By PAUL GOTHAM
The last full weekend slate of games before the conference season brings plenty of intrigue including George Washington trying hold on to its top 25 ranking, VCU looking to take down a ranked opponent and Davidson seeking a resume builder. Here is the Saturday/Sunday slate in the Atlantic 10.
Saturday
Saint Peter’s (3-5) at No. 21 George Washington (9-1) 1 p.m.
Since falling to then No. 24 Cincinnati, Mike Lonergan’s GW Colonials have knocked off a team from the Big East (Seton Hall, 72-64) and two Big Ten schools (Penn State, 76-66 and Rutgers, 83-49). The Colonials will have to guard against looking ahead to a game at DePaul early next week when they host the Peacocks. Tyler Cavanaugh (16.1 ppg/7.8 rpg) has scored in double figures in every GW game. John Dunne’s Saint Peter’s squad will be looking for their second non-conference win of the season. Quadir Welton scores 11.6 a game and grabs 7.8 rebounds.
No. 23 Cincinnati (9-2) at VCU (5-4) 4 p.m. CBS Sports Network
Three of VCU’s losses have been by single digits (then No. 5 Duke, 79-71/ Wisconsin, 74-73 and Florida State, 76-71). A win over a ranked Bearcats club would jump start Will Wade’s Rams. Melvin Johnson leads the way with 19.6 points including four 3-pointers per game (5th in the nation). Cincinnati’s two setbacks have come at the hands of then No. 12 Xavier (65-55) and Butler (78-76). Gary Clark nets 9.7 while grabbing eight boards per game.
Iona (4-3) at Rhode Island (6-4) 7 p.m. CoxHub
Per Basketball State, Danny Hurley’s Rams limit opponents to .90 points per possession (tied for 27th in the nation) with a defense which forces 14.2 turnovers (tied for 34th in the country). Their 67.3 possessions per contest rank the Rams 320 out of 351 D1 schools. Those numbers will get put to the test against an Iona club which averages 1.09 points for 77.1 possessions per game (tied for 20th). Kuran Iverson leads five Rams in double figures with 11.8 points per game. Iona’s A.J. English tallies 25 and leads the nation with 4.33 triples per game.
Sunday
Davidson (7-1) vs. Pittsburgh (8-1) 12:00 p.m. ESPNU
Bob McKillop’s Davidson Wildcats commit 9.1 turnovers per game (tied for 3rd in the nation) while playing at the fastest pace in the Atlantic 10 (75.9 possessions per contest). The Wildcats have won two straight since falling at then No. 9 North Carolina. Brian Sullivan leads Davidson hitting nearly 46 percent (33-of-72) behind the three-point arc. The Panthers have taken four in a row after dropping a decision to then No. 11 Purdue. Pittsburgh’s James Robinson ranks sixth in the country with an assist to turnover rate at 8.8.
Other games
Illinois State (5-6) at Saint Joseph’s (7-2)
Maine (2-7) at Fordham (8-1)
South Carolina State (5-6) at St. Bonaventure (6-2) Time Warner-Western New York
Robert Morris (2-9) vs. Duquesne (9-2)
Furman (6-4) at No. 25 Dayton (7-2) Time Warner-Ohio
Indiana State (4-6) at Saint Louis (5-4) Fox Sports-Midwest
Longwood (3-8) at George Mason (4-7)
Rankings based upon weekly Pickin’ Splinters poll.
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