Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Saturday, February 18, 2023
2:00PM
Media
TV: ESPNU
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews
UMass Fan Forum
Coming off a devastating buzzer beater loss to 1st place VCU, the University of Rhode Island takes on rival University of Massachusetts Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center. This game is the complete antithesis of the women’s game Thursday night. It was a battle for first place with both teams entering that contest with double-digit winning streaks. This game is a battle to stay out of the basement of the A10 & Rhody has a 4-game losing streak while UMass has a 5 gamer. Hopefully the outcome is also an antithesis as Rhody got rolled by 20+.
The injury bug has hit the Minutemen hard as of late. Noah Fernandes, who was the leading scorer, has missed half the season with an ankle injury. Matt Cross stepped up in his absence & is now leading the team in points & rebounds. He went for 22 & 7 when they played URI last month. Unfortunately, in their last game against Loyola just 5 minutes into the game he injured his MCL. Throw in Brandon Martin’s UCL injury he incurred in practice earlier this week, UMass will certainly be playing this game shorthanded. Martin could potentially play Saturday, but Coach Frank Martin said Cross is “definitely not playing.”
The Minutemen are certainly not known for their defensive prowess, but they played great defense against Loyola in their last game. They were down 61-43 after a 3 pointer from Loyola with 9:51 to go in the game. They held Loyola without of a field goal for the remainder of the game. They closed on a 19-3 run but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get the win. RJ Luis is the only healthy player on the team who is averaging in double figures. Luis is a tall guard, listed at 6’7”. UMass has some height downlow with Isaac Kante and center Wildens Leveque. Leveque, who followed Coach Martin from South Carolina to Massachusetts, is a widebody downlow. UMass also showcases two players from RI in TJ Weeks Jr & Dyondre Dominguez. Dominguez went for 12 & 7 off the bench the last time these teams played.
Rhody played great defense in their last game against VCU. VCU, which averages 70 points per game was held to just 55 points & their best player Ace Baldwin went 0-10 from the field. A defensive presence like this against a battered UMass team should hopefully lead to a win. I feel like I am a broken record with this statement but if Rhody can limit some of their unforced turnovers they can win this one. Rhody has lost 4 of the last 5, but that will change Saturday afternoon. Rhody will also win the race to 10 on Saturday. Mark it down. The Rams should be favored by a couple points for being at home. With the 1987-88 Rhody team being honored at halftime, that team swept UMass that season. This Rhode Island team will win it in their honor. MY prediction URI 64 – UMass 60. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
13-13, 4-10 in the A10
15-17, 7-11 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 199 (228)
RPI: 160 (250)
KenPom: 210 (217)
BPI: 180 (213)
Sagarin: 191 (195)
Barttovik: 211 (210)
Leaders:
Points – Matt Cross 12.9 (Jr., F)
Rebounds – Matt Cross 6.3 (Jr., F)
Assists – Leon Thompson 2.6 (Fr., G) (1.8 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 68-93
H: 41-33, A: 27-55, N: 0-5
Most Recent Matchup: 1/14/23 75-65 L at UMass
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 – UMass
Match-up Predictor: 55.3% Chance of URI Winning