What: Men’s basketball versus Bloomsburg University (Exhibition)
Where: Smith Center
When: Saturday at 2 p.m.
Ladies, gentlemen, District residents and Colonials: the moment has arrived.
Basketball is back in Foggy Bottom with the men’s team taking the court for the first time since last year’s NCAA tournament in an exhibition game Saturday against Bloomsburg (Division II). It will be the only chance for GW to shake off any offseason dust before beginning the regular season against Grambling State on Friday, Nov. 14.
Head coach Mike Lonergan will get to see an old partner in Bloomsburg head coach John Sanow, who was Lonergan’s assistant coach at Vermont from 2005 to 2006.
Fans will also see a 30-second shot clock in use during the game, following a rules change the Atlantic 10 is experimenting with in exhibition play this year.
The case for Bloomsburg
The Huskies have been a team on the rise in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division, finishing last season 16-12 and making the postseason for the third time in as many years. The odds are stacked heavily against them as the Division II school just doesn’t face the same level of competition the Colonials are used to, but momentum never hurts.
Bloomsburg could, however, get a boost from senior Jon Riles, who will move into his natural position on the wing after averaging 9.2 points per game last year at point guard.
Ten new players on the active roster, including transfers Anthony McKie and Ashkan Naderi, could also bolster the squad’s depth.
The case for GW
Flash back to The Hatchet’s preview of last year’s exhibition game, a 85-68 rout of Bowie State, another Division II team: “GW is 9-0 in exhibition games since 2004,” we wrote. “Simply put, they should be 10-0 after Sunday’s game.”
Fans know what happened after that: The team jumped out to a 17-3 start and went on to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years and rocketed up eight spots, from No. 10 to No. 2, between last year’s A-10 preseason coaches poll and this year’s poll.
Simply put, 11-0 is a safe bet for those looking to put a wager on Saturday’s outcome.
With shooting guard Kethan Savage returning to the court healthy to complete the junior “core four,” GW should have no problem scoring and could even break the century mark in the game. Both teams played at a fairly quick pace last year, with the Colonials averaging 73.2 points per game and Bloomsburg averaging 73, and GW’s multiple weapons should be able to rack up points quickly against the Huskies.
GW fans will also get a look at the team’s five freshmen, who Lonergan said would all play in the exhibition game.
