The College of Staten Island Men's Basketball Team tips off the 2019-2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this afternoon when they take on the #2 ranked Sharks of Nova Southeastern University.  It will be the season-opener for both teams and today's matchup is the first for the Dolphins against a Division II opponent as an NCAA Division II program.

CSI VS. NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (0-0) vs. Nova Southeastern University (0-0)
Where: Rick Case Arena, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Live Video: https://sunshinestateconference.tv/?bfplayvid=130881
Live Stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=265669
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Players to Watch (CSI):  The Dolphins will be without Christian Taylor and Chamald Martin this season so they will be looking for other players to step up in their absence.  At the top of that list will be senior Adeola Latunji and junior Rigaud Destime.  Latunji was second in scoring behind only Taylor averaging 17.6 points per game.  Destime was fourth on the team in scoring last year with 7.9 points per game, behind Taylor, Latunji, and the graduated Stephen Flagg, but he delivered his two best performances of the season during the CUNYAC tournament in CSI's final two games of the 2018-2019 season.  In those critical win-or-go-home games, Destime averaged 21 points and shot 14-25 from the field including a remarkable 10-16 from beyond the arc.  In addition to Latunji and Destime, the Dolphins will be looking to returners Austin Mick and Andrew Kartalis to score the ball from the outside as the duo tied for the team lead with 33 made three-pointers last year.  Lastly, Joseph Zieris saw his role increase down the stretch of last season and that is sure to continue early on in this season with the void left by Taylor and Martin.
Players to Watch (NSU):  Nova Southeastern boasts a high-powered offense that averaged nearly 97 points per game in a 2018-2019 season which saw them play to a record of 29-4.  Leading the way in scoring for the Sharks last season was Mark Matthews with 20.6 points per game.  Connor Zinaich was right behind him with 19.7, and both players not only can put the ball in the basketball but can also rebound it as well.  Matthews' rebounds per game average of 9.6 was easily the best on the team last year while Zinaich's total of 5.5 per game was good for second.  Matthews and Zinaich account for only two of the four returning players that averaged double-digits last year with both Mikkel Kolstad, who averaged 11.0 points per game, and Eddie Puisis, who averaged 10, coming back for the 2019-2020 season.  Kolstad also hit an unbelievable 52% of his 154 attempts from downtown with Puisis and junior Nick Smith shooting 41.7% and 42.7% respectively.
News & Notes: The Dolphins will be making their long-awaited debut as an NCAA Division II program this afternoon against as tough an opponent as they have faced in recent memory.  The Sharks were ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls and are coming off of a trip to the Elite 8 during a 29-4 season last year.  They were 18-2 in the Sunshine State Conference in 2018-2019 while the Dolphins will play opponents from their former conference, the CUNYAC, but will not be eligible for postseason play this year.  The Dolphins will instead begin the first of three provisional season and transition into the East Coast Conference.  Both teams will be entering the third season under their current head coach as Jim Crutchfield leads the Sharks into a season that comes with aspirations of another NCAA tournament run and TJ Tibbs leads CSI into a new era for the program in Division II.
What's Next?:  CSI will be back in action less than 24 hours after the conclusion of today's game when they take on Barry University in Miami Shores tomorrow at 1 PM.