GAME #1
Cleveland State (0-0) at Davidson (0-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 | 7:00 p.m.
Davidson, N.C. | John M. Belk Arena
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 1420 AM
PDF GAME NOTES
Cleveland State at Davidson
GAME PREVIEW:
• Cleveland State opens the 2018-19 season Tuesday (Nov. 6) with a 7:00 p.m. game at defending Atlantic 10 champion Davidson.
• Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on AM 1420 with Al Pawlowski providing the play-by-play.
• The game will also be shown live on ESPN+.
• CSU returns two starters and five letterwinners from last year's team that went 12-23. The Vikings add eight newcomers - a junior college transfer, a Division I transfer and six freshmen.
THE DAVIDSON SERIES:
• Tuesday will be the first all-time meeting between the two teams.
• The Wildcats are one of two new opponents for the Vikings this year with Samford being the other.
THE EXHIBITION GAME:
• The Vikings defeated Ohio Valley, 102-55, in the lone exhibition game of the preseason Oct. 30.
• Stefan Kenic had game highs in points (21) and rebounds (9).
• Freshmen Seth Millner and Dibaji Walker both had 13 points while Algevon Eichelberger had 12 points and seven boards.
THE SCHEDULE:
• Eight of the 11 non-conference DI opponents on CSU's slate finished with an overall record of .500 or better last season
• Tuesday's game at Davidson will be one of four road games against teams that finished in the top 90 of last season's RPI within the opening six weeks of the season for CSU.
FOR OPENERS:
• The Vikings are 32-55 in season openers, including a 25-28 record as Cleveland State.
• CSU is 5-5 over its past 10 season openers, but has dropped four straight.
• In last year's opener, the Vikings had an eight-point lead at the half but dropped a 67-57 decision at Akron.
• CSU's last opening-game win was a 73-69 win over Iona to begin the 2013-14 campaign.
FELTON BEGINS YEAR TWO:
• Tuesday's game will see head coach Dennis Felton begin his second season at the helm. Felton's first Viking squad featured six seniors he inherited that completed their eligibility last year.
• Felton was named the 15th head coach in program history on March 24, 2017.
• Felton is four wins shy of 200 for his career entering the season.
A MAGICAL RUN:
• Cleveland State made a magical run to the Horizon League championship game last year, reaching the contest for the first time since 2009.
• The Vikings knocked off ninth-seeded Youngstown State, 72-71, in their opening game of the League Tournament.
• CSU then shocked top-seed Northern Kentucky, 89-80, rallying from a 15-point deficit with 61 second-half points.
• The Vikings then held off fourth-seed Oakland, 44-43, in the semifinals, allowing season lows in points and field goal % (.250).
• CSU's 61 second-half points against NKU were its most in a half against a DI foe since 1990. The 43 points it allowed to Oakland were the fewest allowed to a DI team since 2012.
• Wright State topped CSU, 74-57, in the title contest, the fourth game in five days for the Vikings.
CIAO CSU:
• Cleveland State visited Italy in August, the program's first foreign trip since 2013.
• CSU spent eight whole days in Italy, visiting Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome among other cities.
• In addition to the cultural experiences and team bonding gained during the trip, CSU played three games against Italian teams.
CLOSE AND LATE:
• After going 2-5 in its first seven one-possession games last season, Cleveland State won its final six games of the season that were decided by one possession or went to overtime, including two in the Horizon League Tournament.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS:
• Cleveland State was tabbed seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll.
• Tyree Appleby was named to Preseason All-League First Team, the first Viking to earn that honor since the 2014-15 campaign.
UP NEXT:
• The Vikings play in the fourth annual Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader but serve as host for the first time.
• CSU hosts Kent State Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7:00 p.m. Akron will play Youngstown State at 4:30 p.m. in the opening game.
