Challenged Huskies continue to grow
However, the young Huskies fed off those low expectations to give fans a strong season and a sign of bigger things to come. Northeastern finished with a 14-17 record, 9-9 in the CAA, but that record does not signal how competitive the team truly was against some of the top teams in all of Division I basketball.
Below are some accomplishments that the Huskies had during the 2007-08 season:
• For the third consecutive season, the Huskies finished with at least a .500 record in the CAA, and that makes them one of only four teams in the conference to do so.
• The Huskies reached at least the CAA Tournament Quarterfinals for the third consecutive season, and that makes them one of only four teams in the conference to do so.
• The Huskies had four players earn honors from the CAA. Matt Janning was named to the All-CAA second team while Chaisson Allen was named to the CAA All-Rookie team. Nkem Ojougboh was named to the All-Academic first team while Janning and Baptiste Bataille were selected to the second team. Janning was also a selection to the NABC District I second team.
• The Huskies placed three players on the CAA All-Academic teams, one of only two schools in the conference to place that many (William & Mary).
• The Huskies were challenged by a rigorous schedule that included 21 road/neutral games. That ranked sixth in all of Division I basketball (341 teams). The Huskies were 7-14 in those games, with four of the losses coming by two points or less.
• Northeastern won at Hofstra on Feb. 13, 2008, the first time the Huskies won in Hempstead, N.Y. since 1996. Their win at Drexel on Feb. 2, 2008 was their first in Philadelphia since 1998.
• With their wins at Delaware and at Drexel on the same road trip, the Huskies have beaten those two teams on the road for the first time ever.
• In their win at Drexel, the Huskies had a 24-0 scoring run, the most ever by an NU team. In the same game, the Huskies allowed only 40 points, the fewest for an NU opponent since 1991 (vs. New Hampshire).
• Captain Matt Janning led the CAA with a 19-game double-digit scoring streak, which will still be active once the 2008-09 season begins.
• Janning went 8-for-8 in field goal shooting vs. Drexel on Jan. 9, 2008 is tied for the best shooting performance in NU history. Only three other Huskies have ever taken at least eight shots and hit them all.
• Chaisson Allen's seven steals at Maryland on Nov. 15, 2007 were the most by a Husky since Marcus Blossom's seven on Feb. 24, 2000.
• Allen led all CAA rookies in assists, steals and minutes.
April 30, 2008
Boston, MAThe 2007-08 Northeastern men's basketball team was a youthful group that featured five freshmen and five sophomores on a squad of 14. Combine that with a challenging non-conference schedule and the rigors of playing in the Colonial Athletic Association, and expectations for the Huskies were kept low. The Huskies were picked to finish eighth in the CAA by the league's coaches, beat writers and sports information directors.
