Men's Basketball Hosts Stonehill Thursday Before Three-Game Road Swing
The Central Connecticut State men's basketball team hosts Stonehill on Thursday night before travelling to Le Moyne on Saturday. The road game against the Dolphins begins a three-game road stretch for the Blue Devils. Tickets for CCSU home games are available here.
CCSU has won five in a row against Stonehill in the all-time series, while winning the last three matchups against Le Moyne.
CCSU Game Notes | Latest Media Coverage | HOME GAME TICKETS
vs. Stonehill NEC Front Row | Live Stats
at Le Moyne NEC Front Row | Live Stats
• The Blue Devils lead the NEC in assists per game (16.2) and assist-turnover ratio (1.59). Jay Rodgers is steering the ship for Central and ranks 3rd nationally in assists per game (7.6) and 26th in assist-turnover ratio (3.4).
• CCSU has won 7 straight home games in NEC play since falling to LIU on Jan. 12, 2025.
• Central has posted 20+ wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in its Division I history. The Blue Devils last accomplished the feat in 1982-83 (21-9) and 1983-84 (26-6).
• When scoring 70+ points under Patrick Sellers, CCSU is 48-15 (.762) overall. Central is 27-3 in such games dating back to Jan. 19, 2024.
• Since 2021-22, CCSU has won 8 straight 1-point games (Jan. 21, 2022, 67-68 loss at SFU).
• In all games, Central leads the league in scoring (78.5), field goal percentage (.484) and 3-point shooting (.399).
• Melo Sanchez (.456, 2nd), Jay Rodgers (.422, 3rd) and Darin Smith, Jr. (.395, 7th) give the Blue Devils a trio of 3-point sharpshooters among the league leaders.
• He was named to the Lou Henson Award (Mid-Major Player of the Year) Watch List on Dec. 18 and is a 2x NEC Player of the Week, and was a USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 30.
• He scored a career-high 38 points against Sacred Heart - the most points by a Blue Devil since Feb. 14, 2013 (Kyle Vinales, 42).
• He also had the game-winning layup at Boston College with 3.2 seconds to play, clinching CCSU's first win over a Power 5 foe.
• No NEC athlete has averaged more than 7.0 assists per game since LIU's Jason Brickman in 2013-14 led the NCAA with 10.0 per game.
• Rodgers is on pace to surpass the program's current D1 single-season assist mark (191, David Corbitt, 1991-92) and could threaten the all-time single-season record (227, Jere Quinn, 1975-76).
• Rodgers missed 52 games from Dec. 16, 2023 until his return in the opener after recovering from injury.
• In all games, CCSU is 1 of 4 schools with 3 or players scoring 10+.
• Max Frazier is scoring 11.9 per game (15th) on 62.3% shooting (2nd), while compiling a team-leading 26 dunks.
• Darin Smith, Jr. leads the league with 19.8 points, while ranking 11th in FG% (.482), 7th in 3pt FG% (.395) and 1st in FT% (.880).
• He had a career-high 18 points on 6 three-pointers vs. New Haven.
• Sanchez ranked 7th in NCAA D-II at Hawai'i Pacific in 2022-23 after shooting .461 from the three-point arc.
2025-26 NEC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. LIU (unanimous)
2. CCSU
3. Stonehill
4. Mercyhurst
5. FDU
6. Chicago State
7. Saint Francis
8. Wagner
9. Le Moyne
10. New Haven
2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team
Bernie Blunt III, MU, Gr, G, 5-11, 180 lbs., Morgantown, PA/Peddie School (Edinboro/Quinnipiac)
Malachi Davis, LIU (unanimous), R-Sr, G, 6-4, 172 lbs., Scarborough, Canada/Central Tech (Tallahassee CC/Lake Land College/Arizona St.)
Jamal Fuller, LIU (unanimous), Gr, G/F, 6-5, 215 lbs., Toronto, Canada/Central Tech (Hill College/Academy of Art)
Hermann Koffi, STO, So, G, 6-4, 203 lbs., Quebec City, Quebec/Polyvalente de Thetford Mine
Darin Smith Jr., CCSU, So, F, 6-7, 210 lbs., Springfield, MA/Vermont Academy
