Suffolk University men’s basketball has prided itself on the defensive end of the floor. Ranking top 15 in the country in blocks per game. This has led to an impressive start where the Rams sit second in the conference.
Men’s basketball has had an impressive start to the year with a 5-2 record in January. In that stretch, Suffolk beat Johnson and Wales University, holding them to 46 points and 36 percent shooting from the field. This success can be attributed to the team’s willingness to compete on defense.
“No matter what is happening in the game, we can always give full effort and focus on the defensive end,” said head coach Jeff Juron.
The leader on the defensive end has been Greg Keane. Keane’s three blocks per game rank seventh in the nation. He had two blocks along with two steals in Suffolk’s most recent win against Gordon.
His ability to block shots has been a huge help this season, but other areas of his game have been improving, which has led to the Rams’ stellar play on defense.
“We’ve challenged him not to be a one-trick pony in terms of blocking shots but to use his tools to be an all-around defensive player,” said Juron.
The Rams have leaned on this defensive identity when facing the challenge of losing four starters from a team that played for the conference championship.
In their absence, players have stepped up to keep the momentum from a championship appearance going.
“We’ve gotten strong leadership on and off the floor, beginning with our captains,” said Juron.
Suffolk’s captains this season are Declan Davis, Connor Strickland and Nick Verdile. Nick Verdile is the Rams’ leading scorer, averaging 13 points per game.
Coming up in the next week for the Rams is a conference slate of games that includes an important conference game at Western New England University.
Western New England has won three of their last four games and is third in the conference, one game behind Suffolk. The Rams will look to slow down a Golden Bears offense that ranks fifth in the conference and their leading scorer, Luka Vlajkovic averaging 13 points per game.
Suffolk can look to the three-point line to give them an edge in the matchup. The Golden Bears rank 11th in field goal percentage from beyond the arc in the conference, while the Rams rank third.
On the defensive end, Suffolk is the top-ranked team in the conference in opponent three-point percentage, holding its opponents to 29 percent from three.
Suffolk’s front court will have its work cut out for it, however, as Western New England has been terrific at rebounding the ball all year. Keane will make an effort to clean up the glass and protect the paint as he has done all year.
The Rams will look to the defensive side of the ball to get a big conference win as the end of the season is in sight. To have another shot at a conference title, Suffolk will look to keep up its stellar defensive play.
