It will be a battle between Atlantic 10 opponents when the George Washington Colonials (18-5) welcome the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (19-4) to Charles E. Smith Center. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
The Colonials enter this game hoping for similar success after edging VCU 72-69 on Saturday. Patricio Garino led all scorers on the team with 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-60 win against Fordham on Saturday. DeAndre’ Bembry had a big game, registering 16 points and 10 rebounds to claim his seventh double-double of the season.
The Colonials do a great job at getting to the charity stripe. They rank 33rd in the nation in FTA rate (43.5), but Saint Joseph’s is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents off the line (ranking fifth by allowing a FTA rate of 24.4).
The Colonials are looking to build on their records of 18-5 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). The Colonials are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a stellar .753 from the free throw line. George Washington is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the 38th-fewest turnovers per game at only 11.2.
In the other locker room, the Hawks have 19-4 SU and 15-7 ATS records. They sport the 50th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 75 points per game. The Hawks rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 36th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.37. Moving on to the Saint Joseph’s defense, the Hawks allow just 64 points per road game, ranking them 10th in the nation. The Hawks have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .395.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Colonials were winners, but Saint Joseph’s still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 6-4 SU. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Saint Joseph’s had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. George Washington has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – GW, ATS Winner – GW
Notes
“George Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“George Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“George Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“George Washington is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home”.
“George Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Saint Joseph’s”.
“George Washington is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Saint Joseph’s”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of George Washington’s last 5 games when playing Saint Joseph’s”.
“George Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Saint Joseph’s”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of George Washington’s last 5 games when playing at home against Saint Joseph’s”.
George Washington and Saint Joseph’s hold winning records against the Atlantic 10 Conference this season. The George Washington Colonials sit at 7-3 SU and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks have an 8-2 record.
Saint Joseph’s averages 75.1 points per game, placing the team just 115th in the nation. George Washington ranks 89th in points allowed, giving up 68.5 points per game.
Saint Joseph’s scores 75.0 points per away game (ranked 50th). George Washington ranks a poor 138th in points allowed at home, allowing 68.4 points.
The George Washington Colonials rank 58th for their offensive rating of 112.2. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks have a defensive rating of 96.5 (ranked 47th).
George Washington has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. Saint Joseph’s is a tremendous 5-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The George Washington Colonials and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. George Washington is 196th and 157th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 229th and 210th in these categories.
George Washington ranks 78th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 36th with an A/TO of 1.37.
George Washington ranks 110th in offensive rebounds, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 12th in defensive rebounds.
The George Washington Colonials make an average of 6.1 steals per game. When the Saint Joseph’s Hawks allow 6 or more steals, they are an exceptional 7-1.
