson earned nine of a possible ten first place votes from league head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Monmouth, last year's NEC regular season champion, finished tied for second in the poll with Wagner, which reached the 2005 NEC title game. The Seahawks received one first place vote, as did Long Island, which was picked fourth. Central Connecticut State and St. Francis (NY) finished tied for fifth in the poll, followed by Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis (PA), Robert Morris and Sacred Heart.

This marks the first time in 12 years and the third time in school history that Fairleigh Dickinson has been selected the NEC's preseason favorite by league head coaches.

Under the tutelage of 23rd year head coach Tom Green, the Fairleigh Dickinson program has captured four NEC championships, and has performed admirably in subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances on each occasion. Last March, the Knights trailed top-seeded Illinois by a single point at halftime before eventually succumbing, 67-55.

The Knights captured the 2005 NEC Tournament championship and earned the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1998. After finishing the regular season in second place, Fairleigh Dickinson defeated St. Francis NY (78-60), Long Island (70-62) and Wagner (58-52), all at home, to win the league crown.

Preseason Predictions: Five leading college basketball publications have selected the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team as the favorite to win the 2006 Northeast Conference title and return to the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, all five have tabbed senior forward Gordon Klaiber as the Preseason Player of the Year while two other Knights earned preseason all-conference honors.

The Knights were selected to capture first place in the Northeast Conference in Sporting News College Basketball preview. Sporting News also picked Klaiber to the Preseason All-Conference First Team and Player of the Year.

Fairleigh Dickinson was picked for a first-place finish in Athlon Sports and Street & Smith's College Basketball previews as well. In Street and Smith's forecast, Klaiber was selected to the All-NEC team and was tabbed as the top player in the conference. Athlon picked both Klaiber and senior guard Chad Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY) to the All-Conference First Team and projected Klaiber to earn Player of the Year honors.

In the conference breakdown done by CBS Sportsline.com, FDU was chosen to finish at the top of the NEC. In the preseason picks, Timberlake and Klaiber were slotted in the first team, while Klaiber was tabbed as the Player of the Year.

In Lindy's Basketball preview, Fairleigh Dickinson was predicted to take first place in the conference and both Klaiber and Timberlake were selected to the All-Conference First Teams. Junior center Andrea Crosariol (Abano T., Italy) was honored with a second team prediction. Timberlake was given the superlative of "Most Versatile" in the magazine's honor roll and Klaiber was selected as the "Best NBA Prospect".

Knights in the NCAA Tournament: In their three previous trips to the NCAA Tournament (1985, 1988, 1998), all under current Head Coach Tom Green, the Knights have given each of their first round opponents a scare, but fell short.

	NCAA Tournament History
	2005 #1 Illinois 67, #16 FDU55
	1998#2 UConn 93, #15 FDU 85
	1988#1 Purdue 94, #16 FDU 79
	1985#1 Michigan 59, #16 FDU 55

Knights for 20: The NEC Tournament Championship game victory over Wagner (3/9) gave the Knights their 20th win of 2004-05 Fairleigh Dickinson has reached the 20-win mark seven times, six times under current Head Coach Tom Green. The last time the Knights had won 20 was in 1997-98 when they finished 23-7 and made their last NCAA Tournament appearance.

Climbing the Ladder:Gordon Klaiber now has 115 blocks during his career, good for sixth place all-time at FDU. Next up in fifth place is Jamie Latney (`88) who recorded 117. He is only the fourth player in program history to reach 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks. Andrea Crosariol has already cracked the top 10 all time with 101 blocks.

	Career Blocks
	4. Jonas Sinding `01		127
	5. Jaime Latney `88		117
	6. Gordon Klaiber `06	115
	7. Wendell Brereton `92	114
	8. Andrea Crosariol `07	101
	9. Jemo King `99		81
	10. Chris Ekwe `01		73

Klaiber for Three: With 120 career three-pointers, Gordon Klaiber has cracked the top 10 all-time at FDU in that category, leaping to number eight all-time. Next up is Marcus Whitaker (`04) in seventh place with 124.

	Career Three-Pointers Made
	4.	Charlie Roberts `89	144
	5.	Antwan Dasher `95	142
	6.	Elijah Allen `98		134
	7. 	Marcus Whitaker `04	124
	8. 	Gordon Klaiber `06	120

Pick-Pocket: Chad Timberlake now has 119 career steals, moving him into sixth place all-time at FDU. Next up to pass is Charlie Roberts (`89) with 120.

	Career Steals
	5.	Charlie Roberts `89	120
	6.	Chad Timberlake `06	119
	7.	Jaime Latney `88	113