Get To Know Indiana Basketball's NIT Opponent Saint Francis (PA)
Top-seeded Indiana on Sunday learned it will host eighth-seeded Saint Francis (PA) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. eastern time in the first round of the NIT with ESPN televising the contest. The winner will face the winner of fourth-seeded Providence vs. fifth-seeded Arkansas.
TheHoosier.com has compiled a quick primer on key facts, stats and more to give a better idea of what to expect out of IU's next postseason opponent.
The Basics
Located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, Saint Francis finished 18-14 overall and 12-6 in the Northeastern Conference (NEC) and is making its first appearance in the NIT since 1958. Overall, the Red Flash qualified for the NIT three times that decade, going 3-4 across that trio of appearances.
Prior to this season, Saint Francis qualified for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), a tertiary tournament geared toward mid-major and smaller schools which did not receive NCAA tournament or NIT bids, in three of the last four years - 2015, 2017 and 2018. That annual event fielded 32, 26 and 20 teams in each of those years respectively.
Head coach Rob Krimmel is in his sixth season with the program and has led it to back-to-back 18-win seasons. The 2017-18 team's 18-win campaign was most by a Saint Francis team since 1990-91.
Notable Alumni
Kevin Porter - Averaged 23 or more points in each of his final three seasons and was chosen in the third round with the 39th overall pick by the Washington Bullets in the 1972 NBA Draft. He went on to play 10 NBA seasons, leading the league in assists in four of them, and became the first player in the league’s history to dish out 1,000 assists in a season when he handed out 1,099 as a member of the Detroit Pistons in 1978-79. He wrapped up his pro career with 5,314 assists and 7,654 points in 659 games across stints with the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets.
Maurice Stokes - Averaged 22 points and 24 rebounds during his four-year career with the Red Flash, then was selected second overall by the Rochester Royals in the 1955 NBA Draft. His 1,256 boards during his second pro season set the NBA's single season record for rebounds. Stokes' pro career was tragically cut short during his third season, when he felt to the floor, hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He subsequently fell into a coma and was left permanently paralyzed.
An All-NBA second team choice in each of his three seasons in the league, Stokes passed away in 1970 at age 37, but his legacy lived on with a posthumous induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 and the NBA's introduction of the Twyaman-Stokes Teammate of the Award in 2013. According to the NBA, "the award recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team."
Names To Know On The Current Team
Junior guard Keith Braxton won NEC player of the year after averaging 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, which ranked sixth and first respectively in the conference, while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from 3-point range. The three-time NEC Player of the Week and first team All-NEC selection has tallied 121 assists on the season, second-most among all Saint Francis players.
Senior guard Jamaal King joined Braxton in earning first team All-NEC recognition after averaging 15.4 points and 4.0 assists - second and first on the team - while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from 3-point range.
Notable Opponents
Buffalo - Saint Francis opened the regular season against the future NCAA tournament No. 6 seed but fell 82-67 on Nov. 6.
UCLA - The then-No. 20 Bruins defeated the Red Flash 95-58 in Los Angeles on Nov. 16.
North Carolina - Saint Francis hosted future NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed on Nov. 19 and fell to the then-No. 7 Tar Heels 101-76.
Virginia Tech - Before the Hokies eventually earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they handled the Red Flash 75-37 in Loretto as the No. 16 team in America at the time.
By The Numbers
76.4 - Points per game scored by Saint Francis, which ranked second out of 10 teams in the NEC.
75.7 - Points per game scored by Saint Francis' opponents, seventh-lowest in the NEC.
70.3 - The Red Flash's team free throw shooting percentage, seventh in the NEC.
46.1 - Saint Francis' opponent field goal percentage, second-highest in the NEC.
43.7 - Saint Francis' team field goal percentage, fourth in the NEC.
37.8 - Saint Francis' team rebounding average, second in the NEC.
35.0 - Saint Francis' team 3-point field goal percentage, fourth-highest in the NEC.
1 - Saint Francis tied for first in the NEC regular season standings, sharing the title with Fairleigh Dickinson. The two teams met again in the NEC tournament title game, with Fairleigh Dickinson winning 85-76.
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