Play-By-Play: Dave Feldman | Color Commentator: Dan Dakich

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Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team will take on the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the first round of the NIT in historic Assembly Hall on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
 
Scouting Indiana
 
The Hoosiers narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament with a 17-15 overall record and an 8-12 record in the Big Ten. Indiana claims one of four top seeds in the NIT courtesy of six Quad 1 wins, including two wins over No. 6 Michigan State and victories over Marquette, Louisville and Wisconsin, all of whom are in the NCAA Tournament Field. Freshman Romeo Langford is one of the top freshman in the country. He led Indiana in scoring at 16.5 ppg and had 11 games of 20 or more points. Senior Juwan Morgan was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after ranking second on the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg and first in rebounding at 8.3 rpg. The Hoosiers do most of their work inside, shooting just 31.4% from three-point range on the season and averaging just 6.0 made threes per game.
 
Series History
 
This will be the first meeting between the programs.
 
Tradition-Rich History in NIT
 
Saint Francis returns to the NIT for the first time since 1958 after enjoying much success in the tournament during the 1950s. The Red Flash qualified for the NIT three times during the 50s, back when the tournament was the premier postseason showcase in college basketball. Saint Francis went 3-4 in its three appearances, reaching the semifinals in 1955 after wins over Seton Hall and Holy Cross. Saint Francis lost the third-place game to Cincinnati but Maurice Stokes was named the Tournament MVP after averaging 31.0 ppg in SFC's four games including a career-high 43 points in a memorable semifinal loss to Dayton.
 
Free Throws Prove Costly
 
Saint Francis's downfall in Tuesday's loss in the NEC Final was its inability to make free throws. The Red Flash went 4-for-17 (23.5%) from the foul line, its lowest percentage in a single game in over 10 seasons, despite entering the game at 71.5% as a team. Fairleigh Dickinson knocked down 18-of-20 (90.0%) from the foul line. The 14-point differential proved to be the difference in a nine-point defeat.
 
Knights Catch Fire
 
Saint Francis didn't lose the NEC Championship as much as the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights won it. FDU shot 63.8% from the field, 53.8% from three-point range, and 90.0% from the free-throw line. The field goal percentage was the best by a Saint Francis opponent against the Red Flash all season. Saint Francis had allowed 80 or more points just once in the previous nine games before giving up 85 to Fairleigh Dickinson.
 
All-Time Greats
 
The backcourt duo of Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) will have at least more opportunity to play together. King and Braxton are the only two players in program history to rank in the top 10 in career scoring and career assists and Braxton is the only player to rank in the top 10 in scoring, assists and rebounding. King currently ranks eighth in program history in scoring with 1,498 points and fifth in assists with 381. Braxton ranks ninth in scoring (1,495), eighth in assists (329) and sixth in rebounding (903).

NIT Implements New Rule Changes

The 2019 NIT will feature four rules modifications:

• The 3-point line will be extended by approximately 1 foot, 8 inches to the same distance used
by FIBA for international competition (22 feet, 1.75 inches).

• The free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, consistent with the width used
by the NBA.

• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound instead of the full 30
seconds.

• Team fouls will reset at the 10-minute mark of each half for the purpose of determining free
throws and one-and-one free throws will be eliminated. Teams will shoot two bonus free
throws after the fifth team foul of each 10-minute segment. Additionally, teams will be
awarded two bonus free throws after the second team foul committed under two minutes