This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Nora Princiotti.

Who: GW (16-8, 7-4) vs. VCU (18-6, 6-5)
When: Thursday, Jan. 13 at 9:00 p.m.
Where: Smith Center

Two of the Atlantic 10’s top offenses, sitting back-to-back in the standings, will clash Thursday when GW takes on VCU at the Smith Center. Need incentive to venture out into the snow: head coach Jonathan Tsipis has purchased the first 200 hot dogs for GW students. Here’s what you’ll see if you go:

Case for VCU:

It’s a rarity for GW to face a team that tops their offensive firepower, but the Rams boast the second
best offense in the Atlantic 10, averaging 78.7 ppg and narrowly edging the third-place Colonials who score 76.5.

GW struggled to find their normal offensive rhythm on Saturday at Fordham, and if they don’t get back to form quickly, the Rams explosive scoring will leave little room for error.

That offense is lead by Robyn Parks, the A-10’s top scorer, who averages more than 22 points per game and also leads the conference in rebounding with more than nine boards per game. Defenses have struggled to contain her all season, including GW, who gave up a game-high 23 points to Parks in the Rams’ last matchup with the Colonials.

The Rams, additionally, take care of the ball, boasting the best turnover margin in the A-10. GW will either need to keep up with the pace of the Rams offense or show up with a strong defensive presence.

Case for GW:

The Colonials will be looking for a bounce-back win after a 67-58 loss at Fordham on Saturday.

Freshman Caira Washington has been nearly unstoppable of late, averaging 18 points on 81 percent shooting over the Colonials last two games. She’s also averaged more than 11 rebounds per game over that period and will need to go off again against a smaller VCU team.

The Rams are prone to going cold, taking more shots than their opponents in all but one conference loss. Poor shooting could easily sink the Rams Thursday. If GW can force VCU into low-percentage shots, that could significantly limit their opponents productivity.

GW has won all four of their matchups with VCU, the most recent coming at 79-68 just last season. Junior Chakecia Miller scored a career high 20 points in that game.

VCU has lost three of its last five games, and trails GW by a game in the conference standings.