What: Men’s basketball vs. Grambling State
Where: Smith Center
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
GW will get another chance to topple a weak team when the Grambling State Tigers come to the Smith Center on Friday.
The trick for GW will be to win by a significant enough margin to dispel any RPI concerns, as they take on one of the NCAA’s worst Division I teams. The Colonials beat up on Division II exhibition opponent Bloomsburg last week, and they will head on the road for the first time this season after their game against Grambling State.
Freshmen could see extended playing time as the Colonials are expected to hold the advantage in all areas of the game.
The case for Grambling State:
Grambling State took a step forward last season relative to the team’s 2012-13 season, in which the Tigers were one of eight Division I teams in history to finish a season winless. They will look to take another step forward this season.
The Colonials biggest task will be to contain senior guard/forward A’Torri Shine, who averaged 13.8 points per game last year and was named to the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason second team.
The Tigers made more than six three pointers per game, a weak spot for the Colonials this year, and could use Shine or 6-foot-4 guard Remond Brown to shoot around and over guards from beyond the arc.
The case for GW:
Out of the 351 NCAA Division I teams ranked by ESPN.com, the Tigers ranked 297th in scoring, 321st in rebounding, 325th in assists and 343rd in points allowed per game last season on the way to a 5-24 finish at the bottom of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
GW showed last week in exhibition play that it can feast on weaker opponents in the paint and should do so again against a team that was out-rebounded by 4.5 rebounds per game last year. Look for Kevin Larsen to overpower the Tigers inside and for John Kopriva to continue finding the basket.
GW’s defense should be a cut above: Grambling State totaled just 60 blocks as a team to the Colonials’ 135, and 177 steals to GW’s 235 last year, so possession should be in the home team’s favor.
The Colonials will have a quick turnaround after the game, taking on Rutgers on the road Sunday night.
