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Game 22 - George Washington (14-7) vs. Rhode Island (10-12)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: February 6, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center - Washington, DC
How to Watch: ESPN+
Matchup History: George Washington leads all-time series 22-14
Last Meeting: George Washington def. Rhode Island 89-80 on 2/22/23
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: George Washington -6
Over/Under: 157
Prediction: George Washington 85, Rhode Island 77
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Zach Penrice - DMV Sports: https://twitter.com/Zach_DMVSports
Head Coach: Chris Caputo (2nd season, 30-23 record at George Washington)
Record: 14-7 (3-5, 11th in Atlantic 10)
Last Time Out: Lost @ #21 Dayton 83-61 on 1/30/24
Player to Watch: James Bishop IV
George Washington enters Tuesday night’s game at home against Rhode Island on a four game losing streak.
Prior to the four straight losses, GW had not lost back-to-back games all season. The latest in the negative stretch, a 22 point loss on the road against Dayton, which currently sits atop the A10 Conference standings.
Chris Caputo’s team is now 14-7 overall and 3-5 in the conference. They desperately need to get back on the right track, starting Tuesday back home at the Smith Center.
GW will be in the area for its next four games, as the Revs host back-to-back games before a road trip to George Mason just outside DC, followed by a huge home matchup with Richmond, a team currently tied with Dayton in the standings at 8-1 in the conference.
What the Revs really need is for their star player, James Bishop IV, to get going again. During the losing streak, Bishop has averaged just 12.5 PPG, well below is 17.5 PPG season average.
In the three wins prior to the losing streak, Bishop averaged 22.6 PPG, just over ten points better.
When he’s on, so is the team. When he’s off, so is the team.
This stretch of games at home and in the DMV are a prime opportunity for GW to right the ship and get back on track. If they don’t, the season may begin to get away from them, and a potential opportunity at an NCAA Tournament bid would slip away.
Head Coach: Archie Miller (2nd season, 19-34 record at Rhode Island)
Record: 10-12 (4-5, 10th in Atlantic 10)
Last Time Out: Lost vs. Duquesne 85-71 on 2/3/24
Player to Watch: David Green
Archie Miller’s Rhode Island Rams have lost four of its last five games entering Tuesday night’s matchup on the road against George Washington.
The Rams lost to St. Bonaventure by 35, Dayton by 34, Fordham by 3, George Mason by 8, and Duquesne by 14 during the stretch, putting in some of their more inexplicable performances over the last three weeks.
Miller, who is in his second season at the helm, is a perfect match for a program like Rhode Island. Both were in prominent positions not too long ago and are both trying to find that place once again.
For Miller, he was the head coach at Dayton for six years, taking the Flyers to four straight NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite 8 appearance in 2014, prompting him to take the top job at Indiana.
At IU, things did not go well for Miller, who lasted just four seasons in Bloomington, and never took the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament.
After a season away from hoops, he took the Rhode Island job and has won more games in his second season than in the entirety of his first.
The Rhode Island program, meanwhile, has struggled since the departure of Dan Hurley, who of course left for Connecticut in 2018 and took the Huskies to a National Championship last season.
Since Hurley left after a 26-win season in 2017-18, Rhode Island has not made the NCAA Tournament and has now had three straight losing seasons entering this year.
It may not happen this year, but Miller has already demonstrated dramatic improvement from year one to year two at Rhode Island.
It just might take some time, especially in the uber-competitive Atlantic 10 Conference.