11/21 | Kansas State | 7:30PM (FloSports)

[spookydog]

University of Rhode Island vs Kansas State University
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

[rhodysurf]

Cannot believe I have to pay Flo sports for this

[Jdrums#3]

Excellent write up, Spookydog. Thanks!

It would be great for the team if Hutch continues his good play from last game. Also, for Bray, Weston and Carey to step up.

3 good tests coming up for Rhody in the Cayman’s. Hopefully,
they come out the other end much improved.

[Jersey77]

Kansas State is probably much better than earlier predicted.
The late addition of Johnson was huge, one of the better players in the nation.
Even Rothstein picked them as a sleeper team.

They have lots of talent and size. As Spooky said Nowell at PG will be a handful.
He is ultra-quick, can dish, and score.

The other guards aren't slouches either and immediate impact transfers:
Carter - From Miss. State, started every game this season averaging about 9 pts.
Sills- Averaging 8 pts, played 3 years at Arkansas, 20-21 preseason All-SEC, last season at Ark State (12.6 pts).
Greene - Was All-AEC, averaging about 16 mins this season.

Plenty of size led by Tomlin (6'10") averaging about 11 pts/6 rebs.
He was one of the top Juco bigs in the nation.
Plus Massoud, Iyiola, and N'Guessan, all averaging double-digit minutes.

It will take a huge effort on our part to get a win here.
I hope we see much improvement and keep this game competitive.

[Jdrums#3]

Jersey, it sure looks like K State will be the best test by far of the early season for Rhody. I am sure the staff will have the team prepared for this step up in competition. Time for the players to execute on both ends and score or as some like to say…score the ball.

Score the ball. What the f does that mean?! No shit, Sherlock Holmes! It’s basketball. What else are you going to frickin’ score with?!

Sorry… that saying is one of my few annoyances in life.

[PeterRamTime]

Cannot believe I have to pay Flo sports for this

Yeah we get the only tournament with Flo sports

[Jersey77]

Jersey, it sure looks like K State will be the best test by far of the early season for Rhody. I am sure the staff will have the team prepared for this step up in competition. Time for the players to execute on both ends and score or as some like to say…score the ball.

Score the ball. What the f does that mean?! No shit, Sherlock Holmes! It’s basketball. What else are you going to score friggin’ with?!

Sorry… that saying is one of my few annoyances in life.

I wonder if he keeps the same starting line-up as in the Stony Brook game.

[Jdrums#3]

I think he will. I am leaning that way. Start two bigs again to deal with K States size: Big T, Samb, Martin, Leggett and Thomas.

One big question I have with the lineup above is the lack of reliable scorers outside of Ish so far this season - especially against a team that is a step up in competition. But then, who would I substitute at the 1 and the 3 right now? No one else has played well enough yet or has been healthy enough yet for me to start over Martin or Thomas.

Perhaps Arch will stick with this starting 5 until others get healthy or break in by playing better.

[Jdrums#3]

Continuing above thoughts…

I like that Thomas is on this team and highly value his passing ability but I would like to see more “reliable” shooting accuracy from 3 and more scoring out of the 1 and 3 positions. Thomas just isn’t at that point yet but he has been playing well to start so far.

I’d really like to see Bray, a healthy Carey or healthy Weston get going to start at the 1 and / or 3 to give us more offensive punch from the opening tip. That’s what I was expecting pre-season with Thomas being an important reserve.

I don’t think, imho, we are going to get much more out of our bigs yet, but I think scoring from the bigs (I am including Hutch w/ the bigs) will improve as the season goes along as they get more comfortable with experience. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised by the play of our bigs. They have been an early season bright spot.

All that said, I still think we can be a noticeably better team by January.

[reef]

University of Rhode Island vs Kansas State University
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

Great write up as usual though Kansas St win over Cal is not a quality win Cal is 0-4 with a loss to Southern , though it’s a win over a P5 school I guess

[Bos8]

Do we have any other games on Flo? Canceled my account, but it will remain active through the end of the month so I’ll be able to catch these games.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

K State by 15

[ramster]

Do we have any other games on Flo? Canceled my account, but it will remain active through the end of the month so I’ll be able to catch these games.

No. Only these 3 in Cayman are on FloSports. No URI WBB on FloSports either - I just checked.
It’s good to have FloFootball for the CAA Season that includes all CAA Games then have November covered for this Cayman Islands Tournament. I just pay the annual fee because I must have the CAA Football and the monthly fee is less that way. I have ESPN+ Which is similarly priced on an annual basis.

[steveystuds06]

This one could get ugly. But the only thing on my mind today is USA soccer. Beat Wales!!!

[McRam]

Rhody is a warm weather club!

Will beat the 91/2 line !

[section(105)]

Team Rankings has their # 199 , #13 A-10 ranked URI with 17% chance to beat their # 56 K State

[PeterRamTime]

Found a link on VIP sports... who knows if it'll work

[BCRhody03]

I'll share links that pop up around tip off. It's crazy you can't even get this on ESPN+

[RF1]

I would think Kansas State on a neutral court is a far more difficult task than Qunnipiac and Texas State at home. Prospects for today are certainly not high.

[Jersey77]

I would think Kansas State on a neutral court is a far more difficult task than Qunnipiac and Texas State at home. Prospects for today are certainly not high.

A win tonight would be a total but pleasant surprise.
Like I said, I am hoping we keep it competitive and somewhat close.

[EZBuckets]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

[theblueram]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

EZ is the MAN!!!! Should I join football or CAA basketball? I have an account I can activate for football, but not basketball.

[Jersey77]

[rhodysurf]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

Thank you EZ!

[ElmCityRhody]

LETS GO RHODY !

[KevanBoyles]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

Thank you EZ!

I just signed up. Worked like a charm.

[Jdrums#3]

For those KB’ers fortunate to watch the K State game in person, please don’t be shy with your firsthand insights, impressions / posts on how the team and individual players look on offense and defense.

The posts are all much appreciated.

Thank you and hope you all have a great time with the team.

Go Rhody!

[RI_Bred]

Thanks EZ, well worth the price of admission!

P.S. - they do have an app on Roku (and I'm sure other services) - works great on my TV.

Go Rhody!

[RhodyRams12]

[Billyboy78]

Still not sure on Bray. Strange.

[steveystuds06]

I defended Archie regarding sitting Bray, but how the hell do we not know if he's playing tonight? It's been over a week...

[EZBuckets]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

EZ is the MAN!!!! Should I join football or CAA basketball? I have an account I can activate for football, but not basketball.

It doesn’t matter which - either will give you access to all FloSports games including ours!

[section(105)]

Maybe Archie went to the school of Bill on player status reports?

[Blue Man]

Decent amount of K State fans in the building as well.

Idk if we’re starting on time. Tulane/Nevada has progressed 24 game seconds in 15 mins.

[Blue Man]

Maybe Archie went to the school of Bill on player status reports?

Even bar talk has been ordered with a gag down here. No leaks!

We’ll be in good shape though.

[theblueram]

I defended Archie regarding sitting Bray, but how the hell do we not know if he's playing tonight? It's been over a week...

Umm, the kid hasn't made a basket in 3 games. He also doesn't have 1 assist. HTF does that happen?

[Rhodymob05]

I'm sure he'll see time. Sounded like he and Coach made progress.

[rhodyrudder]

waiting for the tip...
Richmond is getting smacked early by case in Brooklyn...
Beiheim is still coaching? wow, I'll look it up but he must have 40 years by now

[rhodyrudder]

holy smokes he started in 69...became hc in 76

[steveystuds06]

I defended Archie regarding sitting Bray, but how the hell do we not know if he's playing tonight? It's been over a week...

Umm, the kid hasn't made a basket in 3 games. He also doesn't have 1 assist. HTF does that happen?

He had two bad games. It happens….I thought it was a great move to bench him. I think he deserves a shot tonight. Especially away from the Ryan Center.

[RIFan]

Thx EZ!

They say Joe Bilau is dressed as is Freeman

[section(105)]

Our app and the K state app, both on varsity playing music

[theblueram]

I defended Archie regarding sitting Bray, but how the hell do we not know if he's playing tonight? It's been over a week...

Umm, the kid hasn't made a basket in 3 games. He also doesn't have 1 assist. HTF does that happen?

He had two bad games. It happens….I thought it was a great move to bench him. I think he deserves a shot tonight. Especially away from the Ryan Center.

Short leash Stevey, short leash.

[Rhodymob05]

Has it started yet?

[DevRam]

I defended Archie regarding sitting Bray, but how the hell do we not know if he's playing tonight? It's been over a week...

Can’t confuse they with we…

[eli#10]

What is the estimated start time?

[theblueram]

I got nothing on sloflo. anyone else got game?

[Native]

Hey all, for anyone who hasn’t signed up for FloSports to watch the tourney yet, I found a link to sign up for only $12.50 per month instead of $30.

Just go here;

http://flosports.tv/caa

You can then sign up for basketball and even though it appears to be CAA specific, you’ll get access to ALL FloSports streams including the Cayman Island Classic. (I confirmed)

Go Rhody!!!

I have just used the link provided by EZBuckets and the registration process worked seamlessly.

Once I submitted the payment information, and was in the website, I clicked the icon box that said "Cayman Classics"

I got a screen with a rolling message that says "THIS EVENT IS IN COMMERCIAL BREAK".

and sharply at 7:30pm, commercials began. A lot of commercials...

Still waiting for the actual video feed from the court to appear.

And then the rolling message that says "THIS EVENT IS IN COMMERCIAL BREAK" re-appeared.

7:35pm and still no feed.

[Rhodymob05]

Koch says its been delayed to 7:43pm.

[Native]

Game 4 is in the pregame !