GSU Convocation Center, Atlanta, GA
Sunday, December 18, 2022
2:00PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews:
Georgia St Fan Forum
The University of Rhode Island Rams head to the Peach State to take on Georgia State Sunday afternoon. This game closes out a home & home series where the Panthers came to the Ryan Center shorthanded from COVID & lost by 35 last season. Georgia State is the second Sun Belt team Rhody has played this season after losing to Texas State earlier this year. The Panthers were picked to finish 5th in the Sun Belt. With the exception of losing at Northeastern by 20, Georgia State has played solid this year. They lost to Georgia Tech by just 2 at home & played Auburn tough on the road Wednesday night where they lead by 6 early in the second half but ended up losing by 8. Including the Georgia Tech game, they have had 3 losses by 2 or less points. One of those losses came after missing the front end of a 1 and 1 with a few seconds to go (the teams only FT miss of the game) & Eastern Kentucky buried a game winning half court buzzer beater. After playing Rhody this weekend, Georgia State has a very interesting matchup next week against the ex-Celtic player Tacko Fall. Oh wait, I misread that…they are playing the Christian college, Toccoa Falls. My bad.
The Xavier transfer Dwon Odom is leading this team in minutes, scoring, assists, (and turnovers). He is only 1 for 11 from three, so Rhody can play off him on defense. Speaking of three pointers, the Panthers are even worse from deep than URI. They have less 3s made than URI & shoot it at just shy of 3% worse. Another player to keep an eye on is Ja’Heim Hudson. This 6’7” sophomore is averaging almost a double double with 11 & 9. He is their leading shot blocker who went for 23 & 11 against Georgia Tech. The other double-digit scorers on the Panthers are Brenden Tucker, the College of Charleston transfer & Jamaine Mann, the Vanderbilt transfer. Mann did miss the Auburn game Wednesday night with a sickness, but I believe should be ready for Sunday afternoon’s contest. Although playing sparingly, Georgia State does have Greg Oden’s brother, Joe Jones III, on their roster. Thanks for Rhody Rampage for passing along that information.
As for Rhody, they look to build on back-to-back wins. Although it wasn’t the prettiest of games at times, URI gritted out a victory even though they were down 6 with under 2 minutes to go. Could this team be figuring out how to play as a cohesive unit? Definitely part of this run has been the return of Jalen Cary. Another Ram that is starting to get a better feel on the court is Malik Martin. His last three games he’s been shooting the ball much better (52%) & is averaging 11.3/8.7 with just 2 total turnovers.
The Panthers, who look to avenge the drubbing they took in Kingston, will probably be favored by a point at home. This is definitely a winnable road game for the Rams. I think this is going to be a low scoring game that may come down to who takes care of the ball better & hits their free throws. Unfortunately, GSU has less turnovers per game (12.6/15.3) & hits their free throws (76.6/73.6). Will Rhody have enough to pull out the road victory? My prediction is URI 63 – GSU 60. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
5-5, 0-0 in the Sun Belt
18-10, 9-5 in the Sun Belt (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 299 (272)
RPI: 299 (247)
KenPom: 249 (190)
BPI: 276 (242)
Sagarin: 230 (189)
Barttovik: 224 (222)
Leaders:
Points – Dwon Odom 15.8 (Soph., G)
Rebounds – Ja’Heim Hudson 8.9 (Soph., F)
Assists – Dwon Odom 3.3 (Soph., G) (3.0 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 2-1
H: 2-0, A: 0-1, N: 0-0
Most Recent Matchup: 11/27/21 94-59 W at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 - URI
Match-up Predictor: 40.1% Chance of URI Winning