University of Rhode Island vs Fordham University
Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
7:00PM
Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
7:00PM
Media
TV: YurView
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews:
Fordham doesn’t have a fan forum. Yikes
The University of Rhode Island Rams head home after a losing trip to Duquesne to take on the Fordham Rams. Both Rams are looking for their first conference win, as Fordham lost at home to Davidson last week. The Rams of Fordham went 12-1 in their out of conference slate of games, with their only loss was a 26-point drubbing at Arkansas. Their 12-1 record is a bit inflated given their strength of schedule is currently 344 (URI’s is 243). Fordham does have a win at Tulane which is the same team Rhody lost to in the Cayman Islands.
Leading the Rams of Fordham is fifth year senior, Darius Quisenberry. He is averaging almost 17 per contest & has scored in double figures in every game except for the last game when he shot a putrid 1-10 from the field including 0-7 from deep. Let’s hope his struggles continue Wednesday night in Kingston. His previous 3 games he shot it at 73% (11 for 15) from three, so I don’t expect him to have back-to-back off shooting nights, especially given he is their best three-point shooter. Another player to keep an eye on is the Georgia Tech transfer Khalid Moore. This 6’7” forward is Fordham’s only other double-digit scorer who is averaging 15 & 6. They do have some height in the frontcourt as Fordham rotates Rostyslav Novitskyi & Abdou Tsimbila downlow. Rhody will have trouble scoring downlow as they are both prolific shot blockers. Both of them combined have 10 more blocks than the entire URI teams & Tsimblia is 15th in the country, averaging almost two & a half per game.
If Rhody want to get start 2023 off in the win column, they will need Ish & Bray to shoot better than they did against Duquesne. The rust of having a 2-week layoff showed as they shot a combined 5 for 22 from the field, including just 1 of 8 from deep. Other than Jalen Carey, this team does not have a consistent scorer. Some good news from the home opener was Rhody turned the ball over just 9 times. Fordham averages 7 steals a game, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Both Rams roughly average the same in turnovers per game, so there is no clear advantage for either team.
Will Rhody open 2023 with a win? The Rams of URI have lost 2 of their last 3 home games against the Rams of Fordham. I think Rhody will be favored by about a point in this game. There won’t be a home court advantage as the students are on break so we will be lucky to have a half-filled Ryan Center Wednesday night. Which Rams team will prevail? My prediction is URI 68 – Fordham 66. Happy 2023 & Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
12-2, 0-1 in the A10
16-16, 8-10 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 160 (261)
RPI: 125 (264)
KenPom: 189 (207)
BPI: 175 (240)
Sagarin: 182 (202)
Barttovik: 192 (221)
Leaders:
Points – Darius Quisenberry 16.8 (Sr., G)
Rebounds – Abdou Tsimbila 7.7 (Jr., G)
Assists – Antrell Charlton 4.6 (Jr., G) (3.1 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 40-30
H: 19-11, A: 20-18, N: 1-1
Most Recent Matchup: 2/2/22 61-55 L at Fordham
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 - Fordham
Match-up Predictor: 52.2% Chance of URI Winning
