Who: Men’s basketball
Where: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, R.I.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
Men’s basketball (8-19, 4-10 A-10) travels to Rhode Island to take on the Rams for the first time this season.
The Colonials enter the contest tending to their wounds after a sharp 85–57 loss to VCU on the road. GW was held to just five made baskets in the second half of play after keeping up with VCU through the first 20 minutes of action. The Rams (12-14,5-9 A-10) are also coming off a loss, dropping 75–66 to Davidson and extending their losing streak to five games.
The last time the two teams met the Rams dished GW a 21-point loss last January in a game where the Colonials never saw a lead.
Case for the Colonials:
Despite being 1–2 in their last three outings, the Colonials are shooting 48.0 percent from the field in the span – up from their season average of 41.5 percent.
The Rams head into the game on a five-game losing streak, and the team has failed to win a game since Feb. 6. Although Rhode Island boasts a slightly higher-scoring offense on the season, at 67.7 points per game, than the Colonials, who have garnered 64.4 points per game, the Rams have only been able to muster 54.4 points per match in their last five contests.
With the Rams stalling out on offense and GW’s defense prone to cold spells, the Colonials should look to continue pushing the tempo on offense.
The Rams are the worst three-point shooting team in the A-10, converting just 25.7 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. The Colonials are the second-most lenient three-point shooting defense in the conference but barring any surprise three-point explosions from the Rams, the Colonials should focus on packing the paint and forcing the Rams to take the long shot.
Case for the Rams:
Rhode Island enters the contest the second-best rebounding team in the conference, averaging 37.2 boards per game. The Colonials are undersized on the block and have struggled under the glass all season, allowing opponents to outrebound them by an average of 4.5 boards per game.
The Rams managed to yank down 50 rebounds against Fordham earlier this month and are averaging double-digit offensive rebounds – even in their losing stretch. While the uptick in offensive rebounds may be the result of inaccurate shooting for the Rams, if they cash in on missed shots with second-chance points, Rhode Island can put itself in position to keep up with GW’s offense.
Junior guard Jeff Dowtin carries a 15.1 point per game average into Tuesday’s match.
While he should be a focus for the Colonials, they should look to hone in on junior forward Cyril Langevine.
Langevine has been on a tear for the Rams as of late, averaging 15.0 points and 13.2 rebounds in their last five contests. Langevine provides a difficult two-way threat for the Colonials to guard against, and if the Rams want to tip the scales in their favor, they will be feeding him the ball Tuesday.
Bottom line:
The Colonials face a mismatch on the boards against the Rams, and for a team that is generally undersized compared to its competition, this factor does not bode well for GW. But the Rams are struggling to generate offense as of late, shooting 32.8 percent from the field in their five-game losing streak.
If the Colonials can contain Langevine on the block and continue their offensive push, GW might be able to return to the Smith Center with a win.
