WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - After closing out the non-conference slate with a road win at Hampton Roads rival Old Dominion, the William & Mary men's basketball team opens Colonial Athletic Association play on the road at Northeastern on Saturday afternoon. It marks the Tribe's first CAA opener on the road in the last five seasons. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m., and will be broadcast online via CAA TV.

Tribe fans can also catch the men's basketball action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com.

Catch up with the Tribe through social media. Follow the Tribe on Twitter @TribeAthletics and for in-game updates @TribeGameDay. Check in with the Tribe on Facebook at WMTribeAthletics, and see what happening with the Green and Gold on Instagram @TribeAthletics. Finally, follow along with the catalog of video content on TribeAthletics.com or check out the Tribe YouTube page. Fans can keep up with W&M men's basketball by following the program on social media as well. Be sure to check out the Tribe on Twitter (@TribeMensHoops), Facebook (TribeMensHoops), Instagram (TribeMensHoops) and Snapchat (TribeMensHoops).
 

News and Notes
- W&M leads the all-time series with Northeastern at 11-10 following a series sweep in 2015-16. The Tribe has won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams, including two of the last three in Boston. Last season, W&M pulled out an 86-77 win at Matthews Arena.
- The Tribe had its three-game winning streak in CAA openers snapped last season at home against Towson. Saturday is the first CAA opener on the road for W&M since the 2011-12 season. The Green and Gold is 13-19 all-time in CAA openers with five wins coming under head coach Tony Shaver.
- After scoring a Ted Constant Center visitor record and career-high 36 points at ODU, senior Daniel Dixon is averaging 21.5 points per game over the last four contests. He is shooting 61.4 percent (27-of-44) from the field and 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from 3-point range during the stretch.
- The Tribe leads the CAA and ranks 32nd nationally at 17.2 assists per game. According to KenPom.com, W&M is 15th in the country in assist rate, dishing out assists on 64.2 percent of its made field goals.
- W&M is averaging 30.8 points and 13.2 rebounds per game off the bench this season. The Tribe has outscored its opponents off the bench in eight of its 11 games this season, including six contests with 30 or more points. Tribe players have totaled double-digit games off the bench on 13 occasions, including four-straight by senior Daniel Dixon.
- Over the last four games, W&M has improved its defensive numbers. The Tribe is holding foes to 67.8 points per game and shooting percentages of 35.4 overall and 24.6 from 3-point range.
 
Scouting Northeastern
- Northeastern enters the CAA opener with the Tribe at 7-5 and coming off an 11-day break. The Huskies have won three straight, all on the road, including an impressive 81-73 triumph at Michigan State. NU also owns a major conference win at UConn, 64-61, in November.
- The Huskies have played the majority of their games away from home this season, going 4-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site contests. They are just 2-0 at home with a season-opening win over Boston University, 87-77, and a 73-70 triumph over Kent State on Nov. 27. Most recently, T.J. Williams hit a runner at the buzzer to give NU a 61-59 road win at Oakland on Dec. 20.
- Offensively, NU averages 72.8 points per game and ranks third in the CAA in both field goal percentage (46.3) and 3-point percentage (36.2). They allow 71.3 points per game, and teams shoot 44.1 percent from the field and 36.6 percent on 3-point attempts.
- Senior guard T.J. Williams is the engine behind the Huskies. He leads the CAA in both scoring (21.5) and assists per game (5.8), while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 41.9 percent on 3-point attempts. Williams owns a pair of CAA Player of the Week awards and has eight 20-point contests this season.
- Graduate transfer Alex Murphy, who spent time at both Duke and Florida, is second on the team and 10th in the CAA at 14 points per game. He averages a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game, which is 18th in the CAA. Sophomore Jeremy Miller added averages of 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game.
- By virtue of its series sweep last season, W&M holds a slim 11-10 advantage in the all-time series. During the 2016 campaign, the Tribe topped the Huskies, 78-60, in Williamsburg and 86-77 in Boston. W&M has won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams, including two of the last three in Boston.
 
One for the Ages
- Senior Daniel Dixon enjoyed the best game of his W&M career at Old Dominion, scoring 36 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and a 9-of-10 effort at the charity stripe.
- The 36 points were a Ted Constant Center opponent record, bettering the old mark of 35 set by Cleveland State's Norris Cole in 2011. Cole went on to win two NBA Championships with the Miami Heat and spent five years in the league.
- Dixon's effort was the 13th-best single-game performance in Tribe history and just the 16th game in which a W&M player scored 36 or more points. It was only the seventh game of 36 or more points for a W&M player since 1970.
- Over the last four games, Dixon has been on a tear, averaging 21.5 points per game. He is shooting 61.4 percent (27-of-44) from the field and 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from 3-point range. Dixon is also averaging nearly four 3-pointers made per contest during the stretch.
- With his recent outburst, Dixon is only 65 points away from becoming the 39th player in W&M history with 1,000 career points. He would be the 12th player under head coach Tony Shaver to record 1,000 points, which is the most for any W&M coach.
- Dixon currently leads W&M and ranks ninth in the CAA at 14.2 points per game.
 
Improved Defense
- Since returning from the final exam break at the College, the Tribe has been a much-improved defensive team compared to the first seven games of the season.
- Over the last four contests, the Tribe has held its opponents to 67.8 points per game with shooting percentages of 35.4 percent (98-of-277) overall and 24.6 percent (30-of-122) from 3-point range. Those numbers are an improvement from the first seven games of 74.6 points per game, 44.9 percent (183-of-408) from the field and 35.4 percent (58-of-164) on 3-point attempts.
- Each of the Tribe's last four opponents have failed to shoot 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range. W&M limited its most recent foe, Old Dominion, to 30.3 percent from the field, including just 3-of-23 (13 percent) from 3. The field goal percentage was a low for a W&M opponent in 2016-17.
- In each of the last three games, the Tribe defense held opponents to sub 30-percent shooting halves. Against Savannah State, W&M limited the Tigers to 29.7 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes, before holding Rhode Island to only 28.1 percent in the second half. The Green and Gold defense relegated ODU to 29 percent from the floor in the first half.
- The Tribe has held two of the last four opponents to less than 60 points. In total, W&M is 4-0 this season when holding foes below the mark. The Green and Gold has won 20-straight games since 2013 when limiting its foes to less than 60 points.
- With its recent defensive success, the Tribe improved to fourth in the CAA in field goal percentage defense (.410) and 3-point percentage defense (.308). W&M is in the top 100 in both categories nationally as well, coming in 68th in 3-point percentage defense and 98th in field goal percentage defense.
 
In the National Rankings
The Tribe ranks among the top 100 nationally in a number of statistical categories. Here is a look at where W&M ranks nationally (as of Dec. 30):
 
3-Pointers Made Per Game - 22nd (9.8)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 29th (28.6)
Assists Per Game - 32nd (17.2)
Blocked Shots Per Game - 41st (5.3)
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - 44th (1.32)
Fewest Fouls Per Game - 45th (16.8)
Scoring Offense - 49th (81.0)
3-Point Percentage Defense - 68th (30.8)
3-Point Percentage - 76th (37.8)
Rebounds Per Game - 80th (39.1)
Scoring Margin - 81st (8.9)
Field Goal Percentage - 90th (46.6)
Field Goal Percentage Defense - 98th (41.0)
 
Production in Reserve
- The bench has been a valuable component for the Tribe, giving W&M important minutes and production. The Green and Gold bench is averaging 30.8 and 13.2 rebound per game this season.
- It marks the fourth time in the last 15 years that W&M has averaged 20 or more points per game off the bench. The Tribe also did it in 2006 (28.0), 2005 (23.2) and 2014 (24.0).
- Last season, the Tribe averaged 17.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game off the bench, while shooting 49.8 percent (202-of-406) from the field and 41.6 percent (77-of-185) from 3-point range.
- In 2016-17, the Tribe has outscored its opponents off the bench in seven of its 10 games, producing 20-point performances on seven occasions.
- Since 2013-14, the Tribe is 33-16 (.673) when scoring 20 or more points off the bench, and 23-8 (.742) over the last two seasons when outscoring its foes in bench points.
- The Green and Gold reserves have scored 30 or more points on six occasions this season and are 5-1 in those contests. Over the last three years, the Tribe is 12-3 when scoring 30 or more points off the bench.
- The Tribe has 13 double-digit scoring performances off the bench. Senior Daniel Dixon leads the way with four double-digit efforts over the last four games as a reserve. Junior Greg Malinowski owns three games of 10 or more points off the bench. Freshmen Nathan Knight and Justin Pierce both have two double-digit scoring games as reserves, while both junior Connor Burchfield and sophomore Paul Rowley each have one.