Almost two weeks removed from their last outing, the College of Staten Island Men's Basketball team will get back to work tonight, ushering in the 18th Annual Tournament of Heroes with the first-ever tilt against Curry College.  It will be the second game of a doubleheader at CSI, which will see Bridgewater College taking on Wheaton College (MA) at 5:30 PM.  In-between contests, the program will honor the memories of Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson, and Tom Hannafin, three former CSI basketball players who died during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

CSI VS. CURRY COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (3-6) vs. Curry College (3-5)
Where:  The Tank - 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet
Live Stats: https://csidolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Tickets:  FREE - CSI Students, Faculty Staff / $5 - General Admission
All-Time Series: First-Ever Meeting
Players to Watch (CSI):  The Dolphins continue to get incredible production from senior Adeola Latunji, who continues to lead CSI in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game.  Latunji is averaging 50.3% from the floor, canning an additional 71.4% from the free-throw line, while accumulating 7.0 rebounds per game and 18 steals, both team highs as well.  Andrew Kartalis is next in line with 9.3 points per game and is the focal distance threat with 20 three-pointers in 54 attempts (37%).  Joseph Zieris is second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per contest in 28.2 minutes per contest.  While leading CSI by a great distance with 21 blocks, he is also averaging 8.4 points per contest, a hair in front of Rigaud Destime's 8.3.  CSI also recently returned senior Krystian Kopec who missed six games due to injury.  Kopec averaged five points and four rebounds per contest prior to injury.
Players to Watch (CC):  The Colonels are showing a potent scoring offense thus far, led by three players in double figures.  Jared Thorpe-Johnson is the main catalyst, dumping in 19 points per game to go with 7.1 rebounds per contest, good for second on the team. Thorpe-Johnson has also dropped in 17 three's and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc, making him a legitimate threat when left open from long-range.  Daymeann Stewart is next in line at 15.3 points per contest so far, with 70 of his 114 shots coming from downtown, where he has bagged 22 field goals this season.  Look for him to also be a distance threat.  Kieran Carroll is the interior threat for the Colonels, notching 13.5 points per game and connecting on 58.3% of his shots from the floor, mainly on the interior.  He has also cleaned the glass this season, averaging just south of a double-double with 9.9 rebounds per game.  
News & Notes: Today marks the first meeting ever between the two sides.  In the 17-year history of the Tournament of Heroes, CSI has won the title just three times but they are defending the Championship this year, having beaten Bates College and Tufts University in their two games last year during the Tournament.  The Colonels are making their first-ever appearance in the Tournament.  They started the season red-hot, ripping off a 3-0 record, but Curry has since lost five in a row so they come into the Tournament looking to get right.  Their five losses have come by an average of 15.6 points.  The Dolphins too are looking to right the ship after two straight road losses have left them at 3-6 this season, their first as a provisional NCAA Division II program.  The Dolphins have played just one game this season decided by less than 10 points, which was an 87-83 loss at Medgar Evers College on December 6.  Their average win has come by 16.7 points and their average loss has been by north of 30 points.  Both teams have struggled on the boards this season, with CSI a -12.3 and Curry at -6.5 this season so far per game in rebounds, so look for that to tell a story tonight.  Curry comes in also a -21 in blocked shots and a -15 in total turnovers this season, so the Dolphins will look to put the pressure on defensively to take advantage of those numbers.
Tournament of Heroes Info:  This weekend's tournament serves to honor the memories of Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson, and Tom Hannafin, all formers CSI men's basketball players who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  Aiken, 30, worked at Vital Computer Technologies at World Trade Center Tower I on the day of the attacks, while Davidson, 33, and Hannafin, 36, were New York City Firefighters based in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively, and were responding at the scene at the time of the tragedy.  In January of 2002, just months after the attacks, the CSI program retired the numbers of the three individuals and used the ceremony as a springboard to the Tournament of Heroes the following year.  In the 17-year history, the tournament has developed into a nationally-recognized tournament that often features some of the nation's finest Division III basketball programs.  The Dolphins, having just entered NCAA Division II received an NCAA waiver to conduct the Tournament this year as it falls on what is a quiet period for all NCAA Division II institutions nationwide.  In future years, the Tournament will be moved to a Tip-Off Classic.  
Bridgewater vs. Wheaton (MA):  At 5:30 PM, to introduce the Tournament of Heroes, Bridgewater College, making its second appearance in the Tournament of Heroes will be taking on Wheaton College (MA) which will make their Tournament debut.  The Eagles of Bridgewater come in with a record of 4-6 overall but have won two of their last three games, and are the only side coming into weekend competition following a win (66-56 over Apprentice School).  Wheaton is coming into the tourney at 3-4.  They last played on December 7, a 92-81 defeat at the hands of Bridgewater State College.
What's Next?:  The two losing sides tonight will face off in a Consolation Game at 1:00 PM tomorrow, while the two winning sides will meet at 3:00 PM to determine the Tournament of Heroes Champion.

THE WALK WITH...