Michael Hagan Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
7:00PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews
Saint Joseph’s Fan Forum
The University of Rhode Island heads back out on the road for a 3-game swing after taking 2 out of 3 in their most recent homestand. Their first stop on this road trip is Philadelphia, where they take on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks. The Rams and Hawks are currently in a 6-way tie for seventh in the conference at 4-5. While Rhode Island enters this game with a two-game winning streak, the Hawks are coming in winners of 4 of the last 5.
Coach Billy Lange returns to Hawk Hill for his fourth season at the helm. Leading the Hawks on the court is sophomore guard Erik Reynolds II, who is leading the team with 18 points per game, which is in the top 65 in the country. Cameron Brown is second on the team with 14 points per game & leads the team in rebounds with 6 per contest. Both Reynolds and Brown are their best three-point shooters, especially Brown who shoots it at 42.6%. Dayton transfer Lynn Greer III runs the point and is leading the team in assists with 4.4 although is a bit turnover prone with almost 4 a game. Although not quite as a prolific scorer as his dad, who was Temple’s second all-time leading scorer, this Greer is averaging 10.6 for the Hawks. Saint Joseph’s does have some height down on the block with forward Kacper Klaczek & center Ejike Obinna. Obinna just went for 15 & 12 in his last game against George Mason. Klaczek does have a decent stroke from the outside, so Rhody won’t be able to play too far off him when he gets the ball above the free throw line. For the most part, the Hawks play a seven-man rotation so maybe Rhody will be able to throw some fresher bodies at them to slow them down.
The Rams are coming off a nice comeback win where they were down by as much as 14 in the first half. In that Saturday afternoon contest, they had nice even scoring with their 4 starting guards as they all poured in between 10 – 20 points & had 6 or 7 rebounds. Even guards Thomas & Weston had 5 and 6 rebounds respectively. Although consistently strong all season, the free throw shooting let them down a little bit the last game, the team shot 52.4% with Bray & Malik shooting it a combined 2-9.
Can Rhody get their first road win of the season? They certainly have a shot to pull off the upset. Although the Rams lost the game the last time these teams matched up, they have won 8 of the last 10 against the Hawks. These two teams are closely matched statistically speaking with the Hawks shooting it better from deep & the field. That has consistently been the case all season for the Rams though. Saint Joseph’s will probably be favored by about 5 at home. I think the Rams keep it close but just don’t quite have enough to get over the winless hump on the road. My prediction Saint Joseph’s 72 – URI 70. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
10-11, 4-5 in the A10
11-19, 5-13 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 208 (232)
RPI: 198 (234)
KenPom: 190 (214)
BPI: 196 (225)
Sagarin: 169 (192)
Barttovik: 171 (207)
Leaders:
Points – Erik Reynolds II 18.2 (Soph., G)
Rebounds – Cameron Brown 6.0 (Sr., G)
Assists – Lynn Greer II 4.4 (Soph., G) (3.7 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 50-58
H: 28-23, A: 20-32, N: 2-3
Most Recent Matchup: 3/5/22 70-60 L at Saint Joseph’s
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – Saint Joseph’s
Match-up Predictor: 29.4% Chance of URI Winning