Skidmore (11-5, 6-1 Liberty League) at Rensselaer (10-6, 4-3 Liberty League)
Game Details: Friday, Jan. 20 | 8 p.m.
Location: Troy, N.Y. – East Campus Stadium
Game Links: Stats | Video
Skidmore: Roster | Stats
Rensselaer: Roster | Stats
 
Skidmore (11-5, 6-1 Liberty League) vs. Bard (0-13, 0-5 Liberty League)
Game Details: Saturday, Jan. 21 | 4 p.m.
Location: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Williamson Sports Center
Game Links: Stats | Video
Skidmore: Roster | Stats
Bard: Roster | Stats
 
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With the Liberty League schedule nearing the midway point, the Skidmore College men's basketball team looks to push towards a tourney berth with a pair of games this weekend against Rensselaer and Bard.
 
The Thoroughbreds will first travel to Troy to take on the Engineers on Friday at 8 p.m. before coming back home to host Bard on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Thoroughbreds will honor their alums at halftime of the game against Bard.
 
Skidmore comes into the weekend with an 11-5 record overall, and heads to the halfway point of the league season in second place with a 6-1 record, riding a three-game winning streak.
 
That streak started this past week, when the Thoroughbreds went 3-0 on the road. On Tuesday against Clarkson, sophomore guard Edvinas Rupkus scored 28 points and the Thoroughbreds shot nearly 53 percent from the field in a 77-69 victory. On Friday against RIT, four Thoroughbreds – Rupkus, senior guard Aldin Medunjanin, sophomore guard Jack Byrne, and junior guard Jack Morrow – scored in double figures as Skidmore edged RIT 72-68. Saturday's game against Hobart was a wild one, but a Rupkus layup off a Medunjanin feed with eight seconds left propelled the Thoroughbreds to a 70-69 win.
 
Skidmore has found its stroke from beyond the arc, shooting nearly 39.1 percent over the last three games. Skidmore has made 10 or more 3-pointers five times this year, making a season-high 15 on two occasions: against Castleton on Nov. 15 and against Houghton on Dec. 3. The Thoroughbreds are a perfect 5-0 when they make 10 or more threes in a game.
 
Skidmore also makes free throws at a high rate, leading the conference in free throw percentage (79.2%). That mark is also the sixth best in all of Division III. Individually, Rupkus leads the group (and the conference) with an .857 clip from the charity stripe. His 93 made free throws is the ninth best mark in the country.
 
Rensselaer comes into the weekend in fourth place in the league standings with a 4-3 mark, and a 10-6 record overall. The Engineers are the only team in the league this season to beat the Thoroughbreds, winning 69-66 in Saratoga Springs on Jan. 7. The Engineers got their week started with a 69-58 victory against Vassar on Tuesday.
 
Pace is the name of the game for the Engineers. They lead the league in scoring defense, giving up just 66.2 points per game. They also take care of the ball, leading the league in assists (16.6) and sporting the best assist/turnover ratio (1.31).
 
RPI sports four double-digit scores, led by forward Andreas Kontopidis (15.9). Guard Tom Horvat is right behind, averaging 15.2 points per game. Fellow guard Jonathon Luster averages 13.3 points per game and leads the team in assists (3.3), while forward Brian Hatcher leads the team in rebounds (6.5) to go along with hiss 10.1 points per game.
 
Bard comes into the matchup with a 2-12 record overall and an 0-5 mark in league play. The Raptors host Union on Friday before making the trip to Saratoga Springs for the Saturday matchup.
 
Bard is led by guard David Runcie, who leads the team with 9.7 points per game coming off the bench. Forward Armando Dunn is right behind him with 9.2 points per game, shooting 52 percent from the field.
 
This is the first time these two teams have met this season. Last season, the teams split the season series, with each team winning on the road.