| Saint Francis Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
Note |
| G |
2 |
Aaron "Ace" Talbert |
6-0 |
185 |
Fr. |
8.4 |
2.1 |
40.4 |
Four straight 10-point performances |
| G |
4 |
Carlos Lopez, Jr. |
6-2 |
170 |
Fr. |
9.4 |
1.6 |
36.8 |
Two 20-point games vs. CCSU |
| G |
14 |
Bobby Rosenberger III |
6-5 |
205 |
Fr. |
9.2 |
4.8 |
37.9 |
Averaging 9.5 rebounds in last two tilts |
| F |
5 |
Eli Wilborn |
6-8 |
215 |
Fr. |
10.5 |
7.4 |
53.0 |
Grew up 20 minutes from CCSU |
| F |
32 |
Aidan Harris |
6-7 |
205 |
Fr. |
3.8 |
4.6 |
42.1 |
Made career-high three treys at Stonehill on Feb. 24 |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Cam Gregory |
6-5 |
165 |
So. |
13.4 |
2.9 |
43.6 |
Averaging 21.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in last two games played |
| G |
1 |
Braylen Blue |
6-5 |
180 |
Fr. |
1.7 |
0.4 |
37.5 |
Posted five points and four rebounds at FDU |
| F |
3 |
Miles Webb |
6-8 |
190 |
So. |
3.9 |
2.7 |
39.8 |
Had seven points at Stonehill |
| G |
11 |
Chris Moncrief |
6-6 |
190 |
So. |
2.5 |
1.3 |
42.6 |
Six points and three assists vs. Merrimack on Jan. 27 |
| G |
13 |
Blaze Angellotti |
6-4 |
195 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Made collegiate debut vs. Franciscan on Nov. 22 |
| G |
15 |
Aaron Humphrey, Jr. |
6-7 |
210 |
Fr. |
1.7 |
1.0 |
33.3 |
Career-high five points, four rebounds vs. Franciscan |
| G |
20 |
Brendan Scanlon |
5-8 |
175 |
So. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Out for the year with a leg injury |
| F |
21 |
Gestin Liberis |
6-9 |
225 |
So. |
5.6 |
3.6 |
47.9 |
Posted eight points, seven rebounds vs. Le Moyne |
| F |
22 |
Ryen Gresko |
5-11 |
170 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
Had a rebound in collegiate debut vs. Franciscan |
| G |
23 |
Wisler Sanon II |
6-4 |
190 |
So. |
3.7 |
2.0 |
35.1 |
13 points, seven rebounds at CCSU |
| G |
24 |
Keshawn McNeill |
6-1 |
180 |
R-Fr. |
0.4 |
0.4 |
20.0 |
Notched first career points (3) vs. Franciscan |
| G |
30 |
KJ Swain, Jr. |
6-0 |
155 |
Jr. |
1.4 |
0.4 |
75.0 |
Two points, one rebound vs. Le Moyne |
| G |
33 |
Will Helton |
6-4 |
175 |
Jr. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Redshirting this season and will not play |
| F |
42 |
Daric Danchanko |
6-8 |
240 |
So. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Redshirting this season and will not play |
SELECT GAME NOTES VS. CCSU (FULL GAME NOTES PDF)
FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saint Francis looks to become the UMBC or the FDU of the NEC Tournament. The Red Flash would become the first No. 8 seed to upset the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament. UMBC was the first No. 16 to have that "one shining moment" by beating a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament in 2018, and FDU repeated the feat just last year.
• Three times the 1-8 game in the NEC has been decided by one point, including 2004-05 when CCSU almost knocked off No. 1 Monmouth, 54-53. The following year, it almost happened again when the No. 8 Quinnipiac lost at No. 1 FDU 66-65, and the last time was when St. Francis Brooklyn nearly took down Robert Morris 59-58 in 2019-20.
• In 2016-17, top seed Mount St. Mary's won 76-73 over Sacred Heart, and in 2018-19, the No. 1 Red Flash downed Bryant 67-63 for the five closest contests between the top seed and the lowest seed in NEC history.
• If you are wondering about the lowest seed to win a game, that would be the No. 7 seed with wins in the NEC Tournament against the No. 2 seed seven times (1991-92, 1999-00, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2016-17, 2018-19).
• The last three full NEC Tournaments have been chalk in the NEC Quarterfinals. The last upset was No. 6 LIU defeating No. 3 Sacred Heart in the 2018-19 quarterfinals.
• Saint Francis will be the No. 8 seed for the fifth time in program history (1991-92, 1993-94, 1994-95, 2010-11) and the first time under head coach
Rob Krimmel.
• The Red Flash are making their third-straight tournament appearance under Krimmel, the 10th overall under the 12th-year head coach, and the 29th time the Frankies have appeared in the NEC Tournament.
• Saint Francis in 9-11 under Krimmel in the NEC Tournament and 16-28 all-time in the league's postseason.
• The Frankies are looking to advance to the NEC Semifinals for the second-straight season, the seventh time under Krimmel, and the 11th time in program history with a win.
• The Red Flash is 0-9 against the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament. The Frankies are 0-4 in the quarterfinals (1991-92, 1993-94, 1994-95, 2010-11), 0-3 in the semifinals (1982-83, 2013-14, 2016-17) and 0-2 in the championship game (2016-17, 2019-20).
• It will be the first time Saint Francis will square off with a No. 1 seed since the 2019-20 championship game. Also, the Frankies are 4-1 as the No. 1 seed after going 2-1 in the 2018-19 season and 2-0 in 1990-91 in the team's only title run.
• It is the second consecutive season Saint Francis and CCSU will meet in the NEC Quarterfinals after two teams met in Loretto last season for the first time in the postseason. The Red Flash defeated the Blue Devils 83-69 on March 1, 2023.
• Three of the four quarterfinals are rematches of last year's matchups. The Saint Francis-CCSU matchup is the only one of the three that flips the home-court advantage in this quarterfinals matchup, while Merrimack hosts LIU and Sacred Heart hosts Wagner for the second straight campaign.
• Wednesday's meeting in New Britain will be the 54th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1994-95 season and the second in the NEC postseason. Saint Francis leads the series 28-25 overall, but the Blue Devils hold a 16-9 edge in the Nutmeg State.
• CCSU swept the season series against Saint Francis for the first time since the 2011-12 season and is looking to win three straight games in the series for the first time since that time frame. The Blue Devils also won the last matchup in the 2010-11 season for the trifecta of wins in a row.
• Saint Francis is 4-3 on March 6 in program history, including 1-2 in the NEC Tournament. The Red Flash won its last game on this date against Bryant in 2018-19 as the No. 1 seed but lost as the No. 5 seed at Wagner in 1985-86 and at Robert Morris in 2003-04.
• This date also has one of the biggest wins in team history since joining the NEC. After defeating FDU 97-82 in the NEC Championship Game, the Red Flash defeated Fordham 70-64 in Loretto in the NCAA Play-in Game on March 6, 1991, to send the team to the NCAA West Regional against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament for its only NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
• As the eighth seed, a win, and the Frankies will travel to the highest remaining seed in the tournament since the league reseeds after each round on Saturday afternoon.
AN SFU WIN WOULD
• For the first time in NEC history, an eighth seed defeats a number one seed
• Earn the Red Flash a win against CCSU in the NEC quarterfinals for the second-straight season
• Advance to the NEC semifinals for the seventh time under head coach Rob Krimmel and the 11th time in program history
• Be the first road victory this season against a conference opponent
• End a five-game losing streak
• Be the team's first win in the state of Connecticut since defeating the Blue Devils 79-63 on February 24, 2022
LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Francis lost 74-58 to Le Moyne in the regular season finale on March 2.
• Freshman
Carlos Lopez, Jr. fueled the Red Flash with 17 points, while fellow freshmen
Bobby Rosenberger III (11 points, nine rebounds ) and
Aaron "Ace" Talbert (10 points) also found double figures.
ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS
•
CCSU comes into the contest 19-10 overall and finished with a 13-3 mark in NEC play. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament for the fourth time in program history and won the tournament title three times (1999-00, 2001-02, and 2006-07) in the previous three seasons, they were the top seed in the tournament.
• CCSU, winners of six of its last seven games, is powered by graduate student
Allan Jeanne-Rose with 15.1 points per game. Senior
Jordan Jones is second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg.) and leads the team in assists (109) and steals (55). Seniors
Kellan Amos and
Tre Breland finished the regular season tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.2 rpg.), Amos is third on the squad with 12.1 points per game, and Breland is averaging 9.6 points per game.
SFU-CCSU, TAKE ONE
• CCSU defeated Saint Francis 75-61 on January 13 in Loretto.
• Freshman
Carlos Lopez, Jr. paced the Red Flash with 21 points. Sophomore
Chris Moncrief tied his career high with nine points off the bench.
•
Allan Jeane-Rose powered the Blue Devils with 24 points, and
Tre Breland (13 points) and
Jordan Jones (13 points) each had double figures in Loretto.
• Holding a 36-32 lead at the break, the Frankies were outscored 7-0 in the first three minutes and 23 seconds of the final frame by the Blue Devils and were never able to even the score or retake the advantage the rest of the way. With the visitors holding a 46-44 edge, CCSU went on a 12-4 run to make it a double-digit margin. The Red Flash cut it to single digits three times in the game's final seven minutes.
SFU-CCSU, TAKE TWO
• CCSU defeated Saint Francis 63-62 on February 1 in New Britain. The 63 points the Blue Devils scored were the fewest at home all year and the fourth-lowest total they scored in a game in 2023-24.
• Freshman
Carlos Lopez, Jr. paced the Red Flash with a career-high matching 22 points. Sophomore
Wisler Sanon II registered a career-best 13 points and seven rebounds. Sanon was injured in the game against Wagner on February 15 and is out for the year.
•
Kellan Amos fueled the Blue Devils with 13 points.
Allan Jeanne-Rose (12 points) and
Joe Ostrowsky (11 points) also had double figures in the tilt.
• Saint Francis took a one-point lead at 58-57 on a Sanon 3-pointer with 4:24 on the clock and again after Sanon made two free throws at 3:10 for a 60-59 edge. After the Blue Devils scored three-straight points to take a 62-60 edge with 2:58 on the clock, freshman
Bobby Rosenberger III tied the game on a layup with 2:37 remaining. CCSU then made the back end of two free throws with 2:22 left for a 63-62 lead. Each team missed a pair of shots, and the other team grabbed the defensive rebound. A Red Flash turnover and another miss by the Blue Devils saw sophomore
Miles Webb grab a defensive rebound with seven seconds left, but a turnover in the waning seconds ended the game with CCSU surviving.
THE YUTES IN THE POSTSEASON
• How young this Red Flash team is has been well documented, and we will see how it plays out in the postseason. Sophomore Gestin Liberis is the only player available to suit up with postseason experience. He played 11 minutes last year against CCSU and FDU and had five points and five rebounds in the two games. Fellow sophomore Wisler Sanon II also played 11 minutes in the two games last season with two points and two rebounds but will miss the postseason in 2023-24 due to an injury.
• Freshmen Bobby Rosenberger III and Eli Wilborn led their high school/prep program's to titles last season before arriving at college in the summer of 2023.
• Rosenberger helped Perkiomen School to its first PASIAA state title in program history after sending the game to overtime with a basket in the waning seconds of regulation and then won the game with two free throws with one second left in a 79-77 win against the George School.
• Wilborn helped South Kent to the NEPSAC-AAA Championships in his lone season at the school.
TRENDING UP
• Freshman Bobby Rosenberger III is averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in his last seven games, with five games in double figures in points and three tilts with at least nine rebounds, including a career-high 10 boards at Stonehill on February 24.
• Freshman Eli Wilborn is averaging 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in his last five contests, with three games with at least 16 points in that stretch and two 10+ rebound games.
• Freshman Carlos Lopez, Jr. is averaging 11.8 points per game in his last four games and has scored double digits in his previous two games. The freshman averages 21.5 points per game in the two games against CCSU this season.
• Freshman Aaron "Ace" Talbert is averaging 10.5 points per game in his last six games. The freshman has recorded exactly 10 points in his previous four games and had a career-high 21 points against Stonehill on February 10 to post 10+ points in five of his last six games.
• Sophomore Gestin Liberis has returned after missing four games due to an injury, including the February 1 meeting at CCSU, to average 11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in his last three games and 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the six games since returning from the injury.
