NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team will end the non-conference portion of the season with its toughest test yet – a visit to Division I Yale University on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at the John J. Lee Amphitheater and the game will air live on ESPN+.
 
Skidmore (7-3, 5-0 Liberty League) is rounding into shape, winners of three straight and six of their last seven games. Last weekend, the Thoroughbreds defeated RPI 70-69 (Friday) and Union 90-83 (Saturday) to up its league record to 5-0 – its best start since 2014-15. Skidmore is also off to an impressive 4-0 start in road Liberty League games, equaling the 2014-15 team for best road start.
 
Statistically, the Thoroughbreds have allowed the fewest points per game (66.0) in five league games, with a league-leading scoring margin of 14.8 points. Skidmore also leads in field goal percentage (52.2), 3-point shooting percentage (44.8), and rebounding margin (+8.4). Overall, out of 413 NCAA Division III teams, Skidmore is ranked 28^th in field goal defense (40.1), 18^th in free throw percentage (77.7), 22^nd in fewest turnovers (137), and 28^th in fewest fouls (179).
 
Individually, the Thoroughbreds are led by the scoring punch of senior guard Edvinas Rupkus and sophomore guard Noah Meren. Meren currently leads the team and is 16^th nationally with 22.8 points per game. Meren has been named as a Liberty League Performer of the week on four occasions this season. Rupkus, a 2018 NABC All-American and Skidmore's all-time leading scorer, averages 17.3 points per game and is 30^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting the rock at a .463 clip. Rupkus was recently named to the Liberty League's Honor Roll on Monday.
 
Skidmore has received a more balanced effort from the team during this recent stretch of games. Senior guard Chase Ta has come along as a solid scoring option over the last few games, averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 assists per game, shooting 61.5 percent from the field during the three-game win streak. Freshman center Greg Skoric and senior forward Dakpe Yiljep have served as a solid post duo for the Thoroughbreds. Skoric averages 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in his first season, leading the team with 11 blocked shots. Yiljep is third on the team with 5.4 rebounds and adds 5.8 points per game. All five Skidmore starters – Meren, Rupkus, Ta, Skoric, and Yiljep – are solid at the charity stripe, shooting 75 percent or better from the free throw line. Skidmore also sports solid 3-point shooting options, as four players – Rupkus, Ta, senior guard Jack Byrne, and junior guard/forward Pat Gallagher – are shooting 35 percent or better from beyond the arc.
 
Yale comes into Tuesday's game with an impressive 9-3 record, posting victories over Cal (PAC-12) and Miami (ACC). The game against Skidmore will be the Bulldogs' last non-conference game of the regular season as they prepare for Ivy League play next weekend.
 
The Bulldogs, riding a five-game winning streak, have been involved in a few track meets this season, scoring 90 or more points in seven games this season. They're 23^rd in Division I in scoring offense at 83.8 points per game and they're also among the national leaders in assists (8^th, 19.0 per game) and field goal percentage (19^th, 49.7 percent). It's a balanced scoring offense at Yale, who post five double-figure scorers, led by Miye Oni at 16.9 points per game. Jordan Bruner (11.7 ppg.), Blake Reynolds (11.2 ppg.), Paul Atkinson (11.1 ppg.), and Alex Copeland (10.6 ppg.) are the other double-digit scorers.
 
The matchup with Yale marks the third time in program history that Skidmore will play a Division-I team in the regular season. The previous two meetings have both been against Cornell University – a 70-54 loss in 1997 and an 83-50 defeat in 2000. Interestingly enough, Skidmore head coach Joe Burke was on the Cornell staff for the latter match-up. The Thoroughbreds last matchup with a Division I team was an exhibition game against Siena in the 2012-13 season. One player currently on the Skidmore roster has played against a Division I opponent. Yiljep, who played two seasons at Division II Chestnut Hill College, played against Division I Coppin State twice, first in the 2015-16 season, and finally in the 2016-17 season. He scored 17 points, adding nine rebounds and three steals in the latter match-up as Chestnut Hill upset Coppin State by a 76-73 score.
 
Skidmore and Yale will meet for the first time on Tuesday, but there will be a familiar face on the Bulldog sideline. Rey Crossman, currently the Director of Basketball Operations at Yale, served as a key part of the Skidmore program as an assistant coach from 2015-2018. Skidmore made two trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament in the three years, capturing a league championship in 2015-16, tying a program record for wins in the 2016-17 season, and helping the team to its first national ranking last season. He, along with Burke, won back-to-back Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.