Battle | Winless NJIT (0-25) hopes to avoid dubious distinction

By: Kevin Ware

Posted: 2/12/08

While the traditional powers of NCAA basketball gear up for March Madness, the New Jersey Institute of Technology endures a much less ambitious task.

The Highlanders would just like to win a game. At 0-25, they are the laughingstock of college basketball.

The school in Newark, N.J. with an undergraduate body of 5,380 is the only team left in men's college basketball yet to win a game.

With four games left on the schedule for this season, the Highlanders are in danger of becoming only the third team in the past 53 years of Division I men's basketball to go through an entire season without winning a game.

"Our philosophy is just to improve daily," NJIT head coach Jim Casciano said. "So we're constantly reiterating to them the need to take individual responsibility as well as collective responsibility and show them how you can improve and also try to keep them focused on the big picture, which means that success will take care of itself when you've earned the right to be successful."

Success has been hard to come by for the Division I independent. Since moving up to Division I at the beginning of last season, the Highlanders have won a whopping total of five games. The Highlanders have now lost 30 consecutive games dating back to last season.

"It's a daily challenge," said Wendell Alexis, NJIT assistant coach and former Syracuse player during the mid-1980s. "It starts from coach preparation for how you prepare your team for that day's practice. You have to make them understand it's a daily grind that you have to put the time in every day to get better … You have to make them understand not only what they're doing, but why they're doing it and how to do it."

While the coaching staff tries its best to remain positive, the excessive losing can take a toll on the young players on the NJIT roster.

"When you have five freshmen and it's only your second year (in Division I) it's difficult to assume that you're automatically going to win," Casciano said. "If that was the case then more teams would have winning records than losing records, let alone teams like us going from (Division) II to (Division) I."

As the captain of NJIT, senior Kraig Peters understands that things don't necessarily change overnight.

"The hardest thing right now with my job as team captain is to remind these guys that no real magic is going to get us out of this," Peters said. "It's not like tomorrow everyone is going to start going off and we're going to win. As a team captain you're supposed to be vocal and everything like that, but in this instance - and this is obviously a special instance - I'm trying to focus on making sure everybody knows that it's not just going to turn around because you want it to turn around."

Through Feb. 7, NJIT is losing by an average of 21.7 points, a point differential that has prompted questions of whether the move from Division II to Division I was the right one for the Highlanders.

"So it's hard for them to stay in the moment and see the big picture because they're like 'Well Jim, we're not winning'" Casciano said. "And they get down, sure - they're human."

Not everything surrounding the NJIT program is necessarily negative. Starting this season they have began to play a portion of their games in the 18,500 seat Prudential Center - home to the NHL's New Jersey Devils - quite an upgrade from the 1,500 seat Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Not even the improved surroundings have helped - NJIT hasn't lost by less than nine points this season.

The experience has been especially rough on Casciano. In his 22nd year as a college head coach and seventh in charge of NJIT, Casciano said this might be the most difficult challenge he's had as a coach.

And of course, Casciano maintains hope that his team can avoid a place in NCAA infamy.

"Hopefully better days are ahead," Casciano said. "… I do feel we can win before the season is over."

Houston at No. 1 Memphis (-10)

Wednesday, 9:00 p.m.

Memphis won round one of this matchup last month, 89-77, and that was on the road. With the home court advantage behind them this time around, the Tigers should pull away for another easy win in Conference USA.

Memphis 84, Houston 70

Maryland (+10.5) at No. 2 Duke

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., ESPN

Can Maryland pull another big upset on Tobacco Road after it beat North Carolina earlier this year? Duke remains the only team left in the ACC with an undefeated conference record. Maryland puts up a tough game behind the leadership of Greivis Vasquez (16.9 ppg), but falls short in the end.

Duke 81, Maryland 75

No. 7 Stanford (-2.5) at Arizona

Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC

For the first time in four years, Stanford has won seven consecutive Pac-10 conference games. Seven-footer Brook Lopez continues to power the rising Cardinal with his 18.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Arizona is a tough place to play, but Stanford is hot, and nothing the Wildcats can do should change that.

Stanford 75, Arizona 71

No. 10 Michigan State (+3.5) at No. 13 Indiana

Saturday, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

Raymar Morgan isn't a household name yet, but the Michigan State sophomore is having one heck of a season as he leads the Spartans in scoring at a clip of 15.8 ppg, with six games of over 20 points. Spectacular Indiana freshman Eric Gordon should have another big night, but Tom Izzo and the Spartans will prove to be too much for the Hoosiers.

Michigan State 78, Indiana 72

No. 8 Georgetown (-5.5) at Syracuse

Saturday, 12:00 p.m., ESPN

Last season, the Orange upset a 10th-ranked Hoyas team in the Carrier Dome, 72-58. It's just too hard to see that happening again. Syracuse should be able to stay close, just like they did earlier in the season on the road at Georgetown, but in the end the Hoyas are just too good.

Georgetown 72, Syracuse 66

kjware@syr.edu