After their trip to Davidson, George Mason (13-7, 2-5) will return to Fairfax to play Rhode Island (14-5, 6-1) as a one-game homestand.
This contest marks the 10th time these two programs have faced off, with the Rams holding a 5-4 series lead. The most recent matchup took place on Jan. 13 of last year resulting in an 84-67 victory for the Patriots in Rhode Island.
While the Patriots won the most recent matchup, URI is undefeated against A-10 teams on the road and had won the previous five matchups prior to Jan. 13.
The Rams have been playing really well as of late, winning their last 6 games (Davidson, VCU, La Salle, Duquense, St. Bonaventure, and St. Joe’s). They currently rank 2th in the A10; Mason is back in 9th.
Breaking Down URI
During their six-game win streak, the Rams have come back from halftime deficits in three of its last four games. URI rallied from six down at Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 15; eight down against Duquesne on Jan. 22; and five down against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 25.
Notable Players:
Fatts Russell leads the team in scoring in with 19.9 points per game. He is also shooting 36 percent from three and is recording 3.5 rebounds per game. He’ll be the main player to look out for in this contest.
Jeff Dowtin checks in at the two spot in scoring for URI with an average of 13.6 points per game. He too is shooting well, reaching 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range.
Cyril Langevine is next up with some good stats; notably grabbing 10.4 rebounds per game this season. He also leads the team in blocks with 33 and second in shooting percentage with a .460 (74-159). Mason will need to box-out Langevine to stay ahead in the rebound game.
Breaking Down Mason
In the last game against Davidson, Javon Greene had an average game. He finished with 12 points going 5-17 from the floor, 2-7 from three, and recorded 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Jordan Miller had another one of his “off” nights, he went 0-9 from the field, 0-4 from three, recording only 1 point. If Mason wants to contend against the A10 toughest teams Miller needs to be able to step up, and that didn’t happen tonight.
AJ Wilson has become a versatile player when he’s hot. In this game, he went 7-14 from the field, 2-5 from behind the arc, 2-2 from the charity stripe, recorded 6 rebounds, and totaled 18 points. Here are some clips from today:
The Davidson game was not that bad. However, Mason needs to be able to play the full 40 minutes, and they can’t do that right now. The Patriots can not let their opponents go on pivotal runs that cement the win for them.
Hopefully, the Patriots can get back on track with this game and possibly win (unlikely). Even though URI lost to Brown, they now are near the top of the standings.
My Prediction: I’ll say a Mason “L”
