What: No. 4 seed Men’s basketball (23-10) vs. No. 5 seed Hofstra (24-9), NIT first round
Where: Smith Center, Washington, D.C., ESPN3 (TV)
When: Wednesday, March 16 at 8 p.m.
In their second consecutive National Invitation Tournament appearance, the fourth-seeded Colonials will host fifth-seeded Hofstra of the Colonial Athletic Conference Wednesday.
GW failed to receive an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament after exiting the Atlantic 10 Championship in the quarterfinal round and finishing the regular season at 23-10 overall and 11-7 in Atlantic 10 play. The Colonials enter the NIT having dropped three of their last five contests.
Ending its year with a share of the CAA regular season title, Hofstra earned an automatic bid to the NIT. UNC-Wilmington, a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeated the Pride in the CAA Championship in an 80–73 overtime decision.
Hofstra defeated St. Bonaventure and La Salle earlier this season, and had been riding an eight-game winning streak heading into the CAA final.
The Colonials took down the Pride the last time the two sides met during non-conference play in 2013, edging Hofstra 69–58 in Hempstead, N.Y. Here’s what to expect this time around:
The case for the Colonials:
Redshirt junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh leads an efficient GW offense with 16.4 points per game, and could close in on his 1,000th career point Wednesday night, entering the game with 987. Senior swingman Patricio Garino follows closely with 13.9, contributing to a team average of 75.2 points per game.
GW’s defense was fifth-best in the A-10 this season, holding opponents to an average of 68.7 points per game.
The Colonials may find success from three-point range against the Pride, an area they’ve been hot from as of late. GW hit a season-high 15 from deep in its loss to Saint Joseph’s and finished with the second-best three-point field goal percentage in the A-10 at 36.8 percent.
The team also experienced one of its best seasons from the free-throw line, going an impressive 75.7 percent from the charity stripe to Hofstra’s 68.7, and got to the line more than any other team in the A-10 with 756 total attempts.
In addition to experience on the court from Garino, and seniors Joe McDonald (3.0 assists per game) and Kevin Larsen (8.5 rebounds per game), the home team has the upper hand in terms of NIT experience. While the Colonials went 1-1 in last year’s tournament, the Pride are playing in their first NIT since 2007.
The case for the Pride:
Hofstra rolls into Smith Center, which already may see a light crowd due to Wednesday’s Metro system closure and as most students remain off-campus for spring break, with a sturdy 9–4 road record and an RPI ranking of 56, nine spots ahead of GW.
Like GW, the Pride boast a veteran starting five made up of three seniors. Senior guard Juan’ya Green leads the way with 17.6 points and 7.1 assists per game.
All five Hofstra starters average 11.2 points per game or better, as its high-powered offense nets an average of 78.8 per game, 47th-most in the nation.
The Pride also hold an edge on the glass, averaging 39.2 rebounds per game, 37th-best in the country, compared to GW’s 37.9. Six-foot-nine-inch Lithuanian sophomore forward Rokas Gustys leads that effort with a commanding 13.0 boards per game.
And while Hofstra plays in the CAA conference, which received just one NCAA bid to the A-10’s three, it’s strength of schedule (SOS) this season was 122, compared GW’s SOS of 123, according to ESPN.
The bottom line:
In a quiet Smith Center, Hofstra’s dynamic offense may cause problems for a GW team that has experienced defensive woes all year. But if the Colonials stay focused in front of their own net, they have the superior experience and skill to knock off the Pride. The winner of Wednesday’s contest will likely await a second round matchup with No. 1 Monmouth.
