What: GW (14-4, 4-1 A-10) vs. Fordham (5-11, 0-5 A-10)
Where: Rose Hill Gym, Bronx, N.Y. NBC Sports Network.
When: Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
After winning two straight at home, GW heads on the road to face a Fordham team still searching for its first conference win.
The Colonials are the favorite to win on the road, but will be tasked with containing the likes of Eric Paschall, who’s scoring nearly 17 points per game for the Rams, and strong rebounder Ryan Rhoomes.
The case for Fordham:
The Colonials have struggled on the road, and a trip to the historic Rose Hill gymnasium isn’t something to overlook as the Rams just celebrated the arena’s 90th birthday. Fordham struggled last year as well, but the Colonials still needed six threes from Maurice Creek to win 70-67 last March in the Bronx.
Also, a desperate team is tough to write off. The Colonials dropped a road game to winless La Salle that they were expected to win, and something is bound to go right eventually for Fordham.
The Rams are strong off the glass in the Atlantic 10, pulling down a fourth-best 37.0 rebounds per game, ranking first in the conference with 13.0 offensive rebounds per game and boasting a +4.3 rebounding margin. They’ll need to crash the boards hard to get enough chances against GW’s defense. But the Colonials’ offense hasn’t been clicking, so any extra possessions would be valuable.
The case for GW:
The Rams are a struggling team that could give GW a chance to get a big win after some scares against Saint Louis and Saint Joseph’s so far in conference play.
GW’s defense, ranked third in the league, should be able to shut down Fordham’s offense, tied for 12th in the A-10. Fordham’s field goal percentage, .401, is the lowest in the A-10, but GW’s opponents have actually shot the ball worse so far this season. Teams are shooting just .395 against GW, so points could be at a premium Thursday.
Fordham’s young core bunch doesn’t hang on to the ball well, either. The Rams give the ball away 16.3 times per game, an A-10 worst, and while GW’s defense isn’t predicated on getting steals, experienced playmakers like Patricio Garino and Kethan Savage could be dangerous.
Freshman Paul Jorgensen, who will be back near his hometown, could see more minutes with classmate Darian Bryant out with a concussion. Jorgensen has shown energy and strong dribbling skills in limited minutes so far and could turn on the jets in front of friends and family if the Colonials are able to flex some muscle Thursday night.
