No. 5 Embry-Riddle (21-9) vs. No. 4 Alabama Huntsville (21-10)
DATE: Saturday, March 17, 2024
CITY: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
SITE: Rick Case Arena
START: 7:30 p.m.
 

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LIVE VIDEO/STATS: NCAA Championships Pass
TWITTER: @ERAUMBasketball
 

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the fourth consecutive season, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team has received an at-large bid into the NCAA II National Tournament, picking up the fifth seed in the South Regional. The Eagles (21-9) will take on a familiar foe Saturday, fourth-seeded Alabama Huntsville (21-10), for the third time in the tournament.
 
ERAU (21-9, 14-6 Sunshine State Conference)
Head Coach Steve Ridder has guided his team to 20 or more wins for the 24^th time in his tenure with the Blue & Gold, and has amassed a 780-326 overall record in 35 seasons. He and his staff have put together a high-octane team which has lit up the scoreboard at times, mixed with a stout defense in clutch moments.
 
If It's a Three, It's for Me
The Eagles rank 11^th in the nation when it comes to three-point percentage, led by Milan Skoric's NCAA-best 53.9-percent (number from the end of the regular season). Only 29 other teams attempt more long-distance jumpers than ERAU per game. All this leads to an effective field goal percentage (eFG%) of 55.6-percent, good for 25^th in the country and leading the SSC. 
 
Mr. 41
Senior Guard Malcolm Whitlow currently sits at No. 18 on ERAU's all-time scorers list with a 1,405 points as an Eagle. Whitlow's best game came in an upset win over Florida Southern on Feb. 7, when the Lincoln, Neb., native went off for 41 points, including 5-of-10 from deep and a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. The 41 points is the second-best performance by an Eagle all-time. Thanks to his consistent play all season, Whitlow picked up first team All-SSC honors, and was named to the SSC All-Tournament Team.
 
Mountain Dru
One of the most consistent players on the court for the Eagles is Dru Nickson, who has put together a fine year, averaging 12.4 points per game on a career-high 32.9 minutes per outing. That high mark is top-five in the conference. All the time on the court has led to positives as well, as he ranks 44^th in NCAA II with a 2.31 assist/turnover ratio, with his 120 assists coming in as the 67^th best season by a DII player this year. Nickson secured third team All-SSC honors this year.
 
Thee Three Bigs
Cameron Shockley-Okeke came to ERAU this past offseason from Ivy League Colombia University, and has been nothing but a plus-add. Shockley-Okeke has averaged 10.8 points per game, adding 4.1 rebounds per and is a pristine 40-percent shooter from deep. 
 
Fellow forward Michael McCalister has been electric for the Eagles as well, averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Like Shockley-Okeke, McCalister is super versatile, able to grab rebounds and steals down low, but also able to connect from range, having knocked down 37-of-95 threes for a .389 clip.
 
Danny Sully nearly averaged a double-double as a senior this season with 8.7 points- and 8.2 rebounds per game. Sully has been massive on the boards, collecting 101 offensive and 137 defensive rebounds to date; he ranks as the 12^th-highest offensive rebounder in NCAA II this season. 
 
The Bench Bunch
Another solid aspect of the Eagles' offense has been the bench. Combined, the Eagles role and bench players rank No. 49 nationally with 26.77 points per outing. Thanks to his lights-out shooting from behind the arc, Skoric leads the nonstarters with 8.2 points per game, while Jerry Bracey II and Jon Alessandro each add 6.5- and 6.3-points per game as well. 
 
Bracey also is a rebounding fiend, collecting 106 on the season, good enough for 3.5 per game. Alessandro has been good both from range and from the paint, knocking down 25 three pointers, and collecting 79 rebounds.
 
Nikola Jerotic adds 3.0 points per contest, grabbing 83 rebounds, sixth on the team. His muscle down low in his 12.1 minutes per game has been well needed in stretch runs in the first and second halves of games. 
 
Alabama Huntsville (21-10, 17-7 Gulf South Conference)
The Chargers enter the NCAA II National Tournament for the sixth straight time and will face ERAU for the third straight postseason. UAH fell to West Georgia last time out on the court in the GSC Championship game, 75-69. 
 
Tommy Murr and Like Burnett both average north of 16 points per game, and Burnett leads the entire country with 290 three points taken (connecting on 112 for a .386 clip). Jack Kostel and Daniel Saylor each grab 5.3 rebounds per game, adding in 13.6- and 10.4 points-per-game, respectively.
 
The Chargers and Eagles shared three similar opponents this season, Barry, Nova Southeastern and West Georgia. ERAU went 1-5, while UAH went 2-2 in those contests. Huntsville is 1-2 at neutral sites in 2023-24, while ERAU is 0-1.