What: Atlantic 10 tournament, second round, No. 6 men’s basketball (20-11, 10-8 A-10) vs. No. 11 Duquesne (11-18, 6-12 A-10)
When: Thursday, March 12 at 9 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hot off a commanding 87-65 victory over Massachusetts to close out the regular season, the Colonials roll into Brooklyn for a second-round showdown against Duquesne.
Behind a career seven three-pointers from freshman forward Yuta Watanabe in the team’s season finale, GW concluded an up-and-down season on a high note and should enter the postseason with some confidence.
Duquesne also enters Thursday’s matchup on the heels of a win, taking down No. 14 Saint Louis 61-55 in the first round. The six-point victory was the Dukes’ first A-10 tournament win in six years.
The Colonials were able to handily defeat Duquesne 74-59 at home on Jan. 24, but fell to the Dukes in Pittsburgh 78-62 just a few weeks later in a season-altering loss. With both teams fighting to keep a season alive and take on No. 3 Rhode Island on Friday, this rubber match could go either way.
The case for Duquesne:
Despite a subpar regular season record, the Dukes never had a problem producing offense this year. Duquesne had the second-best scoring offense and three-point field goal percentage in the A-10, averaging 72.3 points per game and a 36.7 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Junior guards Derrick Colter and Micah Mason, who averaged 13.2 and 12.2 points per game, respectively, lead the high-powered offense. GW held the pair to a combined 20 points in January, but an improved shooting effort in the teams’ most recent meeting allowed the duo to combine for a crippling 42 points.
Improved defense will be the key for Duquesne, a team that finished with the worst scoring defense in the league this year, conceding an average of 75 points per game.
But a solid two-three zone and 12 blocked shots last night against the Bilikens could give the Dukes the confidence they need on the defensive end. To advance, Duquesne must continue locking down the paint and keep quiet GW’s threats down low.
The case for GW:
While their opponent was one of the worst defensive teams in the A-10 this regular season, the Colonials were one of the best. Conceding an average of 61.3 points and 32.2 rebounds per game, and averaging 4.0 blocks and 5.6 steals per game, GW should be able to frustrate the Dukes’ offense.
Offensively, junior guard Patricio Garino leads three other Colonials averaging double figures in scoring with 12.3 points per game. Junior guards Kethan Savage and Joe McDonald posted an average of 11.4 and 10.2 points per game, respectively, with McDonald adding a team-high average of 3.1 assists per game.
Junior forward Kevin Larsen leads the Colonials’ fervent rebounding effort by averaging 7.0 boards per game, tenth-best in the conference. GW finished with a league-leading +4.3 rebounding margin and will need strong play on the glass to overpower Duquesne.
If multiple Colonials get going offensively and the team can play a sturdy 40 minutes defensively, the No. 6 seed can easily avenge its February road loss.
