University of Rhode Island vs Duquesne University
Kerr Fitness Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
6:00PM
Kerr Fitness Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
6:00PM
Media
TV: None
Online: ESPN+
Radio: 101.5 FM (B101) or Tune In Radio App
Previews:
Duquesne’s Fan Forum
Rhody heads back on the road & travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Duquesne Dukes. The Dukes, who were picked to finish towards the bottom of right above URI in the A10 this season, have 2 conference wins so far this year against Fordham & GW. The Dukes come into this game in a bit of disarray, losing 3 of their starters abruptly; Sincere Carry, who plans to transfer to Kent State, Lamar Norman Jr. also transferring, & Maceo Austin who opted out for personal reasons. As of this writing, the only player worth noting is undersized forward Marcus Weathers, who is averaging almost 14 & 9. Look for Mitchell & Walker to do well down on the box on Wednesday. The Dukes are waiting for a second scoring option to evolve. Senior guard Tavian Dunn-Martin’s minutes have increased with the loss of their other guards, but he is averaging 3 TOs per game at home. Look for the Rhody guards to play up on him tight trying to force the action. Rhody comes into the game with a blowout win at home against George Mason. After the first 10 minutes of that game I thought I was going to throw my tv out the window after they had 8 turnovers during that time. Thankfully they got their shit together for the rest of the game, won by 20 & only turned the ball over 4 more times the rest of the game. Biggest props to Fatt who has his best all around game shooting 6-12 from the field, including 3 of 5 from deep. Most importantly he played 33 minutes & did not have a single turnover. Walker & Mitchell continue their great play down low. Only downfall was Walker taking a couple of 3s early in the shot clock & Mitchell with a few too many turnovers. If Rhody plays like they did the last three quarters of their last game, they should easily beat Duquesne. If they play like they did the first 10 minutes, who the hell knows. Last year in their only meeting against the Dukes, they were tied with about 12 minutes to go. Rhody closed out the game on a 31-9 run leading to their 5th win in 6 games against the Dukes. I think I’ve said this is the game they turn the corner on 3 times already this season, but I feel like the 4th time is the charm. URI should win their next three before heading into Dayton. I am guessing the spread will be about URI -4 & I am taking Rhody to cover this one 80-69. Wear a Mask & Go Rhody!
Opponent
Record:
3-5, 2-4 in the Atlantic 10
Last season: 21-9, 11-7 in the Atlantic 10
Rankings (URI):
RPI: 201 (82)
KenPom: 117 (62)
NCAA NET: 203 (66)
BPI: 93 (64)
Sagarin: 142 (74)
Leaders:
Points – Marcus Weathers 13.8 (Sr., F)
Rebounds – Marcus Weathers 6.8 (Sr., F)
Assists – Tavian Dunn-Martin 2.6 (Sr., G) (2.3 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 34-26
H: 20-11, A: 14-13, N: 0-2
Most Recent Matchup: 1/22/20 77-55 W at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – URI
Match-up Predictor: 51.7% Chance of URI Winning
