The Yale men’s basketball team will host UIC on Sunday, December 7 at the John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven before traveling to Springfield, Massachusetts, to face UAlbany at the MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Wednesday, December 10.
Yale is coming off a win against Brandeis, where Nick Townsend recorded his second double-double of the season. The Bulldogs maintained control throughout the game, responding to each challenge from Brandeis and ultimately securing a 79–61 victory.
Currently, three Yale players are averaging double-digit points per game: Townsend (17.5), Isaac Celiscar (13.9), and Fox (13.9). Celiscar has reached double figures in scoring for five consecutive games, while Fox has done so in eight games this season. Townsend’s performance against Brandeis marked his tenth career double-double.
The Bulldogs have also been strong statistically this season, ranking second nationally in three-point percentage at 43.9%, fourth in field goal percentage at 53.4%, and seventh in free throw percentage at 79.8%. Townsend leads the Ivy League and ranks 25th nationally with 60 field goals made; he is also fourth in conference scoring with an average of 17.5 points per game and averages 7.3 rebounds as well as 4.6 assists per game.
Samson Aletan is second in the league for blocks with a total of 17, averaging just over two per contest. Fox leads Yale with twenty made three-pointers so far this season.
Yale set a program record by scoring 117 points against SUNY Maritime earlier this month and has received national recognition: Townsend was named USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on December 2 and Ivy League Player of the Week twice this season; Head Coach James Jones earned his 425th career win recently; and Yale won the Paradise Jam tournament last month.
UIC enters Sunday’s matchup with a record of four wins and four losses after narrowly losing to Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier this week. Jayce Nathaniel had his first career double-double during that game with eleven points and fourteen rebounds.
UAlbany comes into their meeting with Yale holding a three-and-six record ahead of their upcoming game against Columbia on Saturday. In their latest win over Oneonta, Okechukwu Okeke led UAlbany with seventeen points and twelve rebounds.
After these contests, Yale will travel to Alabama for another road matchup scheduled for Monday, December 29.
