John Gray Gymnasium, George Town, Cayman Islands
Monday, November 21, 2022
4:30PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: FloSports
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews:
Kansas State Fan Forum
Sorry for the delay in putting this together as I was traveling to NYC over the past few days. The Rhody Rams head to the Cayman Islands for some much needed team bonding as they are part of the Cayman Islands Classic. The Rams will open up against Kansas State from the Big 12. The Wildcats will be a tough foe in this first round matchup even though they are predicted finish last in the Big 12 this year. They come in at 3-0 with a quality win at Cal. The Rams will have to figure out a way to slow down Keyontae Johnson. These are just the first few games in 2 years for Johnson who is the Florida transfer who collapsed during a game in December 2020 & had to be put in a medically induced coma. No one thought he would be on the court again, never mind excelling at such a high level, averaging 16 a game & shooting a blistering 54.5/50/85.7. Running the Wildcats offense is undersized (5’8”) senior guard Markquis Nowell. This speedy guard is averaging 6.7 assists per game. Hopefully Bassy can slow him down cause along with the assists, he is scoring in double digits per game. This team does have some height downlow, with players 6’9” and taller seeing significant minutes.
Thankfully Rhode Island was able to score a win at home prior to heading to this tournament. It was a much-needed win after a tough couple games & the Rams were able to get this win without Freeman (coaches decision) & Carey (groin/hip injury). Thankfully for Rhody, both are expected to play against Kansas State & will be much needed if the Rams hopes of pulling the upset win. As for Brayon Freeman, hopefully the benching & some time away from campus gets things straightened out so he can perform how all of us expected. Picking up the slack during his struggles has been Ish Leggett, who has been the team MVP so far, leading the team in scoring & rebounds and is second in assists. I am looking forward to seeing if Louis Hutchinson can build on his breakout performance in his last game against Stony Brook. URI will need everyone to perform up to their potential if they are going to squeak out a victory.
This will definitely be the toughest game of the season thus far. I am guessing Kansas State will be favored by about 8 points. My prediction Kansas St 70 – URI 64. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
3-0, 0-0 in the Big 12
9-20, 4-14 in the Big 12 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 69 (142)*
RPI: 257 (347)
KenPom: 66 (172)
BPI: 60 (224)
Sagarin: 57 (154)
Barttovik: 30 (156)
* Denotes last season
Leaders:
Points – Keyonate Johnson 16.0 (Sr., F)
Rebounds – Keyonate Johnson 6.0 (Sr., F)
Assists – Markquis Nowell 6.7 (Sr., G) (1.3 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 0-0
H: 0-0, A: 0-0, N: 0-0
Most Recent Matchup: N/A
Most Recent Win Streak: 0 – N/A
Match-up Predictor: 21.0% Chance of URI Winning