University of Rhode Island vs Duquesne University
Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Saturday, February 3, 2024
12:30PM
Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Saturday, February 3, 2024
12:30PM
Media
TV: USA
Online: USA
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Previews
Duquesne’s Fan Forum
Rhode Island’s 4 game losing streak is no more. Thanks to some piss poor free throw from the Explorers Wednesday night, the Rams were able to secure the victory & will now be looking for back-to-back wins this weekend as they host the Duquesne Dukes. Although Duquesne was picked 4th in the preseason A10 polls, they struggled out of the gate. They opened conference play with 5 straight losses but have won their last 2, both home games against the Bonnies & Fordham.
Coach Keith Dambrot is in his 7th season at Duquesne, & the start of 2024 has been tough on & off the court him. Along with the losses to start conference play, he has had to deal with off the court difficulties as his wife of 34 years had breast cancer surgery on Thursday February first. It is most likely that Dambrot will not be at the game Saturday afternoon so look for Associate Head Coach Dru Joyce III to lead the Dukes at the Ryan Center. Luckily for Joyce, the Dukes have their best player back after Dae Dae Grant missed three games last month due to a concussion. Grant, one of the best players in all the A10, is leading the team in scoring & someone you don’t want to foul at the end of a close game as he is automatic at the line shooting it at roughly 95% on the season. He also has the most made three pointers on the team as well. The Robin to Grant’s Batman for Duquesne is senior guard Jimmy Clark III. The Preseason All-Conference Second Team player is averaging 15.7 points per game. He has scored in double digits in every game but two this season. Clark is not only a great offensive player but also is on the A10 preseason All-Defensive Team who is averaging over 2 steals per game. Those two players are doing the yeoman’s work on the offensive end as Duquesne does not have anyone else averaging 7+ points per game. They do have 4 players averaging 6.6 to 6.9 points per game. Fousseyni Drame, who transferred from La Salle to Duquesne with his twin brother Hassan, is third on the team in scoring with 6.9 per game & is leading the team in rebounds with 5.6 per game as well as blocks with 35. Bigman David Dixon is also averaging 6.9 points while Georgia Southern transfer Andrei Savrasov is averaging 6.8 points per game. Savarasov did miss a few games of late, but did play sparingly in the team’s last game. Finally, is backup point guard Kareem Rozier who is averaging 6.6 points per game.
During the Dukes three game winning streak, Frank Dambrot has changed his strategy a bit by having some of his best players start the game on the bench. He considers garbage time not the end of a blowout wins or loses, but the first four minutes of the game. He likes having the ability to bring some pop off the bench. He has had Dae Dae Grant, David Dixon, & Fousseyni Drame all start the game on the bench but get starter’s minutes. This is something to keep in mind in case you are betting URI race to 10 or race to 15 in the first half.
As for the Rams, although they didn’t play their best game on Wednesday night, the did get the win. David Green was able to stay out of foul trouble last game & went for 20 & 5. Archie was not pleased with Fuchs’ play in the last game per the postgame press conference, hence he only played 10 minutes, so hopefully this lit a fire under Fuchs’ ass to get him going. Would be nice to get him going like the Fordham game when he went for 12 & 17.
The good news about this game on Saturday is that the Dukes probably won’t put up a 90 spot on us. They are not a terribly good shooting team, 42.6% from the floor & just 32% from deep. You all will be shocked to learn that Duquesne gets three more steals a game over Rhody. The Dukes have 3 players who average over a steal per game while the Rams have no one. Duquesne is second in the A10 with 12.75 fastbreak points so with URI prone to play sloppy & turn the ball over this could be problematic. The Rams have fallen to Duquesne in 3 of the last 5 & 4 of the last 7 games. The good news is that they have won the last 4 home contest against the Dukes. The Rams might be slight underdogs at home so they will need the fans to be into this game. This game was part of the 5-game package, so potentially a decent sized crowd, especially with a Saturday afternoon tipoff. Not so sure how the student turnout will be. No better way to nurse a hangover than have a little hair of the dog at the Ryan Center. I might have to pick against the Rams in a close one as my reverse jinx worked the last game. My prediction, Duquesne 71 – URI 69. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
12-8, 2-5 in the A10
20-13, 10-8 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 99 (201)
RPI: 67 (144)
KenPom: 111 (194)
BPI: 107 (212)
Barttovik: 104 (177)
Leaders:
Points – Dae Dae Grant 17.5 (Sr., G)
Rebounds – Fousseyni Drame 5.6 (Sr., F)
Assists – Jimmy Clark III 3.6 (Sr., G) (2.8 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 36-29
H: 21-11, A: 14-16, N: 1-2
Most Recent Matchup: 12/31/22 72-61 L at Duquesne
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – Duquesne
Match-up Predictor: 35.8% Chance of URI Winning
bring ‘em back!
