Men’s Basketball to Travel to No. 19 Connecticut (Nov. 17; 7 p.m.) – SNY – ESPN3

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team aims for its second straight win against No. 19 University of Connecticut Huskies on Tuesday, Nov. 17 (7 p.m.) at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on SportsNet New York and ESPN3.

Cat Facts

The Wildcats defeated Lyndon State College, 82-45, in the season opener Friday, Nov. 13.
Four scorers recorded double-digit numbers led by Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) tallied career highs in scoring (15) and rebounds (20) in 30 minutes of action in his sophomore debut.
Coach Bill Herrion is one-win shy of being tied for second on the program's all-time coaching win's list.
The Wildcats scored 51 points in the first half en-route to the victory.

The State of New Hampshire
New Hampshire enters the game off an 82-45 win over Division III Lyndon State College on Friday, Nov. 13 at Lundholm Gymnasium. Sophomore Camara recorded career highs in points (15) and rebounds (20) in 30 minutes of action. Classmate Leissner finished with 21 points (7 of 12) and 10 boards.

The Wildcat offense found its groove shooting 47.7 percent (31 of 65) from the field for the largest scoring output since Feb. 7 of last year when they defeated UMBC, 80-46, at home. Four scorers finished in double figures for the 'Cats as junior Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) and freshman Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) finished with 11 points each.

To begin the season the last seven years, UNH had won six straight from 2008 to 2013 before being toppled by Boston College on Nov. 14, 2014 in a 58-50 defeat on the road.

Scouting The Huskies
Connecticut is coming off a 100-56 win over America East rival University of Maine (Nov. 13) at Gampel Pavilion. Four starters finished with double-digit scoring, led by guard Sterling Gibbs who scored 20 points. Center Amida Brimah finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and nine blocks and controlled the paint as the team held a 54-22 paint-scoring advantage. Forward Shonn Miller tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action while guard Rodney Purvis finished with 10 points.

UConn is coming off its fifth consecutive 20-win season and the team also participated in the NIT in 2014-15. In October, the team was selected to finish No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll with 87 points. Freshman guard Jalen Adams was selected as the league's Preseason Rookie of the Year, while Daniel Hamilton, Brimah and Gibbs earned spots on the Preseason All-Conference teams.

Kevin Ollie leads the Huskies in his fourth season with an impressive 73-33 record at the helm. He is ranked sixth on UConn's all-time coaching wins' list.

All-Time Series
UConn holds a 92-25 record all-time against UNH. Most recently, the Wildcats fell on Nov. 29, 2012 in a 61-53 loss on the road. New Hampshire last toppled the Huskies on Jan. 9, 1983 in Durham in a 76-72 decision.

Scoring Jump
As Leissner and Smith averaged 10 + points a game a year ago, the Wildcat offense went from last place in the conference in 2013-14 (57.8 ppg) to first in the conference in 2014-15 (67.1 ppg). The +9.3 scoring increase ranks first of all the most improved Division I teams from a season ago, where the 'Cats finished tied for sixth for most improved team with +13 wins.

Casual Camara
Forward Camara scored career-highs in scoring and rebounding to open the 2015-16 season. His 15-point and 20-rebound stat line earned him America East Player of the Week honors on Nov. 16. Last season, the Senegal native averaged 10.6 minutes per game with 3.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He made eight starts, including all three postseason games last year where his numbers jumped to 20.7 minutes, 6.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Locked In Leissner
Leissner added a fifth career double-double after the win in the season opener and matched his career-high scoring output with 21 points. A season ago, the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year averaged 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The Texas native shot 44.8 percent from the field (117 of 161) and 35.1 percent from beyond the arc (26 of 74). He led the team with 19 blocks and 32.1 minutes per game.

Zeroed In
Smith nearly notched a triple-double (two rebounds shy) in the season opener last Friday. The stat line was his second-career double-double and the first where he used the assists column.
The 2015 All-Championship Team member started in all 32 games for UNH last year and ranked second in both scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg). He paced the team in assists with 2.8 per game. At the guard position, he ranked third in blocks with 11 and was the only guard with more than two.

Wildcat Captains
Smith, junior forward Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas) and junior guard Joe Bramanti (Andover, Mass.) bring the leadership to the Wildcats this season. Bramanti returns to captaincy following last year's leadership produced a balanced team. Smith and Armstrong join Bramanti in their junior seasons, all with UNH, with a combined 3,000+ minutes of game time.

Strong Play
Armstrong ranked third in scoring in 2014-15, averaging 9.9 points per game. His 4.1 rebounds a game ranks third for the Wildcats and he was an efficient scorer with a 51.5 percent rate from the field, ranking sixth in the conference. Starting 26 of 32 games played, a reliable Armstrong could push the 'Cats to a deep playoff run.

Herrion Wins Again
Herrion has compiled a New Hampshire overall record of 118-181 throughout his 11 years. With two more victories, Herrion will overtake William Cowell (1916-1928) and rank second for most wins as a UNH men's basketball coach. Gerry Friel (1969-89) totaled 185 wins throughout his 20 season career, ranking first for the program.

Look Ma, I'm On TV
The Wildcats are set to play on five ESPN3 games, two at home, and three television games in 2015-16. Additionally, New Hampshire will play on SportsNet New York (SNY) when they take on the University of Connecticut (Nov. 17; 7 p.m.), WBIN Classics and Fox College Sports on Dec. 19 (1 p.m.) against Dartmouth College in Lundholm and lastly Fox College Sports on Jan. 16 (1 p.m.) against Stony Brook University in Durham. The ESPN3 contests will be at Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.), at Boston College (Dec. 30; 2 p.m.), at UMass Lowell (Jan. 21; 7 p.m.), against the University of Vermont (Jan. 27; 7 p.m.) and against the University of Albany (Feb. 11; 7 p.m.).

New 'Cats in Town
New Hampshire welcomes four newcomers to the roster this season. Guard Andrew Dotson (Arlington, Texas) was the 2014-15 District Offensive MVP in his area during his senior year, averaging 20.3 points per game. McNamara averaged 18 points per game in his senior season and was a regional champion, and All-Conference and All-Area selection. Sophomore guard Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) is a transfer from Rice University and played in 12 games but will have to sit out this season. The final freshman is forward David Watkins (Dorchester, Mass.) who was a top-30 player in New England last year. He received the most valuable player award in both junior and senior season at Brimmer and May School.

Graduation Success Rate
The Wildcats received a perfect GSR of 100 percent in the NCAA report released on Nov. 4. Men's basketball was one of four New Hampshire programs that had the unblemished rating. The team was tied for first in the America East conference against other basketball teams in the conference. All 20 athletic programs as a whole recorded a GSR of 90 percent.

The Lone Star State
UNH has seven individuals from the state of Texas. Smith, Dotson, Armstrong, guard Daniel Dion (Cedar Park), Reed, Leissner and guard Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio) all chose the chilly New England weather over the hot lone star state.

2014-15 America East Award Winners
Joining Leissner, Armstrong was an America East All-Conference Third Team member with Matt Miller who now joins the coaching staff. Bramanti was an All-Defensive Team selection and Smith was named to the All-Championship Team for his play during the tournament.

Miller Moves On
After Miller was denied a sixth season as a Wildcat, the team decided to add him to the coaching staff to help build the team for another title run. Miller was a key cog to the success last season, leading the America East in 3-point field goal percentage (48.1 percent) and ranking second in threes made (63). He finished his UNH career ranked 10th in threes made in a season and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage in a season. Additionally, Miller's shooting finishes second in the UNH record books for career 3-point field goal percentage.

Wildcats on the Air
The Wildcat Sports Radio Network will broadcast a total of 15 UNH men's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games for the America East Championships. Jim Jeannotte, 23-time New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year handles the play-by-play. Mike Murphy, a five-time winner of the New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year award, does the color commentating.

The Wildcat Sports Radio Network affiliates include (times/dates subject to change):

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester

WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester

Live Stream - Stretch Internet - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete radio schedule:
Nov. 13 vs. Lyndon St. (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 19 at Holy Cross (7 p.m.)
Nov. 28 vs. American (1 p.m.)
Nov. 30 vs. Bryant (7 p.m.)
Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth (1 p.m.)
Dec. 21 at Boston U. (7 p.m.)
Dec. 30 at Boston College (2 p.m.)
Jan. 9 vs. Binghamton (1 p.m.)
Jan. 16 vs. Stony Brook (1 p.m.)
Jan. 24 vs. Hartford (1 p.m.)
Jan. 27 vs. Vermont (7 p.m.)
Feb. 8 vs. Maine (7 p.m.)
Feb. vs. 11 UAlbany (7 p.m.)
Feb. 17 vs. UMass Lowell (7 p.m.)
Feb. 27 vs. UMBC (12 p.m.)

Preseason Predictions
New Hampshire was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season with 47 points. Leissner was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as well, the only non-senior selected to the team.

Men's Hoops Media Center
To check out career numbers, year-by-year results, alumni roster and much more, head over to the men's basketball page at UNHWildcats.com and look under the additional links tab to find the media center link.

Looking Ahead
New Hampshire continues its three-game road stretch with a matchup at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, Nov. 19 (7 p.m.) at the Hart Center. The Wildcats return home Saturday, Nov. 28 (1 p.m.) against America University at Lundholm Gymnasium. Limited tickets are available so be sure to call the box office at 603-862-4000.

For the most up-to-date information on the men's basketball program, visit the new UNHWildcats.com. Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.

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