Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Sunday, November 26, 2023
4:00PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Previews
Yale Fan Forum
After taking down DIII Johnson & Wales on Wednesday in what people all over this fan forum said “why is the game happening”, the Rams welcome real competition to the Ryan Center Sunday afternoon when the Yale Bulldogs come to town. Yale was co-champion of the Ivy League last season & was picked in the preseason polls to finish atop the league again. The Bulldogs have two all-Ivy honorees returning from last season in guard Bez Mbeng and forward Matt Knowling. Last season Knowling finished in 10th in all D1 basketball with a 62.5% field goal percentage. Also, last season, Mbeng was the Ivy League’s defensive players of the year.
Yale comes in at 4-2 with losses at Gonzaga & an overtime loss against Weber State with that game being played in Canada. The Bulldogs have very balanced scoring as their entire starting lineup is averaging in double digits, ranging from Mbeng’s 13.5 to August Mahoney’s 10. Mahoney, along with guard John Poulakidas, are the teams two best three-point shooters. The one flaw in Mbeng’s game is he is a poor three-point shooter, only shooting it at 18.5% on the season. Over his last 3 games he is just 1 for his last 15. The Rams can dare him to shoot it while locking up the other more efficient shooters. The Bulldogs have some height downlow in 7’ forward Danny Wolf. The Rams will have to keep an eye on him even when he is outside the three-point line as he is averaging a few attempts per game.
As for the Rams, time to shake off the tryptophan & get ready for a difficult next two games. Many people may think, we have an Ivy team coming to the Ryan Center, this should be an easy win. Not so fast, even with this game at home, this is going to be a big test. Since 2000, the Rams have played the Bulldogs 5 times, & winning just 2 of those games. The last time these two teams squared off, Nikola Malesevic’s 25 wasn’t enough to get the win. I have a feeling that we will see them losing a tight one again. I am going to go with the same outcome as the last time they played. My prediction, Yale 68 – URI 64. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
4-2, 0-0 in the Ivy
21-9, 10-4 in the Ivy (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 65 (263)*
RPI: 119 (266)
KenPom: 83 (202)
BPI: 70 (260)
Sagarin: 76 (229)*
Barttovik: 73 (176)
*Denotes Last Season Rankings
Leaders:
Points – Bez Mbeng 13.5 (Jr., G)
Rebounds – Danny Wolf 8.5 (Soph., F)
Assists – Bez Mbeng 3.0 (Jr., G) (1.8 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 4-8
H: 1-2, A: 3-6, N: 0-0
Most Recent Matchup: 12/18/11 68-65 L at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 - URI
Match-up Predictor: 25.1% Chance of URI Winning