The Rhode Island Rams (11-7) travel to George Washington to play the Colonials (14-4) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 5:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 22 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Colonials lost to Dayton 77-70 in their last game. Tyler Cavanaugh was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 18 points. The Rams are coming off a 73-62 win over La Salle in their last outing. Kuran Iverson played well, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds to claim his third double-double of the season.
Cavanaugh has really been playing well as of late for the Colonials, averaging 21.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers over the last five games.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as George Washington ranks 287th in the nation in possessions per game (67.2 possessions per game), while Rhode Island is 336th (65.1).
George Washington, a five-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Rhode Island. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 137 points. The Colonials are attempting to build on their records of 14-4 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). George Washington has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .751.
On the other side, the Rams haven’t fared well ATS, sitting at 5-11. However, they are 11-7 SU. Rhode Island has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Rams are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 64.4 points allowed per game. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Rams, who are eighth in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 90 this season. They average 5.1 blocks per game, good for 39th in the nation.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference rivals played, Rhode Island won, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. However, George Washington leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1. George Washington topped the Rams in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Rhode Island has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – GW, ATS Winner – GW, O/U – Over
Notes
George Washington is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games.
George Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
George Washington is 13-3-1 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Rhode Island.
George Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing Rhode Island.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of George Washington’s last 7 games when playing Rhode Island.
George Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Rhode Island.
The George Washington Colonials and the Rhode Island Rams both sit at records of 3-2 this season against teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Rhode Island scores an average of just 71.2 points per game (ranked 224th). George Washington ranks 89th in points allowed, giving up 67.3 points per game.
Ranked 99th, the Rhode Island Rams have an offensive rating of 109.3. The George Washington Colonials rank 108th with a defensive rating of just 99.3.
Rhode Island has an average field goal percentage of 44.7%. George Washington is a winning 3-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The George Washington Colonials and the Rhode Island Rams both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. George Washington is 114th and 105th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Rhode Island ranks 153rd and 142nd in these categories.
George Washington ranks 92nd in assists, registering 15.0 per game. Rhode Island performs worse at 264th with 12.2 assists per game.
Rhode Island, the 39th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.1 per game. George Washington does worse, ranked 193rd with 3.3.
The Rhode Island Rams make an average of 5.3 steals per game. When the George Washington Colonials give up 5 or more steals, they are a formidable 10-3.
