1/9 | Davidson | 7:00PM (ESPN+)

[spookydog]

University of Rhode Island vs Davidson College
John M Belk Arena, Davidson, NC
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
7:00PM

Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast


Previews
Davidson’s Fan Forum
Game Notes



New Year, new team. The Rams opened 2024 & conference play with a great win against Saint Joseph’s. Have the tides turned? Is David Green that much of a difference maker? Have they found a winning rotation? God, I hope so. Rhody will be tested Tuesday night when they travel to Davidson. The Wildcats, who were picked towards the bottom at 12th in the A10 preseason polls, but went an impressive 10-3 in non-conference play. They have a very nice win at College Park against Maryland. They didn't have any other big win as their strength of schedule was just a little better than URI's. In their losses they lost two close ones against Clemson & at ETSU. Their last loss they got rolled by Saint Mary’s. They opened conference play at home against Dayton & lost by 13. The Wildcats never led in the game, mainly because Dayton shot 50% from the field.

Much like Saint Joseph’s, Davidson has well balanced scoring as they have five players averaging between 9.6 and 13 points per game. This is the first time Davidson did not have a preseason All-A10 player since joining the conference. Senior forward David Skogman is leading the team in both scoring (13.0) & rebounds (5.3) per game. He is the feel-good story for this team because when he was in high school during a summer league game he collapsed to the court & went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully his mom, who is a nurse, was at the game & ran down from the stands to give him CPR until the defibrillator arrived. He worked his way back from death’s door & 5 years later he is leading the Wildcats. Even with being 6’10” he is an effective three-point shooter at 41%. Although he is third on the team in 3 pointers, he has more than anyone on URI. He has missed the last two games because of a foot injury but I believe he should be back for the game Tuesday night. If he does play, I expect Fuchs is covering him & he must play Skogman beyond the three-point line. Second on the team in scoring (11.6) & leading the team in assists with 5 per game is Grant Huffman, who was also on the preseason A10 all-defensive team. He is the primary ball handler but if you are Waiting for G.Huffman to turn the ball over, it doesn’t happen often. He averages less than 2 turnovers per game and as a team, the Wildcats are averaging just around 10.6 turnovers per game, which is about 60th in the country. Conversely URI is about 200 spots worse than Davidson. Rounding out the leading scorers for Davidson is senior guard Connor Kochera (11.6), freshman forward Bobby Durkin (10.4), & sophomore guard Reed Bailey. Although Bailey is listed as a guard, he is 6’10”, so he could prove to be a match up problem if both him & Skogman are on the court at the same time.

As for Rhody, they are easily playing their best basketball this season & got their best win since last year when they played Dayton or possibly the year before that when they beat Dayton in double OT. Weird how currently playing their best basketball correlates with David Green being healthy & eligible to play for the Rams. House has had much more efficient shooting over these last two games (12-24) compared to his previous two games (6-22). Weston had a very solid game off the bench. The Rams are just looking for 8-10 minutes of solid play & defensive stops when he is out there. And finally, the fantastic play by Fuchs since his return. Since returning from injury, he is averaging 11 & 11 on 10-13 shooting. And his and one at the end of the game got both the team & crowd pumped.

Can these two recent wins translate to a win on the road against Davidson? It is certainly a tall order given Rhody is 1-12 in true road games under Archie Miller, & just 2-18 if you include neutral site games. The Rams haven’t won at Davidson in almost seven years & have just two wins over the last ten games against them. If Skogman can’t play, the chances of a win increase for Rhody. I just don’t think they are there yet. My prediction, Davidson 72 – URI 67. Go Rhody!!





Opponent
Record:
10-4, 0-1 in the A10
16-16, 8-10 in the A10 (Last Season)

Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 107 (235)
RPI: 90 (162)
KenPom: 130 (209)
BPI: 169 (223)
Barttovik: 130 (181)

Leaders:
Points – David Skogman 13.0 (Sr., F)
Rebounds – David Skogman 5.3 (Sr., F)
Assists – Grant Huffman 5.0 (Sr., G) (1.9 TO per game)

Historical
Series: 8-11
H: 5-4, A: 2-5, N: 1-2
Most Recent Matchup: 3/4/23 68-54 L at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – Davidson
Match-up Predictor: 24.6% Chance of URI Winning

[Rhody15]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

[Rhodymob05]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

When someone mentions Davidson, I automatically think of that shot. Brutal.

[RhodyKyle]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

When someone mentions Davidson, I automatically think of that shot. Brutal.

Call me the optimist, but I only think of the absolute beatdown of a 3pt clinic URI put on them in the 2017 A10 tournament.

[Blue Man]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

When someone mentions Davidson, I automatically think of that shot. Brutal.

I'll take it to my grave that those lame ass jerseys hurt our shooting ability and ruined our season. Worst shooting performance I think our team has EVER had - and I'm not joking. We shot 34.4% from the field, 5.3% from 3. Look at some of our bad teams...have we ever shot that poorly? Ever??

Those stupid jerseys, the stupid marketing person who made that decision, everyone at Adidas, everyone who thought it was an OK idea...I hate them, I hate all of them, I can't believe Dan let that happen, and I truly believe that loss cost us a legit shot at an NCAA bid. We'd have finished the year 23-8, and Davidson finished with an RPI of 42 and an at-large bid. Even with the loss to Davidson we finished at 61. With that win? We probably are in the low 40s and have the at large spot that Davidson got with their 24-7 record. They'd have also been 23-8 and we'd have beat them.

Fuck those sleeves. Fuck everyone. I'm so angry right now I forgot about all this bullshit.

[section(105)]

Team Rankings has, their #203 Rams, #15 A-10, with 25% to beat #135 Davidson.

[Dino611]

Davidson win vs Maryland came at the Asheville classic not at College Park, but still a good win for the program.

The key for this game is to not let Davidson slow the game down

[PeterRamTime]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

When someone mentions Davidson, I automatically think of that shot. Brutal.

I'll take it to my grave that those lame ass jerseys hurt our shooting ability and ruined our season. Worst shooting performance I think our team has EVER had - and I'm not joking. We shot 34.4% from the field, 5.3% from 3. Look at some of our bad teams...have we ever shot that poorly? Ever??

Those stupid jerseys, the stupid marketing person who made that decision, everyone at Adidas, everyone who thought it was an OK idea...I hate them, I hate all of them, I can't believe Dan let that happen, and I truly believe that loss cost us a legit shot at an NCAA bid. We'd have finished the year 23-8, and Davidson finished with an RPI of 42 and an at-large bid. Even with the loss to Davidson we finished at 61. With that win? We probably are in the low 40s and have the at large spot that Davidson got with their 24-7 record. They'd have also been 23-8 and we'd have beat them.

Fuck those sleeves. Fuck everyone. I'm so angry right now I forgot about all this bullshit.

All the missed lay ups!

[PeterRamTime]

If we can play as physical on defense as we did against St Joe's we'll beat these skinny bastards.

Hate we have to wait a week!

[reef]

Yeah I’m quite optimistic about this game , we usually play well down there to give ourselves a chance to win

[McRam]

Still haven’t gotten over the Jack Gibbs corner 3 to win it when we wore those pink trimmed sleeved jerseys.

He is still there- on the coaching staff.

[McRam]

Anyone going to the game- or I am the only one? Remember, it is BOGO. ( buy one, get one) for Beer that night.!

[thatRamBand]

Looks like Skogman may play - will certainly be a handful if he does.

[UCH21377]

Anyone going to the game- or I am the only one? Remember, it is BOGO. ( buy one, get one) for Beer that night.!

My wife and I are going to try to get there

[Jersey77]

When I was first looking at the A10 rosters during the pre-season, I was thinking that Davidson would probably be a bottom tier team in our conference.
Then after they beat Maryland and their freshman Durkin looking like he can be something special I felt maybe I was wrong.
I still am unsure about them, but they may be a middle of the road team.

We certainly haven't performed well outside the RC, actually struggled.
Now that we have Green available, he has become a leader on the court as well as off and has immediately made a solid contribution in a position of need for us.

Davidson just lost to Dayton at home, not sure they will lose 2 in-a-row there.
For me this game is probably too close to call, hopefully we come out on top.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Call me the optimist, but I only think of the absolute beatdown of a 3pt clinic URI put on them in the 2017 A10 tournament.

I always remember Stan Robinson coming out of nowhere to block a what would have been a buzzer-beating layup, also in 2017, allowing us to win in overtime and get to the NCAA. We were already on the bubble that night; a loss could have been fatal.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Call me the optimist, but I only think of the absolute beatdown of a 3pt clinic URI put on them in the 2017 A10 tournament.

I always remember Stan Robinson coming out of nowhere to block a what would have been a buzzer-beating layup, also in 2017, allowing us to win in overtime and get to the NCAA. We were already on the bubble that night; a loss could have been fatal.

The Stanimal.

[luke]

Having watched Dayton tear Davidson apart at Davidson on Wednesday , I believe if URI has a decent game on Tuesday they can win . Davidson has very little presence down low and don't appear to have the shooters they usually have had in the past . If they continue to hit the boards and keep the
turnovers down they should win . It would help if they defend well and hit some free throws as well . This is a winnable game .

[Blue Man]

Having watched Dayton tear Davidson apart at Davidson on Wednesday , I believe if URI has a decent game on Tuesday they can win . Davidson has very little presence down low and don't appear to have the shooters they usually have had in the past . If they continue to hit the boards and keep the
turnovers down they should win . It would help if they defend well and hit some free throws as well . This is a winnable game .

Will be different if Skogman is healthy and playing, but I do agree. No one is as big collectively up front as we are. Especially if Bilau is healthy.

Speaking of, anyone know Jo's status for tomorrow?

[PeterRamTime]

Having watched Dayton tear Davidson apart at Davidson on Wednesday , I believe if URI has a decent game on Tuesday they can win . Davidson has very little presence down low and don't appear to have the shooters they usually have had in the past . If they continue to hit the boards and keep the
turnovers down they should win . It would help if they defend well and hit some free throws as well . This is a winnable game .

Will be different if Skogman is healthy and playing, but I do agree. No one is as big collectively up front as we are. Especially if Bilau is healthy.

Speaking of, anyone know Jo's status for tomorrow?

Noticed him sitting on the sidelines in the practice photos released the other day. Seems like he reaggravated it pretty badly. I'm guessing he'll be out a while longer.

Weird situation...Seems like they rushed him back too soon.

[jcru]

We have David Green. I feel confident.

The best thing that could have happened is probably the NCAA dicking around DG. He's like a man possessed now. He's had it.

[ElmCityRhody]

Every time I think about bilau’s latest setback it makes me sad and want to just sing my sorrows away

[PeterRamTime]

We have David Green. I feel confident.

The best thing that could have happened is probably the NCAA dicking around DG. He's like a man possessed now. He's had it.

This is a game where he can really eat too

Davidson looks skinnnnyyyy

[bigappleram]

Davidson has the straightest arms in the league.
No weight room down there

[section(105)]

Having watched Dayton tear Davidson apart at Davidson on Wednesday , I believe if URI has a decent game on Tuesday they can win . Davidson has very little presence down low and don't appear to have the shooters they usually have had in the past . If they continue to hit the boards and keep the
turnovers down they should win . It would help if they defend well and hit some free throws as well . This is a winnable game .

Will be different if Skogman is healthy and playing, but I do agree. No one is as big collectively up front as we are. Especially if Bilau is healthy.

Speaking of, anyone know Jo's status for tomorrow?

Noticed him sitting on the sidelines in the practice photos released the other day. Seems like he reaggravated it pretty badly. I'm guessing he'll be out a while longer.

Weird situation...Seems like they rushed him back too soon.

Major time for Fou?

[Jdrums#3]

We have David Green. I feel confident.

The best thing that could have happened is probably the NCAA dicking around DG. He's like a man possessed now. He's had it.

This is a game where he can really eat too

Davidson looks skinnnnyyyy

PRT, I am not in favor of cannibalism whatsoever.

I watched that Netflix movie the other day about that 1972 plane that crashed in the Andes Mountains. The survivors were stranded for like 3-4 months with only you know what to eat. Yikes!

[Rhodymob05]

They’re skinny, but lanky and can shoot, feel like they always get offensive rebounds and kick it out for a three.

[PeterRamTime]

We have David Green. I feel confident.

The best thing that could have happened is probably the NCAA dicking around DG. He's like a man possessed now. He's had it.

This is a game where he can really eat too

Davidson looks skinnnnyyyy

PRT, I am not in favor of cannibalism whatsoever.

I watched that Netflix movie the other day about that 1972 plane that crashed in the Andes Mountains. The survivors were stranded for like 3-4 months with only you know what to eat. Yikes!

Good thing David Green can eat 3 to 4 people in 40 minutes!

[PeterRamTime]

They’re skinny, but lanky and can shoot, feel like they always get offensive rebounds and kick it out for a three.

If we are nice and aggressive we will live at the foul line....so hopefully we can cash in lol

[ElmCityRhody]

slowly I rise - slowly I awaken

as each second ticks to our revival I get a as I d closer to the peak

I will not peak until game time

This is Game 2 of our revival

Each game builds upon itself

Each game means more as we string them together

Our revival is approaching

buckle up

the ARCH-itect is cometh

[ramster]

They’re skinny, but lanky and can shoot, feel like they always get offensive rebounds and kick it out for a three.

If we are nice and aggressive we will live at the foul line....so hopefully we can cash in lol

If we want to live at the foul line then that means we exchange that in place of getting 2FG and 3FG conversions (unless they are fouls in the act of converting such as old fashioned 3 point plays of 4 point plays).

We are a commendable 72nd Of 351 teams in FG% but an atrocious 357th in FT%. So statistically the less we are at the FT line the better.

[ramster]

They’re skinny, but lanky and can shoot, feel like they always get offensive rebounds and kick it out for a three.

If we are nice and aggressive we will live at the foul line....so hopefully we can cash in lol

Comparing to A10 Teams URI is 4th in FG% but easily last in FT% at only 60.9% almost 5% points behind 14th place Fordham.

Last year 74.4% FT% or 13.5% higher that this team at 60.9%. FT shooting is thus teams biggest weakness statistically speaking nationally. Increasing FT attempts in general decreased 2P and 3P attempts.

[ElmCityRhody]

TONIGHT we begin our RELEVANCE

i fully expect DUBS in tonight

get your extra stretch in...

DUB-U !

DUBS FROM THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

get used to it..
it begins tonight !

LIGHT IT UP !!!!

[section(105)]

Would love to see that. If he is gonna stick here, he better get some meaningful time, to see what he can do, that is not garbage time. He better have a zone buster break out game soon.

[RhowdyRam02]

KenPom gives #202 (#216 NET) Rhode Island a 25% chance of beating #128 (#125 NET) Davidson, with a projected final of 75-67.

Massey Ratings gives the #188 Rams a 24% chance of beating the #93 Wildcats, with a projected final of 73-65

[steveystuds06]

Until we win on the road I’m assuming we will lose. We have been that bad under Archie on the road so far. I loved the win against Joes but I’m also reminded of Yale. We looked incredible in the second half and made a great comeback and I thought it was a real turning point. It wasn’t. St Joes looks like a turning point. Green is a huge addition. I feel like we can beat anyone at home. But winning on the road is incredibly tough in this league. I think Davidson wins by 6. Then we beat Umass. I hope I’m wrong.

[Jersey77]

Until we win on the road I’m assuming we will lose. We have been that bad under Archie on the road so far. I loved the win against Joes but I’m also reminded of Yale. We looked incredible in the second half and made a great comeback and I thought it was a real turning point. It wasn’t. St Joes looks like a turning point. Green is a huge addition. I feel like we can beat anyone at home. But winning on the road is incredibly tough in this league. I think Davidson wins by 6. Then we beat Umass. I hope I’m wrong.

I think that is fair Stevey.
We are capable of beating or losing to any team in the conference.

We definitely have some talent and size, plus the addition of Green is huge, giving us another excellent option.

This like every other game especially those on the road will be another tough test.

[ElmCityRhody]

WE WILL WIN !

this is a new season...

BELIEVE

[steveystuds06]

WE WILL WIN !

this is a new season...

BELIEVE

I can't do it yet. I got super excited for Northwestern then we had one of the worst starts in the history of our program. My guard is up. I'm excited. I love what David Green brings to this team. But we also looked pretty bad for a lot of the St. Joes game and went down double digits. We won't win games like that on the road.. Davidson is a good team that is likely getting a player back, which makes them a much better team. Similar to us adding David Green... It sucks that this is the game he's likely back. I have a feeling Davidson puts all their attention on Green this game and this may be the game that Zek breaks out of his little slump. Win or Lose I want this to be competitive. If we show that we can play with this team on the road I'll be happy.

[bigappleram]

They’re skinny, but lanky and can shoot, feel like they always get offensive rebounds and kick it out for a three.

If we are nice and aggressive we will live at the foul line....so hopefully we can cash in lol

If we want to live at the foul line then that means we exchange that in place of getting 2FG and 3FG conversions (unless they are fouls in the act of converting such as old fashioned 3 point plays of 4 point plays).

IMG_1845.jpeg

IMG_1844.jpeg


We are a commendable 72nd Of 351 teams in FG% but an atrocious 357th in FT%. So statistically the less we are at the FT line the better.

Not true...even if we shoot FTs at 60% that is still better than what we shoot from the field from 2. Also drawing fouls is an indication we are attacking the paint and not just settling for long threes or contested mid range shots. We clearly need to improve our FT shooting percentage but we are at our best when we are attacking the hoop and playing physical (which inherently draws more fouling).

[NC_Ram]

Charlotte currently in tornado watch with several counties without power. Ticket office says the game is still on right now but they are monitoring closely. Stay tuned

[Obadiah]

Encouraged by the addition of David Green, but this is simply not a good URI team and even in the wins over Northeastern and St Joe's we saw long stretches of bad basketball and shooting. Also given URI's recent record against Davidson and its inability to win on the road this game doesn't look like a win.

[RI_Bred]

My brother lives about 15 mins from Davidson and he said it's really windy and hammering rain. They cancelled school today.

[jcru]

If the game is on, I believe we get the win. Against Davidson, on the road, against all odds, Massey and kenpom only giving us a 1/4 chance to win, etc.

This is a team on the upswing. No way they don’t come out swinging in North Carolina.

[ElmCityRhody]

If the game is on, I believe we get the win. Against Davidson, on the road, against all odds, Massey and kenpom only giving us a 1/4 chance to win, etc.

This is a team on the upswing. No way they don’t come out swinging in North Carolina.

atta boy

[Rhody15]

My brother lives about 15 mins from Davidson and he said it's really windy and hammering rain. They cancelled school today.

Doubt we’ll be flying back after the game tonight with this weather.

[McRam]

I live a couple of miles from the school and the weather is bad, but not anything that should prevent going out or driving. Just went to the supermarket and there was plenty of toilet paper so I guess it is not really that bad!!!!

On these kinds of games do we fly in the night before or the day of the game? There are a lot of delays at the airport.

[Jersey77]

I live a couple of miles from the school and the weather is bad, but not anything that should prevent going out or driving. Just went to the supermarket and there was plenty of toilet paper so I guess it is not really that bad!!!!

On these kinds of games do we fly in the night before or the day of the game? There are a lot of delays at the airport.

I would guess the team arrived yesterday and will probably leave tomorrow.

[McRam]

Hard to believe facts before the game tonight. We are better at 2 point shooting (47%v44%) and better at 3 pt shooting (34%v33%).
Another stat, the talked about David Skogman who is 6"10", 240 lbs has a total of 2 Blocked shots in 12 games. I think we can assume what kind of player he is- he shoots 58% on two's and 41% on 3's and takes over 40 % of his shots from the 3"s.

My concern is how uncomfortable will Fuchs be that far from the basket or who will Fuchs guard?

[rhodysurf]

Hard to believe facts before the game tonight. We are better at 2 point shooting (47%v44%) and better at 3 pt shooting (34%v33%).
Another stat, the talked about David Skogman who is 6"10", 240 lbs has a total of 2 Blocked shots in 12 games. I think we can assume what kind of player he is- he shoots 58% on two's and 41% on 3's and takes over 40 % of his shots from the 3"s.

My concern is how uncomfortable will Fuchs be that far from the basket or who will Fuchs guard?

This davidson team is kind of an anomaly for them, they have not shot the 3 that well so far