MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Don’t let the records fool you. Barry University assistant coach Justin Furr isn’t.
“Nova is one of the most dangerous teams in the Sunshine State Conference,” Furr said.
No. 5/7 Barry (12-1, 4-0 SSC) hosts Nova Southeastern (6-7, 2-3) at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Health & Sports Center. The game will air on the Buccaneers Broadcast Network with Danny Rabinowitz on the call.
NSU’s Chris Page is the second leading scorer in the SSC at 20.3 points per game. Justin Jeangerard and Harrison Goodrick are each scoring 10.5 points per game. The Sharks are shooting 44.6 percent from the floor. Page is shooting 47.3 percent, and Jeangerard 46.5 percent from 3-point range.
“Their ability to shoot the ball gives them a chance to win every night,” Furr said. “Almost all their guys can shoot the three, and they are very patient.”
Barry has held its last three opponents to an average of 66 points. Nova is scoring just over 72 points per game. On the flip side, Barry is coming off its worst shooting performance of the season – a .357 field goal shooting effort – but still managed to win. The Sharks are allowing opponents to shot 45 percent.
“Defensively, they force you to make shots against their zone, and slow the tempo of the game down,” Furr said. “We need to take care of the ball and control the glass in order to give ourselves a chance.”
Barry has outrebounded all but one of its opponents this season. The Bucs are pulling down 41.8 boards per game. The Sharks average 33.3.
“I hope all of Buc Nation will be there to help us on Saturday,” Furr said.
@GoBarryBucs Twitter will retweet Bucs fans at Saturday’s game who tweet their pictures and selfies to @GoBarryBucs and use the hashtags #BARRYvsNOVA and #GoBarryBucs.
GAME NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: Barry overcame shooting woes to beat Florida Tech ... Anders Haas had 11 of his 13 points in the second half ... Juan Ferrales scored 12.
SERIES RECORD: Barry is 33-18 all-time against Nova ... The Bucs split the season series with the Sharks last year, winning at home, 75-72.
EYES ON OPPONENTS: The Sharks beat Rollins, 55-53, on the road Wednesday ... This is the second of three straight road games for NSU ... Chris Page (20.3 ppg) is second in the league in scoring ... He also averages 4.5 reb and 3.2 ast, while shooting 51 percent from the floor ... Justin Jeangerard is averaging 10.5 ppg, 5.4 reb and shooting 46.5 percent from 3-point range ... Harrison Goodrick is averaging 10.5 ppg, 5.8 reb and shooting 50 percent from the field.
BEST START: Barry’s 12-1 start is the best in school history.
BENCH MARK: Barry’s bench outscored Florida Tech, 24-0, Wednesday.
2 FOR 2: Jr. F Yunio Barrueta was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week ... He was also named the Bennett Rank Stud of the Week.
SHOOTING 3 SPREE: BarryU attempted 37 three-pointers Wednesday ... The 37 triple tries rank third in school single-game history ... The Bucs were 10 of 37 from long range in that game ... Barry has made 10 or more triples in nine games this season.
MR. ROBINSON’S NEIGHBORHOOD: Sr. F Jevoni Robinson recorded his first double-double Wednesday with a career-best 10 points and 10 rebounds ... He has grabbed 10 rebounds in three of the last four games.
THIEF ARTIST: Sr. PG Deric Hill has had at least one steal in every game this season ... He set the school record last year with 70 steals.
GARNERING ATTENTION: Sr. F. Savad Garner has scored a combined 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the last two games.
OVERCOMING ODDS: Barry has overcome deficits of 12 and nine points in two of the past three games to win.
2014-15 BUCS RECORD WHEN ...
Overtime Games: 0-0
Home Games: 8-1
Road Games: 2-0
Neutral Games: 2-0
Night Games: 10-1
Day Games: 2-0
Leading at Halftime: 10-1
Trailing at Halftime: 2-0
Tied at Halftime: 0-0
After a Loss: 1-0
Scoring 80+ points: 8-0
Scoring 70-79 points: 3-1
Scoring 60-69 points: 1-0
Scoring 50-59 points: 0-0
Games Decided by 2 points or Less: 0-0
Games Decided by 5 points or Less: 1-1
Games Decided by 10 points or Less: 5-1
Games Decided by 11-20 Points: 1-0
Games Decided by over 20 Points: 6-0
Outrebounding Opponents: 11-1
Opponents Outrebound Bucs: 1-0
Matching Opponents in Rebounds: 0-0
Committing 15 or Fewer Turnovers: 7-0
Committing over 15 Turnovers: 5-1