EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, VA
Saturday, January 27, 2024
4:00PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Previews
George Mason’s Fan Forum
Here we go again…back to our losing ways. After starting 3-0 in conference play, the Rams pulled a complete 180 & now have dropped 3 in a row. The tough part about this last loss to Fordham was that it was at home & they were missing their best player. The Rams of Fordham also shot like utter garbage from the free throw line, going 9 for 25, yet the hometown Rams couldn’t capitalize. Things don’t get any easier as the Rams now must travel to NoVA to take on the George Mason Patriots.
Even with the departure of coach Kim English to Providence, who took his two best players with him in Josh Oduro & Ticket Gaines, the Patriots reloaded by hiring Tony Skinn. You could say he has some Skinn in the game as he was a former standout guard on the Mason team that went to the Final Four during that Cinderella run in 2006. The Patriots, who were picked 10th in the A10 preseason, went 12-2 in the nonconference but are only 3-3 in conference play. They have losses on the road to Richmond as well GW & a home loss to VCU. No bad losses there & they did win at home against St Bonaventure last week. The Patriots come into this game well rested as they did not have a midweek game this week.
George Mason starts a four-guard lineup with UNLV transfer Keyshawn Hall playing the 4. He is leading in points with 16.5 per game & rebounds with 9.2, which is roughly in the top 40 in the nation. Coach Skinn brought in two new players this season & both are averaging 12 points per game with guard Darius Maddox (12.9) & starting big man Amari Kelly (12.3). Maddox is a transfer from Virginia Tech & the team’s best three-point shooter & an excellent free throw shooter at 92%. He has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games. Kelly is a UNC Wilmington transfer who is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game & has 4 double-doubles this season. Running the point for GM is Ronald Polite III. Speaking of the III, he was picked for the A10 preseason 3rd team. His scoring & assist number are down this year, but so are his turnover numbers. He is also an excellent free throw shooter, at almost 92%. The Patriots are an excellent free throw shooting team, shooting it 12+% better than the Rams, so don’t expect a repeat of poor free throw shooting like the last game against Fordham.
As for the Rams, they really need a bounce back game and bring some friggin’ defensive intensity. Is their confidence shot after the blowout road losses & then losing a very winnable game at home? Another thing needed is for Green to stay on the court & not be in foul trouble. In 7 of his 9 games, he has finished with 4 fouls. He was only able to play 11 minutes against Davison & 15 against Fordham due to his foul trouble. And now that there is tape on him, he has struggled a bit to get going offensively. I haven’t seen any updates about Zek’s status for this weekend’s game since he missed the last game due to a back injury.
The Rams are striving to get their second conference road win of the season, which hasn’t happened since 2021. Yikes, that is a depressing statistic. The Rams have lost 3 of the last 5 times they have played George Mason. There should be a boisterous crowd at EagleBank Arena as it is George Mason’s homecoming. The Rams will probably be about 7-point underdogs this weekend & I don’t see how they will have enough to get the win Saturday afternoon. My prediction, George Mason 74 – URI 66. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
14-5, 3-3 in the A10
20-13, 11-7 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 82 (205)
RPI: 47 (153)
KenPom: 99 (201)
BPI: 112 (224)
Barttovik: 100 (187)
Leaders:
Points – Keyshawn Hall 16.5 (Soph., G)
Rebounds – Keyshawn Hall 9.2 (Soph., F)
Assists – Ronald Polite III 3.1 (Sr., G) (1.7 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 7-6
H: 4-4, A: 3-2, N: 0-0
Most Recent Matchup: 2/11/23 75-67 L at George Mason
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 – George Mason
Match-up Predictor: 13.9% Chance of URI Winning