John M Belk Arena, Davidson, NC
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
7:00PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Previews
Davidson’s Fan Forum
Game Notes
New Year, new team. The Rams opened 2024 & conference play with a great win against Saint Joseph’s. Have the tides turned? Is David Green that much of a difference maker? Have they found a winning rotation? God, I hope so. Rhody will be tested Tuesday night when they travel to Davidson. The Wildcats, who were picked towards the bottom at 12th in the A10 preseason polls, but went an impressive 10-3 in non-conference play. They have a very nice win at College Park against Maryland. They didn't have any other big win as their strength of schedule was just a little better than URI's. In their losses they lost two close ones against Clemson & at ETSU. Their last loss they got rolled by Saint Mary’s. They opened conference play at home against Dayton & lost by 13. The Wildcats never led in the game, mainly because Dayton shot 50% from the field.
Much like Saint Joseph’s, Davidson has well balanced scoring as they have five players averaging between 9.6 and 13 points per game. This is the first time Davidson did not have a preseason All-A10 player since joining the conference. Senior forward David Skogman is leading the team in both scoring (13.0) & rebounds (5.3) per game. He is the feel-good story for this team because when he was in high school during a summer league game he collapsed to the court & went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully his mom, who is a nurse, was at the game & ran down from the stands to give him CPR until the defibrillator arrived. He worked his way back from death’s door & 5 years later he is leading the Wildcats. Even with being 6’10” he is an effective three-point shooter at 41%. Although he is third on the team in 3 pointers, he has more than anyone on URI. He has missed the last two games because of a foot injury but I believe he should be back for the game Tuesday night. If he does play, I expect Fuchs is covering him & he must play Skogman beyond the three-point line. Second on the team in scoring (11.6) & leading the team in assists with 5 per game is Grant Huffman, who was also on the preseason A10 all-defensive team. He is the primary ball handler but if you are Waiting for G.Huffman to turn the ball over, it doesn’t happen often. He averages less than 2 turnovers per game and as a team, the Wildcats are averaging just around 10.6 turnovers per game, which is about 60th in the country. Conversely URI is about 200 spots worse than Davidson. Rounding out the leading scorers for Davidson is senior guard Connor Kochera (11.6), freshman forward Bobby Durkin (10.4), & sophomore guard Reed Bailey. Although Bailey is listed as a guard, he is 6’10”, so he could prove to be a match up problem if both him & Skogman are on the court at the same time.
As for Rhody, they are easily playing their best basketball this season & got their best win since last year when they played Dayton or possibly the year before that when they beat Dayton in double OT. Weird how currently playing their best basketball correlates with David Green being healthy & eligible to play for the Rams. House has had much more efficient shooting over these last two games (12-24) compared to his previous two games (6-22). Weston had a very solid game off the bench. The Rams are just looking for 8-10 minutes of solid play & defensive stops when he is out there. And finally, the fantastic play by Fuchs since his return. Since returning from injury, he is averaging 11 & 11 on 10-13 shooting. And his and one at the end of the game got both the team & crowd pumped.
Can these two recent wins translate to a win on the road against Davidson? It is certainly a tall order given Rhody is 1-12 in true road games under Archie Miller, & just 2-18 if you include neutral site games. The Rams haven’t won at Davidson in almost seven years & have just two wins over the last ten games against them. If Skogman can’t play, the chances of a win increase for Rhody. I just don’t think they are there yet. My prediction, Davidson 72 – URI 67. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
10-4, 0-1 in the A10
16-16, 8-10 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 107 (235)
RPI: 90 (162)
KenPom: 130 (209)
BPI: 169 (223)
Barttovik: 130 (181)
Leaders:
Points – David Skogman 13.0 (Sr., F)
Rebounds – David Skogman 5.3 (Sr., F)
Assists – Grant Huffman 5.0 (Sr., G) (1.9 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 8-11
H: 5-4, A: 2-5, N: 1-2
Most Recent Matchup: 3/4/23 68-54 L at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – Davidson
Match-up Predictor: 24.6% Chance of URI Winning