GAMEDAY CENTRAL
NAIA II No. 13 Embry-Riddle vs. NAIA II No. 19 Cincinnati Christian
DATE: Friday, November 21, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI Center
TIP-OFF: 8 p.m. (ET)
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: ERAU Gameday Network
SERIES: First Meeting

Friday's First Game
NAIA II (RV) Briar Cliff vs. NAIA I No. 5 Talladega
TIP-OFF: 6 p.m.
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: ERAU Gameday Network

SATURDAY
6 p.m. - Consolation Game
8 p.m. - Championship Game

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle hosts some of the best teams in the NAIA this weekend at the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout
• The Blue and Gold began its final NAIA season last Saturday before the department's transition to the NCAA II and the Sunshine State Conference.
• Embry-Riddle reached triple-digits for just the second time in three seasons on Tuesday in a 101-74 win over Florida College
• The Eagles No. 13 preseason ranking marks the sixth straight season the Eagles have been ranked in the preseason national poll.
• This weekend's contests mark ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 837th and 838th career games.

THE EAGLES
The NAIA II No. 13 Embry-Riddle men's basketball team returns to Daytona Beach this weekend after a trip to Boston, Mass. The Eagles (4-0) have a tall task at hand as they host three of the NAIA's elite squads for the 2014 Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout at the ICI Center. NAIA I No. 5 Talladega, NAIA II No. 19 Cincinnati Christain and NAIA II (RV) Briar Cliff come to Daytona Beach for the annual tournament, sporting just four total losses between them.

Dalton Barnes leads the Eagles offensively, averaging 16.0 points per game as one of five ERAU players in double-figures. Barnes' 70 percent clip from long range is best in the country. Newcomer Joseph Gonzalez is chipping in 13.3 points per contest with a 65 percent field goal percentage and Cesar Pastrana is close behind with 12.8 ppg and 6.0 rebounds per outing.

THE CCU EAGLES
The Eagles' first opponent of the weekend is No. 19 Cincinnati Christian, a 2013-14 NAIA II National Tournament team. The Eagles, coached by Kellen Zawadzki, are 5-1 on the season with their lone loss coming from NAIA II No. 1 and defending national champions Indiana Wesleyan a week ago. CCU averaged 85.7 points per game while outrebounding their opponents by 11 boards per game.

THE BCU CHARGERS
Briar Cliff already has three big wins on its resume with victories against (RV) Grand View, No. 18 William Penn and No. 20 Ashford in the Chargers first three games of the season. BCU relies on a tough defense that allows just 61.8 points per game and is holding opponents to under 38 percent shooting from the field. Zach Otting paces the Chargers with 12.6 points per contest on 60 percent shooting while alos grabbing 6.6 rebounds.

THE TC TORNADOES
Talladega came out of nowhere last season to qualify for the NAIA I National Tournament where they advanced to the round of 16 before bowing out to Freed-Hardeman. The Tornadoes, under fourth-year Head Coach Matt Cross, are shooting better than 50 percent from the field so far in 2014-15, led by Shondal Stewart who is averaging 32.0 points per game for TC.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,331 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 17 on the all-time scoring list
609 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 26th season with ERAU men's basketball
619 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana
224 - Conference wins in program history
90.9% - Production returning from 2013-14 to this year's squad
26 - Seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Ridder
14 - NAIA National Tournament appearances
13 - The Eagles current national ranking
10 - Sun Conference Tournament titles
8 - Regular season conference championships
1 - NAIA National Championship (2000)

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into his 26th season at the helm of the ERAU men's basketball program, Head Coach Steve Ridder ranks fifth on the NAIA Division II men's basketball winningest active coaches listing. Ridder has 609 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles' head coach.