Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Saturday, November 18, 2023
2:30PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Previews
Northwestern Fan Forum
Additional Northwestern Fan Forum
After polishing off the easier beginning part of the out of conference schedule by going 3-0 at home to start the season, things get much more difficult as the Rams head to Uncasville, CT to take on Northwestern in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats also have opened their young season with 3 home wins, including just a five-point win against Dayton where the Flyers shot lights out (53.8% from the floor including 12-23 from deep). They snuck out their third win Tuesday night at home when they barely beat Western Michigan, 63-59. They got DOMINATED on the boards, 43-21. I also want to send a special FU to the Wildcats for ruining my 1st to 10 parlay Tuesday night. I had URI & Northwestern in a parlay, URI took care of business (barely) & then Northwestern lays an egg going down 6-0 about 75 seconds into the game & losing the race to ten, 10 - 7. Boooo Wildcats.
Northwestern’s coach is Chris Collins, son of former NBA All-Star/Head Coach Doug Collins, is in his 11th season. He has gotten the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament twice during his helm, both times making it to the second round. Northwestern was picked to finish 8th in the Big Ten in the preseason polls. They are led by first team all Big Ten guard Boo Buie. The Bob Cousy award finalist last season is going to be a match-up problem for the Rams in this game. He is averaging over 20 points per game but is turnover prone, averaging 3 per contest. Hopefully the Rams can apply some pressure on him & get some quick transition baskets off his turnovers. Fun (?) fact, Buie’s brother Talor Battle is the Wildcats assistant coach. The Wildcats start 4 guards & 1 center, yet the center (Matthew Nicholson) is currently second on the team in assists. Watch for them to get the ball down low to him & they he will kick it back out to an open shooter. Nicholson isn’t much of a rebounder as that is more of 6’6” junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s strong suit. He has been a rebounding machine averaging 10 rebounds per game to go along with his 17 points per game. The final player to keep an eye on Saturday afternoon is Princeton transfer, Ryan Langborg. He has made the transition from the Ivy League to the Big Ten just fine, averaging almost 13 points per game.
As for the Rams, they have continued to look strong this season. What a refreshing change from last season. Tuesday night after a back and forth first quarter of the game, the Rams took control & never looked back. Zek had a great game against the Seahawks, going for 13/11/6. Jeremy Foumena has been looking strong & had the shot going Tuesday night, pouring in 16 & 7. I think we will be seeing more of Foumena Saturday afternoon as they will need his height to contend with Northwestern’s 7-foot center Nicholson. Nicholson does have a much bigger frame than Foumena, outweighing him by almost 50 pounds. The Wildcats play a 4-guard lineup, so Fuchs will be matched-up against Brooks Barnhizer. The more I am thinking about this game, the more I am getting excited for it.
The Rams have faced off against the Wildcats two other times prior to this Saturday’s match-up and are 2-0. The first time they played was at Madison Square Garden in 1966 at the ECAC Holiday Festival which they won 91-87. The most recent time they have played each other, which I am sure many of us probably remember, was when Northwestern had to travel to the Ryan Center for the first round of the NIT in 2010 with the Rams prevailing 76-64. Will Rhody be able to keep the streak alive? After the way Northwestern played Tuesday night, my heart is saying they might be able to pull this out. Although Northwestern won the rebounding edge in their first two games, they got so badly dominated on the boards Tuesday night that I feel like there is more of an opening for Rhody to get the win. Conversely, whatever rebounding edge we may get will be lost when it comes to free throw shooting. The Rams are shooting an abysmal 55% while the Wildcats are shooting 80%, which is good for roughly 30th in the country. With the potential of a solid Rhody fan base at the game Saturday, maybe they can pull out the victory. Stranger things have happened, but I personally don’t see the Rams getting the win. Please, please, please prove me wrong. My prediction, Northwestern 72 – URI 64. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
3-0, 0-0 in the Big Ten
22-12, 12-8 in the Big Ten (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 37 (263)*
RPI: 61 (246)
KenPom: 59 (171)
BPI: 33 (265)
Sagarin: 36 (229)*
Barttovik: 46 (161)
*Denotes Last Season Rankings
Leaders:
Points – Boo Buie 21.0 (Sr., G)
Rebounds – Brooks Barnhizer 10.0 (Jr., G)
Assists – Boo Buie 3.7 (Sr., G) (3.0 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 2-0
H: 1-0, A: 0-0, N: 1-0
Most Recent Matchup: 3/17/10 76-64 W at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 - URI
Match-up Predictor: 87.5% Chance of Northwestern Winning