What: GW (12-4, 2-1 A-10) vs. Richmond (9-7, 2-1 A-10)
Where: Smith Center, ESPNU
When: Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Last time out, the Colonials played a sloppy road game against a conference bottom feeder that they matched up badly with.
In taking on Richmond on Thursday, GW will be playing a better overall team than La Salle, but one they are more set up to contain.
Richmond’s style of quick cuts and screens will go up against GW’s 1-3-1 defense and other schemes as the Spiders look to maintain a perfect conference record and GW looks to get another win streak started.
The Case for Richmond:
The Spiders have righted the ship after dropping the final three games of their conference season. Richmond has won their first two Atlantic 10 contests, topping George Mason and St. Bonaventure both by double-digit margins.
They’re also one of two teams (Rhode Island is the other) ranked higher in the A-10 standings than GW in scoring defense. The Spiders are allowing just 58.9 points per game which could be troubling for the Colonials who were stagnant offensively last time out against La Salle.
Kendall Anthony, Terry Allen and TJ Cline lead the team in scoring and all average double figures at 15.6, 11.1 and 10.3 points per game but guard ShawnDre’ Jones is close behind at 8.6. The sophomore scored 25 points on 10-14 shooting last season against GW and is contributing this year to the Spiders’ +2.7 turnover margin with a 45-16 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Case for GW:
While Richmond is strong defensively, the Spiders are scoring just 62.5 points per game. With the Colonials’ dominance in the Smith Center, Richmond may struggle to put up points on the board.
GW’s strong three point defense should also put a damper on Richmond’s long game. The Spiders make 6.1 threes per contest but are making them at just a .322 percent clip.
Absent an outside shooting game to help them keep up, the Spiders should also struggle inside. Richmond has a conference-worst rebounding margin at -5.6 boards per game and are pulling down just 27.9 rebounds per game.
The Colonials also enter this game with something to prove, a situation in which they often thrive. GW’s loss to La Salle was the first of the conference season and snapped a six game winning streak when no starter scored more than nine points. Head coach Mike Lonergan had the game tape from La Salle shown on the team bus on the way home, so expect some extra energy from the starting five to put the Colonials over the edge at home.
