Men’s basketball (7–14, 3–5 A-10) hits the hardwood after a weeklong break in its schedule to face off against one of the toughest defenses in the Atlantic 10.

The Colonials will host VCU (15–6, 6–2 A-10) in the first of two meetings between the teams this season. GW is coming off a 79–61 win over Fordham last week, which snapped a three-game skid for the Colonials.

The Rams enter the Smith Center holding a 4–1 record in their last five outings and are riding a two-game win streak with victories over Duquesne and George Mason.

The Rams and the Colonials split their games last season. VCU drew first blood stomping GW 87–63 in Richmond, but the Colonials came back in the latter half of the season to overwhelm the Rams in a 24-point upset at home, GW’s third-ever win over VCU.

Case for the Colonials:

The Colonials are coming off one of their strongest shooting nights of the season against Fordham where they turned in a 48.4 percent shooting performance from the field powered by redshirt junior guard DJ Williams’ career-high 30-point game. But Fordham gives up some of the most points to opponents among A-10 competition, so the Colonials will need to turn Williams’ shooting prowess into overdrive against VCU.

VCU holds opponents to 65.3 points per game, tied for the fewest points allowed by a defense in the conference. Against the Rams, the Colonials will need an offensive showing from not just Williams, but the entire floor. The team has shown in their games against Saint Joseph’s, Duquesne and Fordham they can go deep on their roster to get high-volume points efficiently, like when sophomore guard Maceo Jack chipped in 17 points for GW to follow Williams’ performance.

The Colonials struggled with turnovers against George Mason, coughing up the rock 18 times in the loss, but took care of the ball against Fordham, cutting the number of turnovers they committed in half last week. Ball security will be key for GW against VCU, and the Colonials will need to make clean passes to prevent the ball from falling into VCU’s hands.

The Rams should be more manageable for the Colonials on the other side of the court. The Rams are in the middle of the pack in the A-10 when it comes to scoring offense, picking up 70.2 points per game.

Last season, GW’s win over VCU was boosted by the 21 points the Colonials picked up on 17 Rams turnovers. VCU is prone to turnovers on offense, averaging the second-most giveaways per contest in the conference at 14.7 turnovers per match. If the Colonials can recreate that disruptive defense, they just might give the Rams a taste of their own medicine.

Case for the Rams:

VCU has been notorious for employing a smothering defense that picks opponents’ pockets and forces giveaways. The Rams average 7.8 steals per match – good for second in the A-10 – while forcing a league-best 16.4 turnovers per outing. VCU limits opponents to a conference-low 38.3 shooting percentage while giving up just 63.5 points per contest. The Colonials 65.0 points per game average pits them last among A-10 competition, so if VCU doubles down on defense, the Rams should be able to contain GW on the offensive end.

The Rams lead the conference in perimeter defense, holding opponents to 26.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Colonials have made six or more three-point shots in their last four games but have struggled to connect efficiently, putting up 20 or more attempts in the same span. If VCU clogs the mid-range shot for GW, the team’s most consistent scoring spot, the Rams will be able to control the game on defense.

Redshirt junior guard Marcus Evans leads the Rams with 13.7 points per contest, but in A-10 play has seen his scoring average tick up to 14.5 points per game. Junior guard De’Riante Jenkins is putting up 12 points per match in conference play to round out VCU’s top scoring numbers. While VCU’s offense tends to lag behind its defense, in the Rams’ last five games they are averaging 45.92 percent shooting from the floor. If the Rams can step up on offense like they do on defense, it should be enough to overwhelm the Colonials.

Bottom line:

Wednesday night’s game is shaping up to be a battle between one of the conference’s toughest defenses and one of the league’s lowest-scoring offenses. If the Colonials can come out firing from the field and manage to break VCU’s press early, they should be able to keep the score within their reach.

But if the Rams execute on defense, it will be a long night for the Colonials. GW has shown it can at least keep up with some of the top teams in the conference. But against VCU, the Colonials will need to stay sharp on all sides of the ball for 40 minutes to increase their chances of a win.