What: Men’s basketball (10-2) vs. Central Florida (6-4)
When: Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: CFE Arena, Orlando, Fla., ASN, CSN+, ESPN3 (TV)
The men’s basketball team was likely eager to put its last game – a 21-point beatdown at the hands of DePaul – in the past as quickly as possible. But the Colonials had a week off scheduled before their chance at redemption, Tuesday night’s matchup at UCF.
Aside from the status of forward Tyler Cavanaugh, who was said to be “day to day” after leaving in the second half of the DePaul game with an ankle injury, Colonials fans will be looking for some intensity from head coach Mike Lonergan’s squad coming out after a loss and looking to prove that they can win on the road.
UCF has an RPI of 200 according to ESPN and needed overtime to beat Bethune-Cookman in its last game. But the team is 5-1 at home this season and has played a pair of Atlantic 10 teams already this season, falling by just five points at Davidson and beating Massachusetts at home. The Knights are also drawing around 4,200 fans per home game.
Here’s what to expect from the game:
The case for the Colonials:
The Knights do not force many turnovers, generating 9.6 per game while committing 14.1 of their own, so the Colonials could get some extra chances. The Colonials have the personnel to force more turnovers than they have been so far this season, an advantage they could exploit, particularly against UCF’s bench players.
GW’s guards were absent in the loss at DePaul, but they could get a chance to bounce back against a depleted UCF backcourt. The Knights lost point guard B.J. Taylor for the season (he injured himself in practice in October and the team announced last week that he would redshirt the year) and have not yet found a steady answer at the position. Senior Daiquan Walker started the first four games but was replaced by freshman Chance McSpadden for the next five before Walker got back in the starting lineup for the Bethune-Cookman game.
The Knights are, however, allowing more than eight three-pointers per game to opponents. GW had been shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc over a four-game winning streak leading up to the DePaul game, when the team went 3-for-21 on three-pointers. It’s unlikely that happens again, and the Colonials could find open looks outside against UCF.
The case for the Knights:
GW’s defense has left something to be desired as of late and will have to tackle a balanced UCF offense. The Knights have eight players averaging more than five points per game and five players averaging more than nine, led by redshirt sophomore guard/forward A.J. Davis at 13.0 points per game.
A.J. Davis and senior forward Shaheen Davis, who adds 10.5 points per game and is the team’s leading rebounder at 6.2 rebounds per game, have helped lead the Knights to a 47.2 percent shooting mark, though that is aided by 7-foot-6 freshman center Tacko Fall’s 73.2 percent from the field.
Fall is also adding 5.7 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game and has 26 blocks on the season. He is not polished but creates obvious matchup problems with his size and has helped UCF collect 35.5 percent of available offensive rebounds according to KenPom.
The Colonials may also not have their typical advantage at the line against the Knights, who shoot 73.5 percent from the charity stripe and make 17.2 freebies per game.
Bottom line: There is an endless supply of intrigue for this one. On paper, yet again, GW looks like the better team. But this season has certainly strengthened the argument for the importance of home-court advantage. If the Colonials look more energized than they have for the last game-and-a-half, they should right the ship, so look for GW to come out swinging for the fences.
